World Championship Wrestling 2002: Rebuilding the Empire

[Bigpapa42]

Really enjoying this so far. It's a great change from the standard dynasty format.

 

Thanks. Glad the change-up in style is enjoyed.

 

this is brilliantly written.. and really easy to read..

 

things have been shaping up nicely, and Brock becoming God can only be a good thing..

 

im hooked.. cant wait for the 'real stuff' to start.. even though this 'backstory' as such has been great..

 

the recap of a month style must be much easy to write than angle-by-angle shows each week.. so I really do hope you can fly through things.. cause thatll mean even more well-written pieces to read..

 

KUTGW!

 

Thank you kindly, sir.

 

This is approach is definitely way easier to write than full shows. I never found that approach overly laborious but it was fairly time-consuming. I could easily spend over an hour on a single segment, whether it was a promo of decent length or a longer match. Whereas each monthly recap rarely takes much longer than an hour to complete if I actually sit down and focus on it. As I commented before, it probably took me longer to format a single show with all the graphics and such on my previous projects than it does to actually recap the full month on this one...

 

The "overview" approach is something I actually first considered when I was starting to struggle to keep Generation Supreme going. It was suggested by a couple of readers, and I am fairly certain JamesCasey was one. I might not have gone to this exact format, but it was something similar to what I was thinking. Perhaps if I had switched it up, even for a time, Gen-S could have gone longer... I've held onto the idea of doing a project with this type of approach ever since. Historical real world projects have rarely appealed, in large part since I have issue finding the right balance between fictional and reality. But Genadi's fantasy scenario took that aspect away.

 

I won't make promises on how far I can go with this, but the burnout factor should be low. And its the kind of project I could actually see leaving for a time and then picking back up.

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

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

 

April 2002

If March felt like a month of change for World Championship Wrestling, it would pale in comparison to April. It was not only WCW that would be left forever altered, however...

 

The World Wrestling Federation basked in the afterglow of another successful WrestleMania by splitting itself in half. The first Raw of April saw the massive roster divided via a "Draft Lottery". The two now-separate rosters were dubbed "brands" - Raw and Smackdown. Each was exclusive to their given show. The whole process had been hyped for an entire month by the WWF, with the actual Draft edition of Raw drawing some big ratings. This would begin the "Brand Extension" era for the McMahon empire and officially mark the end of the Attitude Era... though some observers feel that era ended sometime in 2001, when the overall approach of the WWF was toned down gradually.

 

On the first Nitro of the month, the show started with Ric Flair entering the ring and delivering a promo as only he can. The Nature Boy railed against the injustice of WCW forgetting its own history in allowing a group like the Dangerous Alliance to flourish. He promised that not everyone would forget where WCW came from. Not everyone would accept the past being swept under the run. Some would stand and fight. The Four Horsemen would stand and fight. Simply put... The Four Horsemen were back.

 

Later on the show, it became apparent that something was going on, as Raven - in his trademark leather jacket but also holding the ECW World Heavyweight championship - was shown several times in a front row seat. The fans reacted, whether they knew him for his ECW days or the time he had spent in WCW. The reason for his presence became somewhat more clear at the halfway point of the show, when Eric Bischoff came out onto the stage to make an announcement. It was really more of a rambling history lesson slash victory speech, where the owner of WCW talked about respecting the history of the business and “gaining perspective”. He talked about ECW and its legacy, putting over Paul Heyman's promotion while still seeming to revel in its demise. The whole thing seemed to be going nowhere... until Bischoff stopped, grinned, stated WCW had purchased ECW, and then left the stage. The scowl on Raven's face told fans he didn't much like the idea. The commentators seemed genuinely surprised about the whole, speculating on what it meant for WCW. Oddly, when Heyman cut a promo with his Dangerous Alliance later in the show, he didn't address ECW at all. It was all a bit strange. Fans were certainly talking.

 

The following Nitro, fans wanted more details about both the fate of ECW and the new Four Horsemen. The got the first but not the latter. This show started with a Bischoff address. He began it by listing all the WCW talent who had appeared at some point in ECW. Then he put over Heyman's promotion as having provided a true proving ground for talent. That should be ECW's lasting legacy, Bischoff explained, not the extreme ways of the promotion. In fact, it would be the legacy of ECW. Bischoff announced that beginning in June, ECW would be running shows again, with a weekly show on Fox Sports Net. Some of the top young talent in professional wrestling would compete against ECW legends and try to earn a chance in WCW. ECW would live again. The fans in Boston certainly approved.

 

Those fans were very eager to hear what Ric Flair had to say... but “The Nature Boy” would not reveal the new members of his legendary stable on this Nitro. He did cut a great promo, talking about all the things it took to be a Horsemen, then putting over some of the bigger babyface names in WCW as having some of those attributes. He made no introductions, however. The same would happen in subsequent weeks, as Flair continued to tease the new group, building tension over the question of who would become a Horseman.

 

The "resurrection of ECW" would have people talking. Not just fans, but industry insiders, most of whom were taken completely by surprise by the announcement of ECW being purchased by WCW, then by Bischoff proclaiming the return. No one was quite certain what to expect....

 

These two teases were obviously not all World Championship Wrestling had to offer through April, however. The main event being built for the Spring Stampede pay per view was Brock Lesnar facing "The Icon" Sting. The Stinger went back to his stalking ways, with his trademark black bat appearing for the first time in a long while. It would take more than a baseball bat to intimidate - or defeat - Brock Lesnar, however. Goldberg was also set to face Scott Steiner again, ostensibly to "prove his number one contender status", according to Heyman.

