Before May 27th, 1996, WCW was doing OK but they strongly rehashing WWE’s storylines of the past with the older stars they acquired, especially Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. In fact for Hulk Hogan, WCW fans were booing him because it was the same old WWE red & yellow act. Meanwhile, other bad storylines and feuds involved the Dungeon of Doom, which was a total collection of misfits that the likes of a tired babyface Hulk Hogan had to feud with. While the Dungeon did provide a brand new young star with “The Giant” (Paul Wight, later Big Show), that stable was mostly a JOKE. If you watch Uncensored 1996, you’ll see a collection of BAD ideas coming together with the “Doomsday Cage” main event. That was the last we saw of the red & yellow babyface Hulk Hogan until he’d later resurface with the NWO in July…

While WCW Nitro was a great idea, the storylines and the older wrestlers pushed weren’t. So, Eric Bischoff took charge and wanted to incorporate “reality-based” storylines. Eric, through his partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling, observed how they were drawing massive crowds and that was mainly due to the fans feeling a part of storylines that felt very real. New Japan also had a hostile takeover storyline that Eric enjoyed. This influence was massive and the gears began to turn in Eric’s head how to improve WCW after the disastrous Uncensored 1996 Pay Per View.

As luck would have it, two key WWE wrestlers were becoming Free Agents and just one week apart. Scott Hall, who played Razor Ramon in WWE, felt that his pay had plateaued and wanted more guaranteed money and higher percentages of merchandise sales. Vince McMahon refused, so Hall began discussing the idea of returning to WCW through his longtime friend Diamond Dallas Page. Through DDP as the intermediary, Hall received a verbal offer from Eric Bischoff which provided substantial amount of guaranteed money PLUS working much fewer dates than the rigorous WWE schedule. Hall’s buddy Kevin Nash, who was playing Diesel for the WWE, was also getting burned out from the WWE schedule, looked at Hall’s offer and was shocked… Nash then inquired what he could get, as his contract was set to expire 1 week after Hall’s.

Scott Hall signed with WCW and gave his 90 day notice. Nash didn’t want to leave for WCW, as he had fond memories of being “Oz” and “Vinnie Vegas”, among other bad gimmicks and storylines, but the “straw that broke the camel’s back” was Bret Hart being petty over a finish of a match before Wrestlemania 12. Nash immediately signed with WCW, too, and thus Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were set to return to WCW. On their way out, Nash put over Undertaker and Shawn Michaels while the WWE drug tested Scott Hall and the result made him miss Wrestlemania 12. Then, Hall and Nash wrestled their last matches at Madison Square Garden where the pair, plus their 2 other clique buddies Shawn Michaels and Triple H, saluted the crowd known as the “Curtain Call”.

After that MSG event, Hall was free to begin working with WCW and that was on May 27, 1996 in Macon, GA. Hall laughed, saying he went from working in MSG the night before to working in Macon, GA. However, the ironic thing is that both events created long impacts on the business forever. The “Curtain Call” salute broke script and caused someone like Triple H to get depushed, causing Steve Austin to win King of the Ring 1996 in his place and Austin unleashed with the “Austin 3:16” promo. Hall’s return to WCW, though, changed wrestling forever from a creative and business standpoint which every wrestler, today, needs to be thankful for.

”You know who I am, but you don’t know why I am here.”

Scott Hall’s return to WCW was genius on the 5/27/1996 edition of WCW Nitro. Steve Doll and the “Mauler” Mike Enos were having an undercard match. Then, from the crowd, Scott Hall was seen walking down the steps in the aisle way and the crowd seriously erupts. After all, in their minds, he was still working with WWE because nothing was officially announced by WCW that Hall had joined the company. Hall was dressed in blue jeans with a blue jean vest, nothing indicating that he was Razor Ramon. However, he didn’t call himself Scott Hall. He just grabbed a microphone and entered the ring to cut a promo without attacking the wrestlers.

And that’s the genius of Hall’s return… It’s the subtleties that made it perfect. According to Scott Hall, it was Larry Zbyszko, who was announcing at the time with WCW (also there ringside with Tony Shiavone as it happened) that advised Hall to not attack the wrestlers. Just grab a mic and start talking… This made it seem real and random, as both Doll and the Mauler were complete baffled as to why Scott Hall entered the ring and began talking. This SOLD the possibility of it being a “shoot”, as if a real WWE wrestler was invading WCW.

Then, Scott’s own words iced it… Here is exactly what he said on 5/27/96:

“Hey, you people, you know who I am. But you don’t know why I’m here. Where is Billionaire Ted? Where is the Nacho Man? That punk can’t even get in the building. Me? I go wherever I want, WHENEVER I want. And where oh where is Scheme Gene? ’cause I got a scoop for you. When that Ken Doll look-a-like, when that weatherman wannabe comes out here later tonight, I got a challenge for him, for Billionaire Ted, for the Nacho Man, and for anybody else in uh WCW, huh huh huh. You wanna go to war? You want a war? You’re gonna get one!”

That seems like a short promo, but Hall’s delivery and tone did more with these words than expected. He literally acted like he was a rogue agent of WWE and was invading WCW. That opening phrase of “you know who I am, but you don’t know why I am here” is perfectly said and sent chills down the spines of most wrestling fans. Why is this WWE wrestler here? And then by bring up the “Nacho Man”, “Scheme Gene”, and “Billionaire Ted”, it creates the impression that he’s here to get revenge on behalf of WWE. Making fun of Eric Bischoff, aka “Ken Doll look-a-like” and “weatherman wannabe” further ices that Hall is there to get revenge on behalf of the WWE.

From the start, though, Hall alludes to a “challenge”. “I got a challenge for him”, which Hall would later reiterate at the end of WCW Nitro on 5/27/96.

Wrestling fans in high schools, colleges, and the early elements of the internet were buzzing. “Wait, is the WWE invading WCW?!?”

