World Championship Wrestling 2002: Rebuilding the Empire

[Bigpapa42]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Main/WCWEmpire.jpg

 

A New Project

 

I know what you're thinking... "Hey, you just ended TCW a few days ago and now a new project?" Well yes... and no...

 

This is actually a project I started on another site. I am simply re-posting it here. If nothing else, I figure it may generate some interest in Genadi's really fun alternate 2002 scenario...

 

I will say that starting this project and deciding to end my TCW diary were separate decisions. When I first started planning this project, I was going to do it at the same time as TCW. As you will see, the writing load on this one is significantly lighter than on my previous projects, which is entirely intentional. Losing the passion for TCW really didn't coincide with wanting to this project in that sense.

 

 

The Game

 

This game is on TEW 2010 using Genadi's 2002 History Rewritten database. It is a fantasy scenario where WCW survives, purchased by Eric Bischoff and his investors group (Fusient). The game actually starts in April of 2002.

 

I modified the scenario somewhat, which will become apparent in the "catch up" posts. For example, the fate of ECW changes somewhat. I will try to point out where I adjusted things and what is from Genadi. He did a fantastic job of making the recovery of WCW interesting and, in my opinion, fairly realistic.

 

 

Some "Rules"

 

Everything up to March of 2001 happened as it actually happened. The divergence point between reality and fantasy is where the purchase of WCW by Bischoff & Fusient goes through, with a deal to keep WCW on the air being a key component.

 

One of the basic ideas of the project is that Bischoff has learned from his mistakes. He has adapted. Now being a majority owner, he can no longer be "ATM Eric" but has to develop a stronger business acumen. As such, he will look to the indy scene for new stars rather than returning to the formula of primarily trying to steal established stars from the McMahon empire. There are certain workers who have already been stolen (to be revealed and explained) but so long as the WWE is bigger, its very difficult to steal workers who come up on contract without extenuating circumstances being involved. Although I may bring in the occasional ex-WWE guy or even former WCW star is possible, the more overt focus will be on creating new stars.

 

I will attempt to respect actual relationships as much as possible. Some will be altered to suit the story, but they will be explained and justified.

 

If you hate seeing someone snap up a lot of indy talent, this one might get annoying for you. Although I'm not going to immediately push every indy darling to the moon (few are ready for that), some will play a prominent role over the long-term. Some will maintain their indy persona while others may be repackaged.

 

Attempts will be made to respect time-lines. The most prominent deviations will likely be putting together some tag team combinations that were actually put together later - whether on the indy scene, by the WWE or even by TNA. However, I will try to avoid using characters/gimmicks that were created later on by the WWE, TNA, or even on the indy scene. So having Mike Mizian debut as The Miz with his "I'm Awesome" catchphrase isn't too likely. Seeing him form a tag team with John Hennigan (aka John Morrison), however, is quite possible.

 

I will provide some detail on what is happened in the rest of the wrestling world, particularly with the WWE.

 

TNA will be part of the game, but as a slightly altered vision. TNA and Ring of Honor will face bigger challenges, as they won't have access to some of the talent they actually did.

 

 

The Format

 

This one will be different. Quite simply, there will be no individual shows. Rather, it will be a monthly overview of what is going on the promotion, with the occasional "editorial" style addition. The catch-up posts, which will cover from March of 2001 to March of 2002, will be a similar style to what you can expect throughout.

 

 

Acknowledgments

 

Need to thank Tristram and Jim for their help and advice with regard to WCW. Thanks to Tyler Gadzinski for most of the custom worker cuts and the new main logo. As well, thanks to Reaper for the title belt renders.

 

And, of course, a big thanks to Genadi for putting together the mod/database this is based on.

[Bigpapa42]

Promotion Info

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Promotion Details

 

Owner: Eric Bischoff

Head Booker: Paul Heyman

Based: Atlanta, Georgia

 

 

Size

 

Promotion Size: International

Promotion Rank: #2

 

 

Game Info

 

Mod: Genadi's 2002 Alt

Current Game Date: Week 1 September, 2002

Game Start Date: Week 1 April, 2002

 

 

Chapters

 

Chronology

2001

March - May 2001

June 2001

July 2001

August 2001

September 2001

October 2001

November 2001

December 2001

 

2002

January 2002

February 2002

March 2002

April 2002

May 2002

June 2002

July 2002

August 2002

September 2002

October 2002

November 2002

December 2002

 