 

There were a couple of twists in the build-up o the PPV. The most notable was Diamond Dallas Page getting attacked by Scott Steiner and Rob Van Dam. While Kimberly screamed for them to stop, someone came to his rescue and it was not who anyone expected... It was Kanyon. After the long and nasty feud DDP and Kanyon had throughout much of 2001, it seemed unlikely, and for a moment, it appeared the Kanyon might finish the beat down after he had chased off Steiner and RVD. Instead, he just walked away while Kimberly tended to her husband. In another twist, Eddie Guerrero appeared set to face Hugh Morrus for the US title at Spring Stampede, but “Latino Heat” instead challenged Rob Van Dam and the feud with Morrus was simply dropped. Morrus would end up defending the US title against Kanyon at the PPV. It appeared that the reason the Guerrero-Morrus feud was dropped was Heyman deciding that Guerrero was well above the US title by that point, so there was little use in continuing the feud.

 

The actual Spring Stampede 2002 event turned out to be a strong show. To most industry observers, it was at least the equal of the WWF Backlash that also took place that month. An unannounced, throwaway opener of Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page defeating Totally Buff started the show off well enough, followed up by Kanyon taking the US title from Hugh Morrus. Ric Flair teamed with Alpha to down Kronik and Jeff Jarrett, a match most memorable mostly for Stacy Kiebler and Torrie Wilson getting into a slap fight and nearly tearing each others clothes off. Rey Mysterio defended his Cruiserweight title in a threeway ladder match. Guerrero defeated Rob Van Dam. Goldberg defeated Scott Steiner once again, looking to have solidified his number one contender status. The main event between Sting and the world champion Brock Lesnar was quite good, going for some twenty five minutes before Sting was choked out cold by the champion, who debuted his Death Clutch submission hold for WCW audiences. While the main event was a solid match, it was the Guerrero-RVD match which stole the show. The two men were given as much time as the main event and they put on a classic. It would end up making many Match of the Year shortlists.

 

On the final Nitro of April, Bischoff started the show by saying the fans would later get to meet the new ECW Commissioner. Kanyon and DDP reconciled, as the new US champion completed his face turn. Flair cut another great promo about the Horsemen, promising fans they would see the new group soon enough. Jeff Jarrett continued a rather lame gimmick he had been doing in recent weeks, bringing out a series of unknown young wrestlers and beating them down decisively to show how great he truly was. This week is a 22-year old by the name of Michael Shane who didn't even get into the ring before he was attacked viciously by Jarrett, then thrown into the ring and pinned. When Paul Heyman came out with his Dangerous Alliance trio, he talked a bit about ECW and made the fans expect him to declare himself the new ECW Commission... instead, the manager stated he had zero interest in anything to do with ECW now and that he would remained focused on guiding the career of Brock Lesnar. Heyman did say that Goldberg would not be getting his world title rematch, which the fans did not appreciate. Near the end of the show, Bischoff appeared again and introduced fans to the man who would be running ECW.... Mick Foley.

 

If the brand split of the World Wrestling Federation and the addition of ECW by World Championship Wrestling wasn't enough for the industry during April, they also had TNA to talk about. Although Tony Schiavone's promotion had yet to run a show, many insiders were already slotting it in as the number three promotion in the United States, ahead of Rob Feinstein's Ring of Honor and a host of other older independents. Joining Schiavone in TNA was Vince Russo, who would have a key creative role. Russo and Schiavone had reportedly been making plans for TNA since mid-2000 after the expected demise of WCW. Schiavone had been putting pieces together for a long while, including a great deal of financial backing – money would not be much of an issue for the new promotion. Whether they could find enough talent would be the primary question. Rumors persisted, and would for some time, that some “notable” WWF and WCW talents were interested in making the jump. Just months after the end of ECW left an opening, it appeared that TNA had very effectively jumped into it.

 

Some observers noted that it appeared professional wrestling in America was moving into a new era. It was hard to argue with the assessment.

 

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/WCWSpringStampede1.jpg

WCW Spring Stampede 2002

 

Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page d. Totally Buff

Kanyon d. Hugh Morrus © for the WCW United States Championship

Ric Flair & Alpha d. Kronik & Jeff Jarrett

Rey Mysterio © d. Jamie Knoble & Jushin Lyger for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Eddie Guerrero d. Rob Van Dam

Goldberg d. Scott Steiner

Brock Lesnar © d. Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

[totti]

Great card for Spring Stampede. It looked very strong indeed and Brock cemented his place as the franchise of the promotion further by defeating a WCW legend.

 

I really like the Death Clutch move, it makes perfect sense as a name for a submission and helps that it is something to do with Lesner in real life at the moment and also adds an extra dimension to Lesner's game.

 

Looking forward to seeing where Foley takes this new look ECW and of course to who is going to join Flair in the Four Horseman. Please bring back Anderson.

[Bigpapa42]

Great card for Spring Stampede. It looked very strong indeed and Brock cemented his place as the franchise of the promotion further by defeating a WCW legend.

 

I really like the Death Clutch move, it makes perfect sense as a name for a submission and helps that it is something to do with Lesner in real life at the moment and also adds an extra dimension to Lesner's game.

 

Looking forward to seeing where Foley takes this new look ECW and of course to who is going to join Flair in the Four Horseman. Please bring back Anderson.

