World Championship Wrestling 2002: Rebuilding the Empire

[Phantom Stranger]

 

Michaels versus Lesnar .... I really can't say anything because I'm too busy raging at you. It's a beautiful moment for Michaels and his entire storyline, and I recognize it's brilliance, but still... Lesnar...

 

...had a one-year reign and didn't lose his winning streak to a taser.

 

And how old was he then? Lesnar has room to Hall of Immortals this one, quite frankly.

 

What everyone brings up when they discuss WCW failing creatively is the way Goldberg's streak ended, the nWo dragging on, and the Fingerpoke. Two of those are, essentially, mismanaging the end of storylines. Lesnar, by contrast, displayed vulnerabilities and adapted. Someone finally got ahead of him, and the person to do that really had to be a veteran - but someone like Flair would send the wrong message. Sting, bless him, was never portrayed as a tactical genius. Luger would be a step back even if he were still around. Who does that leave?

 

Not many, but HBK's square in the middle.

 

At the end of the day, Lesnar's first reign lasted a full year, it shaped the company, and made stars. Pushing it past that year would... well, if you do that, THEN who ends it?

[Bigpapa42]

....

 

*controls himself* All right, to break it down bit by bit.

 

I figured some readers wouldn't be happy to see Lesnar lose. I honestly tried to look at every possible way I could have had him lose and having it be an epic effort from a legend seemed to do the least amount of harm to Lesnar's legitimacy as a monster. He didn't have some glaring weakness exposed, as HBK used a series of small weaknesses.

 

As for the 30 minute tag match... Well, its 7 matches on a 3 1/2 hour card. Pretty much everything outside of the cruiserweight match got more than 20 minutes, and that still got 15 minutes. Giving the talent time to work properly is key to this version of WCW. If you look at ROH and Japan, giving tag teams over 20 minutes can make for some really good matches and that was the idea here.

 

I couldn't resist the urge to use a Money in the Bank type match. Its a great idea and it makes for some fun matches. I think the key going forward it having some variety to the results of the open contract, though. That's where the WWE errs - they do the same thing every time.

 

When I was reading that I was so hoping for an Anderson/Flair Starrcade match. It would have been quality. I do liked how you shifted Guerrero in to face Sting though, it felt like he was truly taking over from Flair given the history between Flair and Sting. Would have been great to see Eddie win with the figure four and pay tribute to Flair and continue to make the transition.

 

Shawn Michaels is arguably the greatest performer in the history of wrestling and one of my favourites ever. Have to utmost respect for the man so you won't find any arguments from me. I think it would have been difficult to build somebody like RVD or Guerrero to the point where they look like legitimate contenders to the end the streak, whereas with Michaels you already get a ready made star. It helps to shake off his WWF past aswell - giving him that one huge WCW moment. I would have been too early for Joe to do it at Starrcade, Michaels fit and I have to congratulate you on a fantastic and enthralling storyline. Brilliant.

 

It's going to be interesting to see how you handle Lesner now that he's been beaten. I don't think he can loose many, probably on very rare occasions to keep his image intact.

 

What's happened to Goldberg then? Has his downfall been TEW related or is this something you had planned before? Nothing you can do if it's the game thats crippling him.

 

I too was surprised at the thirty minutes given to the tag team match. I would have thought if you had that time spare then an extra five or ten minutes could have been spread around the earlier matches.

 

Terry Funk coming to WCW? I damn well hope so.

 

Thanks Totti. I am tempted to put Arn back in the ring, but I've I don't think he's physically capable of it by what I've read, so it starts to feel unrealistic... Picky, I know, but I can't get around it.

 

Lesnar is still going to be a key player. He's not about to start doing jobs to everyone and their grandma. He could win the world title back before long - now that he's been defeated, a second title reign would have a much different dynamic.

 

The Goldberg injury drama isn't part of the game. I just wanted my version of WCW to face some adversity. It partly came about because for a time, I was struggling to come up with long-term plans for "The Man", so this was a way to take him off-screen for a period. I've stuck with the idea for other reasons...

 

As for my ECW star prediction... How about Sabu! He was in WCW.

 

Storm and Awesome being tag champs is good. A place I wanted to go in my game but am now firmly behind Jindrak and O'Haire.

 

O'Haire going over Rey Jr. clean is great. Makes him a credible champion. I can only imagine that Samoa Joe will be the one to finally get that title.

 

Goldberg is having serious problems with his arm? That is no good. If you are thinking of dropping him then you should give him 1 last minor run. Bleed some of his overness off of him.

 

Arn leaving the Horseman is whatever to me. He has become nothing more than a name at this point.

 

RVD is the deserving top shot winner. Don't care for him to take on HBK again though.

 

Brock will redeem himself! He is a freak!!!

 

Sabu is in ECW at this point. He was part of the W1 tournament and had a series of matches on ECW with Mysterio in the summer. Not a bad guess, though.

 

If Goldberg was nearing the end, I'd probably do just that. But he still hopefully has a future with WCW...

 

Great stuff. Truly great - you've built a realistic and strong storyline arc and have successfully managed to make the bridge between one Starrcade to the other a natural journey and resolution at 'The Grand-daddy of them all'.

 

I really, really want to post my predictions as to where this is all headed but I don't want to even subconciously influence or inadvertently ruin any upcoming surprises for anyone!

 

Glad you enjoyed. And if you want to post predictions, go ahead. Whether you are spot on or way off, I probably won't really tell you (for obvious reasons), but it is definitely interesting for me to see where readers think things are going. That was a benefit of having prediction contests in typical show-by-show diaries. So if you (or anyone, for that matter) want to post some predictions, go right ahead.

 

Great Starrcade. HBK going over was the perfect way to go, and there are now a lot more storyline options open to Brock without the title.

 

Throw Eddie over Goldberg a few times. I may be the only one on the forums, but I've never cared for Goldberg. I found the goalie from Mighty Ducks more interesting.

 

I was struggling to come up with things for Brock to do when I originally decided to end his run at Starrcade. Had plenty of time to come up with some plans and I quite like the direction I'm heading with him.

 

Was never the biggest fan of Goldberg back in the day, but I see where his value was. And why he would still have a ton of value to WCW at this point.

 

OMG, did not realize you posted a card. Bad me. I watched the monday night wars with the millions of other fans out there. My heart was with WCW but WWF/E had workers on it I enjoyed as well. HBK was one of the workers I would of flipped my lid if he ever showed up on WCW. So I honestly have no quarrels with him having the strap. Maybe even fueding with the horsemen as Flair might on the surface might respect HBK, but deep down, Michaels is the enemy in Flair territory.

 

Ah, Lo-ki. Brought down the giant. Look to see more from him. I dont think I could ever buy him in being a world champ in a world of monsters, but a very viable threat to say the least.

 

Arn leaving the horsemen . This better be a storyline Or I sir will riot. And you do not want to see cmdrsam rioting. Imagine big dick johnson at every show. Nuff said.

 

Low Ki is a guy I've always enjoyed and I do have plans for him. It would take something special for him to end up as world champion... but he's around the same size as Mysterio. Its not impossible... Just not highly likely...