See, I remember in the early days of the internet seeing scoops about Razor and Diesel leaving for WCW. Back in 1996, I would go to libraries, schools, or friend’s houses who had the early dial-up internets to pull insider stories. However, Scott Hall appearing randomly on WCW Nitro and being totally nameless created doubt, even in the “smart” fans’ minds. Why? Because Scott Hall was THAT DAMN GOOD and convincing. Hall set the tone for the first promo on 5/27/96 and said the perfect words, especially the “you know why I am here, but you don’t know why I am here” phrase. Then, Hall is intimidating towards Eric Bischoff and threatening towards him during those end-of-Nitro segments.

The following week, June 3, 1996, Hall didn’t appear at all during the show until the very end. At the end of Nitro, Hall appears again at the announcer’s table and is intimidating Eric Bischoff. This time, however, Eric had back-up in the form of Sting who actually slapped Scott Hall. Immediately, and this is key, the POLICE stormed the set and kept the two apart from fighting. Hall then promises a “BIG SURPRISE” for the following week.

On the following Nitro on June 10, 1996, Scott Hall didn’t appear until the very end, once again, and is there to confront Eric Bischoff (love Bobby Heenan running away and getting out of there). Eric tries to talk down Scott, asking “where is the big surprise” and Hall points behind him with a BIG smile on Hall’s face. All of the sudden, Kevin Nash appears. Surprise 100% delivered! Now, WCW has both Razor and Diesel “invading”. Holy cow! They reiterate the challenge and Kevin Nash questions things about the adjective of “play”. Eric states that he needs to stop by the Turner offices and work out the details for this 3 on 3 challenge and would have answers at the Great American Bash 1996 WCW Pay Per View on June 16, 1996. Eric invites both Hall and Nash to appear at such event.

At WCW Great American Bash 1996, Eric first asks the duo if they “still work for WWE?” to which both Hall and Nash answer “no”. But if you watch closely, they blow through the question and act like the question doesn’t matter. This is key to keep the fans believing, because after all, there’s a mystery 3rd man now hyped and it’s a fact that WCW is now enjoying Razor and Diesel in their promotion. In my opinion, though, what saved any doubt to the storyline was the third man… Bischoff then said he had 3 wrestlers for their match, but wouldn’t give away the names. That angered Hall and he punched Bischoff in the stomach and then Nash powerbombed Bischoff through the table platforms near the stage.

Folks, this was June of 1996… Unless you watched ECW, you didn’t see people getting thrown through tables back then. These days on RAW, Smackdown, Dynamite, or any PLE/PPVs, it’s actually uncommon for a wrestler to NOT get slammed through a table. Hence why anyone getting thrown through a table isn’t remembered or lacks impact. Back during June 1996, you never saw wrestlers going through tables, LET ALONE a freakin’ announcer or non-wrestler.

Look at the subtlety of the 4 weeks that we’ve described… Hall, alone, appears twice on the 5/27 Nitro. First time, he says “you know who I am but you don’t know why I am here” and then harasses Eric at the end of Nitro. He’s already alluding to a special challenge, too. Then on 6/3, Hall only appears at the very end to threaten Bischoff again, but Sting is there to confront and slap Hall. Hall promises “big surprise” and delivers that on the next week on 6/10 with Kevin Nash returning to WCW as Hall’s buddy. Then, just 6 days later at the Great American Bash, Hall and Nash attack Bischoff.

4 weeks of a slow build… And folks, it only gets better from there.

Now, we have the threat of the 3rd man while Hall & Nash are physical threats to the entire WCW roster. For example, there was one night when Hall and Nash stormed the ring with baseball bats and the wrestlers performing were protected by an entire police force ready to draw their own pistols. It was THAT intense!

Hall and Nash set the table for the great storyline, but the pressure was now on to secure a great reveal for the third man.

Throughout 1996, Eric Bischoff asked Hulk Hogan about possibly turning heel. Hogan’s response was usually “try to live a mile in my boots, brother” because he’s been a babyface for so long, did lots of charity work with kids, and was relied upon for appearing at corporate events. Plus, Hogan was trying to still make movies and TV shows. With Hogan initially not interested in being the third man, Sting was reportedly sought to be that guy. After all, Sting was the loyal WCW worker and he’s been a babyface since joining WCW during 1987 per the UWF merger with NWA Mid-Atlantic. It could have been shocking, BUT by having Hulk Hogan as the third man, it kept the “WWE invasion” feeling alive. Plus, like Sting, Hulk Hogan has been a babyface for a long time, too, so thus a heel turn would be shocking too.

As Hulk Hogan saw what Hall and Nash were doing weekly, his interest in turning heel grew. Then, he decided and became the third man at the July 7, 1996 WCW Bash at the Beach Pay Per View. WCW selected Macho Man Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger to face Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and the 3rd man who didn’t appear with Hall & Nash when the match started. Immediately, that set the tone of MAYBE Sting, Macho, or Lex being the third man ESPECIALLY when Lex Luger got injured early in the match. Great storytelling, but it allowed the match to become 2 on 2 versus 3 on 2…

Back then, Hulk Hogan was suspected as being the third man, but many had doubts that WCW would do that because again, Hogan as a babyface was a gravy train of merchandise. Plus, we didn’t see Hogan since the WCW Uncensored 1996 PPV debacle that happened on March 24, 1996. Thus, it was still a mystery as to who the third man was and even the dirt sheets struggled to accurately predict who it could be. For example, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that Mabel (later Viscera) was “in discussions” with WCW to be “considered” to be the third man. While I’m not here to pile on Dave, I’m just using it as an example of how good WCW created doubt that it would be Hulk Hogan.