2003

January 2003

February 2003

March 2003

 

Editorials

World Wrestling Federation 2001

The Passion of Paul Heyman and ECW

A Man, Evolved

A Prototype, Evolved

The Resurrection of Extreme

A New Kid

The Las Vegas Connection

Eddie the Horseman

The Pipeline

World Wrestling Entertainment 2002

The Infinite Loop of WCW

 

[Bigpapa42]

WCW Champions

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WCW World Heavyweight

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Rob Van Dam

Reign: 1st

Won: March 2003

Previous Champion: Shawn Michaels (1)

 

WCW United States

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Samoa Joe

Reign: 1st

Won: March 2003

Previous Champion: Sean O'Haire (1)

 

WCW World Tag Team

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Belts/WCW%20Belts/WCWClassicTag.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Belts/WCW%20Belts/WCWClassicTag.jpg

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Alpha

Lance Storm & Mike Awesome

Reign: 2nd

Won: December 2002

Previous Champions: The Triad (2)

 

WCW Cruiserweight

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AJ Styes

Reign: 3rd

Won: March 2003

Previous Champion: Jamie Knoble (2)

 

WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Belts/WCW%20Belts/WCWCruiserweight.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Belts/WCW%20Belts/WCWCruiserweight.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Workers/WCW/KazHayashiWCW.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Workers/WCW/JimmyYangWCW.jpg

The Jung Dragons

Reign: 3rd

Won: March 2003

Previous Champions: The New Filthy Animals (1)

 

WCW Tournaments

 

WCW Mayhem

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Held: Annually in November

Type: 30-man Single Elimination Battle Royal Match

Previous Winner: Shawn Michaels

 

WCW W1 King of the Cruisers

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Held: Annually in June/July

Type: 16-man Single Elimination Cruiserweight Tournament

Previous Winner: Rey Mysterio (2)

 

 

ECW Champions

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ECW Championship

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Raven

Reign:5th

Won: February 2003

Previous Champion: Samoa Joe (1)

 

ECW Tag Team Championships

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Belts/ECW%20Belts/ECWWorldTagTeam.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Belts/ECW%20Belts/ECWWorldTagTeam.jpg

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The UK Saints

Doug Williams & Nigel McGuiness

Reign: 1st

Won: February 2003

Previous Champion: The Dark Carnival

 

ECW Television Championship

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Bryan Danielson

Reign: 1st

Won: January 2003

Previous Champion: Retired

[Bigpapa42]

WCW Roster

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Wrestlers

 

• AJ Styles
  
• Alex Wright
  
• Big Vito
  
• Billy Kidman
  
• Booker T
  
• Brian Adams
  
• Brock Lesnar
  
• Bryan Clark
  
• Chavo Guerrero Jr.
  
• Diamond Dallas Page
  
• Dustin Rhodes
  
• Eddie Guerrero
  
• Elix Skipper
  
• Evan Karagias
  
• Goldberg
  
• Hugh Morrus
  
• Jamie Noble
  
• Jimmy Yang
  
• Jushin Lyger
  
• Juventud Guerrera
  
• Kanyon
  
• Kaz Hayashi
  
• Kid Romeo
  
• Kwee Wee
  
• Lance Storm
  
• Lash LeRoux
  
• Markus Jindrak
  
• Mike Awesome
  
• Mike Sanders
  
• Rey Mysterio Jr.
  
• Ric Flair
  
• Rob Van Dam
  
• Samoa Joe
  
• Sean O'Haire
  
• Shannon Moore
  
• Shawn Michaels
  
• Sting
  

Authority

 

• Ernest Miller - WCW Commissioner
  

 

Managers

 

• Kimberly Page - valet for Diamond Dallas Page
  
• Stacy Kiebler - manager for Alpha
  
• Torrie Wilson - manager for Kronik
  

 

Commentary

 

• Dusty Rhodes
  
• Mike Tenay
  

 

 

Tag Teams

 

• 3 Count - Evan Karagias & Shannon Moore
  
• Alpha - Lance Storm & Mike Awesome
  
• Jung Dragons - Kaz Hayashi & Jimmy Yang
  
• Kronik - Brian Adams & Bryan Clark
  
• The Featured Attraction - Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo
  