 

Unfortunatley, Arn is done with the Horsemen. At least for now. Having the four actual members plus a manager (Stacy Kiebler) plus an associate in Arn. It just felt unwieldly. The reasons behind it will become a bit more clear down the road, I think. Also, Arn has a role I want him for.

 

Now imagine us both in our poopy pants invading Nitro on a half hourly basis. I hope you know this means war...

 

Wow, would have loved to have seen Starrcade the way you envisioned it. It was showy enough to be worthy of the name, but grounded enough to be a part of your new WCW.

 

Oh,oh, Shawn. (Hey, that's almost his theme tune!) I have always been a huge Shawn Micheals fan, which I guess goes almost hand in hand with being a huge WWF/E fan. So I have to admit it does seem strange to see such a WWF stalwart parading around in a WCW ring. Then again, far too much is made about these things. The simple truth is that if somebody is booked correctly, it doesn't matter if they wrestled for the Taliban, they can get over anywhere.

 

I think we are far more hung up on this than we used to be. I'm perhaps a little young to suggest this with much authority, but I don't think Ric Flair was greeted with apathy when he first joined the WWF. Hulk Hogan certainly did his bit to become the major focus of WCW, and then transitioned back to the WWE when he had to. I think it's more an issue nowadays because it's mostly one way. Former WWE stars turning up in TNA, which often fails to utilise the talent they have. To me, Kurt Angle is still a WWE guy, even though he hasn't been there for years!

 

Im not sure if I'm making sense anymore. My point was that I approve of Shawn being the man to finish the streak. Whoever you picked was going to run into a little opposition, but I think Shawn offers you the most opportunities both in terms of storylines and stellar matches.

 

It's great to see the likes of Low-Ki and Joe rising through the ranks. They certainly both have a ECW vibe to their persona's.

 

A person from Foley's past and ECW's past? Not sure why but the first name in my head was Steve Austin, yet I can't see you bringing him in to ECW. Then I thought Mikey Whipwreck, but he retired (for the first time,) in 2001 right? Ah, it's probably Terry Funk.

 

I do think you are right about fans worrying about "perceptions" more now than before. The way a certain worker is "attached" to a promotion. Part of that is probably the Monday Night Wars, where fans really did tend to take a side. Its also the Internet and the proliferation of information, so the average fans has a better understanding of what has happened backstage. I don't have Russo-esque visions of every fans spending hours per day scouring the Internet for dirty sheet info, but even casual fans knew about the Montreal Inicident and so on.

 

When Flair went to the WWF, the fans didn't reject him. Nor Dusty Rhodes (even with the stupid get ups). The Brainbusters were accepted. The Road Warriors were big with WWF fans. When Hogan went to WCW, he was an immediate attraction. Same with lots of guys who moved back and forth. So maybe by 2002, the fans really wouldn't care much. Maybe there wouldn't be resistence to the idea of HBK being a main babyface.

 

Honestly, there are a couple of guys who are so "pure WWE" to me that I probably wouldn't sign them if the opportunity came up. I would just have difficulty envisioning them in this WCW. Its a touch ironic, since a couple of them have worked for WCW at some point in their career (unlike Michaels). But maybe that's part of where my idea of resistence comes from...?

 

...had a one-year reign and didn't lose his winning streak to a taser.

 

And how old was he then? Lesnar has room to Hall of Immortals this one, quite frankly.

 

What everyone brings up when they discuss WCW failing creatively is the way Goldberg's streak ended, the nWo dragging on, and the Fingerpoke. Two of those are, essentially, mismanaging the end of storylines. Lesnar, by contrast, displayed vulnerabilities and adapted. Someone finally got ahead of him, and the person to do that really had to be a veteran - but someone like Flair would send the wrong message. Sting, bless him, was never portrayed as a tactical genius. Luger would be a step back even if he were still around. Who does that leave?

 

Not many, but HBK's square in the middle.

 

At the end of the day, Lesnar's first reign lasted a full year, it shaped the company, and made stars. Pushing it past that year would... well, if you do that, THEN who ends it?

 

I honestly think there would have been some degree of backlast against whoever it was that ended Lesnar's run. I really did consider almost everyone, and that includes cheating to bring in guys not already in WCW (no one was "worth it" in that regard). And no one else felt quite right. No one else had the right combination of pure-babyface determination, tactical thinking, risk-taking, veteran experience, championship history, desperation to risk it all, and big match background.

[Ritchardo]

Glad you enjoyed. And if you want to post predictions, go ahead. Whether you are spot on or way off, I probably won't really tell you (for obvious reasons), but it is definitely interesting for me to see where readers think things are going. That was a benefit of having prediction contests in typical show-by-show diaries. So if you (or anyone, for that matter) want to post some predictions, go right ahead.

 

Well in that case... here's my thinking... you're right Lesnar hasn't been hurt by the loss in the way that it has been constructed but a second loss on the bounce to HBK? That would hurt. So to me it makes sense that you build anticipation for a re-match by keeping the two of them apart. I know you're moving outwith the relative confines of TEW so this should free things up a little and gives you scope to have a talent trade with NOAH - send Lesnar to Japan and let him develop as a worker outside of the WCW spotlight and as he's already taken his first defeat there's not as much need to worry about how they are going to use him.

 

Taking Lesnar out of the picture for part of the year means a new adversary for HBK has to be found and I think the seeds have already been sown in the last few months - I think this year is going to be known as 'The Rise and Fall of the Four Horsemen'. Their treatment of Goldberg, Eddie's cheating against Sting, Flair's dis-trust and resentment of HBK & RVD (despite the celebrations at the end), Alpha and The Triad's lack of handshakes and cordiality, Arn's departure all lead me to conclude that they are subtley moving back towards a heel standpoint. Perhaps getting HBK onside as an ally and then turning on him in the usual vicious Horseman fashion, Flair cheating his way to one last run with the belt (thanks to new commissioner - the double crossing Arn Anderson...) and by the time we get to War Games, HBK has assembled a team and is in need of a fifth man... who else do they bring in but the returning Brock Lesnar - to a massive pop...

 

Ultimately all of this leads to a Starrcade showdown between HBK and Flair in a career vs career match...

 

Or not!

 

LOL

[juggaloninjalee]

Rise and Fall of the 4 Horseman?

 

Definitely a rise. I think they will get over this year. I think Arn will start his own faction called... Evolution! Kidding about the name. I think he will lead his own group though to counter combat the 4 Horseman though. HBK could have a dream match defending his title against Ric Flair too.

 

I agree about sending Brock to Japan in order to improve as a worker. This could lead to Brock returning with a new arsenal. Eventually he will cut ties with Paul Heyman.

 

Goldberg VS Brock rematch may be coming soon too!

[totti]

Thanks Totti. I am tempted to put Arn back in the ring, but I've I don't think he's physically capable of it by what I've read, so it starts to feel unrealistic... Picky, I know, but I can't get around it.

 

Lesnar is still going to be a key player. He's not about to start doing jobs to everyone and their grandma. He could win the world title back before long - now that he's been defeated, a second title reign would have a much different dynamic.

 

The Goldberg injury drama isn't part of the game. I just wanted my version of WCW to face some adversity. It partly came about because for a time, I was struggling to come up with long-term plans for "The Man", so this was a way to take him off-screen for a period. I've stuck with the idea for other reasons...

