What would've you done to keep the momentum going for WCW during the ratings war

[The Naitch]

before the nWo became a huge clusterfuck with everybody and their grandmother joining the nWo, how would've you kept the momentum going for WCW while trying to compete with the Mike Tyson/Austin/DX stuff on the other side?

I don't care if this thread is shit

[The One]

I would have kept the nWo around, but in a much more diminished capacity. Slowly I would have had a lot of the filler talent be weeded out, reaffirm that it was an elite organization. Only upper mid carders or main eventers allowed type of thing. I would then have had the workers who were the "backbone" (your Jerichos, Benoits, Malenkos, Guerreros, Mysterios, etc.) be featured much more prevalently. The nWo and the Goldberg/DDP/Sting could all focus on the World belt, but I would have had the work horses focus on the US belt. I would have upped the profile of the Cruiser division. If McMahon is going to to SmashTV to insure a "don't miss" atmosphere, I would achieve a sense of wonderment with the Cruisers and high flyers.

I would spend a lot of time and effort to insure our programming reflected a mentality of this is where the best in the world go, over there is where the hacks go to be lazy second rate comedy acts. Make sure the guys who were tearing down the house knew how appreciated they were, even if politics and backstage drama meant they didn't get to go on last, privately reassure them that their the ones who are "putting butts in the seats."

I realize this approach wouldn't have turned the table around, but I feel it could have severely slowed the decline WCW entered into when they tried to copy the "Howard Stern meets Jerry Springer" atmosphere of WWF in a highly controlled corporate company like Ted Turner's was. It ended up looking sloppy and like a bad rip off instead of finding it's own way of branding itself.

[Xero]

The nWo doesn't work without it either being defeated by WCW or completely taking over for good. They're a new World order, suggesting that they're out for complete domination. If the nWo isn't the focus of the show, it really doesn't make sense to keep it around when it comes down to what the group stood for.

[Savio]

Move Nitro to Tuesday night, Fire Hogan after he loses to Goldberg

[The Naitch]

It all went downhill once Ted Turner wanted Bischoff to do Thunder, because Ted really wanted to compete with Vince. Bischoff knew it would water everything down, but he couldn't say no. Plus he'd be doing double the work for nothing in return (he never got paid extra)

The plan was to have nWo be a second brand, but they were still a long way from doing that just yet

[Juan]

What would have you done?

i would've went through with the nWo takeover of nitro.

i would've had string go over hogan clean at starcade 97.

had goldberg vs hogan for the title at starcade 98

[The Naitch]

Originally Posted by Juan Cena What would have you done?

I wasn't into wrestling at the time, so I couldn't give you a good opinion, because I'm not too familiar with what was going on back then

From what I do know, for starters, I would've saved Goldberg vs. Hogan for a PPV, not Nitro. I don't know how much The Four Horsemen were involved with the nWo storyline, but I would've had a stable war between the "old school" Horsemen vs. the "new school" nWo. The main focus being on Flair vs. Hogan.

I liked how they made the nWo feel like an "ex-WWF" stable

Apparently, Hogan wasn't too impressed with Sting, because he thought Sting was out of shape and didn't look fit enough, seeing as how they spend so much time building up the eventual Sting vs. Hogan match

[The Naitch]

And Bischoff had dumb ideas like having a New Years' Eve PPV with KISS. Reason why it didn't go down is because the production team didn't want to work over the holidays

[MoFo]

Can we re-write history and scrub the 'fingerpoke of doom' & Arquette from the records? It would be much easier.

[Nightwing]

The nWo needed to take over, or be defeated one way or another. Instead it fizzled, and got reincarnated a bunch of times. [Fingerpoke of Doom, nWo 2000 ect]

Utilize your strengths of that undercard. Slowly build the worthy ones towards the main event. [Jericho, Guerrero amongst others]

Goldberg doesnt drop the title to Nash at Starcade. That was it, Goldberg had nowhere to go after that. Dont think about turning him heel either.

Bret Hart is on WCW Nitro the night after the 1997 Survivor Series and is pushed to the moon due to all the attention and value he has at this time.

Thunder doesnt happen. Keep your creative juices focused on Monday Nights building towards the PPV.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Kept Bischoff in charge for the entire WCW run. No bringing in Russo or anything else like that.

[Theo Dious]

After Hogan's title loss to Goldberg (which should have been on PPV) I would have had Hogan slowly betrayed by the nWo. Nash still beats Goldberg as leader of the nWo, which leads to Hogan making a return with an actual match with decent buildup. The final match between Hogan and Nash should have been set up as "winner leaves with the belt, if Nash wins, Hogan never appears on WCW programming again; if Hogan wins the nWo disbands permanently." And I would put Nash over of course.