 

The idea with putting off the Goldberg-Lesnar rematch for awhile was to have Lesnar cycle through a series of big names as challengers. Not actual feuds, but simply challengers. The intent was exactly as you say - to give him Lesnar ever-increasing legitimacy as the champion and as the new pillar of WCW.

 

I'll define the new use for ECW soon enough and why it came about soo enough. But the idea is to use it how WWECW could have and possibly should have been.

 

I would love to bring back Arn as part of the Horsemen. The biggest problem with that is everything I've ever read makes me think that he, in reality, couldn't physically return to the ring. Which makes me hesitant to edit him in that regard.

[mad5226]

He could be like a mouth piece or figure head or something.... Or... you could have him turn heel and bring in his own "choosen Four" to lead an attack against the Horsemen

[Bigpapa42]

He could be like a mouth piece or figure head or something.... Or... you could have him turn heel and bring in his own "choosen Four" to lead an attack against the Horsemen

 

Good point. Arn may very well have a role with the Horsemen... It just won't be as an active competitor.

[jesseewiak]

One idea I've seen before and thought is pretty good is since Arn is best known as a tag wrestler is for him to lead a brand new tag team up to the top, but is completely disconnected from the main event feud.

[Bigpapa42]

One idea I've seen before and thought is pretty good is since Arn is best known as a tag wrestler is for him to lead a brand new tag team up to the top, but is completely disconnected from the main event feud.

 

That wouldn't be a bad use for Arn at all. He's a helluva good talker, so it would work in that regard.

[Bigpapa42]

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

Wrestling Heat Editorial

The Resurrection of Extreme

By A.N. Marshall

 

Extreme Championship Wrestling has risen from its grave!

 

Many fans and insiders declared that hell must have frozen over when Paul Heyman agreed to work for Eric Bischoff. Attributing the resurrection of ECW to an ice age in Hades might be an easier explanation than trying to understand what actually lead to Bischoff's announcement... Many are calling this move Heyman's greatest sell job... except its not actually clear how much of this was Heyman's work...

 

When Eric Bischoff stated that ECW was "purchased" by World Championship Wrestling, that was not entirely accurate. WCW had not actual purchased all of the ECW assets – which included the trademarks, names, logos, titles, and video library – but rather had simply leased them from a company called Extreme Future Enterprises LLC. That company had purchased the assets in January from Heyman. The company had two owners – Eric Bischoff and a “silent partner”. That silent partner turned out to be Paul E. Heyman. So yes, Paul Heyman had shut down Extreme Championship Wrestling and sold its remaining assets to himself.

 

There is no doubt that it took some impressive machinations from Paul Heyman to allow things to work out as they did. How much of that was intended, however, is questionable. What is clear is that Heyman was determined to retain control over ECW after it ended. That seems to be a primary reason he didn't allow ECW to die in early 2001, but pushed to keep it going. It wasn't about survival so much as ensuring control. It was the reason that he sought financial support from WCW. Heyman understood that he needed to eliminate as much debt as possible before ECW actually folded. A heavily-indebted promotion would have no choice but to declare bankruptcy. At that point, Heyman would lose control over ECW's remaining assets. Through his aggressive debt reduction, Heyman managed to retain control and chose who he sold those assets to. These machinations may also have played a big part in his decision to accept Bischoff's offer to take over the book from the burned-out owner of WCW, when many friends suggest that Heyman himself was burned out and need some time away. Heyman's need for income after sinking all his money into ECW was also a factor.

 

What lead to Bischoff partnering with Heyman in Extreme Future Enterprises? Simply business, it would seem. Bischoff saw the value in having access to ECW's video library, which would prove a great asset to the WCW Home Video division. It is not clear whether Bischoff ever attempted to simply outright purchase those assets from Heyman before coming to the arrangement they did. The benefits for Heyman were obvious – he maintained control over ECW's assets, with the possibility of gaining back full control somewhere down the road. Restarting ECW as a full promotion at some point was even a possibility. But did Heyman intend to have ECW become a “sub-promotion” of WCW?

 

Paul Heyman has commented several times on how he insisted on World Championship Wrestling developing a much stronger internal talent development program. According to the man himself, it was a part of his some of his earliest conversations with Bischoff back in 2001. The Power Plant training camp was simply not sufficient to the booker to produce the kind of quality wrestling talent that WCW needed. The system that WCW set up through the spring of 2002 would become known as “The Pipeline”. Heyman saw a second “minor” TV show – known as a “B” show within the industry – as important to the process of introducing new talent. The WWF had been using the approach for some time with shows like Heat and Velocity, though with mixed success.

 

It would eventually be confirmed by both men that Paul Heyman had pitched the idea to Vince McMahon of the WWF buying out ECW and keeping it running and on TV as a “sub-promotion”, almost exactly how it ended up functioning for WCW. Heyman says that McMahon dismissed the proposal as “a stupid idea”. McMahon contends he simply declined. Given how it would work out for WCW, it would seem that even Vince McMahon can get them wrong sometimes... That particular story would make it appear that the idea for WCW using ECW in this manner clearly came from Heyman... yet that does not appear to be the case.