 

 

It was just an idea, and although I hoped it may happen, I knew it really wasn't possible. Like juggaloninjalee says though, Arn leading another group to battle with the Horsemen could be pretty cool.

 

I knew you wouldn't just hand Lesner defeats left, right and centre and maybe another defeat to Michaels in a rematch wouldn't be all that bad. Michaels could be the only person who knows how to tame Lesner which could open up a few interesting possibilities between the two.

 

If it's not the game that's doing this to Goldberg then I can see you leaving him off screen for a while and then after months of hard training to get back into shape, he's come back better than ever.

[Hashasheen]

I figured some readers wouldn't be happy to see Lesnar lose. I honestly tried to look at every possible way I could have had him lose and having it be an epic effort from a legend seemed to do the least amount of harm to Lesnar's legitimacy as a monster. He didn't have some glaring weakness exposed, as HBK used a series of small weaknesses.

I'm not uspet at the handling. I'm just upset he lost. I am a huge Lesnar mark after all. It was very good, Bigpapa, and I don't think anyone besides the major fanatics would have gotten pissed IRL.

 

As for the 30 minute tag match... Well, its 7 matches on a 3 1/2 hour card. Pretty much everything outside of the cruiserweight match got more than 20 minutes, and that still got 15 minutes. Giving the talent time to work properly is key to this version of WCW. If you look at ROH and Japan, giving tag teams over 20 minutes can make for some really good matches and that was the idea here.

I'm starting to watch ROH, but I'm the type of guy who likes a fast-paced tag match, which I really can't imagine going on for 30 minutes...

 

I couldn't resist the urge to use a Money in the Bank type match. Its a great idea and it makes for some fun matches. I think the key going forward it having some variety to the results of the open contract, though. That's where the WWE errs - they do the same thing every time.

Prove them wrong, Bp, prove them wrong!

 

...had a one-year reign and didn't lose his winning streak to a taser.

 

And how old was he then? Lesnar has room to Hall of Immortals this one, quite frankly.

 

What everyone brings up when they discuss WCW failing creatively is the way Goldberg's streak ended, the nWo dragging on, and the Fingerpoke. Two of those are, essentially, mismanaging the end of storylines. Lesnar, by contrast, displayed vulnerabilities and adapted. Someone finally got ahead of him, and the person to do that really had to be a veteran - but someone like Flair would send the wrong message. Sting, bless him, was never portrayed as a tactical genius. Luger would be a step back even if he were still around. Who does that leave?

 

Not many, but HBK's square in the middle.

 

At the end of the day, Lesnar's first reign lasted a full year, it shaped the company, and made stars. Pushing it past that year would... well, if you do that, THEN who ends it?

I know all that logically, Phantom Stranger, I do. But emotionally, its different. I became a huge Lesnar mark over the workings of this diary alone and how the streak was portrayed, so seeing it end is a bit . But still, Lesnar does have a lot ahead of him, so I'm not really worried.

 

Well in that case... here's my thinking... you're right Lesnar hasn't been hurt by the loss in the way that it has been constructed but a second loss on the bounce to HBK? That would hurt. So to me it makes sense that you build anticipation for a re-match by keeping the two of them apart. I know you're moving outwith the relative confines of TEW so this should free things up a little and gives you scope to have a talent trade with NOAH - send Lesnar to Japan and let him develop as a worker outside of the WCW spotlight and as he's already taken his first defeat there's not as much need to worry about how they are going to use him.

True, that would be a good way to go with it...

 

Taking Lesnar out of the picture for part of the year means a new adversary for HBK has to be found and I think the seeds have already been sown in the last few months - I think this year is going to be known as 'The Rise and Fall of the Four Horsemen'. Their treatment of Goldberg, Eddie's cheating against Sting, Flair's dis-trust and resentment of HBK & RVD (despite the celebrations at the end), Alpha and The Triad's lack of handshakes and cordiality, Arn's departure all lead me to conclude that they are subtley moving back towards a heel standpoint. Perhaps getting HBK onside as an ally and then turning on him in the usual vicious Horseman fashion, Flair cheating his way to one last run with the belt (thanks to new commissioner - the double crossing Arn Anderson...) and by the time we get to War Games, HBK has assembled a team and is in need of a fifth man... who else do they bring in but the returning Brock Lesnar - to a massive pop...

 

Ultimately all of this leads to a Starrcade showdown between HBK and Flair in a career vs career match...

 

.... Excellent....

[Bigpapa42]

Well in that case... here's my thinking... you're right Lesnar hasn't been hurt by the loss in the way that it has been constructed but a second loss on the bounce to HBK? That would hurt. So to me it makes sense that you build anticipation for a re-match by keeping the two of them apart. I know you're moving outwith the relative confines of TEW so this should free things up a little and gives you scope to have a talent trade with NOAH - send Lesnar to Japan and let him develop as a worker outside of the WCW spotlight and as he's already taken his first defeat there's not as much need to worry about how they are going to use him.

 

Taking Lesnar out of the picture for part of the year means a new adversary for HBK has to be found and I think the seeds have already been sown in the last few months - I think this year is going to be known as 'The Rise and Fall of the Four Horsemen'. Their treatment of Goldberg, Eddie's cheating against Sting, Flair's dis-trust and resentment of HBK & RVD (despite the celebrations at the end), Alpha and The Triad's lack of handshakes and cordiality, Arn's departure all lead me to conclude that they are subtley moving back towards a heel standpoint. Perhaps getting HBK onside as an ally and then turning on him in the usual vicious Horseman fashion, Flair cheating his way to one last run with the belt (thanks to new commissioner - the double crossing Arn Anderson...) and by the time we get to War Games, HBK has assembled a team and is in need of a fifth man... who else do they bring in but the returning Brock Lesnar - to a massive pop...

 

Ultimately all of this leads to a Starrcade showdown between HBK and Flair in a career vs career match...

 

Or not!

 

LOL

 

I won't say too much here... but I definitely like the way you think. You hit on a few ideas that I'm running with. I also like they you pay attention to the details and hints....

 

Rise and Fall of the 4 Horseman?

 

Definitely a rise. I think they will get over this year. I think Arn will start his own faction called... Evolution! Kidding about the name. I think he will lead his own group though to counter combat the 4 Horseman though. HBK could have a dream match defending his title against Ric Flair too.

 

I agree about sending Brock to Japan in order to improve as a worker. This could lead to Brock returning with a new arsenal. Eventually he will cut ties with Paul Heyman.

 

Goldberg VS Brock rematch may be coming soon too!

 

Well, the Horsemen are all already pretty over. Flair is Flair, Guerrero is right about the same position as Rob Van Dam (very over, right at the top, but not yet a proven draw yet), and Alpha are the backbone tag team of WCW. Even having one of them winning the World Title really wouldn't elevate them much at this point, since they're already right there at the top. I can say that they will remain very important going forward.

 

Arn has a role as well. And I do love the idea redoing Flair vs HBK, so that is going to happen at some point. The real question is when and how...

 

It was just an idea, and although I hoped it may happen, I knew it really wasn't possible. Like juggaloninjalee says though, Arn leading another group to battle with the Horsemen could be pretty cool.