• The New Filthy Animals - Billy Kidman & Juventud Guerrera
  
• The Triad - Diamond Dallas Page & Kanyon
  

 

Stables

 

• The Dangerous Alliance - Brock Lesnar, Sean O'Haire, Brian Adams, Bryan Clark, Torrie Wilson & Paul Heyman
  
• The Four Horsemen - Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Lance Storm, Mike Awesome & Stacy Kiebler
  

[Bigpapa42]

ECW Roster

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/ECWSmall.jpg

 

Wrestlers

 

• BJ Whitmer
  
• Bryan Danielson
  
• Christopher Daniels
  
• CM Punk
  
• CW Anderson
  
• Doug Williams
  
• Jay Briscoe
  
• Jerry Lynn
  
• Kensuke Sasaki
  
• Low Ki
  
• Mark Briscoe
  
• Nigel McGuiness
  
• Raven
  
• Robert Roode
  
• Sabu
  
• Shane Douglas
  
• Sterling James Keenan
  
• Steve Corino
  
• Tommy Dreamer
  

 

Authority

 

• Mick Foley - ECW Commissioner
  

 

Managers

 

• Alexis - manager of The Briscoe Brothers
  
• Arn Anderson - manager of CW Anderson, BJ Whitmer & Robert Roode
  
• Katarina - manager of UK Saints
  

 

Commentary

• Joey Styles
  
• Mick Foley
  

 

Tag Teams

• Old School - Shane Douglas & Steve Corino
  
• The Briscoe Brothers - Mark & Jay Briscoe
  
• The Dark Carnival - Christopher Daniels & Sterling James Keenan
  
• The Enforcers - BJ Whitmer & Robert Roode
  
• The UK Saints - Nigel McGuiness & Doug Williams
  

 

Stables

 

• Raven's Dark Carnival: Raven, Christopher Daniels, Sterling James Keenan & CM Punk
  

[Bigpapa42]

WCW Shows

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TV

 

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Tuesday on Fox

 

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/TV/Small/ECWWarfareSmall.jpg

Saturday on Fox Sports Net

 

Pay Per Views

 

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/Small/WCWSinSmall.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/Small/WCWSuperBrawlSmall.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/Small/WCWGreedSmall.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/Small/WCWSpringStampedeSmall.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/Small/WCWSlamboree2Small.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/Small/WCWGreatAmericanBash2Small.jpg

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WCW Spring Stampede 2002 - 8.5 / 10

WCW Slamboree 2002 - 9.5 / 10

WCW Great American Bash 2002 - 8.5 / 10

WCW Bash at the Beach 2002 - 9.0 / 10

WCW New Blood Rising 2002 - 8.0 / 10

WCW Fall Brawl 2002 - 8.0 / 10

WCW Halloween Havoc - 7.5 / 10

WCW Mayhem - 8.0 / 10

WCW Starrcade 20 - 8.5 / 10

 

*as rated by Wrestling Heat

 

5-Star Matches

 

Brock Lesnar vs Eddie Guerrero - WCW Slamboree - May 2002

 

*as rated by The Wrestling Observer

[Bigpapa42]

World Wrestling Entertainment

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/WWESmall.jpg

 

Size: Global

Rank: #1

Owner: Vince McMahon

Booker: Vince McMahon

 

Champions

WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (6)

WWF Intercontinental Champion: X-Pac

WWF World Tag Team: New Age Outlaws

WWF Women's: Jazz

WWF European: William Regal

WWF Hardcore: The Godfather

 

New Japan Pro Wrestling

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Size: Cult

Rank: #3

Owner: Antonio Inoki

Booker: Antonio Inoki

 

Champions

IWGP Heavyweight: Yugi Ngata

IWGP World Tag Team: Steve Williams & Giant Singh

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: Minoru Tanaka

IWGP Junior Tag Team: Tiger Mask IV & Kazunari Murakami

G1 Climax Tournament: Hiryoshi Tenzan

G1 Climax Tag League: Yuji Ngata & Osamu Nishimura

 

All Japan Pro Wrestling

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/AJPWSmall.jpg

 

Size: Cult

Rank: #4

Owner: Motoko Baba

Booker: Keiji Mutoh

 

Champions

Triple Crown: Genichiro Tenryu

World Junior: Mitsuya Nagai

Unified World Tag Team: Keiji Mutoh & Genichiro Tenryu

All Asia Tag Team: Arashi & Nobutaka Araya

 