Towards the end of the Bash at the Beach 1996 main event, we had a moment where Macho/Sting appeared to get the upper hand but then Kevin Nash delivered a distracted nutshot to Randy Savage. At that very moment, Hulk Hogan arrived to a massive pop, with cheering fans thinking he would just be a substitute for the injured Lex Luger. Hogan was dressed in full red and yellow colors, too, though he didn’t have the trademark handlebar mustache, too which I felt was odd when I watched it live. Still, after seeing over 10 years of red & yellow Hulkamania, nobody believed the heel turn was coming.

And then, Hogan dropped the leg on Randy Savage. JAWS DROPPED. And then another legdrop. Hogan tosses out poor referee Randy Anderson to ice that heel turn and then drops another legdrop on Savage. Kevin Nash has advised that the referee was supposed to count Hogan pinning Macho, but in my opinion, Hogan tossing out the referee and having Scott Hall counting the 1, 2, 3 is the better heel move to taunt WCW and make Hogan look like a better newly turned heel.

And then Hogan KILLS IT with a heel promo that rips fans and WCW HARD. Best promo that Hulk Hogan ever cut and he got the fans so riled up that they began throwing trash and beverages into the ring (poor Mean Gene was busted open from it!). Eric Bischoff had Hogan say the phrase “New World Order”, which was a PERFECT stable name. After all, there were threats that top countries in the world would band together and create a large authority over everyone on the planet. People panicked when President George H.W. Bush was actually quoted talking about the “New World Order”.

So here we are through July 1996… Perfect slow build introducing Scott Hall, then revealing Kevin Nash, attacking Bischoff, posing a real physical threat to WCW wrestlers, and then revealing the 3rd WITH the perfect stable name of “New World Order” with an abbreviation that rolls perfectly off the tongue in “NWO” (which my Microsoft Word always autocorrects as “now”). Eric Bischoff worked with Disney’s graphic design staff to create the PERFECT New World Order logo and then pulled the PERFECT theme music from the Turner library from an artist named Frank Shelley. It’s literally different Jimi Hendrix songs merged together and works perfectly for NWO’s black & white commercial segments.

Hulk Hogan would defeat the Giant at WCW Road Wild 1996 for the WCW World Title and afterward, Hogan spraypainted “NWO” on the title. Perfection!

In the coming weeks and months, the NWO added a few more members. Ted Dibiase was a free agent and joined WCW. It was thought that he was the “money man” behind the NWO, which made perfect sense. Sean Waltman appeared and joined the NWO as “Syxx”, a play on Motley Crue’s bassist and being the 6th member. Waltman was 6th after Dibiase joined and The Giant (Paul Wight, later Big Show) turned and joined the NWO with the idea of “if you can’t beat them, join them”. Personally, I didn’t like the Giant addition to the NWO, BUT it created the fear that ANYBODY from the WCW roster could join. Plus, Giant turning was on WCW Nitro… Thus, keeping the allusion that Nitro was “must watch” and the fear that more WCW wrestlers would defect.

Then you had 2 of the wrestlers from that Bash at the Beach 1996 match, Sting and Macho Man Randy Savage. NWO, through Fall Brawl 1996, tried to make it like Sting joined the NWO but he didn’t… It was a bogus Sting and after Fall Brawl 1996, when many WCW wrestlers doubted Sting’s allegiance, he said the “thing about Sting these days is that nothing’s for sure”, and walked away from the NWO stable who wanted sting to join their group. For over 1 year, Sting would hang out in the rafters and become Crow Sting. PERFECT evolution for his character.

With Macho, he was the perfect foe for Hogan at WCW Halloween Havoc 1996 because you could do the REVERSE Mega Powers colliding story! Of course, Macho couldn’t win against the strength in numbers, but the fact that the story led into Macho vs. Hogan was perfection again. Macho also took the approach of “can’t beat them, join them” and he was the perfect foil for Diamond Dallas Page throughout 1997, a real Scott Hall and Kevin Nash buddy who turned them down to join their group. Those Macho vs. DDP matches were epic.

After Hogan defeated Macho at Halloween Havoc 1996, Hogan was celebrating when bagpipes played… HOLY COW, ”Rowdy” Roddy Piper just joined WCW to confront Hulk Hogan. Again, we have another great feud but in REVERSE with Hogan now as a heel and Roddy Piper as a babyface. “I’m the only one that you’ve never been able to beat” phrase crushed Hogan hard as a quote by Piper.

Through Halloween Havoc 1996, the rest of WCW was also cooking. You had a STACKED Tag Team division with peak Steiners and Harlem Heat. The Cruiserweight Division was LOADED Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Ultimo Dragon, and many others. TV Title had many contenders and was well defended. U.S. Title had many contenders and was well defended. In addition to signing Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Roddy Piper, Eric Bischoff raided ECW, Mexico, and Japan for talent and added incredible depth of wrestlers. Those 2-hour WCW Nitro shows moved smoothly because the roster suddenly became great and the action was exciting.

In my opinion, Halloween Havoc 1996 is the PEAK of WCW. Yes, they’d go on to have a very successful 1997 year and keep business growing throughout 1998… But they crashed HARD after July of 1998 to become high in debt and ready to be sold by March 2001.

During November 1996, big mistake #1 was made. NWO was thought to be bankrolled by Ted Dibiase. Nope, Eric Bischoff was revealed to have joined the NWO and was using his access to Turner/Time Warner resources to bankroll them. Thus, that negated Ted Dibiase and his relevance to the group. Bischoff joining the NWO created long-term issues because as an NWO member, he had every personal incentive to keep the NWO strong. Hence why they were overbearing throughout 1997 and why Bischoff placated the career of Hulk Hogan even further. It was in Eric’s best interests as a television character to keep the NWO strong and he often did that by keeping Hulk Hogan strong. Hence the BOTCHED Starrcade 1997 finish, getting the title back around Hogan’s waist during the Spring of 1998, and then the title back around Hogan’s waist during January 1999. All the while, pushing the NWO group hard throughout 1998 and creating the supergroup NWO to start 1999.