 

I knew you wouldn't just hand Lesner defeats left, right and centre and maybe another defeat to Michaels in a rematch wouldn't be all that bad. Michaels could be the only person who knows how to tame Lesner which could open up a few interesting possibilities between the two.

 

If it's not the game that's doing this to Goldberg then I can see you leaving him off screen for a while and then after months of hard training to get back into shape, he's come back better than ever.

 

The return match between HBK and Lesnar should be interesting.

 

Goldberg will be back. I don't know about better than ever, but he's going to have a major role going forward.

 

I'm not uspet at the handling. I'm just upset he lost. I am a huge Lesnar mark after all. It was very good, Bigpapa, and I don't think anyone besides the major fanatics would have gotten pissed IRL.

 

I'm starting to watch ROH, but I'm the type of guy who likes a fast-paced tag match, which I really can't imagine going on for 30 minutes...

 

That makes sense. Wasn't sure if you were reacting to him losing or didn't like how it was done.

 

I don't imagine a tag match between Alpha and The Triad would be high paced like a cruiserweight match, but I also don't think it would necessarily be three quarters rest holds. Twenty-plus minutes just doesn't seem excessive to me for a tag match. Its not just ROH.... NOAH, All Japan, and plenty of mid to late 80s NWA/JCP/WCW tags go into the half hour range and do so without being slow or dragging.

[The Final Countdown]

Nothing wrong with a 20 or 30 minute tag match, in my opinion. Well, there'd be a problem if modern day WWE did it, but that's because they have deemphasized tag team wrestling for years. But 20 or 30 minutes for, say, the Kings of Wrestling vs. The American Wolves? I'd be all over that.

 

Back on topic...I really need to play catch-up with this diary soon.

[Bigpapa42]

Nothing wrong with a 20 or 30 minute tag match, in my opinion. Well, there'd be a problem if modern day WWE did it, but that's because they have deemphasized tag team wrestling for years. But 20 or 30 minutes for, say, the Kings of Wrestling vs. The American Wolves? I'd be all over that.

 

Back on topic...I really need to play catch-up with this diary soon.

 

I don't think its just the de-emphasis on tag team wrestling that would make it weird in the WWE... Its also that very few singles matches go 30 minutes. So it just seems odd when a tag match goes longer than almost any other match on the card, including your world title match (or matches, for the WWE). Really, the same applies to TNA and to mid-90s on WCW.

 

I'm curious to hear (err... read) what you think of things once you do catch up. I'm hoping you'll enjoy where things are going from here... or not, since I'm taking some folks from ROH and leaving them in a tougher position....

[Hashasheen]

That makes sense. Wasn't sure if you were reacting to him losing or didn't like how it was done.

Nah, liked them both. Problem was, you made me invest so much into the guy over the streak. Guess it's your fault, then.

 

I don't imagine a tag match between Alpha and The Triad would be high paced like a cruiserweight match, but I also don't think it would necessarily be three quarters rest holds. Twenty-plus minutes just doesn't seem excessive to me for a tag match. Its not just ROH.... NOAH, All Japan, and plenty of mid to late 80s NWA/JCP/WCW tags go into the half hour range and do so without being slow or dragging.

well, I'm relatively new to wrestling in general ('07) and besides WWE's Smackdown and ECW/NXT, I'm relatively ignorant of wrestling. Been getting into WCW and very recently ROH, so I'm seeing what you're talking about to some degree.

[Bigpapa42]

Nah, liked them both. Problem was, you made me invest so much into the guy over the streak. Guess it's your fault, then.

 

well, I'm relatively new to wrestling in general ('07) and besides WWE's Smackdown and ECW/NXT, I'm relatively ignorant of wrestling. Been getting into WCW and very recently ROH, so I'm seeing what you're talking about to some degree.

 

Eh, I'll take the blame. Quite honestly, I'm much happier to see someone reacting to something I present in any manner than not reacting at all. Indifference is a killer...

 

Nothing wrong with being a bit newer to the business. I barely watched for the better part of this decade, and when I started watching again in 2008, I didn't know much beyond the WWE. There is tons of stuff out there if you don't mind searching. Even just using Youtube can find you a lot of stuff that can open your eyes to what is possible and what can work. The variety of stuff available is part of what makes it great to be a fan. I ended up watching a lot of territorial-era stuff when I was planning and doing my TCW project and it made me really appreciate some of the stuff from the mid 80s in an entirely new way. Some of it doesn't hold up that well, but some certainly does.

 

Should have an editorial update up tonight. Hoping to get January 2003 done before too long as well.

[Bigpapa42]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Media/EWR_net3.jpg

Wrestling Heat Editorial

World Wrestling Entertainment 2002

By A.N. Marshall

 

The study of World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002 is a study of one thing.... Ego...

 

There is a notable lack of concordance amongst wrestling industry observers on the status of the WWE as 2002 ended. Its position atop the industry is undeniable. What does elicit some debate is the question of the WWE's momentum and direction. As Vince McMahon would quickly point out, the promotion remained massively profitable. Success continued in most measurable areas – TV ratings, pay per view buys, merchandise sales... Yet the critics will point to those same aspects as proof of problems in the WWE. That perspective comes from the reality that the WWE saw almost no growth at all in those areas. Heading into 2003, the WWE looked to be a fairly similar situation that early 2001 had found them in. To many industry observers, a lack of growth meant stagnation and that did not bode well for the WWE.

 

While the business side of things was debatable, some things were not. Based on virtually every source who has spoken of it, the WWE backstage environment was awful through much of 2002 and it only grew worse as the year wore on. One long-time WWE veteran stated quite unequivocally that what they experienced through 2002 was the worst they had ever seen it, stating it was a far more volatile place than in the mid 90s when Shawn Michaels feuded with Bret Hart. While Vince McMahon has often been accused of “stirring the pot” and actually trying to enhance personal tensions backstage rather than easing them, its difficult to say just how much he really understood what was going on.

 

The source of the conflict was the power wielded by The Kliq. The group of friends was headed by Triple H and included Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Billy Gun, Jesse James, and new additions Edge and Christian. Triple H was engaged to Stephanie McMahon, who had an ever-growing influence on the creative side of the WWE. Although no one in the group had creative control clauses in the contracts, they were able to exert power as if they did. Any finish they did not like was changed. They were able to dictate title changes – when Edge befriended the group in early 2002, he soon found himself with a surprise world championship win and one man was given credit for it happening – Triple H. The Kliq seemed to have one item on their agenda – to keep the Kliq looking good. That obviously didn't sit well with some of the other WWE stars. The opposing ground of veterans – The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, Kurt Angle, the Big Show, and ironically Hulk Hogan – tried to voice their concerns to Vince McMahon but found deaf ears. A group of wrestlers who just wanted to work – Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Kane, Mark Henry, and much of the lower card talent – were stuck in the middle as tensions rose backstage. It was a good old fashioned power struggle and more compelling than anything the WWE managed to put on television through much of the year.

 

Given the backstage tensions would eventually come to have some consequences for the WWE, it begs the question of why Vince McMahon failed to recognize the growing issue. Part of it is likely because the WWE backstage environment has always been political and prickly. According to some insiders, Vince's legendary ego had a lot do with it as well.

