World Championship Wrestling 2002: Rebuilding the Empire

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

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

October 2001

 

World Championship Wrestling's annual October pay per view is called Halloween Havoc. There is a certain irony to that, as the month did indeed turn out to be chaotic for WCW... both on screen and off.

 

There were six title changes through the month. Only the WCW World Heavyweight championship was unaffected. On the second Nitro of the month, Kronik won the WCW World Tag Team titles from Totally Buff. On the same show, Billy Kidman won the WCW Cruiserweight title from his friend and teammate, Rey Mysterio Jr. Kidman wouldn't have belt long, as he dropped it to the up-and-coming A.J. Styles at the Halloween Havoc pay per view. The same show also had 3-Count lose the Cruiserweight Tag Team belts to Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo, the team now known as The Feature Attraction. A third title change at the pay per view was Dustin Rhodes dropping the US title to Shawn Stasiak. On the Nitro following the PPV, Dustin Rhodes and his legendary 56-year old father Dusty Rhodes pulled off an unlikely upset as they beat Kronik for the WCW World Tag Team titles. At least it could honestly be said that Dusty was as in great of shape as ever. The reasoning behind the run of title changes in October became a popular topic amongst fans. Whatever the reasoning was, such volume wouldn't occur again.

 

Halloween Havoc was built around two main matches – Ric Flair versus Brock Lesnar and Rob Van Dam versus Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight championship. There were already calls for Lesnar to face Goldberg for the World Championship, but that would come in time. Facing the legendary Flair was a step up in competition for “The Prototype”. At a dozen minutes, it was more than double the length of any singles match Lesnar had to that point in WCW. “The Nature Boy” used his experience quite well against the monster, but it just seemed to be delaying the inevitable. Flair was able to walk Lesnar through to a fairly solid match, silencing some critics who felt the young Lesnar was too green to be pushed as he was. In the other main event, Goldberg and RVD had an entertaining match where “The Whole F*cking Show” came awfully close to unseating the champion. Although it was fairly clear WCW was building toward an eventual Goldberg-Lesnar showdown, there were some who felt RVD deserved a rematch.

 

After Halloween Havoc, Eric Bischoff appeared on Nitro. It had been months since the President of WCW had been on TV, as he was "taking care of business". There were some rumors through the industry that he was dealing with some health issues around this time as well. His appearance only added to those rumors, as he had clearly lost some weight. The President of WCW had good reason to show up on Nitro, as he announced a "brand new" match concept for the WCW Mayhem pay per view in November. Bischoff stated the new match was "an evolution from the World War 3 battle royal". The "evolution" was really more of a de-evolution, as the match went from 60 men in 3 rings to 30 men in one ring. It was to use standard over-the-top rule rules, with timed entrances and a random draw to determine the order. The winner would receive a world title shot and one hundred thousand dollars, with the addition of a monstrous trophy added for the victor's haul later. Mayhem was essentially a very close clone of the WWF's Royal Rumble, which Bischoff obviously did not make clear on the initial announcement.

 

It would turn out that there were minor differences in the details between the WWF's Royal Rumble match and WCW's Mayhem. These would be clarified on WCW.com prior to the event, perhaps because it looked too much like a direct rip-off by WCW. The more notable differences were that entrances would come in pairs, every ninety seconds. In an obvious effort to play up the chaotic aspects of the match, the special Mayhem ring and set would have a six-foot wide runway from the edge of the ring to the stage, which would have a raised platform. The runway and raised platform on the stage would be considered part of the ring. This created a lot more places for wrestlers to get eliminated and more creative ways in which to do it.

 

While the announcement for the Mayhem battle royal created some excitement, it created just as much concern. Eric Bischoff had not simply lost some weight... he looked quite awful. Some insiders described him as a “gaunt” and “corpse-like”... and while those descriptors might be harsh, it was hard to deny that he appeared far less healthy than he had in June and July, when he was on Nitro quite frequently. There was some nasty rumors that Bischoff had a some illness – cancer was a common suggestion. These nasty rumors were just that, and Eric Bischoff was simply having a difficult time dealing with the stress of owning and running World Championship Wrestling. The WCW empire was recovering, diverse, and ever-expanding.

 

The WCW empire was also not free of some of the issues which had plagued it in when it was part of the Turner empire. Backstage politics had played a prominent role in many things had happened during the decline of World Championship Wrestling. While some of the biggest players in that regard were no longer with WCW – they were instead in the World Wrestling Federation – there were still issues. Jeff Jarrett was rumored to be getting increasingly unhappy. After having played a primary role in late 2000 and early 2001, he had been moved away from the world title scene and he was not happy about it. Scott Steiner remained difficult to deal with at times, and that only got worse after Rick Steiner left in early October. Although Rick had been seen on Nitro rarely since June, he was still part of WCW. When he left in October, Scott Steiner was reportedly livid.

 

As if often the case in these situations, what lead to Rick Steiner's departure differs dependent on who is relaying the story. A small story was posted on WCW.com in early October, simply stating that Rick Steiner's contract had expired and he had left the promotion, wishing him all the best in the future. Some versions suggest he was he was never offered a new contract, while other reports state he asked for far more money than WCW was ever likely to pay. Or did his exclusive contract expire months before and WCW finally terminated his rolling contract in October? Regardless of how it happened, the elder Steiner brother was not happy about how he was treated, and neither was his younger brother. The 39-year old former WCW World champion was said to be ready to walk out on the promotion where he spent most of his career. It never happened. Perhaps “Big Poppa Pump” calmed down, or perhaps he realized that the WWF might not have a place for him if he did walk out... or perhaps the tension was nowhere as bad as reported in the first place.

 

In the latter stages of October, Jushin Lyger made a return to WCW, challenging Rey Mysterio Jr. The Japanese junior legend would be with WCW full-time for the time being, after Bischoff negotiated with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Torrie Wilson also made her WCW return, seeming to align herself with the Kronik pair, who had become the backbone of the WCW tag team division.

 

 

October was not a month of major regression for World Championship Wrestling. But it was one of the first months since June where many observes felt the negatives affecting the promotion may have at least equaled the positives. The negatives were just enough that some industry observers began to consider whether the "comeback momentum" of WCW was beginning to wane, and it was now up to Eric Bischoff to ensure that WCW carried forward on its own merit.