And then signing any older WWE wrestler to the WCW roster to join the NWO and to further keep the group strong. The Curt Hennig signing was the worst, as he was a PERFECT person to wrestle and be respected within the Four Horsemen group. Then, Hennig turned and joined the NWO… But what did that group actually do for him and his career? Many of the wrestlers within the NWO signed massive extensions to remain prominent with the group, as did many in opposition to the NWO (Sting, Luger).

The expenses kept growing from there… Adding WCW Thunder and giving it an expensive set. The Tonight Show parody set, I’m told, was very expensive. The new 1999 WCW logo and set were massive expenses incurred.

The effective manager that Eric Bischoff was through 1996 was dissolved as he became personally impaired by an inflated ego and desire to be a TV star as a member of the NWO. Fewer eggs were placed in the managerial basket, while more eggs were placed in the creative of HIS character and keeping Hogan/NWO strong. Suddenly, things that were carefully looked at during 1996 weren’t watch over thanks to an impaired manager of the company. Storylines were done on the fly, new wrestlers were constantly brought in, and everything was too pro-NWO and pro-Hogan. The creative was so impaired that it rushed a very green Bill Goldberg to the top but then had nothing for him to do afterward. Then, wrestlers could join the creative team and that muddied things up.

Blows my mind that the same man who gave us 1996 WCW could also give us botched Starrcade 1997, all of the crap in 1998, and the fingerpoke and terrible NWO reunion of 1999. What happened to this guy? No matter who followed what happened in WCW during 1998 through mid-1999, WCW was destined to fail due to the high expenses and the upcoming AOL/Time Warner merger that needed cash and NOT expenses to immediately crumble throughout the 21st Century. You can blame Vince Russo all you want, but WCW was “dead already” through mid-1999 thanks to LOSING the fans’s trust and from EXPENSIVE WCW contracts in place with guaranteed money.

Go rewatch WCW from late May 1996 through late October 1996. It’s PERFECTION, all started by the tone and words that Scott Hall said 30 years ago from this day.

I don’t want to bash Bischoff too much here… After all, what he did during 1996 that kept momentum going during 1997-1998 caused MUCH NEEDED CHANGE in the industry. WWE got a much needed kick in the arse and creatively overhauled their entire company while empowering new people to add their ideas to improve WWE (Russo, Ross, and Cornette). Wrestlers were getting paid much better than ever and with guaranteed money versus having to earn every single penny (killed lots of wrestlers working injured and being on pills). The Monday Night Wars drew more corporate money and merchandise opportunities into the fold. PERMANENT changes that pushed more money into the promotions.

Trust me, the WWE that you see today wasn’t the WWE that existed 30 years ago. WWE during May 1996 SUCKED with Shawn Michaels as the WWE babyface champion. WCW came along, shocked the world with the NWO storyline, and caused WWE to re-think what they were doing and EVOLVE.

And it all started when Scott Hall returned to WCW and made his Nitro debut by saying “you know who I am, but you don’t know why I am here”. What a great time!

RIP Scott Hall… And thank you to DDP for not only helping Hall join WCW, but for keeping him alive for another 10 years for all of us to enjoy the “bad guy”. Hey yo!

Watch this great Scott Hall moment, 30 years ago on 5/27/96, for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TcAfnVxEYo

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post On This Day in Pro Wrestling History… 30 Years Ago on 5/27/96, Scott Hall Returns to WCW to Begin the New World Order (NWO) Storyline appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

But here’s the real question: For the same length of time, which show had more impact on the wrestling business with 288 episodes of wrestling content? WCW Nitro or AEW Dynamite?

Before older WCW fans and newer AEW fans get into a tizzy, consider this:

– WWE’s Attitude Era doesn’t happen without WCW Nitro

– WWE’s Bloodline Era doesn’t happen with AEW Dynamite

– Wrestlers got PAID MORE as a result of WCW Nitro and AEW Dynamite’s existence

Can we at least agree that both WCW Nitro and AEW Dynamite were DISRUPTORS to the wrestling business and FORCED MUCH NEEDED CHANGE on a stale and complacent WWE?

See how easy that is? Instead of creating unnecessary debate, I gave credit to both WCW and AEW promotions. Both forced a lazy, stale, complacent, and incompetent WWE for different eras to become better. As a result, the quality of the overall wrestling product increased and wrestlers got paid because of COMPETITION.

Thus, my hat is off for BOTH WCW and AEW for making WWE better again.

*applause*

Now, which one had the BIGGER impact on the wrestling business is the true debate.

And you have to consider where wrestling was through 1995 and where it was during 2018.

Through 1995, WWE was shrinking rapidly and losing money through several years. Their product began to stink, as their main event scene was Bret Hart, heel then babyface Shawn Michaels, and Diesel pushed as a smiling but zero personality babyface. Much of their shows were taped and attendance and merchandise was going down the toilet. WWE making significant cutbacks on salaries for their staff members and declined payouts from live events, merch, and Pay Per Views. WWE lowered themselves to become prey for a rising WCW who just signed Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage to deals and were heavily investing money in their product.

Through 2019, the WWE was profitable and made good money off of TV deals from struggling cable or network channels desperate for live sports content. While WWE RAW lost over 2 million in viewership, they were still holding steady at just under 2 million in viewership. But attendance declined as did merchandise, as the Roman Reigns babyface push produced mediocre results and Brock Lesnar’s drawing ability was losing steam. Triple H lacked independence in his Talent/Creative role and Vince McMahon micro-managed everything he did. Though financially successful, the quality of the WWE product was in decline.

In other words, wrestling in 1995 was at the lowest of lows whereas with 2018, wrestling declined in popularity but still made money. WWE in 1995 was losing money and had been financially struggling since 1990, the peak of its business. Each year added fewer revenues and through 1995 and continuing into 1996 and 1997, WWE did some major cost reductions to stay afloat. WWE in 2018 was flush with cash with only weak competitors in site who couldn’t sign away their talent.