 

Any basic analysis of the decline of World Championship Wrestling from 1997-2001 is going to come to the obvious conclusion that selfish decisions made by key talent – Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall particularly – hurt the promotion. It would be massively simplistic to place an overt share of the blame on those three. However, their regular use of their creative control clauses was done without any interest in the long term health of their employer, but simply for the sake of ensuring they looked good and remained in “money positions”. Why does this pertain to the WWE in 2002? Because two of those same men had similar power in the WWE and used it in a similar manner. Yet one of the most powerful men in professional wrestling was unable to see it. Why? Ego.

 

While I have personally never had the privilege of discussing such things with Vince McMahon, I've had multiple sources indicate that Vince's version of history is that the only thing that caused a decline in the fortunes of WCW was the WWE. The factors that most would credit with the hurting WCW – poor booking decisions, regime changes, direction changes, continual alienation and erosion of the fanbase – were irrelevant to McMahon. Simply put, if Vince McMahon acknowledged the existence of these factors, such as the creative control of Hogan and friends, as having a role in the decline of WCW, it would be essentially downplaying the role he himself and his promotion played. And McMahon's ego won't allow that.

 

So if someone - even someone as trusted as, say, The Undertaker – was to go up to McMahon and attempt to tell him that The Kliq could be damaging the WWE as much as Hogan, Nash, and Hall did in the late 90s, McMahon won't see the correlation. He simply doesn't see it as a problem. That begs the question - was it a problem? The WWE has long had a hostile, political backstage. While that might not make it the most "fun" place to work at all times, it also doesn't necessarily make it a bad place to work. Can the backstage issues be shown to have an actual negative effect on the WWE product?

 

The actual in-ring action certainly didn't decline. While the likes of Hogan, Nash, and Hall were no longer great workers, they often worked against opponents with enough talent to make the matches at least watchable. Were the Kliq-heavy storylines that ran through much of 2002 on Raw any worse than the ill-fated Civil War storyline of 2001 or the Corporate Ministry storyline of 1999? By most objective measure, no, though subjective tastes may say differently. The reality is that in terms of quality of product, the WWE was certainly not declining. There are undeniably critics who felt the WWE was in decline during this period for various reasons, but many of those same reasons have been applied in a similar way to many eras of the WWE... Thus it becomes difficult to take such arguments seriously.

 

There were consequences from the war of egos in 2002, however. After spending months continually pissed off, Steve Austin walked out on the promotion in September. The backstage issues were apparently part of the reason, though he was also unhappy with the creative direction of the Stone Cold character. The feeling amongst WWE insiders was that Austin would return in time. The same could not be said of The Rock. The lure of Hollywood was simply too strong for the WWE to compete against, and it was widely believed that The Rock's contract expired sometime in early 2003. McMahon had offered the huge superstar a contract that would put him amongst the highest paid performers in the WWE. Some insiders felt that if McMahon had gone beyond that and paid The Rock on a level similar to what he could earn from making films, the superstar could have been convinced to stay at least a few years longer. In monetary terms, the WWE could afford that. McMahon was unwilling to do so, and so it became inevitable that The Rock would leave the WWE in 2003. There would be further repercussions down the road, as well.

 

While its easy to focus on the negatives, there were definite positive developments for the WWE in 2002. The promotion successfully underwent a rebranding as it went from the World Wrestling Federation to World Wrestling Entertainment, a forced change that was assisted by a rather successful “Get the F Out” advertising campaign. The brand split was a success and the WWE created a new star as Edge had a length world title reign. Even the positives came under fire – fans and observers found that while the brand split added a new dynamic to the WWE, the WWE World Heavyweight championship primarily being on Raw left Smackdown looking a bit second rate. The world title reign of Edge never really felt legitimate to many as he never managed a clean win over a true top star in the WWE. If Vince McMahon paid attention to such criticism – and every indication is that he does not – he might feel that he just can't win.

 

As 2002 ended, World Wrestling Entertainment still maintained its perch atop the world of professional wrestling. A perch that truthfully did not look tenuous. The war of ego's and the power struggle that was going on in the locker room was truly nothing new for the promotion. A larger scale, perhaps, but typically of many the locker room cold wars that had happened through the years. Looking forward to 2003, the burning question was not whether the warring ego's could tear down the WWE – that was closer to impossible than just unlikely – but whether World Championship Wrestling would close the gap between the two promotions. And whether Vince McMahon would begin to look on Bischoff's WCW as actual competition again... Perhaps even re-igniting the war that had boosted the industry in the late 1990s.

[Hashasheen]

Eh, I'll take the blame. Quite honestly, I'm much happier to see someone reacting to something I present in any manner than not reacting at all. Indifference is a killer...

Indifference is much of the WWE.

 

Nothing wrong with being a bit newer to the business. I barely watched for the better part of this decade, and when I started watching again in 2008, I didn't know much beyond the WWE. There is tons of stuff out there if you don't mind searching. Even just using Youtube can find you a lot of stuff that can open your eyes to what is possible and what can work. The variety of stuff available is part of what makes it great to be a fan. I ended up watching a lot of territorial-era stuff when I was planning and doing my TCW project and it made me really appreciate some of the stuff from the mid 80s in an entirely new way. Some of it doesn't hold up that well, but some certainly does.

Indeed.

 

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Wrestling Heat Editorial

World Wrestling Entertainment 2002

By A.N. Marshall

Have you considered becoming a wrestling columnist? Or a writer in general?

[juggaloninjalee]

Is WWF/E booking klique heavy shows? Scott Hall is in NJPW, and ECW. Waltman is in ECW, and Nash is still running with my WCW as somehow even when I job him his overness stays high. Plus creative control makes him not lose to rookies like Cena or Samoa Joe.

 

I agree with the previous poster though. You'd be a great columnist. Love your writing style.

[Guest cmdrsam]

Good stuff as always. I would agree with the previous posters. Everything this man writes has entertainment value. Now I am not one to bust one's bubble but Bigpappa is writing a book. His collections of bathroom humor should be instores by late November. Just in time for you holidy shopping.

 

 

Sorry its my birthday and I am slighly off my aging rocker this morning.

[James Casey]

For heaven's sake, bp, I've just started work on a column about the poisonous atmosphere backstage in SWF

 

Great column, though, and I loved Starrcade. The final match played out brilliantly because it bought into Lesnar's weaknesses as well as Michaels' strengths.

 

I'd love to see Flair/Michaels, although a turn from one would seem inevitable - maybe even a splintering of the Horsemen with Arn/Eddie/Michaels against Flair/Alpha? Or Michaels could go heel and keep Flair face, as the WCW fans probably still want to boo Michaels deep down, even if that would seem to undo all the hard work that went into Michaels acceptance.

 

Still, one Michaels promo... "I took ya all in. This win, this title... is 100% New York!"

 

The redemption, if such is to be the case, of Brock Lesnar should make for enthralling reading, too. Logic dictates that trouble lies ahead in the relationship between Brock and Heyman, as I could see Brock becoming somewhat reflective about the causes of his downfall, while Heyman just wants him to go on being the Protoype. That Havoc match could prove to be an interesting catalyst...

[Bigpapa42]

Have you considered becoming a wrestling columnist? Or a writer in general?