 

While neither Heyman nor Bischoff have ever addressed it, other WCW insiders have acknowledged that it was actually the owner and not the booker who pushed for the use of ECW. Heyman reportedly would have been content with resurrecting Thunder or Saturday Night to function as the “B” show. Bischoff preferred the ECW option as it created a separate “proving ground” for the talent coming through. Those with a more negative perspective have suggested Bischoff wanted to use ECW so that if the show failed, he could blame it on ECW and its fans. Some of those same WCW insiders suggest Bischoff did have some ulterior motives with the decision to use ECW, though nothing as overtly negative as the “blame game”. Rather, it has been suggested that Bischoff had some concerns that if Heyman brought in some of his former ECW talents, such as Raven, Sabu, and Sandman, he could end up over-pushing them out of loyalty. By resurrecting ECW and giving those workers a platform where they would primarily be the stars, it removed that concern.

 

The “new” ECW looked and felt very much like the original. Having much of the same talents helped. So did the fans, many of whom were “ECW original” fans. Shows were typically held twice a month, in smaller locations like the ECW Arena, the Hammerstein Ballroom, or even the Frontier Fieldhouse. Two weeks worth of TV matches were taped at each show. The TV show was known as ECW Warfare. It was shown late on Saturday nights on Fox Sports Net and managed okay ratings right from the start. The show intentionally lacked the production values and polish of Nitro, providing viewers with a grittier product that fit the ECW ethos. Fox Sports Net gave the show a great deal of leeway with regard to the blood and violence, though the WCW version of ECW was notably more tame than the original. That would disappoint many of the fans, but the action was still intense and innovative.

 

It may be a surprise to some, but it was not Paul Heyman who was booking ECW once it was resurrected. He remained fully occupied by booking WCW. The ECW booking duties fell to the combination of Raven and Mick Foley. It would seem they received some guidance from Heyman, at least in regard to who he wanted highlighted, but the pair were given a lot of creative freedom. It worked out quite well. The pair would feud on-screen, with Foley trying to remain in his non-wrestling commissioner role. Raven and Foley are also credited with being the two strongest influences in a strong locker room, along with Tommy Dreamer. As more young workers became part of ECW, that became ever more important. A little known fact is that after years of “battling his demons”, Raven came in the WCW version of ECW clean and sober. The story he has told is that in January, not long after ECW was closed down, Heyman called Raven and told him that there would be a place in WCW for him but he had to be clean. So during the opening months of 2002, Raven went through a treatment program and came into the WCW version of ECW clean. Some observes have noted the increased quality in his work through mid 2002 and that is likely a major reason.

 

One of the major reasons that the ECW “brand” of WCW worked was that it was kept almost completely separate from the rest of WCW. There was little crossover of talent, aside from Lance Storm and Mike Awesome working both due to their strong ECW connection. ECW wasn't discussed on Nitro, and vice versa. ECW Warfare was almost completely self-contained, without the worry of building up toward pay per views. Some have suggested that some of the feuds created on ECW could have drawn money if the payoff matches were put on a WCW pay per view, but that approach was apparently not considered in the early days of the “brand”.

 

The fact that Nitro and ECW are often referred to as separate “brands” is a bit ironic. The idea of separate brands and rosters is a McMahon invention and a WWF term. WCW quite intentionally tried to avoid use of the term, simply referring to Nitro and ECW as separate rosters and shows. The term appeared unavoidable, however, and was soon typically used for WCW as well as the WWF.

 

World Championship Wrestling resurrecting ECW as a secondary “brand” was not universally accepted as a great idea. Nor was without drawbacks. Critics pointed to concerns of splitting the audience by recreating an ECW brand that actually felt quite similar to ECW. The idea was that a lot of the fans who would find appeal in that were ECW original fans who were unlikely to actually watch WCW. Conversely, would the hardcore environment of ECW and its legends draw in regular WCW as viewers? There were also concerns over exposing young workers to a hardcore, anything-goes environment.

 

While the concerns seem valid, the success of ECW Warfare as part of the WCW “Pipeline” cannot be denied. ECW functioned exactly as it was supposed to function. It may not have been ideal or perfect, but it made some fans happy and in the big picture, it made WCW money.

[tristram]

It looks like a massive faux pas from Vince McMahon to walk away from ECW... at least, I'm sure in the long run, the ECW concept you have in mind. I didn't like the WWECW promotion, and I'm sure you'll make far better use of it even as a B show.

[Bigpapa42]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="tristram" data-cite="tristram" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28471" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It looks like a massive faux pas from Vince McMahon to walk away from ECW... at least, I'm sure in the long run, the ECW concept you have in mind. I didn't like the WWECW promotion, and I'm sure you'll make far better use of it even as a B show.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Yeah, I thought it would make a fun little piece of irony to have McMahon pass on it. A big piece the WWE would be missing out on, beyond the obvious option of the WWECW brand, is the use of ECW matches in their video library. With the WCW having all their own footage, a great deal of NWA footage (including Jim Crockett, Georgia, UWF, etc), and ECW, they would have a pretty strong library to work with. </p><p> </p><p> The plan at this point is to keep the ECW brand completely separate. Almost like a sub-promotion. Very little cross-over of talent and not putting ECW matches onto the WCW pay per views. There will be some interesting feuds and storylines for the brand, but its not really intended to be a major piece of the diary as a whole.</p>

[James Casey]

<p>Building up the solidity and respectablity of the ECW brand is sensible, and leaves the options open for 'dream' matches down the road if it starts to build its own stars. With respect to Raven and Foley, their recent past in the big leagues takes away from how much people would want to see them face off against Sting or Lesnar or whoever.</p><p> </p><p>

Still, I can hope for ine more Cactus/Sting match at some point, and I look forward to seeing who ends up breaking through from ECW over the coming months.</p><p> </p><p>

A.N. Marshall seems to be a lot bigger fan of WCW's booking than SWF's, incidentally...</p>

[juggaloninjalee]

I am really interested in TNA beginning to run shows and who will be on their roster at this time. It would be interesting to see what WWE would do in real life if this all happened. Where would wrestling be today? Hopefully we can find out thru your diary. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

[Bigpapa42]

Building up the solidity and respectablity of the ECW brand is sensible, and leaves the options open for 'dream' matches down the road if it starts to build its own stars. With respect to Raven and Foley, their recent past in the big leagues takes away from how much people would want to see them face off against Sting or Lesnar or whoever.