I would argue that WCW’s rise through 1995 and especially 1996 saved pro wrestling and revitalized this form of entertainment, whereas AEW’s rise just woke up a sleepy WWE giant that has been asleep for much of the 21st century, especially the last 5 years. Don’t get me wrong, AEW waking up that sleepy WWE giant has been appreciated and we’re still riding that high through 2025.

Think about how much the rise of WCW Nitro changed the WWE:

– Changed creative to include more realism and adult themes
– Took chances on pushing new wrestlers or existing ones differently
– RAW went from 1 live show and 4 taped to live every other week to eventually live every week, plus adding WWE Smackdown
– Wrestler salaries went up significantly
– WWE became a publicly traded corporation

How about the overall changes that AEW Dynamite did to WWE?

– Changes to the Creative Team (removed HHH during late 2019, added Heyman/Bischoff/Prichard, re-added Triple H later)
– Took chances on pushing new wrestlers or existing ones differently
– Wrestler salaries went up significantly

The end result for both the Attitude Era of the late 1990s and the Bloodline Era of the 2020s? Higher attendance, increased viewership (including YouTube/Social Media for right now), and merchandise is flying off the shelves for WWE.

WWE of 2025 has better advantages than the WWE of the late 1990s to capitalize on their growth. More ads on websites, ads on YouTube, ads on Social Media, Corporate money, and a better structure to make things go viral. It makes me appreciate the Attitude Era more because they grew with limited internet back then and much more reliant on word-of-mouth. Attitude Era grew more organically in comparison.

Wrestling’s demise during the mid-1990s, to me, has been understated when it comes to what Eric Bischoff accomplished through 1995 and especially during 1996 when WCW took full control of the ratings war to win 83 weeks in a row. WCW Nitro made wrestling COOL again, as the New World Order storyline made wrestling become MUST SEE TV all over again. The compelling storyline of a HEEL Hulk Hogan joining 2 free agents in Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the NWO just changed everything. Suddenly, everybody wanted wrestling merchandise again… WCW was packing houses to see what’s next in the war between WCW and NWO. Pay Per Views sold and WCW made the monthly PPV model profitable. WCW not only pulled in older fans who loved the Hulkamania era along with the 1980s NWA era, but they created many new fans with college students loving WCW back then.

WCW forced change upon WWE, as WCW was hungry to compete and defeating WWE. In response to WCW emerging as a real competitive threat, WWE began their own changes by adding Jim Cornette and Vince Russo to their Creative Team. They gave more power to Jim Ross to manage the talent and begin looking for newer talent elsewhere. WWE had to let go of wrestlers who were good, but not necessarily drawing big numbers domestically like Bret Hart especially for his $2 million salary per year on his new contract. The signings and repackaging of Steve Austin and Mick Foley were HUGE for the WWE, as was improving the creative for the Undertaker. Then, young guys like Kane, Edge, Christian, the Hardys, and others begin replenishing the roster.

But the big advantage over AEW that WCW had was that they actually DEFEATED WWE for years… Even before the Scott Hall appearance which began around the 83 week winning streak, WCW Nitro and WWE RAW were at least equal in viewership and traded wins back and forth. And then during 1998 when the 83 week winning streak was snapped, they were trading wins again. Pay Per View buys went back and forth at first, but then WCW dominated the PPV scene until WWE got its act together through 1998 with Stone Cold as a main eventer. Lots of NWO, Sting, DDP, etc. merchandise sold before Steve Austin and DX shirts started moving.

Not once has AEW Dynamite ever defeated RAW’s viewership and the only time they’ve defeated WWE Smackdown was on that rare Fox Sports 1 pre-emption opportunity and even then, it was always close if not a loss for AEW. AEW has NEVER defeated the WWE in any metric since their creation during early 2019. Weekly average attendance, viewership, merchandise, and PLE vs. PPV viewers were always a win for WWE.

That said, AEW by its 288th episode will be a lot more healthy than WCW Nitro was for its 288th episode. WCW was a dead promotion when Turner Broadcasting cancelled all WCW programming during March 2001. AEW, however, has multiple years on their multi-million contract with Turner or Warner Bros. Discovery. While AEW’s viewership has NEVER reached what WCW used to draw, even at its peak, and AEW’s attendance and merchandise sales have declined since 2023, they are financially solvent and should exist for many, many years.

To me, WCW is like that NFL or NBA team who is in “win now” mode. Bischoff placed his chips on Hogan, Savage, Hall, and Nash to help WCW become the #1 promotion. And then to keep #1, he kept spending money by increasing the salaries of each of those guys plus paying the likes of Luger, Sting, Curt Hennig, Bret Hart, and many others to keep on top with various promises of creative control to each of those highly paid veterans. Then, Bischoff became a mark for the boys when he joined the NWO and decided to dedicate of his time to remaining a heel boss of the NWO rather than managing the WCW company. Inmates took over the asylum and WCW began to decline through late 1998 and were finished by March 2001.

AEW is different… They are a mixture of home grown talents (or guys signed from the indies) with a few big free agents sprinkled in, but not too much. However, unlike WCW, AEW is not owned by their television company. WCW was owned by Turner or Time Warner or AOL/Time Warner, and thus could NEVER capitalize on big TV contracts. AEW benefits greatly on being independently owned by the Khans and therefore, they have a product to sell. Thus, they can obtain that big TV contract to boost revenues whereas WCW could not. Major difference.

But, AEW isn’t growing… They’ve had issues since 2023 following their big All-In event and major free agent signings since (Ospreay, Copeland, Okada, and Mercedes) have not panned out. By their 5th year, they’ve been struggling YET their ability to be an independent company and seek a TV contract has saved them, especially in today’s climate with Channels DESPERATE for live sports content. WCW, by its 5 year, was, well, stuck in the year 2000 with one of the most creatively chaotic shows ever. WCW was complete insanity that year, with about 20 World Title changes that included David Arquette and Vince Russo winning the title.