[Theo Dious]

Yeah and never never hire Russo OR replace Bischoff unless it's someone with a brain of some kind.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I wasn't a wrestling fan at the time, but you hear about all the problems WCW had in its dying days. The top guys were gripping to their spots, and not moving out for certain other young talents. People were high on the Cruiserweight Division until the very end, and I seem to recall people expecting huge things from The Natural Born Thrillers, had Hogan been willing to put over Sean O'Haire in that era, and didn't wait until he was aligned with Roddy Piper down the track a couple of years on SmackDown! to do it.

Horrible booking decisions started as far back as the infamous Hogan/Sting match, with Hogan really out to protect himself. This carried on throughout the years, but instead of just saying what everyone already knows, I'll just go with clinging to the past as something WCW did wrong. nWo Black & Silver was not going to save WCW. David Arquette was not going to save WCW. Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Ric Flair were not going to save WCW. Losing pretty much your entire awesome mid-card doesn't help, but those guys should have been bumped up when it was their time to get bumped up.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Tedious After Hogan's title loss to Goldberg (which should have been on PPV) I would have had Hogan slowly betrayed by the nWo. Nash still beats Goldberg as leader of the nWo, which leads to Hogan making a return with an actual match with decent buildup. The final match between Hogan and Nash should have been set up as "winner leaves with the belt, if Nash wins, Hogan never appears on WCW programming again; if Hogan wins the nWo disbands permanently." And I would put Nash over of course.

That's actually not a bad idea. Although, the destruction of Hulk Hogan really could have been used to create a new star.

[Nightwing]

They paid all these guys anyways after the buy out so might as well push Hogan out and use his star power to create a new one.

[BigCrippyZ]

To me they didn't use Bret the right way. Although he was a "main eventer", it seemed like he never really got the main event treatment by the writers in his feuds/storylines. I would've pushed Bret to the moon and made him the focus of my show.

Then I would've used Bret, Nash, Hogan, and Goldberg to get guys like DDP, Eddie, Jericho and Benoit into the main event scene. Slowly pushing out older guys like Hogan and Flair maybe only using them as authority figures/managers, etc.

Definitely never make David Arquette world champion.

[The Naitch]

Russo saw that Bret was never the same after Montreal and it showed when he was in WCW.

[Swiss Ultimate]

I want to say I'd never have hired Russo but, at the time he was a hot commodity. I definitely would have fired Hogan after jobbing him to DDP and Goldberg since he was poison backstage and pretty much sucked the big one after. Would have stepped in when the ICP, KISS and NO LIMIT Soldiers were pitched and probably stopped that.

Definitely would have looked at cutting Hogwild PPV and stopped wasting money on "big names" and instead focused more on the luchadors. Honestly, probably my WCW would be a lot like current WWE.

[MIZantine Empire]

since wwf at the time, had a partnership with playboy, they should have gotten a partnership with hustler, and blew the doors off of those spreads! thats it, had they done that, then wcw would still be here today! lol

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Originally Posted by MIZantine Empire since wwf at the time, had a partnership with playboy, they should have gotten a partnership with hustler, and blew the doors off of those spreads! thats it, had they done that, then wcw would still be here today! lol

Fuck Yeah! Stacy Keibler full spread! We have our winner or at least the best answer we're gonna get!

[Fox]

Going all the way back to Starrcade 1999 to answer this one.

Goldberg was still mad hot as the WCW World Champion, and he could've stayed that way for the forseeable future. Up until Starrcade vs. Kevin Nash, he had never looked weak - not even once. He was always the dominator, the savior of the nWo beatdowns, and the true Superman of WCW.

I would NOT have beaten him at Starrcade. I would have gone the same route with having Bam Bam Bigelow and Scott Hall try and screw him out of the match, but in the end, Goldberg would've planted Nash for the 1-2-3 and left with the belt as champion.

The next night on Nitro is when I would have put the first chink in Goldberg's armor. During the scheduled rematch between Nash and Goldberg at the following Nitro, I would've made the match a sham. Throughout the show, nWo would've taken out all the big faces in the company via surprise beat downs, without explanation. In the main event, Goldberg does his entrance but the nWo blindsides him on the way down and just absolutely destroy him in the ring. I'm talking about the most brutal beat down ever. I would've wanted Goldberg down and bloody, getting battered with chair shots and finishers.