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

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Size: #5

Rank: National

Owner: Francisco "Paco" Alonso

Booker: Francisco "Paco" Alonso

 

Champions

World: Negro Casas

Tag Team: El Hijo Del Santo & Negro Casas

Trios: Blue Panther & Fuerza Guerrera & Dr. Wagner Jr

 

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración

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Size: #7

Rank: Cult

Owner: Antonio Pena

Booker: Antonio Pena

 

Champions

Campeon de Campeones: Cibernetico

 

Pro Wrestling NOAH

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/NOAHSmall.jpg

 

Size: Cult

Rank: #5

Owner: Mitsuharu Misawa

Booker: Mitsuharu Misawa

 

Champions

GHC Heavyweight: Akira Taue

GHC Junior Heavyweight: Daisuke Ikeda

GHC Tag Team: Masashi Aoyagi & Tamon Honda

 

Total Nonstop Action

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/TNASmall.jpg

 

Size: Regional

Rank: #8

Owner: Tony Schiavone

Booker: Jeff Jarrett

 

Champions

NWA-TNA World Heavyweight: Jeff Jarrett

NWA World Tag Team: Straight & True (Tempest & Nova)

TNA X-Division: Tempest

 

Ring of Honor

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/ROHSmall.jpg

 

Size: Regional

Rank:

Owner: Rob Feinstein

Booker: Gabe Sapolsky

 

Champions

ROH World Heavyweight: Xavier

ROH World Tag Team: Da Hit Squad (Dan Maff & Monster Mack)

[BHK1978]

Quick question and I am not sure you can answer it, without spoiling your diary. But why keep TNA in the world?

 

There is really no need for it because it pretty much came about because Jarrett was blacklisted from the WWF because he held them up for money to drop the IC title. If WCW was still around, he would probably still be there and there would be no need for TNA because it came about to fill the void that the collapse of WCW caused.

 

That being said I love this idea and I will be reading along.

[Bigpapa42]

Quick question and I am not sure you can answer it, without spoiling your diary. But why keep TNA in the world?

 

There is really no need for it because it pretty much came about because Jarrett was blacklisted from the WWF because he held them up for money to drop the IC title. If WCW was still around, he would probably still be there and there would be no need for TNA because it came about to fill the void that the collapse of WCW caused.

 

That being said I love this idea and I will be reading along.

 

I can answer it vaguely...

 

I did consider simply not having TNA ever exist. Genadi had it come into existence in May 2002, just as it did, but when I was modifying the data, I gave consideration to modifying the world further. You are correct - the exact reason TNA came about is gone. That was my thought process when considering whether I should leave TNA in or not. What made me reconsider was the realization that a hole still exists - ECW is gone. Its demise has changed somewhat in my modified version of the scenario, but it is still gone by April 2002. So TNA is still filling a void and offering fans an alternative... it is simply a different void that is being filled.

 

As for the sequence that leads to this alternate TNA's creation... I won't give away much, only say that it involves at least some different people. It makes for what I thought was an interesting sequence...

[TakerNGN74]

Looks interesting consider me a reader!

[BHK1978]

I can answer it vaguely...

 

I did consider simply not having TNA ever exist. Genadi had it come into existence in May 2002, just as it did, but when I was modifying the data, I gave consideration to modifying the world further. You are correct - the exact reason TNA came about is gone. That was my thought process when considering whether I should leave TNA in or not. What made me reconsider was the realization that a hole still exists - ECW is gone. Its demise has changed somewhat in my modified version of the scenario, but it is still gone by April 2002. So TNA is still filling a void and offering fans an alternative... it is simply a different void that is being filled.

 

As for the sequence that leads to this alternate TNA's creation... I won't give away much, only say that it involves at least some different people. It makes for what I thought was an interesting sequence...

 

I think what is going to be cool with this diary is we will get a chance to see how your roster is and how other rosters in the game (mainly ROH and TNA) will look.

 

Will Punk wrestle for RHO or will you sign him up. Just little things like that, are going to make me interested in this project.

[Bigpapa42]

Looks interesting consider me a reader!

 

Glad to have ya!

 

I think what is going to be cool with this diary is we will get a chance to see how your roster is and how other rosters in the game (mainly ROH and TNA) will look.

 

Will Punk wrestle for RHO or will you sign him up. Just little things like that, are going to make me interested in this project.