 

Definitely did. I started my university career pursuing a journalism degree, but when I found out what the job would actually be like, I decided to pursue something else. I get to use my writing skills in my current career, though not in a particular creative manner. I have done some amateur sports-writing in the past, but I felt like I was doing the same thing as a thousand other writers online, so I dropped it. Beyond that, I've never really sought anything out and I've never had a truly intriguing project drop into my lap...

 

Is WWF/E booking klique heavy shows? Scott Hall is in NJPW, and ECW. Waltman is in ECW, and Nash is still running with my WCW as somehow even when I job him his overness stays high. Plus creative control makes him not lose to rookies like Cena or Samoa Joe.

 

I agree with the previous poster though. You'd be a great columnist. Love your writing style.

 

The Kliq is fairly prominent, though not quite as much as I make them out to be. Its really the main trio - Triple H, Nash, and Hall - who are at the top of a lot of cards, and that's because of their overness.

 

I would actually like to bring Nash back. I wasn't a huge fan of him back in the day, I don't think he adds that much to TNA now, and he's not exactly a positive influence in the locker room. But I think he would be a fun non-wrestling addition. Whether as a color commentator or the new WCW Commissioner... Not likely to happen, but he's the only major former WCW star that I would really love to grab (along with a few not as major ones).

 

Glad you enjoy the writing style. The funny thing is that almost this entire project has been written in what I consider my "natural tone" of writing. Which is quite similar to my natural speaking style.

 

Good stuff as always. I would agree with the previous posters. Everything this man writes has entertainment value. Now I am not one to bust one's bubble but Bigpappa is writing a book. His collections of bathroom humor should be instores by late November. Just in time for you holidy shopping.

 

Sorry its my birthday and I am slighly off my aging rocker this morning.

 

Well happy birthday. I'll send you a free copy of my bathroom humor then... :-)

 

For heaven's sake, bp, I've just started work on a column about the poisonous atmosphere backstage in SWF

 

Great column, though, and I loved Starrcade. The final match played out brilliantly because it bought into Lesnar's weaknesses as well as Michaels' strengths.

 

I'd love to see Flair/Michaels, although a turn from one would seem inevitable - maybe even a splintering of the Horsemen with Arn/Eddie/Michaels against Flair/Alpha? Or Michaels could go heel and keep Flair face, as the WCW fans probably still want to boo Michaels deep down, even if that would seem to undo all the hard work that went into Michaels acceptance.

 

Still, one Michaels promo... "I took ya all in. This win, this title... is 100% New York!"

 

The redemption, if such is to be the case, of Brock Lesnar should make for enthralling reading, too. Logic dictates that trouble lies ahead in the relationship between Brock and Heyman, as I could see Brock becoming somewhat reflective about the causes of his downfall, while Heyman just wants him to go on being the Protoype. That Havoc match could prove to be an interesting catalyst...

 

Sorry... I have to start coordinating things better.... :-) Glad you are enjoying, though.

 

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to add HBK to WCW was the huge range of possibilities. He is such a dynamic performer and he's "done it all". In a sense, it can make it tough to come up with stuff he's never done. But you know he can work great in a tag team, lead a stable, be the arrogant heel, the underdog face, the comedy guy... Whatever role is needed, he can do it and do it very well. A heel turn, if it happens, won't be for awhile for him - as you say, it would undo part of what the title chase accomplished.

 

I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that there were more reasons I had him win the world title when I did.

 

I think Lesnar will be more interesting to write going forward than he was during the undefeated streak. Not that he was boring, but he was somewhat limiting. Now there are more possibilities, and he has evolved somewhat as a character.

[juggaloninjalee]

BP that is where you need to find something original to add to what you write. Whether it is something you are evaluating in particular. Or if you are comparing it to something historic or even comparing it to a different sport. The greatest writers are the ones unique enough to make you walk away from a column feeling like you learned something new, got an interesting take on the subject, or were just plain entertaining.

 

With this diary you offer a different style than the other diaries.

[Bigpapa42]

BP that is where you need to find something original to add to what you write. Whether it is something you are evaluating in particular. Or if you are comparing it to something historic or even comparing it to a different sport. The greatest writers are the ones unique enough to make you walk away from a column feeling like you learned something new, got an interesting take on the subject, or were just plain entertaining.

 

With this diary you offer a different style than the other diaries.

 

That's basically it. When I was doing some amateur sports-writing, I felt like I was doing the same thing that a thousand other guys online were doing. And I wasn't doing it better, more humorous, or in a unique manner compared to everyone else. I was just part of the crowd. I haven't found a new writing project along those lines since I haven't found a topic that I feel like I have a worthwhile take on. So if started, say, a weekly opinion column on the WWE & TNA or a review old PPVs, would it be unique and original? I don't think so, which is why I haven't sought out that type of project.

 

I've enjoyed doing TEW-based stuff because its a unique combination of open-structure writing, creativity, and your own presentation. I feel like I can be unique enough without having try to do things completely different to the "norm".

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

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January 2003

 

The year 2002 exceeded most industry insider expectations when it came to World Championship Wrestling. The year-long title reign of Brock Lesnar was an unqualified success and it turned “The Prototype” into one of the biggest contemporary stars in the industry. WCW was profitable, popular, and drawing very solid ratings on Fox. While the #2 promotion in America was still some ways behind Vince McMahon's World World Wrestling Entertainment, the oft-used qualifier of "recovering" was changed to "recovered" as 2002 became 2003. The real question was whether Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman could maintain momentum and the rate of growth. At the very least, there was a world title rematch between Shawn Michaels and Brock Lesnar that fans were eagerly looking forward... and which would not happen....

 

After working eighteen months without any real break, Brock Lesnar took advantage of WCW's of the annual vacation time offered to all workers in World Championship Wrestling. He was given the month of January off and it was a well-earned rest. On-screen, the absence was explained by Paul Heyman as an enforced recovery. He said that after the knee injury and facial damage Lesnar had taken, both Heyman and the Dangerous Alliance's personal medical staff had insisted that Lesnar take time to recover. Lesnar was more than eager to avenge his first loss and "The Prototype" practically had to be strapped to a bed to keep him from returning to action, but Heyman was not about to let his client damage his long-term future in professional wrestling.

 

The lack of the former champion was a good thing for the new champion. Shawn Michaels cut an emotional promo on the first Nitro of the new year, admitting how much winning the Big Gold Belt meant to him and how he would do everything to prove a worthy WCW champion. There could be no doubt that "The Heartbreak Kid" was still capable of great theater. For all his talk of being a fighting champion, Michaels seemed to be physically broken. The war with Lesnar had left him destroyed. HBK sold it perfectly, moving gingerly and wincing constantly, with his back being an obvious source of pain. The extent of the injuries became more apparent when Michael's cursory first title defense on Nitro, against Brian Clark, never took place as the new champion was not medically cleared to wrestle by the WCW medical staff. Commissioner Cat informed Michaels that if he missed two title defenses in a row or was unable to defend the belt within a thirty day period due to injury, he would forfeit the belt. Michaels assured the Commissioner that would not happen. It started to become clear just how much the new champion had sacrificed at Starrcade.