However, one key difference is how AEW is paying its wrestlers. Yes, there are several that are overpaid, especially the late 2023 and early 2024 signings along with extensions given to other top stars (MJF, Jericho, Moxley). But their salaries, especially when adjusting for inflation, were much less in the aggregate by comparison to WCW’s bloated guaranteed money. Why didn’t Goldberg, Hogan, Steiner, Hall, Nash, or Flair join WWE until later? Because they were enjoying those big WCW contracts that they signed that were 100% guaranteed. Ditto for Sting and Luger who never joined during the 2000s. AOL/Time Warner was losing money through 2001, as revenues were LESS than expenses and by a large margin (initial estimation of money lost during 2000 was around $80 million).

AEW has fewer expenses than WCW and has more revenues coming on… Thus, AEW has the potential to play a much longer game against the WWE. Shad and Tony are playing with their own money, whereas WCW had a corporation to answer to that had to publicly post their losses. Bischoff rolled the dice on defeating WWE, which he did from 1996-1998, and then spent more money to remain at #1 and to prevent any WCW talent jumps to WWE. These decisions were costly and killed WCW’s profitability when the revenues began to decline during late 1998.

Therefore, AEW has some bragging rights because they could still win the battle against WWE simply by existing beyond the 288th episode. WCW was a corpse by the 3rd year of WCW Nitro and wouldn’t last for another 3 years. AEW has the modern infrastructure, better ownership position, and the ability to LEARN from WCW’s past mistakes (“those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayana).

I cannot emphasize enough, however, how the mid-1996 version of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) made professional wrestling great again. One of the coolest guys to ever wrestle, Scott Hall, kicked it off with his random WCW appearance saying “you know who I am but you don’t know why I’m here”. That mystery of the third man at Bash at the Beach 1996 was pure electricity and then pulling it off with the BIGGEST heel turn ever with Hulk Hogan. Giving them a cool name with “New World Order”, a play on words out of fear that major countries would band together to form a singular authoritative government along with the black and white colors. On top of all of that, IT FELT REAL and compelled a ton of people to want to watch the following week’s show.

I’m glad Eric Bischoff rolled the dice as he did… He legitimately saved pro wrestling from the early to mid-1990s depths and motivated Vince McMahon to make significant improvements to his product. Wrestlers got paid, thanks to WCW pushing the competitive envelope.

But I’m also glad that Tony Khan was inspired by All In 2018 and decided to create a wrestling promotion. Made WWE take a few chances creatively, such as turning Roman Reigns heel after YEARS of failing to present him as an overpushed babyface during the 2010s. The threat of AEW signing their talent caused wrestlers to get paid well again after some 2010s stagnation, especially after the WWE Network took away the Pay Per View revenue.

Can’t we be happy for both Eric Bischoff and Tony Khan collectively kicking WWE in the arse and making pro wrestling great again? A motivated WWE is great for business.

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I already addressed the “who” or the “what” KILLED WCW in my April 29th, 2024 column. Previously, I wrote a column called “The Day WCW Died”, pointing out that November 18th, 1996 was the day that WCW began to die. The events of that date created a chain reaction that destroyed WCW internally and caused WCW to become a disorganized mess.

Simply put, the blame should be placed on Eric Bischoff for “killing” WCW.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Eric Bischoff built the WCW powerhouse that came crashing down in flames. He was like a General Manager who built up a great NFL team and then signs a handful of veteran players to WIN NOW… However, those veteran contracts become expensive to retain and also at a cost of forfeiting younger players. Bischoff signing Hall, Nash, Henning, Hart, along with major extensions to many other veterans or rising stars cost WCW a pretty penny. Then, when the revenues began to decline during the 2nd half of 1998, the revenues weren’t absorbing the costs.

Why November 18th, 1996 = the “day WCW died” is due to Eric Bischoff becoming an on-screen character for the New World Order.

Instead of devoting time towards managing WCW, its talent, and ensuring Creative was on the right track, Eric’s brain started thinking too much about what his own character would do on WCW Nitro. Furthermore, since Eric was a member of the NWO, his brain power also went to how to keep NWO strong and keep its momentum going with him as a key character. Hence why NWO kept adding more and more members, why he said “yes” to Hogan meddling with Starrcade 1997, why there were 2 NWO groups in 1998, and then why we had a combined NWO group to start 1999. Eric made himself front and center with the NWO group and that distracted from the runaway train that was the WCW company that he built up from 1993-1996.

You can blame Time Warner, Vince Russo, Kevin Sullivan, Hulk Hogan, and many others all you want… But it was Eric spending money to fortify the NWO brand with more wrestlers and more screen time while he got to be a part of the party.

WCW was in financial trouble through 1999 before Vince Russo arrived, before AOL merged with Time Warner, before Kevin Sullivan took the book during early 2000, and in spite of what the Hulkster wanted. Last I checked, Bischoff had “executive” within his title through 1999 and guys like Hogan should have answered to him. Instead, the egotrip of being “one of the boys” of the NWO changed him from being a manager of men.

Let’s debunk the other causes, shall we?

• Vince Russo – Vince Russo joined during the Fall of 1999. WCW was already losing money by then. Regardless of what you say about Russo’s creative stint from October 1999 through January 2000, he cannot turn around a sinking ship in just 4 months. Then, firing him and going an immediate different creative direction while letting 4 stars join WWE (Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Saturn). Russo returned to an even more damaged WCW during the Spring of 2000 with a co-partnership with, you guessed it, Eric Bischoff. Could Russo’s storylines been better? Sure, but WCW was dead already. They were losing tons of money based on previous year’s actions.