[DreamGoddessLindsey]

I'm liking this. I'll be following.

[juggaloninjalee]

The month of October didn't peak my interest as much as previous months. Is this still all backstory or your actual booking?

 

Just so you know this diary has excited me to the point of inspiring me to do my own WCW diary with the same theme. WCW lived and didn't go out of business. Not bought by Fusient but by Bischoff and 2 other partners.

 

Coming soon...

[Bigpapa42]

I'm liking this. I'll be following.

 

Glad to have you on board, Lindsey.

 

The month of October didn't peak my interest as much as previous months. Is this still all backstory or your actual booking?

 

Just so you know this diary has excited me to the point of inspiring me to do my own WCW diary with the same theme. WCW lived and didn't go out of business. Not bought by Fusient but by Bischoff and 2 other partners.

 

Coming soon...

 

A big run of title changes doesn't excite you? Honestly, there definitely should be up and down months. I don't want to make this a "everything always works" approach because that's unrealistic and kinda boring....

 

This is still filling in the backstory. When I hit April of 2002, that's where I'm doing the actual booking. The format won't really change, however. The big stuff going on is mostly all Genadi's scenario, whereas a lot of the smaller details I added.

 

I'm honored to have inspired and look forward to what you put together.

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

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

 

November 2001

 

The month of November was fairly successful for World Championship Wrestling, lacking much of the chaos that had defined October. There were two main focuses for the month – the build to the much-hyped Mayhem match and the build toward Starrcade. It was interesting how they interlaced the two. There was a lot of focus on the Mayhem match, with the commentators mentioning it constantly and almost every promo making at least some reference to it. With the single battle royal match the central focus for the Mayhem pay per view, most of the primary feuds – which included Flair-RVD, DDP-Kanyon, Sting-O'Haire, and Jarrett-Booker – would not have matches at the event, yet those feuds were not simply put on the backburner. As they would all be primary matches at Starrcade, WCW worked to keep them in all in the fore.

 

There was a common expectation that the Mayhem battle royal was just a way to make Brock Lesnar the number one contender and set up the highly-anticipated match against Bill Goldberg at Starrcade in December. WCW worked hard to play up the chaotic nature of the match, however, building up the “anything can happen” reality of the match. The commentators rightly pointed out that Lesnar would be a huge target in the match.

 

On the second Nitro of the month, Hugh Morrus defeated Shawn Stasiak to become a three-time United States champion. The loss by Stasiak was notable as it really marked the end of the overall push for the former members of the Natural Born Thrillers. Quite simply, the group had lost the faith of WCW management. Some – Mike Sanders and Reno – had seen their push falter earlier. Sean O'Haire was working feuds with main eventers and was safe – he had never really lost that “future star” sheen. The perceived problem amongst the group was that in a product putting greater emphasis on the in-ring action, they were simply not improving fast enough. They could not deliver the way that Kanyon, Morrus, and others could, let alone when compared to the top of the card. Some of the group would recover and do well for themselves, but others would not.

 

 

The WCW World Tag Team titles also changed hands. The Rhodes Family dropped the belts to Alpha, the team of Lance Storm and Mike Awesome. The tandem had developed into one of the strongest and more reliable teams in WCW. The pair were now fully managed by Stacy Kiebler and seemed to be slowly turning babyface under her guidance.

 

The roster of World Championship Wrestling was just under sixty active wrestlers at this point, so half of them would be left out of the Mayhem match. No one wanted to miss out on the big match. In the weeks leading into the pay per view, there were a number of qualifying matches held, where some midcard and lower workers had a chance to earn their way in. With a world title match as the semi main event, both champion and challenger were excluded from the Mayhem match, for obvious reasons.

 

The undercard of the pay per view itself was watchable enough. The highlight was a fun Cruiserweight title match between A.J. Styles and Jamie Noble, in what would become a marquee feud for the division. The semi main event that saw Goldberg once again defeat Scott Steiner and defend his WCW World Heavyweight championship, though the match was not near the quality of their Great American Bash 2001 match. Throughout the entire event, the commentators could not stop talking about the coming Mayhem match.

 

Mayhem itself lived up to the name. It was chaos. But very entertaining chaos. The entrance order was not announced ahead of time, so it made for a bit of extra drama in that regard. The starting pair were Rob Vam Dam and Booker T. Every ninety seconds, two more workers emerged and joined the fracas. There actually weren't many eliminations in the early going. It took just over twenty minutes for everyone to make their way into the match. There were twenty-seven wrestlers remaining at that point, as just three had been eliminated in the early going. The walkway and platform turned out to be a fantastic addition to the match, as it created more space for the wrestlers to battle and some interesting ways to get eliminated. Somewhat surprising to some was how effective the cruiserweights were shown to be in the match – although they made few actual eliminations, they were continually able to inflict damage and their quickness added excitement.

 

Brock Lesnar and Sean O'Haire came out together, the 23rd and 24th entrants. The two didn't really work together, but they individually dominated. O'Haire has six eliminations and Lesnar nine. O'Haire had some of the more interesting eliminations – as Jamie Noble entered the match and ran onto the platform on the stage, taking a big boot from O'Haire and being sent off the platform back onto the stage in rather spectacular fashion. O'Haire also literally threw Rey Mysterio Jr off the walkway. Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon were clearly more intent on destroying each other than winning the match, and ended up going over the top rope in a double elimination. The final five were Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett, Booker T, Sean O'Haire, and Brock Lesnar. “The Chosen One” was thrown from the ring by Flair and Booker, with O'Haire battling “The Prototype” and coming out the worst for it. Lesnar rather casually threw the 280-pound O'Haire over the top rope. Flair and Booker then went after Lesnar. As the two veterans surrounded the rookie, Lesnar smiled – a rarity. Booker T went out when he was flipped over the top rope by a huge big boot from Lesnar. That left just Flair and Lesnar. The two battled back and forth, with Flair using his wiles to almost have Lesnar out a couple of times. But “The Nature Boy” could not compete with the power of Lesnar. After surprising the veteran with a huge spinebuster, Lesnar simply picked Flair up and dumped him over the top rope.