 

The big question was, once again, who should be the number one contender for the WCW World Heavyweight championships. Since the obvious choice of Brock Lesnar was unavailable, ther were three primary options – Eddie Guerrero, Booker T, and Rob Van Dam. A case could be made for Goldberg, but he was absent as well. There were several weeks worth of debate between the interested parties. Ric Flair was obviously not that happy that Michaels wouldn't speak up and proclaim that he wanted to face Eddie Guerrero, and it seemed like the burgeoning friendship between the the champion and his idol was already on the rocks. Rob Van Dam stayed out of the arguments, watching and waiting... almost stalking, with his Shot at the Top briefcase always in hand. After Paul Heyman got involved for Booker T, the title shot was given to the man who was apparently the newest member of the Dangerous Alliance.

 

Jamie Knoble's run as a cruiserweight double champion ended early in January, as he and Chavo Guerrero lost the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team belts to The New Filthy Animals, Billy Kidman and Juvi Guerrrera. AJ Styles remained determined to get the WCW Cruiserweight championship back, and it was a bit of a surprise to some fans that it was the New Filthy Animals who won the Cruiserweight Tag Team belts rather than the exciting tandem of Styles and Jushin Lyger.

 

Sin 2003 kicked off with an interesting clash of fan favorites as Ric Flair took on Kanyon. “The Nature Boy” once again showed that the Four Horsemen were willing to do whatever it takes to win, as Flair got plenty of help from Stacy Kiebler to secure the win over the rising star Kanyon. Next up was the Horsemen tag team Alpha defending the WCW World Tag Team titles against Kronik in a decent match that was a clear step below in quality the tag title match from Starrcade a month below. AJ Styles established himself as the number one contender for the Cruiserweight championship as he won a threeway dance over Chavo Guerrero and Billy Kidman. Knoble retained his title over Juventud Guerrera. Sting defeated Hugh Morrus, and Rey Mysterio went over Markus Jindrak in a match where Jindrak was made to look good.

 

The action kicked up in the late going. Diamond Dallas Page came up short in facing Sean O'Haire for the WCW United States championship. It was an entertaining match, with the fans solidly behind the babyface DDP. An outstanding secondary main event saw Eddie Guerrero triumph over Rob Van Dam. It took plenty of cheating and some interference from Ric Flair to secure the victory for Guerrero. The main event between Shawn Michaels and Booker T started out slowly, the battered champion an obvious underdog as he took an early beating. The match built the excitement as it went on, however, and Michaels had the crowd completely behind him as he showed that despite the lingering injuries and early dominance by the challenger, HBK was not going down without a fight. The champion seemed to get stronger as the match went on, while the challenger slowly wilted after his initial control failed to result in victory. It wasn't all about the action in the ring, as several members of the Dangerous Alliance were at ringside and looked to insert themselves into the match... until Rob Van Dam came down to ringside. When Sean O'Haire attempted to get involved, RVD cracked the US champion with his Shot at the Top briefcase as the crowd roared their approval. The last five minutes of the thirty minute match were traded attempts by each competitor to land their finisher. It made for some interesting drama, leading up to Shawn Michaels putting Booker T down with a Sweet Chin Music. As Michaels celebrated his first successful title defense, he spotted Rob Van Dam at ringside, the ominous silver briefcase in hand. The two men nodded at each other, and those fans hoping that RVD would cash in the open contract without any notice were left disappointed.

 

It was another successful pay per view – and month, really – for World Championship Wrestling. It was the strong start to the new year that the promotion needed. But it was not all good. The absence of Goldberg was never really explained on-screen, but it was most certainly noticed by fans. Goldberg had shoulder surgery once again in early January, and it would keep him out for months. He had the same surgery on the same shoulder in 2001 but returning too early had lead to the problem returning. WCW management was reportedly determined to allow the star the time he needed to heal and rehab properly, despite how much he could help them on-screen.

 

In many ways, January was a bigger month for ECW than for WCW itself. Things started off with a bang, as the first ECW Warfare had Mick Foley introduce his friend and former ECW wrestler... and it turned out to be someone that almost no one expected. Even the most jaded ECW fan cheered as Steve Austin appeared in the ECW Arena and walked down to the ring. He thanked Commissioner Foley, took the microphone and cut a trademark Austin promo. It had a shoot feel to it, as he lauded the fans of the business but blasted “those in charge.” He did not get specific. The completely unexpected and un-hyped appearance by the biggest star in the business had the industry buzzing and fans wondering what was going on. Since it had never been acknowledged by the WWE that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was out of contract, a great many fans assumed it was another Outsider-style invasion. Austin returned the following week, cutting another edgy promo where he talked about the backstage politics that had ruined “his old home”, much as such politics had chased him out of WCW a decade before. By the third week, it was clear that Foley was getting a bit uncomfortable with the situation but didn't quite have the heart to refuse his “old friend” Austin the microphone each week. Notably, he was never called “Stone Cold” but was referred to as “The Rattlesnake”. Each week, the words of Austin became progressively more bitter and vicious, though Austin smartly avoided naming names. In his fourth weekly promo, he targeted Eric Bischoff, the man who had fired Austin from WCW, along with Mick Foley. Austin basically threw out a challenge to Bischoff, stating that the owner of WCW was fearful of having someone as popular and uncontrollable as Austin in his promotion.

 

The weekly appearances of Steve Austin were only part of what made January memorable for the ECW brand, however. The departure of ECW champion Samoa Joe was imminent and Raven was desperate to win by “his” title. Joe defending against Raven (twice), Christopher Daniels, and CM Punk through January and triumphed each time. After the victory over Punk, Joe was given a huge ovation from the adoring ECW faithful as he handed over the ECW Championship to Commissioner Foley. Arn Anderson showed in ECW mid-month, manging his “distant cousin” CW Anderson. He would soon add a young tag team, the tandem of Robert Roode and BJ Whitmer who went by the name The Enforcers. The pair had enjoyed significant success in WCW's developmental promotion, Full Throttle Wrestling. The month also saw a four-man tournament held to determine the new ECW Television champion as the belt was re-introduced by Foley. Low Ki was favored, defeating CM Punk in a fantastic match in his first match but falling to the surprise winner Bryan Danielson in the final. It shouldn't have been too much of a shock, as “The American Dragon” had really connected with the ECW fans in the month since his debut, as his no-nonsense and intense style won him more fans each week.

 

On the business side of things, Eric Bischoff apparently decided the time was ripe to add another show. Many within WCW felt that it was too soon for such expansion, but Bischoff had some grandiose plans going forward and felt that the timing was ideal. Some rumors suggest that Paul Heyman was not too pleased at the prospect of his booking duties being expanded to that degree. He didn't need to worry, at least not yet. Negotiations with Fox didn't go too far. Despite the consistent strong ratings that Nitro pulled, the network was not interested in adding a second wrestling show. They were open to the idea of adding the show to the Fox Sports Net slate, or possibly even F/X. That was not what Bischoff wanted for the new show, so he began to carefully look around at possibilities outside the Fox family. He moved cautiously, as souring the relationship between WCW and Fox would have been a significant problem.