 

TNA and ROH will not have as much talent to work with. Part of the intended approach with this is try to build new stars rather than focusing on taking talent away from the WWE. It makes sense in financial terms, and also in trying to make new stars for a new era of WCW who will be identified more with WCW than the WWE.

[Genadi]

Already marking out

[Guest KingOfKings]

Another BP42 diary? Obvious that i'll be all over this one.

[Rob4590]

Glad to see you back BP - this will be the first 'real' world diary I have ever read and bookmarked - so no pressure there then!

[smurphy1014]

Eagerly anticipating the start of this one BP.

[critical-23]

On board with this yo!!

[totti]

Definitely going to be in on this one. I'm sure you'll make it brilliant. I am quite interested to see who you've brought in, who's getting pushed and generally just how you'll be running a changing WCW.

 

I shall be looking forward to more.

[Bigpapa42]

Thanks everyone! Glad to have you all reading. As I've said, this is going to be a different project in that there will not be full shows, or even match-by-match break-downs. Its more of a... history log. Like if you were reading a (poorly-written) book on the history of this promotion, short chapter after short chapter.

 

As always, I am open to questions and/or discussion.

 

Before we get to what I am booking, we need to bring you all up to date on the year between. So let's get started on that...

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/WCWSmall.jpg

 

 

March 2001 - May 2001

 

 

Just a few years removed from being the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, World Championship Wrestling came into 2001 with a very clouded future. Bleeding money and having eroded its fan base, the promotions fate was sealed when Time-Warner completed its merger with America On-Line. When Jamie Kellner decided that professional wrestling was not disireable programming for AOL-TW, WCW was truly on the brink. Without a deal to purchase the promotion coming through, one of the major powers of professional wrestling in America would die.

 

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff and his investor group had an offer of approximately $5m accepted byAOL-TW. That offer was matched by Vince McMahon, who had the right to match any offer due a lawsuit settlement. Bischoff and his backers, Fusient Media Ventures, made another offer - approximately $9.5m and featuring a more aggressive payment schedule. The WWF refused to match the higher offer. There was talk that McMahon was furious at AOL-TW over the counter-offer being accepted and while he considered legal action, he did not pursue that possibility is as the original offer he made apparently upset Viacom, which carried all WWF programming at the time. An unconfirmed rumor suggests that McMahon believed Bischoff would simply once again run WCW into the "Georgia dirt" and it would be available for a fraction of what Bischoff's purchase price was.

 

The reality that AOL-TW was taking WCW programming off the air nearly scuttled the purchase. Without a network deal to air the programming, World Championship Wrestling really didn't carry great value to the new investors. Bischoff was determiend to make it work, however, and struck a deal new with Fox that kept the purchase alive. The deal would see Nitro shown on Fox Sports Net at 9:00 - 11:00 slot on Tuesday nights. The deal kept open the possibility of moving the show to Fox if the programming was strong enough. The notable downside to the agreement was that WCW wasn't to be paid a great deal per episode and Nitro would only begin showing at the start of June, leaving a gap of more than two months of WCW being off the air.

 

To address that off-air gap, Bischoff made what was seen as a desperation move - he sat down with Kellner to discuss keeping Nitro on TNT slightly longer. It ended up extending the end of Nitro on TNT by three weeks, and though neihter side official verified, it is generally accepted that WCW received nothing from the network for those episodes. Kellner couldn't turn down free programming that was still drawing decent ratings. Its generally seen as a poor business decision by Bischoff, as little of note happened in those last three TNT episodes of Nitro and they were not allowed to directly promote their move to Fox Sports Net.

 

In mid-April, World Championship Wrestling shut down all shows for a six-week period. The entire roster was given "vacation time", from which many would never be brought back. Fox Sports Net began to air best-of-WCW compilation shows on a late-night Tuesday slot. Despite being edited together rather hastily, these shows proved quite popular and drew surprisingly strong ratings, at least by FSN standards.