 

Still, I can hope for ine more Cactus/Sting match at some point, and I look forward to seeing who ends up breaking through from ECW over the coming months.

 

A.N. Marshall seems to be a lot bigger fan of WCW's booking than SWF's, incidentally...

 

There will be the occasional cross-over, but I want to do it rarely enough that it seems like a big deal when it occurs. I am undecided on bringing Foley back into the ring, to be honest.

 

Mr. Marshall seems to have some traditional sensibilities when it comes to the business of professional wrestling, so its not surprising that this new vision of WCW falls into his preferences. Ask him about his thoughts on the WWE from that era, however.... :-)

 

I am really interested in TNA beginning to run shows and who will be on their roster at this time. It would be interesting to see what WWE would do in real life if this all happened. Where would wrestling be today? Hopefully we can find out thru your diary.

 

TNA's roster through its first few months isn't as strong as it could be. There is some talent out there who would add quality and they haven't jumped at them yet.

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

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

 

May 2002

 

May was a busy month for World Championship Wrestling. It was the type of month which doesn't seem that big or important when looked at "on paper"... but in the bigger picture, it was a pretty key month for the promotion.

 

The big question heading into the Slamboree 2002 pay per view was whether Goldberg would finally get his rematch with Brock Lesnar for the WCW World Heavyweight championship. The simple answer was no. Which would frustrate some fans, but it didn't kill off the interest in the rematch that eventually had to happen. On the first Nitro of the month, WCW Commissioner Ernest Miller came out and announced the Goldberg-Lesnar match, only to be told otherwise by Lesnar's manager, Paul Heyman. The Dangerous Alliance manager spun Commission Big Cat in circles with his fast-talking pitch, somehow having the main event of the Slamboree event changed to Brock Lesnar defending against Eddie Guerrero, on the basis that his win over Rob Van Dam was more impressive than Goldberg's win over Scott Steiner.

 

The hype for the genesis of the new Horsemen continued as Flair cut promo after promo, continually teasing that anyone and everyone could be made part of the new foursome. While some fans seemed to get tired of the weekly guessing game, many clearly enjoyed the drama of it. After tagging with them in April, Flair threw out a challenge to Alpha, setting up a non-title match between the WCW World Tag Team champions and Flair with a mystery partner. "The Nature Boy" talked about the match being "a test", but it was not clear who was being tested.

 

Looking for revenge, Diamond Dallas Page teamed up with his former rival Kanyon and went after Kronik. It meant that Kanyon's newly-won US title was almost an afterthought for much of the month, but that was nothing new. At least it would not remain that way for long.

 

Two of the biggest moments - not just of the month but of the entire year - came out of a rather forgettable and mostly-ignored storyline. A week after being beaten down by Jarrett, Michael Shane showed up in the crowd on Nitro and got in a shouting match with "The Chosen One". It looked real enough to be a shoot, but Shane was almost completely known to the majority of fans and Jarrett had been all but buried since January, so no one cared too much. The same thing happened the following week, and still no one carried. The Nitro before the pay per view, Shane had a friend with him, who's face could not be seen due to a hoodie and a hat. When Jarrett and Knoble made their way to the ring, Michael Shane again started yelling at Jarrett. This time, he was given a microphone and he challenged Jarrett and Knoble to a match at the pay per view. Jarrett accepted, and one of the least-anticipated WCW PPV matches in a long while was set up.

 

The opener for the pay per view as Alpha versus Flair and his mystery partner, who turned out to be Sting. The match was high quality, with the champions taking an unexpected victory over the two legends as they showed off how key their teamwork was. Flair shook their hands after the match, but it still wasn't clear who had been tested. DDP and Kanyon defeated Kronik via disqualification due to interference by Torrie Wilson. Goldberg defeated Hugh Morrus in a virtual squash match. Then came the next mystery-partner tag team match, with Jarrett and Knoble coming out first. Then Michael Shane came out by himself. After a dramatic pause, his mystery partner's music hit. Very familiar music, which belonged to one man.... Shawn Michaels.... The Heartbreak Kid was in World Championship Wrestling... The reaction from the shocked Charlotte fans was huge, and they stayed hot throughout Michael's unannounced debut match. The fan heat made an otherwise-forgettable match exciting. Michaels had not wrestled in front of an audience since 1998, and he seemed a bit rusty. Shane was left to do much of the work in the match, and the youngster was still fairly raw. Jarrett was pinned clean by Michaels after one of his trademark leaping elbow drops from the top rope. It would be Jeff Jarrett's final match in World Championship Wrestling.