 

After one hour and nine minutes, it was over. Brock Lesnar was the first WCW Mayhem winner. And he would face Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight championship at Starrcade 2001.

 

Despite some criticisms of how closely the Mayhem match resembled the WWF's Royal Rumble, the match and the event were a success for the World Championship Wrestling. The big main event of Starrcade had people talking, and that was a very good thing for the future of WCW.

 

WCW had been using a three-man commentating team since the switch to Fox Sports Net. Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay were the dual commentators, with a few different personalities taking the color role – Dusty Rhodes typically, but also Ernest Miller and even occasionally Ric Flair. Of Tenay and Schiavone, it was Schiavone who had long been the “lead” and primary commentator. In late November, that seemed to be changing, with Schiavone taking a fairly obvious secondary role to Tenay.

 

The unannounced change in lead commentator of WCW was much like the win by Brock Lesnar, a change toward the future of the promotion. Further down the road, the importance of these changes would become more obvious.

[juggaloninjalee]

That last month was good. I almost wish Brock wasn't made #1 contender yet though.

[The Celt]

What's Alpha's deal Papa? As in what's their gimmick?

[mad5226]

I was also halfway wishing broc wouldn't win... but that would have been horrible booking. Loving the read so far man keep it up

[Bigpapa42]

That last month was good. I almost wish Brock wasn't made #1 contender yet though.

 

I typically prefer a more slow and steady push as well. But I think creating a new megastar would make sense for WCW as it would help to establish a perceived "new era" for the promotion. Plus Lesnar just looks like he warrants that... Though the credit (or blame, if you prefer, lol) for Lesnar's push and his Mayhem victory (hell, even for the Mayhem match itself) goes to Genadi.

 

What's Alpha's deal Papa? As in what's their gimmick?

 

I wanted to get them away from the "Team Canada" stuff. So basically my thought was that they consider themselves the top tag team in WCW. The elite. The alpha team. Hence... Alpha... Its a heel name, but I planned to have them keep it as they turned babyface quite gradually.

 

I just like the combination of the two... The cold, calculating technician and the more charismatic and fiery brawler.

 

I was also halfway wishing broc wouldn't win... but that would have been horrible booking. Loving the read so far man keep it up

 

Thanks mad.

 

As always, I am open to any sort of questions. Since what you readers are getting is really just an overview, I figure some people might be curious about certain workers, pushes, feuds, etc. Feel free to ask.

 

Also, I will try to keep up with the same schedule of one "catch-up" post per day for the next bit. I am tempted to post a bunch all at once, but I figure that's not the most effective manner.

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

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

 

December 2001

 

Based on where World Championship Wrestling appeared to stand, it would seem false to paint December of 2001 as a “make or break” month for the promotion. Based increasing ratings and attendances, it appeared that WCW was doing well. WCW appeared to in a better position heading into 2002 than they had been heading into 2001. Yet it would appear that there was a definitely feeling of December being the pivotal point. That internally, it would regarded as “make or break” time.

 

There could be no doubt that Starrcade 2001 was an important show for World Championship Wrestling. Many of the main matches were feuds that had been built up for months. Every episode of Nitro through the month talked about the pay per view event endlessly – to the point of annoying overkill. The point was trying to convince the fans of how important this show was and the hyperbole of Tony Schiavone was certainly directed at accomplishing that.

 

Part of that hype was them talking about the coinciding winning streaks of both Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. Goldberg was undefeated – in singles matches, at least – since June. He was 99-0 heading into Starrcade. Lesnar had not lost in any form since his debut, putting his win streak at 41-0. Both numbers were actually accurate and included un-televised house show results – WCW had apparently learned its lesson from Goldberg's initial win streak, where they had added fictitious victories to the total and turned off fans. Although the winning streaks were not hyped until December, fans were certainly following and signs could often be seen at events. Ironically, many of the fans how somehow managed to add to the numbers until the commentators began hyping these streaks on a weekly basis, the numbers presented by fans were often higher.

 

In early December, Kimberly Page made a surprise return to WCW. She interjected herself into the vicious feud between her husband and Kanyon. The feud was building toward a blowoff match at Starrcade, and Kanyon had thrown out the challenge of making it a strap match. Kimberly came onto Nitro to beg her husband not to accept the challenge, but Diamond Dallas Page still accepted it. Despite this, she would remain at his side as his lovely valet for the near future.

 

On the final Nitro prior to the pay per view, the combination of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Billy Kidman – still using the Filthy Animals name – defeated The Featured Attraction for the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team championships. It was an interesting – or even questionable – move for Mysterio, as he was putting on top-level singles matches on a regular basis, and slated to face Jushin Lyger in a singles match at Starrcade 2001.

 

Just short of 17,000 fans packed the Philips Arena in Atlanta for Starrcade. The intense crowd added notably the event as a whole. The first match was Rey Mysterio Jr. once again facing Jushin Lyger. It turned out to be another very good match between the two, with Mysterio going over once again after more than fifteen minutes of innovative and fast-paced action. Alpha retained the WCW World Tag Team titles against Kronik in a slightly odd match where neither team was really the babyface, though the mere presence of Stacy Kiebler seemed to have the fan support in favor of Storm and Awesome. A rather random match between Booker T and Jeff Jarrett saw Booker take the victory. The strap match between Kanyon and Diamond Dallas Page was nasty and vicious, with DDP taking a beating but refusing to stop fighting. It took two Kanyon Cutters, but Kanyon was finally able to touch all four corners.

 

The Flair-RVD match was next and it delivered. If anyone believed that 53 years old, Ric Flair was “too old”... they only had to watch this match. It was No Disqualification and both men made liberal use of chairs and other weapons. Both were soon bleeding, with Flair leaking heavily. After Van Dam delivered a 5-Star Frog Splash with a chair, it appeared over. Flair kicked out to a huge reaction from the crowd. After Flair made RVD submit to the Figure Four, the legend offered his hand to the “Whole F*cking Show” in a sign of obvious respect. The crowd popped as they shook hands. It appeared to be the start of a RVD face turn....

 

The semi main event was a bit less dramatic as Sting defeated Sean O'Haire. Most expected match to be another step toward the top for O'Haire, so the veteran Sting going over was a bit of a surprise.