All of a sudden, Hogan's music plays. The place goes nuts (Hogan had been away for awhile and was in the midst of a face turn at this time). Hogan comes down and the nWo balks. Hogan hits the ropes and hits the Leg Drop of Doom on Goldberg. Hogan rejoins the nWo and makes it stronger than ever.

Goldberg was so injured that night that he is put on the shelf for 3 months - forcing Bischoff to vacate the WCW World Title. A tournament would be held for the belt, which would see Hogan regain it after much help from the nWo, and during which new superstars would've been built up and brought into the limelight (specifically Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Kidman, and Chris Jericho).

Goldberg would've returned on a mission to regain the WCW World Title, but first he would have to take down and defeat every member of the nWo. Sting would return later and help him out and DDP would be along for the ride as well. This would all have lead up to Hogan versus Goldberg at Starrcade 2000.


More importantly is what would've happened with the rest of the roster. Bret Hart should've been utilized more effectively, possibly creating a new Hart Foundation or Team Canada. A group consisting of Hart, Benoit, Lance Storm and Elix Skipper would've been amazing (hypothetically, Hart's injury would've never happened). I would've brought in guys like Rob Van Dam, Tazz and Mike Awesome and actually turned them into main eventers.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Fox wins.

As I was thinking about Bret Hart, and I do get that he was never the same after Montreal, the idea that immediately came to my head was Bret Hart working as Bret Hart would work in WCW, but forming his own team. I'm not sure what the Four Horsemen were doing at this time, but the idea of Chris Benoit being torn between aligning with them and Bret Hart would have been interesting. That would have made an epic War Games match down the line.

The rest of your plan sounds brilliant, Fox. Jericho could have been money for WCW with Goldberg selling the beat-down, while Goldberg was just money for being Goldberg. The money in Hulk Hogan being a face was a desperate move, and Hogan re-aligning himself with the nWo would have given them a boost while also protecting Goldberg.

[Rammsteinmad]

Give Hogan the push of his life. In 1998/99 this is clearly what people wanted, which WCW denied them.

[Tom Guycott]

Originally Posted by Noid I wasn't a wrestling fan at the time, but you hear about all the problems WCW had in its dying days. The top guys were gripping to their spots, and not moving out for certain other young talents. People were high on the Cruiserweight Division until the very end, and I seem to recall people expecting huge things from The Natural Born Thrillers, had Hogan been willing to put over Sean O'Haire in that era, and didn't wait until he was aligned with Roddy Piper down the track a couple of years on SmackDown! to do it.

About this era was the Millionare's Club vs. The New Blood. Hogan was actually feuding (too little, too late) with Kidman, not O'Haire, but I get the point. The BIGGEST botch of this entire angle was booking all of the younger talent who were being held down by the old-timers AS THE HEELS! Yeah, all those paycheck drawing veterans were painted as sympathetic old-schoolers, and the young guys who could've gotten the rub of a lifetime were portrayed as disrespectful, punk-ass kids.

Other little things needed changed too, like giving the title to Benoit to try to persuade him not to jump ship, only to have him drop the belt before he got to even SMELL it. Or Lance Storm's domination angle which, suprisingly, was being done right... up until Nash comes in and squashes the guy after his "hat trick" just to do a promo for... whateverthefuck, don't even remember. Or spending a shit-ton of money for "The Demon" and his entrance and not even give the gimmick to a decent wrestler. Or what about actually having Shane Douglass and Ric Flair in the same company... so let's make Shane start his own soverign nation unto himself???

On the nWo side of things: remember Bischoff's ultimatum? How WCW had 30 days to decide who was with them or against them?? Well, apparantly, they forgot, since they kept adding people due to those guys getting sick of jobbing to the nWo all the time. Yeah, they were supposed to be trying to take over WCW, but they could have accomplished their roughshod disruptions with a Nexus-sized stable like they initially built to be. Just get a guy to replace "nWo Sting" when that reveal was over. Had they kept the 30 day stip then closed the doors, it could have been more effective in the long run.

Also, Thunder could have worked if they had a similar notion to WWE's brand split. Hell, they had the fucking roster to do it better than the 'E. And the multiple "reboots" didn't help. There's only so many "lets take the title off of everyone/have a tornament to decide" you can do before it's stupid. That also leads to one of the problems that plagues TNA currently... that is to STOP DROPPING IDEAS MID-STREAM IF IT DOESN'T WORK IMMEDIATELY!

"We have the best Luchadore division in the world!!! Oh, they haven't sold enough tickets for us in the last three weeks. Luchadores suck, Tag-Teams are the way to go! Tag Teams don't draw as much attention as the Cruiserweights. Lets focus on the Crusierweight division! No, on second thought..."