 

During the shutdown, Bischoff and his new streamlined management team began to the processing of building a new WCW empire... and it started with tearing down much of the old empire. A large number of contracts terminated as part of the purchase process, leaving the new era WCW with a much smaller roster. Some of those who didn't come with the purchase were the biggest stars, as they were contracted directly to AOL-TW. Those stars under contract directly to AOL-TW could accept a buyout of their existing deal at a portion of its remaining value by either WCW or the WWF, or remain under contract and not working, perhaps hoping for a full-value buyout down the road. Sting and Goldberg chose to take the buyout from WCW, signing new WCW contracts. Bischoff met with them each directly, and convinced them to buy into his new WCW vision. They were joined by the likes of DDP, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett, Lex Luger, and Rey Mysterio as forming the new core of WCW talents. Some of the biggest names, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, chose to remain on the sideline and sit out their remaining contracts.

 

As World Championship Wrestling began looking outside for some new talent as well, rumors were constant of WCW stealing talent from the WWE. It seemed that nearly every day of the shutdown, some new rumor from "someone with inside knowledge" would circulate across the internet wrestling community - usually about how some big WWF name was going to jump ship. The rumors turned out to be baseless, for the most part. So did rumors of grabbing a "huge name" from Japan or attracting a "big MMA star". Quite simply, WCW lacked the money and the prestige to attract most big names. No one was going to tie themselves to the giant question mark that WCW was during that time if they had another option. There were legit concerns within the new management team as to whether WCW could keep those who had stayed.

 

WCW did manage to steal one talent from the WWF, though the impact was not immediate. The worker was a top prospect with the WWE's Ohio Valley development territory. The developmental contract had a unique "get out" clause that could be triggered by the wrestler if he was not called up to the main WWF roster by a certain set date. He wasn't, so he triggered it, became a free agent, and signed a large and very revolutionary contract with WCW. Given his youth and complete lack of experience in pro wrestling, the move was very questionable. The wrestler would remain in training with the WCW Power Plant for several more months.

 

For the most part, WCW looked to the independent scene for new talent. Established talent tended to be expensive. Inexperienced workers with no name value could be signed for very small amounts. AJ Styles was one such exciting young talent signed, whlie several other were signed and sent to the Power Plant. Bischoff began to display financial prudence that he had utterly lacked in his earlier WCW experiences. He was "ATM Eric" no more.

 

An incredible amount of uncertainty surrounded WCW during the purchase and shutdown period. Particular management elements - including Bischoff - had a history of "working the boys" in the past, so there was a large degree of suspicion inherent amongst the roster. Some wrestlers refused to believe the purchase had actually gone through, even after they started receiving paychecks from Bischoff Holdings LLC. It seems many within WCW were not convinced shows would resume in June, even with the Fox TV deal by the network.

 

The uncertainty was even worse amongst fans. Since WCW couldn't address the move to FSN in the final TNT shows, many fans had little understanding of what was happening or why Nitro suddenly disappeared from Monday nights on TNT. The promotion posted information on their website, but as the posted information often changed and sometimes contradicted earlier information, it did little to alleviate the confusion. Combined with endless rumors that floated about, it made for a situation where WCW continued to lose fans that it could not afford to lose.

[TakerNGN74]

Great write up while reading it a question popped into my head that I would like to ask you if I may.

 

That question is, is this dynasty a WHAT IF meaning I have always wondered what would have happened if Bischoff was able to buy the company before Vince McMahon was able to. Will this dynasty have anything to do with that or is it something completely different. Either way I plan on reading it so whatever happens won't change my decision to follow this dynasty but like I said I was just wondering about this so I thought I would ask you.

[Greg McNeish]

This looks very intriguing. I've never been able to keep up with your previous dynasties, through a combination of your prolific writing, and my inability to budget time. With your stated change in presentation, this looks to be a project that I can follow.

 

Looking forward to this, as it's already off to a fun start.

[Bigpapa42]

Great write up while reading it a question popped into my head that I would like to ask you if I may.

 

That question is, is this dynasty a WHAT IF meaning I have always wondered what would have happened if Bischoff was able to buy the company before Vince McMahon was able to. Will this dynasty have anything to do with that or is it something completely different. Either way I plan on reading it so whatever happens won't change my decision to follow this dynasty but like I said I was just wondering about this so I thought I would ask you.

 

That's pretty much exactly what its going to be. What if Bischoff bought WCW out - how would the surviving WCW unfold?

 

This looks very intriguing. I've never been able to keep up with your previous dynasties, through a combination of your prolific writing, and my inability to budget time. With your stated change in presentation, this looks to be a project that I can follow.

 

Looking forward to this, as it's already off to a fun start.

 

Glad to have you on board, Mr. McNeish.