 

That debut kept the fans buzzing through the rest of the event. Booker T going over Sean O'Haire was noting too exciting. The semi main event saw Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio Jr. put on an aerial clinic at full speed. And that was just the appetizer for the main event which was damned near a classic. It turned out to be Lesnar's best match to date, with Guerrero pushing the champion past the thirty minute mark for the first time. Though he resorted to many of his infamous cheap tactics, Guerrero came closer to defeating "The Prototype" of anyone thus far. As far as he pushed the champion, Guerrero was pinned and defeated, victim number 109 on Lesnar's streak. The match would earn a coveted 5-star grade from the Wrestling Observer newsletter, the first for WCW since 1992 and the first in American wrestling since 1997.

 

That Guerrero was main eventing a pay per view was no accident. It was indicative of the faith that WCW management - and specifically Paul Heyman - had in "Latino Heat" (the WWF was not happy over Guerrero continuing to use the nickname but took no legal action). There was no denying his in-ring skills, entertaining promos, or ability to connect with the crowd. In "old" WCW, those things were not enough to give him a place at the top. In the "new" WCW, it all but assured his top-level status. While Eddie did not take the WCW World Heavyweight championship from Brock Lesnar, he was at the top of the card to stay. The success that Guerrero found would open the doors for others, as well.

 

If Slamboree was a validation of the faith that Heyman had in Guerrero, it was almost the exact opposite for Sean O'Haire. His loss to Booker T was his fourth pay per view match of 2002 and his fourth pay per view loss. "The Widowmaker" was stuck in a jobber to the stars role. He just really didn't have those same assets that Guerrero did. That had kept Bischoff from giving O'Haire that one really big win to put him over as a top-level main event star, and it also kept Heyman from doing it. O'Haire was really only two years into his pro wrestling career and at 30 years old, he had plenty of time remaining. But it was difficult not to notice that his career had stalled for the moment, and it seems he knew it all too well.

 

The WCW debut of Shawn Michaels had the professional wrestling world buzzing. Everyone was shocked. The entire WWF locker room was stunned. Almost everyone in WCW was just as surprised, as no one outside creative and those directly involved knew. Much like The Undertaker, Michaels was known to be loyal to Vince McMahon so it was a shock when he made the jump to WCW. No one seemed to know exactly why it had happened, though it was a decision would make sense down the road. What made it even more shocking is that many people, including those within the industry, did not expect Michaels to return to the ring in an active capacity after his back injury in 1998. While he had been on-screen for the WWF a few times since the injury, few knew that he was actively rehabbing in addition to running his wrestling school. A major question was whether Michaels could return to his pre-injury form, however.

 

Shawn Michaels came to the ring to start the final Nitro of May, with Michael Shane at his side. Shane was introduced as HBK's nephew who had been brought into the business and trained by the legend. Michaels then explained that he was in WCW to prove himself. He talked about how hard he had worked to come back from the injury that should have ended him and how he didn't know how long he could keep going for. The 36-year old said he wanted to do to things – to test himself against a man he truly respected, Ric Flair, and to win the Big Gold Belt. Any concerns that his WWF legacy would make the WCW fans boo Michaels were nullified by that promo.

 

On WCW's "lesser brand", the very first ECW Warfare started with Raven coming out to the ring. The ECW Arena went crazy, but it was clear from the start of his promo that the ECW champion was not playing the babyface. Raven started to trash WCW and the idea that ECW was being looked at as a “proving ground”, but he didn't get far. He was interrupted by Commissioner Foley, who just wanted the ECW championship belt back. Foley explained that when ECW closed, all titles had been vacated, so Raven was no longer champion. It resulted in a great back and forth between the two promo artists, with Raven reminding Foley of back in 1995, when Foley had turned on Tommy Dreamer so that Tommy could understand what Raven and Foley already understood. Back then, Raven said, Foley understood ECW. He got it. Then he went to New York and became just another wrestling sellout. For a moment, it appeared that Foley would attack, but the commissioner instead politely asked for the belt again or he would have to call for security. Raven handed it over, promising he could get it back. This first promo set the tone for the show, where Raven rebelling against the authority figure of Foley would be the primary feud. In the ring, it would be Raven against his old rival Tommy Dreamer, with Dreamer being Foley's friend and choice for ECW champion.

 

Raven would end up becoming the ECW champion again anyway, winning a Fatal Four Way against Dreamer, Sabu, and Shane Douglas to claim the belt on the second Warfare. Notably, it was no longer the "ECW World Heavyweight championship" but simply the "ECW Championship". The other ECW belts would return down the road. One of the first new talents brought into ECW was introduced by Foley was New Japan Pro Wrestling legend Kensuke Sasaki. The big puro warrior had left New Japan to pursue mixed martial arts, but he left that to come to America when Bischoff and Heyman came calling. Although he started on ECW, Sasaki would be WCWs first attempt to build a Japanese star for American audiences.

 

After Slamboree, Jeff Jarrett asked for his release from WCW. After the January incident in Japan and his reported incessant complaining, Bischoff and Heyman were happy to oblige. Joy soon turned quite sour - literally the next day, Jarrett was announced as having signed with Tony Schiavone's Total Nontstop Action. That was not unexpected. Nor was it unexpected when Jarrett became booker for the fledgling promotion, or when he won the NWA-TNA World Championship to become TNA's first world champion. What was a surprise was it came out that Jarrett was not only a partner in the promotion but had been working with Schiavone for months. So while he was still contracted to and wrestling for WCW, he was investing in and helping plan TNA. It was a very obvious conflict of interest that earned Jarrett a lot of heat around the industry. The issues with NOAH that he had caused were suddenly seen in a new light. There was reportedly serious consideration within WCW of legal action, but Bischoff made the decision to simply move forward instead.