[MIZantine Empire]

Originally Posted by SlickyTrickyDamon Fuck Yeah! Stacy Keibler full spread! We have our winner or at least the best answer we're gonna get!

or her taking it in the shitter..there are a few wcw clam bakes i wouldnt mind seein..i used to be in love with that read head nitro girl..

[whiteyford]

Actually plan things out, i think every ex WCW wrestler whose wrote a book has made a point of saying how many times they turned up for tv and noone had a clue as to what they were there to do. I think it was a year before Bret Hart got a look at the world title, and he was the hottest face on the planet after the screwjob, or at least he should have been. He couldnt bring the belt with him like Flair but let him cut a promo about he never lost the belt so he's the world champion and it writes itself.

[Fox]

Originally Posted by Noid Fox wins. As I was thinking about Bret Hart, and I do get that he was never the same after Montreal, the idea that immediately came to my head was Bret Hart working as Bret Hart would work in WCW, but forming his own team. I'm not sure what the Four Horsemen were doing at this time, but the idea of Chris Benoit being torn between aligning with them and Bret Hart would have been interesting. That would have made an epic War Games match down the line. The rest of your plan sounds brilliant, Fox. Jericho could have been money for WCW with Goldberg selling the beat-down, while Goldberg was just money for being Goldberg. The money in Hulk Hogan being a face was a desperate move, and Hogan re-aligning himself with the nWo would have given them a boost while also protecting Goldberg.

I appreciate your appreciation of my idea Noid. Cheers.

I think what would've eventually happened is that people would get sick of Goldberg, probably shortly after Starrcade 2000 (after defeating Hogan for the WCW World Title). My idea has him remaining undefeated for over 2 years. Eventually, people would want to see him get beat, but it would have to be the right time and the right person. Here's my idea:

After Starrcade 2000, Goldberg has vanquished the nWo - and for real this time. No more fucking nWo. No reunions, no smaller factions, nothing. Gone. Goldberg did it: he won the battle. But now what?

DDP steps up. "I helped you for the past 2 years, bro, to take down the nWo, and all I'm asking for is a god damn Title shot!" Goldberg gives him his shot at Souled Out 2000. The two have an amazing rematch from their HH 99 match and tear the place down. DDP actually hits the Diamond Cutter a couple of times and almost wins the match, but Goldberg kicks out both times. Goldberg hits the Spear and looks down at the broken body of DDP. He goes back to the corner and hits him with ANOTHER Spear. The announcers play up that this is far more vicious than they're used too. Goldberg hits a third Spear and finally the Jackhammer to retain his belt. The fans cheer his victory, as he's their hero, but it's not without a question in the back of their minds: why did he do that to DDP?

Page cuts a promo on Nitro saying that he's glad they had a good match and Goldberg is the better man on that night, but that he went too far. Goldberg gruffly states "You wanted it? YOU GOT IT." The next PPV Goldberg faces Sting and beats him in equally brutal fashion. As time progresses, Goldberg's style and vicious nature become more and more his dominant attributes: he's a fucking beast. And the problem is simple: NO ONE CAN STOP HIM. He's STILL undefeated.

This would all lead up to Chris Benoit versus Goldberg for the WCW World Title at Starrcade 2001. Benoit would spend the year defending the US Title against all comers, having 5 star classics and even beating his mentor and friend Bret Hart at Fall Brawl in a 60-minute Iron Man Match for the US Belt. At WW3, Benoit wins the 60-man battle royal and earns a shot at the World Title at Starrcade.

At this point, Goldberg would essentially be a full fledged heel: an unstoppable force who had lost all respect for his own fans and cared about nothing but being "the man." He would look down on Benoit as his challenger and encourage Bischoff to replace him as the match would be "too easy for him." Benoit would react to this by stepping up his game and spitting in Goldberg's face on an episode of Nitro.

At Starrcade 2001, the two men have a classic David vs. Goliath fight that sees Benoit pull out all the stops against the big man. And then it happens: Goldberg hits the Spear. He hits a second one. He goes for the third, taking a long time to let Benoit get back to his feet, and Chris gets planted for a third. Goldberg gets cocky and even goes outside the ring to yell at Bret Hart to shut his mouth. He gets back into the ring and goes for the Jackhammer, but Benoit reverses it into the Crippler Crossface. After maybe 60 seconds or more, Goldberg taps out.

Benoit is the new WCW World Champion, the first man to defeat Bill Goldberg, and not only that, but by fucking submission. A new era would begin in WCW.