 

Finally, the main event that the fans were nearly seething for arrived. It was odd to see Goldberg painted as the underdog. But as the match started and the two went nose-to-nose in the center of the ring, it could be understood why – the youngster had an advantage in pure power and overall athleticism. He was simply able to move much quicker than the champion. The match turned out to be an 18-minute war. The two men threw everything at each other. The offense was big and it seemed like every move had an impact. The last few minutes were a series of near falls that had the fans screaming every time. After kicking out from a Jackhammer, Lesnar hit the shocked Goldberg with a huge spinebuster. The challenger then climbed to the top rope and shocked the crowd to silence as he launched his 300-pounds frame into a huge Shooting Star Press that he landed perfectly. Lesnar grabbed both legs in an emphatic pin as referee Nick Patrick counted out the three.

 

With that, Brock Lesnar became the second youngest WCW World Heavyweight champion in the belts history. The image of him standing triumphant over Goldberg, holding the belt aloft would become an iconic symbol and moment for World Championship Wrestling. It perfectly represented that transition to the new era of the promotion, an era personified by the new champion.

 

The overall reaction to the event was even better than anyone within the promotion could have hoped for. It was easily the best WCW event of the year. To many observers and critics, it was second only to the WWF's WrestleMania X-Seven for North American pro wrestling events.

 

World Championship Wrestling would head into 2002 on a high note. It was not all positive, however. Though it would not be made official for a few days, word spread through the talent at Starrcade that Eric Bischoff would no longer be in charge of the creative side of WCW.

 

...A new era indeed...

[Arogue]

This one looks so awesome, can't wait for it.

[randomfreeze]

Haven't said anything in here yet, but I've read every word. I'd keep reading each word too if you posted the next 8 years of WCW history in the same form without the presence of TEW. I never read Genadi's alt that you say inspired your writing, and I've avoided it since just because I want to see where you take your story first.

 

Anywho, just wanted to say I'm intrigued by the story and reading. I was guessing Mysterio would of become a part of the main event by now, but some things in WCW never change.

[Bigpapa42]

I think I'm going to end up breaking my "one segment per day" rule. I'm gone for the weekend, so to make up for it, I'll post the first "editorial" segment sometime later tonight.

 

Before I do, to clear up potential confusion, the editorial segments are meant as if they are coming from a different perspective than the "history log" segments. Most of the history log stuff lacks my in the way of analysis. There's a bit of opinion in there, but not much. Whereas the editorials are more about the opinion of the writer.... which isn't always accurate...

 

This one looks so awesome, can't wait for it.

 

Thanks.

 

Haven't said anything in here yet, but I've read every word. I'd keep reading each word too if you posted the next 8 years of WCW history in the same form without the presence of TEW. I never read Genadi's alt that you say inspired your writing, and I've avoided it since just because I want to see where you take your story first.

 

Anywho, just wanted to say I'm intrigued by the story and reading. I was guessing Mysterio would of become a part of the main event by now, but some things in WCW never change.

 

Glad you are enjoying. Don't know if I'll make 8 years of it, but its possible. I love the "speed" this approach to the project brings. Its not just the writing that is quicker. I find booking much quicker and easier, since I am less about each segment since the individual shows aren't important like they are in a "normal" diary. As for ending up with a straight fantasy booking approach (sans TEW), I suppose its possible but I still like to maintain a "base".

 

Mysterio will rise. He won't be stuck in the cruiser division permanently. But it won't be a fast hard push. There will be "reasons" behind the push, and those need to come together first. I don't know that he will ever reach the heights he has in the WWE, as a multi-time world champion... but with only one belt in WCW, its that much more difficult to get to that point...

[Bigpapa42]

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

Wrestling Heat Editorial

World Wrestling Federation 2001

By A.N. Marshall

 

2001 will forever be known as the year that Vince won.

 

Make no mistake, the World Wrestling Federation won the Monday Night War. Decisively. Vincent Kennedy McMahon may not have actually succeeded in killing World Championship Wrestling, but he came awfully close. He turned into a corporate albatross money pit that was taken off of its network home and sold for a mere fraction of what it apparently could have been sold for a few years prior. The version of WCW that limped through the last half of 2001 was a sad shadow of the juggernaut that nearly took down the WWF in 1997, reduced to re-enacting old storylines with new talent in hope of recreating old glories...

 

Going through entire year for the WWF - event by event, title change by title change, storyline by storyline - would be lengthy and monotonous. The WWF entered 2001 on top of the wrestling world, the same as they exited 2001. One only has to look at the WWF roster by the end of 2001 to see just where they stood. The roster that WCW assembled in the mid to late 90s has often been called the great in pro wresting history, but its easy to claim that the WWF in 2001 surpassed that. You had Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, The Big Show, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall.... Not to mention a very talented undercard.

 

There were three defining elements to the year 2001 for the World Wrestling Federation. The first was WrestleMania X-Seven, the second was the "Civil War" storyline, and the third was "The Kliq".

 

Headlined by Austin versus The Rock, WrestleMania X-Seven was the consensus Event of the Year for most observers. It is widely considered one of the best overall WrestleMania events in the long history of the WWF's flagship showcase. Considering this event took place in March, right as the WWF's "rival" WCW was facing extinction has a certain irony to it.

 

Shortly after WrestleMania, the WWF began a storyline which would cover much of the rest of the year and include almost the entire roster at times. Four of the biggest stars - Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and Kurt Angle - engaged in a four-way feud over the WWF World Heavyweight title. That was nothing new, but it become something new when the four each began aligning talent behind them. They split the entire WWF roster into large-scale alliances, with the shifting loyalties and continual intrigue becoming known as "The Civil War". The Rock would lose his leadership spot to Chris Jericho - apparently due to Rock's unwillingness to commit long-term to the WWF. The Rock become an unaligned "wild card", along with The Undertaker. The early months of the storyline were as compelling as anything done in wrestling in America since the start of the New World Order. In July, Austin introduced his "equalizer"... Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Apparently bored with being out of the spotlight, Hogan accepted a contract buyout and joined the WWF.