• Hulk Hogan – Hogan helps WCW by joining them during 1994 and then helps them explode in growth by turning heel during 1996 How can you blame him? He can only sign the contract that is presented to him by Eric Bischoff.

• Kevin Nash – Kevin Nash helps WCW explode in growth during 1996 and he remained a stable performer through 2000. Everyone tries to blame him for the late 1998 and early 1999 stint as part of the creative team but the company was dying before he joined creative. “Fingerpoke of Doom” (© Scott Keith) was not his creative idea, nor was milking the NWO more during 1999.

• AOL or Time Warner – Time Warner merged with Turner Broadcasting during October 1996. WCW spent lots of money during 1997 and 1998, along with that expensive set design during 1999. Plus, Time Warner/Turner gave WCW another show with WCW Thunder. They didn’t get in the way and said “standards and practices” that are somehow blamed were always there for 1996-1997. Turner always presented wholesome television. Just ask Dusty Rhodes who was ultimately fired from NWA/WCW during 1989 for bleeding on TBS during that Road Warrior spike angle. AOL didn’t join the equation until early 2001 and wisely pulled the plug on a company that lost 8 figures annually. Come on.

• Kevin Sullivan – Took over the booking reigns during early 2000. Again, what preceded him before he became head writer? WCW declining from late 1998 and all of 1999. Then, WCW allows 4 key wrestlers to leave his roster immediately upon his promotion to lead writer (Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, and Saturn).

• Overpaid veteran talent – Again, wrestlers can only sign the contracts that are presented to them. Furthermore, they can only perform with the creative given to them, along with the opponents.

• Bill Goldberg – I’d argue Bill Goldberg helped WCW remain strong after the disaster known as Starrcade 1997. But, his career was mismanaged too and he quickly became exposed for his inexperience during the rest of 1998. However, he’s just 1 wrestler whom WCW began to overpay with the contract offered to him. Furthermore, WCW went back to the Hulk Hogan well by early 1999 and I’d argue Starrcade 1998’s finish was a disaster. Goldberg was never in charge of his creative decisions.

Am I missing anyone?

Think about this… The Giant (Paul Wight or Big Show) was a big star that WCW discovered and made into a big star. Throughout 1998, they used him poorly and what happens? He joins WWE by early 1999. Then, Chris Jericho. Guy got himself over on the midcard and was prime to be a breakout star. WCW, instead, depushed him and kept him off shows through the remainder of his WCW contract through early 1999. They just let him go…

And who mismanaged The Giant and Chris Jericho? Why, both happened on Eric Bischoff‘s watch.

What about Sean Waltman getting terminated from WCW? As 1997 wore on and Eric Bischoff became more protective of his NWO product, especially now as an on-screen character, he also became very pro-Hogan on everything. That meant he was anti-Clique and terminated “Syxx” to make a point to Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to keep both of them in line backstage. Complete disaster, as Waltman joins the WWE as X-Pac and helps to keep the Degeneration X brand strong to assist with WWE’s continued growth towards becoming #1 again. HUGE fumbling of the ball.

Could someone let me know what Eric Bischoff has done since his peak WCW years? While I enjoyed his on-screen RAW General Manager character, RAW’s viewership numbers dropped considerably while he was a character on that show. Can’t fully blame him, but he didn’t draw for the RAW brand. How about that TNA run of the early 2010s? And he continued to suck on the teat of the Hulkster for that run, too. He was “Executive Director” of the Creative Team for a cup of coffee, but even the 2019 dysfunctional WWE knew that they wouldn’t get Eric’s best stuff.

WCW declined because the once great WCW manager from 1993-1996 just had to stroke his ego and become “one of the boys” from late 1996 until he was relieved of his duties through September of 1999. Eric Bischoff went from being an effective manager who built a great WCW product to becoming a mark for his own NWO brand talents. THAT is what killed WCW. Bischoff poured all of WCW’s resources in keeping the NWO on life support during 1998-1999 while also putting more creative effort into keeping his NWO character strong rather than paying attention to other wrestling matters.

Effective managers are above their employees and have a clear separation from them. The second that you lower yourself on the organization character to their level, you become them. Then, they start to walk all over you.

Eric Bischoff killed WCW because he stopped caring about managing WCW and cared more about his on-screen NWO character and keeping the NWO brand strong. He ran that NWO brand into the ground because he painted himself into a corner when becoming a mark for it as a member. Not being a grown adult to Hulk Hogan also hurts along with always being pro-Hogan instead of caring about the rest of the roster. Bischoff should have been a man and said “F your creative control” at Starrcade 1997 and then realized that Hogan had AND the NWO had already peaked. He didn’t, and kept going along for the ride…

Let’s stop this narrative of trying to blame others for WCW “dying”. Let’s blame the man who fumbled the ball on the company he helped build into a powerhouse.

Again, Bischoff is that NFL General Manager who rolls the dice to win now, but pays for it later when the salaries have to be paid.

Bischoff killed WCW, period. But he also made the promotion grow into something that had a big crashing death, too. Bischoff should be commended for making WCW successful through 1996, but also blamed for mismanaging the company to begin losing money again.

All because Eric wanted to join the NWO and become an on-screen leader for that group… What a mark. WCW needed a manager to keep everyone in-line, not someone to morph into “one of the boys” and become a folding chair.

You’re welcome. I just saved you time from watching this new Vice TV show, along with time reading many books that are out there.

Here is where WCW died on 11/18/1996… Eric joined the NWO and slowly, but surely, got more into his NWO character than into managing WCW and its talent.

WCW Nitro – 11/18/1996 – Roddy Piper reveals Eric Bischoff is with the NWO

23 years later, and many still somehow haven’t figured it out.

“That which makes you can also break you”. That was Eric Bischoff in WCW.

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But it almost didn’t happen.