 

Outside of World Championship Wrestling, it was a month of change as well. After nearly two decades as the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon's promotion changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment. The rebranding was not by choice, as the new-WWE had lost a court case to another WWF, the World Wildlife Fund.

 

In a notable shock, Edge defeated Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight championship in the main event of Backlash. It was a surprise as Triple H had just won the title at WrestleMania, but moreso because Edge was an unlikely champion. He was a questionable choice to main event a major pay per view, let alone carry the WWE's primary title. Edge was seen by many fans and observers as a future star but his elevation was rather abrupt. It was seen as a heavy-handed attempt by Vince McMahon to create a new star to counter the complaints of the top of the WWE roster being a bit old. Even with Edge holding the belt, however, it was still Triple H and his Kliq being presented as the feature attraction on Raw. That was not about to change anytime soon.

 

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/WCWSlamboree1.jpg

WCW Slamboree 2002

 

Alpha d. Flair & Sting

 

DDP & Kanyon d. Kronik

 

Goldberg d. Hugh Morrus

 

Shawn Michaels & Michael Shane d. Jeff Jarrett & Jamie Knoble

 

Booker T d. Sean O'Haire

 

Rob Van Dam d. Rey Mysterio Jr.

 

Brock Lesnar © d. Eddie Guerrero for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

[Phantom Stranger]

Ho-lee crap.

[Guest KingOfKings]

Man BP you've done it again. You never ever disappoint your readers.

[juggaloninjalee]

Jarrett being in Schiavones TNA is good. I am glad that happened.

 

As for HBK joining WCW... I am not sure I like this very much. Lance Hoyt or something maybe would have been more believable for me. However the way you explained it so far is alright.

 

Goldberg - Lesnar build is great.

 

Flair and Sting teaming up didn't appeal to me much. Because Sting always feuded with the 4 Horseman.

 

Again though very nice post. I find myself coming back for more all the time. Even though I really don't care how your ECW plays out I liked the backstory of Foley turning on Dreamer in 95 and such. Nice touch!

[totti]

The Goldberg/Lesner build is fantastic. I think when they do finally meet up again all this anticipation and patience would make for an incredible atmosphere.

 

I think if you'd have taken Michaels, say a couple of years later then it wouldn't be believable because he was back as a main guy with Vince, but taking him when he's been out of action for four years is much more credible. All sorts of scenarios could be thought up to explain it.

[mad5226]

The Goldberg Lesner feud is coming along nicely. I'm not sure how I feel about you brinigng in Michaels, the jury is still out on that. I love the fact that Sting and Flair are teaming.

 

Great work as always my friend

[Bigpapa42]

Ho-lee crap.

 

Hopefully that's a good "holy crap" and not a bad one...

 

Man BP you've done it again. You never ever disappoint your readers.

 

Thanks King.

 

Jarrett being in Schiavones TNA is good. I am glad that happened.

 

As for HBK joining WCW... I am not sure I like this very much. Lance Hoyt or something maybe would have been more believable for me. However the way you explained it so far is alright.

 

Goldberg - Lesnar build is great.

 

Flair and Sting teaming up didn't appeal to me much. Because Sting always feuded with the 4 Horseman.

 

Again though very nice post. I find myself coming back for more all the time. Even though I really don't care how your ECW plays out I liked the backstory of Foley turning on Dreamer in 95 and such. Nice touch!

 

I had originally thought about having TNA start up without any Jarrett involvement. Just didn't feel right. So I ended up going with the Jarrett double-dealing approach. It took a bit of editing to make it work out right - I had TNA open at the start of the game in April 2002 (a month early) with Schiavone as the owner. I had Jarrett on a PPA contract with them and set as the booker, as well as on a PPA contract with WCW. It was the only way to ensure it would work out the way I wanted.

 

I have an editorial post coming (probably tomorrow) that will explain the why of Michaels coming in.

 

The Lesnar-Goldberg rematch build won't drag on too long... I had actually considering repeating the '97 Sting-Hogan buildup to an extent and putting off the rematch to Starrcade, assuming Lesnar still has the belt then. It didn't feel quite right, so the rematch will happen before then...

 

There were a few reasons I went with Sting as Flair's partner there. It all basically comes down to their history. First is the idea that Flair made Sting a star. Second is that Sting was in the Horsemen for a short time. Third was that Sting has been a key WCW player for so long, and would be one of the most identified with WCW. So if this new Four Horsemen is going to connect back to the history of WCW, then including Sting - or at least teasing his inclusion - would make a lot of sense.

 

As for the Foley thing, I love playing off real history. I just recently rewatched the Foley-Raven promo after Foley turned on Dreamer. Just a fantastic promo. It plays perfectly into the dynamic of how I think ECW as part of WCW would be perceived by the loyalits - both workers and fans.

 

The Goldberg/Lesner build is fantastic. I think when they do finally meet up again all this anticipation and patience would make for an incredible atmosphere.

 

I think if you'd have taken Michaels, say a couple of years later then it wouldn't be believable because he was back as a main guy with Vince, but taking him when he's been out of action for four years is much more credible. All sorts of scenarios could be thought up to explain it.

 

The anticipation of such a long-built match would indeed be huge. It can also be a negative, as fans can begin to expect too much....