 

At SummerSlam in August, the "Civil War" basically fell apart. After several weeks of hinting at the "powers behind the power", it was revealed behind each of the four factions was a McMahon. The whole war basically became another McMahon family feud. Fan interest waned in a hurry, as they turned on the storyline that had been built up so well on a promotion-wide scale for months. By No Mercy in October, a four-way between the leaders - each with a McMahon in there corner - saw the end of the storyline with Austin winning his sixth world title. The end to the storyline was rather hasty and sudden, but the WWF creative realized they would be foolish to continue to prominently feature a storyline that the fans seemed hardily against.

 

A new storyline started up shortly after, with Triple H talking about "bringing back some friends". It was hinted that he was talking about Shawn Michaels, but the friends were revealed to be Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The trio formed the on-air stable The Kliq. They were joined by Sean Waltman not long after. Combing elements from De-Generation-X and The New World Order, the group mocked everyone, used toilet humor, made "shoot" comments, and attacked with a group mentality. When it was teased that Hogan would join in December, The Kliq took on a true "nWo" feel... although thy could not actually use the nWo name. Hogan was humiliated instead of inducted, however. Constant references were made Shawn Michaels returning and joining up. Although Chris Jericho surrpised fans by winning the WWF World Heavyweight championship at Armageddon, it seemed only a matter of time before Triple H became a 5-time champion, atop the WWF with The Kliq.

 

Not everything was "up" for the WWF and the McMahon's in 2001. Notably, the dismal failure of McMahon's professional football league, the XFL, created something of a financial concern for millionaire Vince. Although "financial concerns" would often be quoted by the WWF through the last half of 2001, they found the money to buy out the the AOL-Time Warner contracts of Hogan, Nash, and Hall and then sign all three to sizable new contracts. However, even though the "Civil War" storyline flopped after the "big twist" as well as some serious rumors of locker room discontent near the end of the year, the results for the WWF - attendances, TV ratings, and buy rates - all remained strong.

 

The World Wrestling Federation left 2001 almost the same as it came in - strong and on-top. What many industry observers found interesting was that the WWF's position didn't really change at all. Outside of some growth in a few foreign markets, the WWF experienced very little growth through the year. While some might argue that the WWF has "no room left to grow" that seems like an excuse. While WCW was at its lowest point mid-year, the WWF didn't really move forward. In economics, they call that stagnation.

 

In many ways, 2001 was a high point for the World Wrestling Federation. Given that reality, should the WWF have been able to further expand the McMahon empire? Was simply maintaining enough? One thing was certain - 2002 would be a year of major changes for the World Wrestling Federation.

[The Celt]

Well, the Civil War storyline may have failed, but that and the Kliq are seriously badass ideas BigPapa. Truly Brillant.

[Lo-Drew]

the WWF storylines are truely badass like the Celt said. Been reading the entire way and I like this. It's a different style for you but the writing and the summaries are smooth. So keep up the good work.

[Bigpapa42]

Well, the Civil War storyline may have failed, but that and the Kliq are seriously badass ideas BigPapa. Truly Brillant.

 

I may have, ahem, stolen the "Civil War" name from somewhere....

 

I wanted them to run a storyine which would roughly emulate the scope and grandeur of the Invasion, but obviously without being the Invasion. I just imagine it to be a celebratory thing - Vince has won. WCW is a Cult (in game-term size) and struggling. So let's put on this all-encompassing storyline that involves everyone in the WWF. It falls apart for one of the many reasons that the Invasion failed.

 

The Kliq just seemed so natural to make into an on-screen entity. The old friends now running the show...

 

the WWF storylines are truely badass like the Celt said. Been reading the entire way and I like this. It's a different style for you but the writing and the summaries are smooth. So keep up the good work.

 

Glad you are enjoying as well. "Smooth"... I like that. Thanks.

[Bigpapa42]