 

For those fans hoping that a new year would mean changes in the WWE, they were certainly disappointed. At the Royal Rumble, Triple H pinned The Rock to defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Royal Rumble match was then won by Kevin Nash. It set up the main event for WrestleMania that few fans were desperate to see - Triple H against his "former ally" Kevin Nash. In a flash of irony, the original choice was rumored to to be Hulk Hogan, but WWE creative was not certain he could carry a WM main event any longer in terms of in-ring work... yet they somehow felt Kevin Nash could.

 

Total Nonstop Action began to build some momentum. First, they introduced Scott Steiner as the huge new signing, immediately giving the main event scene a boost. Despite his physique limiting his ring work, Steiner carried more name value than anyone else on the TNA roster, including current world champion Jeff Jarrett. Second, TNA also announced they would begin having weekly pay per views beginning in February. It was an innovative approach, born out of need. Close to a year of fruitless negotiation with every TV network imaginable had not seen TNA land the TV deal that it required to grow. Tony Schiavone reportedly believed that such a deal would be easy to land when the promotion first opened, but if that is true, he learned otherwise. The weekly pay per views would substitute for weekly TV, although some in the industry questioned whether the idea could work.

 

World Championship Wrestling certainly enjoyed a strong start to 2003. The question remained whether they could continue that.... A most important question...

 

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WCW Sin 2003

 

Ric Flair d. Kanyon

 

Alpha © d. Kronik for the WCW World Tag Team Championships

 

AJ Styles d. Chavo Guerrero & Billy Kidman

 

Jamie Knoble © d. Juventus Guerrera for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship

 

Sting d. Hugh Morrus

 

Rey Mysterio d. Markus Jindrak

 

Sean O'Haire © d. Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Championship

 

Eddie Guerrero d. Rob Van Dam

 

Shawn Michaels © d. Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

[Guest cmdrsam]

Forgot about Austin being in ECW. That would of sent a shockwave. Eddie VS RVD, god that would have been a great match. HBK VS Booker headlined as it should of , but think the RVD/Eddie match would have stole the show. Come one, give the stinger one more run. Come on, I know you can do it.

[Hashasheen]

World Championship Wrestling

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January 2003

 

.... I'm going to break it down paragraph by paragraph:

 

1. Feel-good news about how WCW is doing.

2. Brock Lesnar is taking a break. The champ does deserve it and it only builds to his eventual return as a baby-face. Heyman gets more over as a heel.

3.Michaels is really selling that match, isn't he. And really? Defending against Brian Clark? Michaels would own that match if he was in a wheel-chair!

4.Heel turn building for Flair and Eddie, while Mr. Monday Night is watching, waiting... Booker T is now officially the latest member of the Dangerous Alliance.

5.Jamie Knoble and Chavo dropped the cruiserweight tag-belts to the New Filthy Animals instead of AJ and Jushin? Well, I'm sure they'll get them some time in March...

6. Kanyon jobs to Flair with help from Stacy, Alpha defends against Kronik, the most useless heavyweight tag-team duo in WCW and wins, AJ is the new no.1 contender over Billy Kidman and Chavo (wonder who would have turned face if Chavo won!), Knoble retained over Juventad... Man, how many cruiserweights do you have for the same people to be involved in both cruiserweight titles? Sting goes over Hugh Morrus (, I like Hugh, he deserves a real chance to shine), and Rey goes over Mark Jindrak. Not bad all in all. The reminder of Jindrak has me wondering who is left from the other Natural Born Thrillers in WCW besides him and O'Haire?

7.DDP does the job to Sean O'Haire, and I honestly could see a good feud from this... Eddie wins over Rob Van Dam with Flair's assistance and further accentuating their slow heel turn... BAI GAWD WHAT A MAIN EVENT HERE AT SIN! BOOKAH T FACES THE HEARTBREAK KID SHAWN MICHAELS AND SHAWN MICHAELS RETAINS, DESPITE THE INTERFERENCE OF THE DANGEROUS ALLIANCE! ROB VAN DAM HAS JUST SAVED SHAWN MICHAELS! WHY ISNT HE CASHING IT IN?

8. Goldberg still doing surgery, huh? DA MAN Goldberg is gonna starting asking questions, brother, like WHO'S NEXT?

9. STONE COLD, STONE COLD IN ECW! MAI GAWD WHAT A SLOBBERKNOCKER! AS I STAND HERE TODAY, I AM SHOCKED, SHOCKED TO MY CORE! NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS COULD I HAVE FORESEEN THIS! I can't believe WWE let Stone Cold Steve Austin go. He's throwing out challenges to the reformed Eric Bischoff, while Mick Foley is uneasily watching.

10. Samoa Joe goes undefeated from ECW! I still say someone should have gotten the rub from winning it off him, like Punk. That could have been excellent for a heel face turn against Raven when he demands that he throws a main-event match for him to win it again. Arn is recruiting forces to battle the evil Horseman, I see.... And the ECW television championship has been reactivated with the American Dragon winning it against Low Ki? Man, that is a match I'd like to see IRL.

11. Another show for WCW? We talking A-show or B-Show?

12. Kevin Nash versus Triple H. Way to go, WWE. This is 1996 all over again...

13. Scott Steiner joins TNA! The Genetic Freak is in TNA! Jeff Jarrett had better be dropping that title to him real soon. And I laugh at Tony, him finding it hard to get a television slot. Poor little Tony.

14. The question remains whether they could continue their strong start? I say yes, yes they can!

[juggaloninjalee]

Austin coming to ECW is fantastic. Love that he is calling out Easy E. RVD being at ringside and teasing cashing in his shot was nice too. I could see HBK being hurt and worn down for a few weeks after a match with Brock. Very nice touch to him. Ric Flair vs HBK match is brewing...

 

HHH vs Kevin Nash at Wrestlemania... boring match! Wonder if this will actually happen or if something will change by then...

[Bigpapa42]

I have an editorial coming on Austin. It will give a bit more detail and background. Its an interesting signing, but he's going to be used in a different manner that a lot of people likely expect.

 

Jindrak and O'Haire are really it for the remaining Natural Born Thrillers. Mike Sanders is still on the roster as a pure jobber. Stasiak, Palumbo, Reno, and Johnny the Bull all were put in development. Stasiak and Palumbo didn't improve over time and were released. Reno is much the same and won't last much longer. The Bull did improve some but not enough to really be useful, which is why I never called him up. Now that I'm away from the game, I may reconsider, but he's still not a fantastic talent.

 

I did consider having someone take the belt from Joe before he left ECW, even though they wouldn't pin him clean for it. I figured that without winning clean, it would nullify part of the effect anyway, and most of the guys who could have taken it from him either really didn't need the rub or will do well enough without it. For some guys, it would be elevating them faster than I want to....

 

The new show would be a second A show. Which is why I think some in WCW would be against the idea - expanding before it is "necessary" carries risks.

 

Nash winning the Royal Rumble is my touch. The "why" of it will become clear in the next few months of this.

 

And cmdrsam, Sting is in my long-term plans. I'm not going to say those plans include him winning the Big Gold Belt again, but he's still a very valuable part of the roster.

[juggaloninjalee]

I struggle to let guys go that really I have no use for such as Reno, Johnny the Bull, Big Vito, and some others. Sending them to developement is satisfying enough to make me feel like I am doing something good for them though.