[Phantom Stranger]

I'm intrigued, that much I gotta say.

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/WCWSmall.jpg

 

June 2001

 

Despite the uncertainty amongst both the WCW organization and the fans, shows did indeed resume at the start June. Elsewise, this wold be a fairly boring read...

 

When Nitro debuted on Fox Sports Net in the first week of June, it didn't look terribly different from the "old" version of WCW Nitro. There was a fairly simple new "WCW" logo in red and black, with those two colors being the primary tones of the revamped set. The production values might have dropped a bit, but it was not a major decline. Tony Schiavone was still in the commentators booth with Scott Hudson. By most measure, the "new" Nitro still felt very much like World Championship Wrestling.

 

That first "new" Nitro started with Eric Bischoff walking into the ring, receiving a mixed reaction from the moderate crowd. He then delivering a rather impassioned promo/speech/state of address. The new owner, president, and “final authority” in World Championship Wrestling, Bischoff apologized to both the fans and the wrestlers for the "mistakes of the past". He didn't spend time explaining what those mistakes were, though he did manage to throw some of the blame at "those who won't be named" - assumingly Hogan, Nash, and Russo. Bischoff then explained that he bought out WCW because of his love for the promotion and for the business. He promised that he had learned from his mistakes and "his WCW will not simply try to copy others, but stand on their own". He also stated that "it will be about what happens in this ring". The fans – at least those in attendance – loudly approved.

 

It was immediately apparent that the talent hierarchy in had not been heavily renovated. Not yet, at least. Scott Steiner was still WCW World Heavyweight champion. He was joined at the top of the show by Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, and Jeff Jarrett. Having been out since January due to shoulder surgery, Goldberg made a return to a big reaction as a surprise entrant in a eight-man tag main event. In the coming weeks, they would be joined by Sting, who had been away longer than Goldberg. As for Goldberg, he moved directly into a feud with Steiner over the world title, but many of other top names feuded with up-and-coming talent. DDP had a long-running, on-and-off feud with Chris Kanyon, while Booker T went to war with Sean O'Haire. The Natural Born Killers group, though no longer a group, continued to see a push, but none was strong than that of O'Haire.

 

In the first show - and in the weeks following - the product presented by the "new" WCW began to resemble WCW from the early part of the 1990s more than 1996-2000 WCW. Most matches were given enough time for the workers to actually do some wrestling and it was not uncommon for midcard matches to go ten minutes. There were few skits, and the angles were almost all focused on driving forward the storylines. The storylines were kept simple and straight-forward - nothing was needlessly convoluted or cartoonish. The use of “tweener" characters was reduced, as most were clearly delineated as babyface or heels. Swerves were used carefully, with measured effect. The constant beat-downs and interference that had been rampant in WCW were used less frequently. There was not a new "commissioner" ever other week.

 

At the second Nitro, a WCW legend appeared... "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair... After a tearful vintage Flair promo where he talked about his love of professional wrestling and of World Championship Wrestling, Bischoff came out. Given the history and hatred between the two, the fans tensed for fireworks as Bischoff made his way down to the ring. Instead, they witnessed Bischoff making a heart-felt apology. The owner of the promotion made the profound and truthful statement that WCW could not be WCW without Ric Flair. The two shook hands and World Championship Wrestling had one of its true legends back. The fan reaction was massive – although Flair had been in WCW all the way through March, few fans expected him to join Bischoff's new version of WCW. Flair had been an evil and conniving heel while leading the Magnificent Seven stable through March, but the fan reaction made him an immediate babyface. WCW creative was wise to simply run with that.

 

The first pay per view of the "new WCW" era was the Great American Bash 2001. It turned out to be a surprisingly solid show. Not classic but entirely watchable. It was hyped as having "surprises galore in store". And the first surprise appeared when Flair cut a promo hear the top of the show about the traditions of the business and how "garbage" like ECW had nothing to do with that. None other than Rob Van Dam interrupted the Nature Boy, viciously attacking the legend with a chair and left the Nature Boy bloodied. It set off a feud for the ages that would play out gradually over the coming months - with Flair representing the old school ethos and RVD being the modern approach to the business.