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Media/EWR_net3.jpg</span><p> <strong>Wrestling Heat Editorial</strong></p><p><strong> The Passion of Paul Heyman and ECW</strong></p><p><strong> By A.N. Marshall</strong></p><p> <span>http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/ECWSmall.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28471" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Paul Heyman has been called many things through his career... some flattering and some not so flattering. Your perception of the man likely depends on your dealings with him. What is unquestionable about Heyman is his passion for the promotion he built into the third largest wrestling promotion in America. It was that passion - and arguably little else - which kept Extreme Championship Wrestling alive through to the end of 2001.<p> </p><p> Similar to World Championship Wrestling, ECW came into 2001 wounded and on the verge of oblivion. Unlike WCW, there was no huge corporation behind the promotion to absorb the financial losses. Paul Heyman was able to hide the degree of desperation from the talent for awhile. However, when the Living Dangerous pay per view scheduled for early March had to be canceled due to financial problems, Heyman called a meeting and laid out ECW's financial peril to the talent. That meeting was what some in the room would later describe as "Heyman's finest moment."</p><p> </p><p> According to reports, Heyman began by admitting to the talent just how far in the hole ECW was by that point. While he was planning a show in April, he couldn't be certain it would happen so he actually encouraged those who had other options to seek them out. What started out, essentially, as an admission of guilt somewhere transformed into a passionate declaration that even if he had "walk the road alone", Heyman would stay true to the vision of ECW and ride it out to the bitterest end. The talent walked out motivated but somewhat confused... which was understandable, since Heyman had basically told them that ECW was almost completely bankrupt yet he was still planning a pay per view for April.</p><p> </p><p> Some of the talent would take the boss' advice and bolt. Notably, Rhino joined the WWF while Rob Van Dam took an offer from WCW, after talking to both promotions. The loss of Rhino particularly stung, as he held both the ECW World title and the Television title, leaving both titles vacant. Justin Credible, who was one of the true rising stars of ECW, also went to the WWF.</p><p> </p><p> Even the day of the Barely Legal pay per view, no one within ECW seemed certain the show would take place. It did and it turned out to be a solid enough show. Jerry Lynn surprised the fans by winning a four-way for the world title. Kid Kash won the vacant Television title. It would later become known that without financial support from the World Wrestling Federation, Heyman would not have been able to hold the show at all.</p><p> </p><p> In May, that WWF lifeline was pulled. After the XFL failed, Vince McMahon apparently told Heyman there would be no more financial assistance. ECW was on its own. Oblivion loomed ahead, but Heyman's passion kept him pushing forward. </p><p> </p><p> Through the summer and fall, ECW was able to hold shows only every second or third month. Cards couldn't really be promoted much in advance as anything could change at any moment. Both the talent and the fans began to treat each show as if it could be the last one. There was a definite fatalistic feel, according to insiders, but they moved forward regardless. The June show as rather minimalist, with a limited card. It was notably only in that Jack Victory and RW Anderson won the Tag Team titles from Danny Doring and Roadkill. </p><p> </p><p> Heat Wave was bumped from July to August, but ECW was able to run a full show. The show had several big moments. First, Doring and Roadkill won back the ECW World Tag Team titles. Then Steve Corino took the ECW World Heavyweight championship from Jerry Lynn. </p><p> </p><p> Somewhere during the summer, ECW seemed to find a windfall of cash from somewhere. While Heyman wasn't talking, it was obvious that his money concerns were at least temporarily alleviated. The talent were actually get paid. It was only clear that the monies did come from Vince McMahon this time. Despite this, October's Anarchy Rulz was another minimal show. </p><p> </p><p> Through the fall, Heyman reportedly talked about "doing big things" for ECW's November to Remember show, which was the promotions biggest annual event. Scheduling conflicts saw it pushed back twice in November, then pushed back to mid-December. It became "December 2 Dismember" instead. The day before the show, Heyman told the talent and the ECW staff what most suspected - this would be the final ECW show. The strain of trying to hold things together show to show was simply becoming too much. The passion could only carry so far. "One of us is going to die - that's the only way this ends," Heyman is reported to have quipped about his beloved promotion and himself.</p><p> </p><p> Heyman went all-out for ECW's final show. Terry Funk came back, putting on one more bloody war with Sabu. Mick Foley made a special appearance. The current WCW World Tag Team champions, Lance Storm and Mike Awesome - both well known to ECW fans for their history there - were the unannounced opponents for Doring & Roadkill in a match for the ECW Tag Team title, which Storm and Awesome won. The main event was an Extreme Rules match between Tommy Dreamer and Steve Corino for the ECW World title that Corino had. But Dreamer was attacked in the back and was declared unable to wrestle by Heyman, so Dreamer was told to name a replacement. He picked... Raven...</p><p> </p><p> The completely unexpected return of Raven tore the roof off of the ECW Arena. After eighteen months in the World Wrestling Federation, he had been quietly released from his contact in early December, after being off TV for weeks prior. The match with Corino was outstanding, with Raven triumphing to the delight of the ECW faithful, closing out the final show as ECW World champion. Most saw it as a fitting finale to the run of ECW.</p><p> </p><p> There were many, both within ECW and within the industry, who were not convinced that ECW was truly done. Those in doubt got a rather nasty Christmas surprise, as all employee contracts were terminated shortly after the holiday. Although no one was certain how, Paul Heyman had quietly managed to settle almost all outstanding debt for the company through the month. Instead of having to declare bankruptcy, Extreme Championship Wrestling simply shut down. As the new year dawned, most of the ECW website was removed, with only a short message from Paul E. remaining. The owner thanked the fans and the talent, confirming that ECW was indeed done. </p><p> </p><p> Within a few weeks, rumors would circulate through the industry that ECW had been sold. Not the promotion as a whole, but rather its remaining assets – name, trademarks, titles, and the most valuable ECW asset, the video library. This rumor was rather quickly eclipsed by something that surprised the entire professional wrestling industry...</p></div></blockquote>

[tristram]

World Championship Wrestling

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

 

Obviously, given the names of two of my diaries, I have read and been enamored by Death of WCW. For me down under without great access to all the 'goss' and a lack of interest in the so called scoop internet sites, this book was a god-send as it helped piece together what truly went wrong. Obviously I didn't agree 100% with all the opinions which were passed as fact, but I could certainly sense to a degree some of the reasoning behind their conclusions. It troubled me to some extent because being a mad-WCW fan, having to watch the WWF deplorably reduce WCW to nothing more than disused shrink-wrap through the terribly booked Invasion angle, that there were some inalienable truths to what could be put right to make WCW still seem WCW-like, but have a successful business model and a logical sequence of events blending into storyline arches and character development, which sadly eluded WCW. That was the basis for my diaries. Nothing more than, hey, I have a profound love of this organisation and the entertainment it brought me, so lets see if we can slightly alter it and still make it successful. What a god-send TEW was to allow me to have a crack at that.

 

Your writing reminds me very much of 'Death of WCW' (the book, not the lame diary). I can connect very easily the dot points that trigger off the major events, and I like that. I can sense the ongoing policy changes and I can sense why you are making the decisions you are making. It seems very early on you are clearing the decks of the politicking which can only help WCW out in the long run. I genuinely love the fact that you're pushing guys like Awesome, Storm and O'Haire, and I would have loved to see Chris Kanyon-DDP blown out into a full time feud of some notoriety, beyond the obvious DDK premise that helped light up Chris Kanyon's career.

 

The feud though I most look forward to, and most enjoy in this, is RVD and Ric Flair. How revolutionary! How ingenius to pull this one off. It makes so much sense, and obviously both men would leverage so much off each other's enormous strengths. Right there, ba'am, it's a match I'd pay big time to see. It's a feud I'd love to micro-manage, micro-manage like you're Stephen King putting together It! and constantly referencing past events, and ensuring the storyline is masterfully arched together with constant and clever changes in texturing and hype to get that inevitable point of conflict and peak of the storyline ridge right before concluding it nicely.

 

At first I was a bit stunned by the Lennox Lewis move, but the more I think about it the more I think it adds interest to Big Poppa Pump-Goldberg. I'm glad you've gone back to Goldberg as being the killer instinct wrestler with now Lewis helping layer his character, rather than as a quasi-mouthpiece as he turned into at the back end of WCW.

 

All in all, this is so simple to read, so effective, and delivers on everything WCW should have delivered on. Best WCW diary of all time on this board? Yep, I think you'll have that covered without any doubt in the world.