 

As for Michaels...

 

The Goldberg Lesner feud is coming along nicely. I'm not sure how I feel about you brinigng in Michaels, the jury is still out on that. I love the fact that Sting and Flair are teaming.

 

Great work as always my friend

 

Thanks!

 

Now, I will allow the editorial to explain the "why" of HBK when I post it. But I figure I might as well explain the "how". As in, how did I get him. Simply... editing...

 

When I first started playing around with Genadi's scenario, there were no plans for a project or anything like that. I just wanted to set things up for a fun and hopefully long-term game. One of the things I decided to do to make things a bit more interesting and fun was steal one worker from the WWE. I also figured on the first while with WCW being tough, so one more talented worker would help in that regard....

 

There were obviously quite a few options, and you can come up with a "reason" for almost anyone to leave. But I wanted someone that fit with the vision of WCW going forward but who also makes easy logical sense to have left the WWE at that point. With The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and The Rock, I looked at them as too loyal and too connected to the WWE at that point. Triple H was an obvious no-go, plus he was the WWE champion to start. Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall would have looked like a step backward, plus they all just joined the WWE in the latter part of 2001. The group of Chris Jericho, Big Show, and Chris Benoit were all very tempting, partly due to their history with WCW. That history was also a key reason I felt they wouldn't have motivation to make the jump. Further down the road, once WCW has proven itself and differentiated itself moreso, then maybe. But not yet. The talent I really wanted was Kurt Angle. His "legit" style would be perfect for my Heyman vision of WCW and a feud with Lesnar is obvious. But again, it just didn't feel right.

 

Michaels, coming back from a long injury and being a question mark in terms of his ability to perform at a high level, felt right like the right choice. The way I see it, someone signing a long term deal with WCW at this point would be taking a risk, since WCW is stable but not back to their peak. HBK would be looked at a risk, because he has a history as a prima donna and his health remains a concern. The risks on both sides just kinda connected to me and felt "right". As for why McMahon wouldn't take that risk... Well, I'll post the editorial piece soon enough.

 

So I edited HBK to have a WCW contract before I started the game.

[BoomKing]

There are not enough words in the English language to explain how much I love what you're doing Papa. From Aardvark to ZZtop and back again buddy, then once or twice around the moon! Whoooooo!

 

Seriously though, loving Brock, loving Shawn in WCW (Can you believe there was actually a time when we thought Shawn wouldn't be able to live up to his former glories? Loving Jarrett screwing everybody over!

 

Your updates always make my day, sir.

[Bigpapa42]

There are not enough words in the English language to explain how much I love what you're doing Papa. From Aardvark to ZZtop and back again buddy, then once or twice around the moon! Whoooooo!

 

Seriously though, loving Brock, loving Shawn in WCW (Can you believe there was actually a time when we thought Shawn wouldn't be able to live up to his former glories? Loving Jarrett screwing everybody over!

 

Your updates always make my day, sir.

 

Appreciate the kind words, Boom, and I'm glad you are enjoying.

 

I didn't follow too closely in 2002, so I can't honestly say how much of a question mark Michaels was, at least amongst fans. But I have to think there would be legitimate concerns that he couldn't be the same guy he was before he left.

 

___________________

 

So... I'm taking requests... sorta...

 

I feel like I'm getting a ton of feedback on this project - which is most appreciated. Yet, in a way, I miss the dynamic that the prediction contest adds. Which is ironic, since I had no intention of using the prediction contest when I first started my first project (Gen-S). I can't really see a prediction contest working, not without changing the format and I'm loathe to mess with what seems to be working so well. So I decided I'd throw out the idea of letting readers make "suggestions".

 

I'm not really lacking for ideas or direction at this point (quite the opposite, really). But if there is something you would love to see - a particular worker in WCW, a particular feud, tag team, etc - let me know. Whether in the thread here or just via PM. I make no promises that it happens, but I'll see what I can do. The downside is that, without show-by-show presentation, you wouldn't get to see that feud or storyline play out in that much detail. But I'll try to give it some attention...

 

I will say that part of the reason I'm opening things up like this is Tristram. Our resident WCW guru had helped me out with this project, in large part because he is truly passionate about WCW. I only watched and followed so much, so my connection to WCW is less significant. I recently realized that if it wasn't for Tristram talking about Kanyon, I don't know that I would be using him as effectively. So you can call this... the Tristram Effect...

[Guest cmdrsam]

the Tristram Effect...

 

 

 

Very good tip of the hat there Bigpapa. You know at one time I thought there was actually a chance where Shawn would have showed up in WCW. But hey would have just screwed that up too. You get Bret Hart in and what the heck do you do in his very first PPV. Here Bret wear this shirt and be part of one the lamest ends of match where you should have had Sting trounce Hogan. GRRRRRR:mad:

 

Anyways great read so far as usual sir.

[mad5226]

The talent I really wanted was Kurt Angle. His "legit" style would be perfect for my Heyman vision of WCW and a feud with Lesnar is obvious. But again, it just didn't feel right.

 

It's funny, as i said before I started playing this mod after getting into your diary and the big move I wanted to make was to bring Angle into WCW. Of course I didn't think of this until my game was already started so I just edited his contract with "The E" to come to an end so I could snatch him up... Sadly it back fired and he turned me down then went to work in Japan... Needless to say i wasn't very happy, but I chalked it up to Vince making him sign a Do not compete clause in his contract.