 

Another debut at GAB 2001 was a re-debut, as Eddie Guerrero made an immediate impact as a mystery opponent for Booker T. Guerrero pinned Booker clean to claim the WCW US title. Guerrero had taken a short time away from the business to clean himself up after his firing from the WWF in March after a series of alcohol-related incidents. While he had a stated preference to return to the WWF, he was told by McMahon that until he had proven he could stay clean, he would not get pushed. So Guerrero took a deal worth a bit less money to return to WCW, based on the promise of a push. He quickly became one of WCW's most consistent and reliable stars, although questions remained over his “personal demons”.

 

The main event at GAB was Scott Steiner putting his WCW World title up against Goldberg. Pushed as the dangerous monster as he was when he first came into WCW, Goldberg clearly had the fan support and probably the most momentum of anyone in the company. The pair put on a surprisingly solid match as Goldberg claimed the world title for just the second time.

 

That world title match was Goldberg's first match since January, due to shoulder surgery. Winning the WCW World Heavyweight championship launched him on a winning streak – the third of his career. He was dominant. He was silent. And the fans loved him for it. Still improving in the ring, Goldberg was never likely to develop into a true well-rounded talent. He stayed within what he could do well and that worked. However, his shoulder remained something of an issue. After being written off TV in January, he had surgery in February. Returning in June should have been enough time to rehab properly, but there were rumors that the recovery was going slowly and Goldberg should have taken more time. Given the problems his should would cause later in his career, this seems likely.

 

The signing of Rob Van Dam was seen as something of a coup for WCW, as he was someone that the WWF had interest in. With ECW nearing the brink of bankruptcy in March, Paul Heyman encouraged a couple of his bigger names to seek employment with the WWF and WCW, as he simply couldn't pay them. Vince McMahon chose size and immediately signed up Rhino. There was a contract offer from the WWF for RVD, but it apparently came without the promise of any real push. It was rumored that McMahon was unconvinced that Van Dam could connect with fans on a larger scale and wanted to "test the waters" with a short contract. RVD chose a long-term deal with WCW for slightly less money, but with the promise of a major role. The question of "connecting with the fans" was quickly answered, as the feud between RVD and Flair, as well as the incident at Bash at the Beach, turned him into one of the biggest stars of the moment. Although he was essentially presented as a heel, Van Dam was extremely over with the WCW fans almost from the beginning.

 

The cruiserweights continued to be a key part of WCW, providing some of the most entertaining and exciting matches on a week-to-week basis. Rey Mysterio Jr. remained as one of the unsung heroes of WCW. He started another feud with Chavo Guerrero in June that would see him eventually "win back" his famed mask in July. When he began wearing the mask again, it would create some heat for Rey in Mexico, but Mysterio preferred working under the mask. And WCW was desperate for merchandise they could market.

 

In an effort to show how much he valued the midcard contributions of the cruiserweights, Eric Bischoff announced a cruiserweight tournament that was intended to become an annual event. The W1 was a 8-man single-elimination tournament based on New Japan's Best of the Super Juniors event. Commonly called the “King of the Cruisers” tournament, it kicked off on the Nitro following the Great American Bash, with the final to be held at Bash at the Beach in July. Taking advantage of a newly-agreed working arrangement with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Jushin Lyger was brought in to participate in the tournament. Bischoff reportedly tried to negotiate with both CMLL and AAA to bring in some luchadores for the tournament, but Mexico's two biggest promotions wanted nothing to do with WCW or Bischoff, likely due to how the “vanilla midgets” were treated in the past by WCW.

 

For his part, Eric Bischoff was all over WCW in that first month. It annoyed some fans, who felt the new owner and President would be unable to keep his ego in check, turning WCW into a vanity project as Vince McMahon has been accused of at times. Each time that Bischoff appeared on Nitro, however, there was a valid reason behind it. On the final Nitro of the month, Bischoff announced he would be a selecting a new WCW Commissioner, to run Nitro for him on a week-to-week basis. The President decreed that the commissionership could only change by his decision, and that the new commissioner could not be an active competitor at the same time. With an overwrought attempt at drama that the fans in attendance didn't seem to buy, the new commissioner was introduced... and it was Ernest Miller. True to his word, Bischoff would be on TV much less in the coming months.

 

It may not have been preference that saw Bischoff reducing his on-air appearances. Having to handle both the business and creative sides of WCW by himself was a significant undertaking. A regular role as on-screen personality would have been too much. In fact, handling both the business and creative sides at the same time would eventually prove too much for Bischoff.