[Genadi]

Obviously, given the names of two of my diaries, I have read and been enamored by Death of WCW. For me down under without great access to all the 'goss' and a lack of interest in the so called scoop internet sites, this book was a god-send as it helped piece together what truly went wrong. Obviously I didn't agree 100% with all the opinions which were passed as fact, but I could certainly sense to a degree some of the reasoning behind their conclusions. It troubled me to some extent because being a mad-WCW fan, having to watch the WWF deplorably reduce WCW to nothing more than disused shrink-wrap through the terribly booked Invasion angle, that there were some inalienable truths to what could be put right to make WCW still seem WCW-like, but have a successful business model and a logical sequence of events blending into storyline arches and character development, which sadly eluded WCW. That was the basis for my diaries. Nothing more than, hey, I have a profound love of this organisation and the entertainment it brought me, so lets see if we can slightly alter it and still make it successful. What a god-send TEW was to allow me to have a crack at that.

 

Agree with everything said there.

 

Your writing reminds me very much of 'Death of WCW' (the book, not the lame diary).

 

It's funny you say that because that book was actually the inspiration for the Alt. Reality mod. I was re-reading it to bring my memory up to speed for modding and the idea came to me as a direct result of reading it. The book as you said gives you such a great feel for how and where the company went wrong I spent half the time reading cringing.

 

Sorry BP, I don't wanna hijack your thread with WCW talk. Keep up the good work

[Bigpapa42]

Thanks for the kind words, Tristam. As much as I am enjoying this, there is no way it ends up surpassing your WCW work. Having those works are part of what inspired me and they were definitive works on this board. I honestly don't think this one will ever hit the levels of your, or probably even some of my previous stuff, because its not a true diary in that sense. Its one of the only diaries around where the individual shows really don't mean that much...

 

When comparing this to your WCW work (and this one doesn't deserve that yet), one thing that I know is lacking that I always saw in your WCW work was passion. True passion for the subject. I am facinated by WCW and have gone back and done a ton of watching of old matches and shows... but I never truly loved WCW while it was still around. It was moreso that I was never in a position where I could that it didn't appeal, etc.

 

Its probably not a coincidence that you mention Death of WCW by Reynolds and Alvarez, as that did have a fair bit of influence on this. Reading that a couple of years ago rekindled my interest in WCW. I've read the book a number of times and its more than the subject that I've enjoyed - its the style as well. Informative yet concise and contained. I would think one could write a 2000-page tome on the ins-and-outs over a the course of a few years of a wrestling promotion like the WWE or WCW - the storylines, matches, backstage issues, personality clashes, etc. But is that kind of depth necessary? Is it even going to be appeal to most readers? When I first started playing with the thought of a real world historical project, I wanted to get away from the standard show-by-show approach to diaries. There is nothing wrong with that, but I wanted something different. As fans, looking back and learning the history of something in this business, is the intimate details that we want or just an overall understanding? Do we want to know what was said in each promo, word-for-word, or just understand what two works feuded over and that they had a series of back-and-forth promos for weeks? So I went with an overview approach that I cannot deny was heavily inspired by the book you mention.

 

Once again, I must defer credit to Genadi for much of what you've mentioned. Flair and RVD feuding, Goldberg being remade into the monster again, and the Lennox Lewis incident are all from his scenario and alt history. I'm adding some bits of detail and such, but I won't steal credit that rightfully goes to The Man.

 

Edit - No worries, Genadi. I have never minded "off topic" discussion in my diaries. I certainly don't mind some discussion of WCW in here. So discuss away!

[Genadi]

Once again, I must defer credit to Genadi for much of what you've mentioned. Flair and RVD feuding, Goldberg being remade into the monster again, and the Lennox Lewis incident are all from his scenario and alt history. I'm adding some bits of detail and such, but I won't steal credit that rightfully goes to The Man.

 

I told you I only wrote the thing, you're breathing life into it You deserve far more credit and if it peaks a little interest in the Alt Real. mod I'm happy!

 

Your write ups are that good I'm looking at making some changes you've thought off to make the mod even better

 

*BP, added to the Genadi & Co. Creative Team*

[The Final Countdown]

How did I miss this up until now? I've always wanted to get in on one of your projects from the ground up--and the fact that it's set in my comfort zone, the real world (well, a slightly modified real world, at least) only increases my interest. I don't have time to read through right this moment, but I will soon. If the feedback I've seen in my quick skim is any indication, I'm in for a treat.

[FlameSnoopy]

Just popping in to say that I am still reading, and can't wait for your actual booking to start appearing. I also like how fast this is advancing, the style should allow pretty fast in-game booking indeed.

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

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

 

January 2002

 

There comes a moment when "the future" must become "the present". For World Championship Wrestling, it appears that moment was the start of 2002. After what January brought to the promotion, it would never be quite the same again.

 

While rumors of Eric Bischoff "giving up the book" had circulated through the Internet wrestling community immediately following Starrcade - almost as quickly as it had circulated through the roster - the majority of WCW fans had no inkling of major backstage changes happening. The only real indication they had that WCW was enter a new era was the monstrous 24-year athlete who held the WCW World Heavyweight title.

 

The first Nitro of the new year was a memorable one. It began with WCW President Eric Bischoff and WCW Commissioner Ernest Miller coming down to the ring to make a special introduction - WCW's new color commentator... Mick Foley. Seeing the man who had been fired from WCW by Bischoff some eight years before who had gone on to become one of the WWF's biggest stars was a complete shock to the fans in attendance, who gave Foley a massive reception. Rather than cutting a trademark promo, Foley simply joined Mike Tenay and Dusty Rhodes in the announcers booth. Always great on the microphone, it was no surprise that Foley was a natural at color commentary. Early in the show, he did reveal an important little piece of information... stating that he had "inside information", Foley revealed to fans that the "power behind the power" (ironically, this was the same wording used in the build-up before the McMahon family was revealed to be the forces behind the "Civil War" storyline) was soon to be revealed, as Brock Lesnar's manager/agent was soon to appear in WCW.

 

One rather small moment that had many Internet fans buzzing was when the WCW World Tag Team champions Lance Storm and Mike Awesome came out for their match against 3-Count. The tag champions carried not only their WCW belts, but the ECW World Tag Team championship belts they had won on ECW's December 2 Dismember event a few weeks prior. That win had never been acknowledged on WCW television and the belts that Alpha carried were simply ignored by the announcers. It was rather curious. Another such moment that got fans talking was Ric Flair cutting a promo a short time later in the show, where The Nature Boy talked about his Starrcade win over Rob Van Dam and about how he wanted to "protect what is WCW", then he flashed the unmistakable Four Horsemen hand sign. Finally, during the six-man tag team main event that saw Lesnar, RVD, and Steiner triumph over Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, and Eddie Guerrero, Mike Tenay rather notably called the heel trio "a very dangerous alliance."

 

If the intent of WCW was to get fans talking, it certainly worked. The strong Starrcade even with Lesnar winning the world title already had fans buzzing, so these "incidents" on that first Nitro simply added to the fire that was already burning. There was also a lot of speculation amongst the more informed fans about whether Foley had been brought in to take over the creative side of WCW. Widely considered to have a "good mind for the business", it would have made sense. But it was not the case. Foley's intended role within WCW was indeed more than simply the color commentator position, but he would not be booking the whole promotion.

 

While some fans would debate a great deal over what exactly had brought Foley back to WCW, the man himself would later reveal it was simply business. Having retired from the ring in 2000, he had spent most of the rest of that year as the WWF's on-air authority figure. He had appeared occasionally throughout 2001. Foley would claim he had talked to Vince McMahon about how he desired a full-time position with the WWF in some non-wrestling capacity, in part for a steady paycheck, but McMahon "didn't have anything for him". Coming to WCW was ideal as it was steady work but didn't require him to be on the road as much as if he was actually still actively wrestling.

 

The hiring of Mick Foley, along with the decision of whom would end up taking over the creative side of WCW, had another consequence. Sometime in early January, Tony Schiavone quit after nearly a decade with WCW. This was never acknowledged by WCW, even in the form of a statement on the website. It became known weeks later when rumors about it began to circulate. Having lost his lead announcer role to Tenay and having been passed over once again for the lead creative position he felt he had earned, Schiavone apparently simply felt "screwed over" and wanted to explore "other options". Those "other options" would soon become quite apparent.

 

The second Nitro of the the new year would be most memorable for a non-title main event match between Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero. Running nearly twenty minutes, Guerrero gave the champion his toughest match yet by using his quickness and wiles. Guerrero never really came that close to the upset pinfall - he tried for a couple of quick pins that Lesnar powered out of . What impressed was that he really made the big man work for his victory. The match actually added new dimension to Lesnar as a wrestler, as he showed his mat wrestling skills moreso than he ever had previously and he also showed a bit of a sadistic side, notably when he stomped on Guerrero twice after delivering a big F-5. The match was a step forward for both men.

 

The WCW Sin 2002 pay per view was a mostly forgettable card, headlined by Brock Lesnar putting the WCW World Heavyweight championship up against Booker T. Fans were clamoring to see a rematch between Lesnar and Goldberg - as was Goldberg, obviously - but WCW was apparently "having trouble putting the match together", hinting that Lesnar's yet-unknown manager was behind the problems.

 

That unknown manager was revealed on the following WCW Nitro. It was a rarity - a live Nitro. It opened with the revelation of Lesnar's manager... to the utter shock of the live crowd, it was Paul E. Heyman who came down to the ring to join the WCW World Heavyweight champion. They were then joined by Rob Van Dam and Scott Steiner, who would also be managed by the former ECW owner. Heyman cut a slick promo where he promised this group would dominate World Championship Wrestling, though he particular focused on putting over Lesnar. He called the trio "The Dangerous Alliance", apparently the name for the the new heel mega-stable.

 

The main event of the live Nitro was Ric Flair versus Brock Lesnar for the WCW World title. The match went close to twenty minutes with Lesnar powering out of the Figure Four and then forcing Flair to tap out with his own submission hold, an over-the-shoulder single-leg Boston crab that was dubbed the Brock Lock. Flair was then beat down by Lesnar, Steiner and RVD, until Goldberg, Booker, DDP, and Sting all came to his rescue. It looked to be setting up all the major babyfaces in WCW against this Dangerous Alliance.

 

Up until the point that Heyman made his way onto Nitro live, almost all of the talent was in the dark as to who the new head creative talent in WCW was. After the show, Bischoff confirmed to the roster that Paul Heyman would indeed be the new booker. And then hell froze over.

 

The ratings for the live Nitro were quite strong. Fox Sports Net and Fox itself were quite pleased. So pleased, in fact, that it would lead to some changed for Nitro not too far down the road.

 

It would seem that many, both fans and industry insiders, had dismissed the possibility of Heyman joining WCW simply because of the history of heat between he and Bischoff. It would later be revealed that Bischoff had identified Heyman as the best choice to take WCW forward in terms of booking quite some time prior, and negotiations had been on-going for months. Need is a powerful motivator, which was the case for both men. It would not become apparent for some time just how complicated the arrangement between Heyman and Bischoff actually was and just why those negotiations had taken some months.

 

Not everything through January was positive for World Championship Wrestling. One particular incident almost caused the promotion major problems overseas. Vince McMahon was working to bring the WWF to new markets around the world, turning the promotion into a truly global empire... but Vinnie Mac seemed to pay little attention to a little island called Japan. Eric Bischoff saw an opportunity there, and felt he could help bring a WCW presence to the land of the Rising Sun by working with the existing promotions in Japan. Not long after Bischoff purchased WCW, he had arranged working agreements with all three major Japanese promotions – New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and the upstart Pro Wrestling Noah. A few WCW talents went to Japan throughout 2001 to work shows here and there. Near the end of January, Kronik and Jeff Jarrett went to Japan to work several shows for Noah. Within forty-eight hours of arriving, Jarrett left. And Noah were furious.

 

What exactly lead to “The Chosen One” flying back home depends on who you ask. Jarrett apparently told people that everything he ate in Japan “disagreed” with him, and feeling he couldn't work any matches because of that, he left. Noah officials claimed he had been told of the opponents and finishes for the shows he would work, and disliking them, he simply left. It has also been claimed that nothing at all happened and Jarrett simply left because he knew it would cause problems for WCW. That he was unhappy with his current role and nearly destroying the working agreement between WCW and Noah was his way to demonstrating that. Whatever the cause, it did very nearly result in his release from WCW. It also forced Bischoff to “make it up” to Mitsuharu Misawa and Noah by doing something that they would not have otherwise done... and like so many other things for WCW, it would work out for WCW in ways that no one could have imagined....