Before rejoining WCW during 1995, things weren’t going so well in Luger’s career. Lots of pushes to the top, but then letdowns whenever the World Title was talked about. Thanks to Luger’s physique, he was always pushed towards World Titles but political issues or creative changes happened.

– During 1988, Dusty Rhodes was pushing for Luger to become WCW World Champion, but Ric Flair had other ideas. Luger was very green back then and Flair felt that he was carrying most of the matches. Flair had his eyes on Sting as being the next biggest superstar instead, which he put over during 1990.

– During 1991, same issue from 1988 happened, but this time, Jim Herd was pushing hard to get the title off of Ric Flair and put the title onto Luger. Ric Flair refused, knowing that it would be the end of his main event push and WCW career. Ultimately, Ric Flair was fired.

– During 1993, Lex Luger was turned babyface and into the “All American” gimmick after bodyslamming Yokozuna. He was supposed to go over Yoko at SummerSlam, but the title was kept on Yokozuna via the most celebrated count-out finish ever.

– During 1994, the reason that Luger didn’t win at SummerSlam 93 was to properly go over Yokozuna at Wrestlemania 10. However, WWE didn’t like the reactions they were seeing with Luger and went with Bret Hart instead.

After Wrestlemania 10, Luger was not out of the WWE Title scene and eventually began wrestling in the Tag Team division. He knew that was over and by 1995, his contract was set to expire.

BUT, Eric Bischoff, who was about to launch WCW Nitro, was reluctant on signing Luger. Bischoff, who was an announcer during Luger’s last years with WCW, wasn’t impressed by his talents then or how he exited WCW. Luger somehow had fixed number of dates on his contract, per year, and caused friction during late 1991 when he wasn’t working beyond those dates. Furthermore, during 1992, he negotiated an exit out of his WCW contract and joined the WWE by signing a contract with the World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) as a workaround of breaching his negotiated WCW exit. This left a sour taste in Bischoff’s mouth during 1995 when Luger’s WWE deal was up.

Sting, who is one of Luger’s best friends in the business, was pushing for Luger to be signed. Bischoff, who remembered Luger’s previous WCW tenure, only agreed to Sting’s insistence by offering Luger a lowball financial contract to join WCW. To Eric Bischoff’s SHOCK, Luger took the low deal to join WCW. Then, Eric Bischoff was about to maximize the value on this incredibly low deal by the way he presented Lex Luger on the very first edition of WCW Nitro on September 4th, 1995.

During 1993, Eric Bischoff assumed managerial duties of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and by 1995, he began to turn a profit. WCW was always losing money for Ted Turner, so Bischoff made bold choices like cutting back on houseshows, savings costs on taping locations, and taping months of television on one night. Though the quality dipped a bit on WCW shows, it fixed WCW’s finances to “set the table” for 1995-1998’s booming of growth. Furthermore, it freed up cash to sign free agents such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and of course, Lex Luger. Well, at least not the first contract, but the next contract for Luger reportedly during 1997 was quite lucrative (may have included a WCW Title promise, reportedly). Through the Summer of 1995, Ted Turner saw Bischoff being successful and inquired about creating a new prime time show. WCW Nitro was born and it would be placed on Monday Nights to compete with WWE RAW.

Back in August 1995, many laughed at WCW for even trying to be on Monday Nights. Yet, what many didn’t know was how much WWE was declining to be a close equal to WCW. Having a roster with Hogan, Ric Flair, Savage, and Sting was quite impressive and adding Lex Luger would bolster it more. Plus, WCW had this young kid named Paul Wight who went by “The Giant” and also Diamond Dallas Page beginning to hit his peak as a performer. Bischoff was quietly raiding the independents, ECW, and other countries’ promotions to seriously STACK his midcard. All Eric needed was a big break to focus his many efforts to revitalize WCW for the world to see. WCW Monday Nitro was big from the start and Lex Luger was the cherry on top.

Go watch the WCW Nitro debut from September 4th, 1995… It’s hilarious, because it looks like the “same old WCW” by resembling the older wrestling style by continually trying a new gimmick, such as being hosted in the Mall of America in Minnesota. However, the show was LIVE and Eric Bischoff was killing it at the announcer’s table with a ton of energy. Then, the ending happened and Lex Luger just suddenly appears during the main event.

Why was Luger’s appearance so impressive? Because he was still appearing on television and at houseshows through early September of 1995. In fact, if you were at the September 3rd houseshow, you would have witnessed Luger wrestling on a Saturday in a tag match with Shawn Michaels against Owen Hart/Yokozuna. Just 2 days later, he appeared on WCW Nitro! Reportedly, Luger gave no notice to Vince McMahon of his exit. Luger’s contract had expired during August 1995 and they were working on a handshake agreement for nightly appearances, possibly as an extension may (or may not) have been worked on. Instead of continuing his midcard work with WWE, Luger made the big leap. Hence why during March 2001, Vince McMahon is ripping Luger to shreds during the night where WWE bought WCW and why Luger NEVER appeared as a wrestler again for WWE.

What made Luger’s WCW appearance GREAT on 9/4/1995 was Eric Bischoff’s hype of “what in the hell is he doing here???”, as if it was totally unplanned. Luger was dressed in nice clothing, which was a major contrast to his goofy “All American” look in WWE. Luger would further add to this changed look by consistently wearing black tights and white boots, which in my opinion, was a great decision. Later, Luger would confront Hulk Hogan for a potential WCW Title shot. HOLY COW, we have NEVER seen that match-up before! Right after Hogan left WWE during 1993, that’s when his clone, All American Lex Luger, tried to pick up the ball after him. It was perfectly done and it made you immediately wanting a BIG match-up between Luger and Hogan.

Luger’s career was revitalized thanks to the debut on WCW Nitro… Furthermore, I liked his new character. He could act as a babyface when tagging up with Sting, but Luger had a heel side, too, when associating himself with the Dungeon of Doom. Tweeners weren’t really a thing during 1995 and early 1996, but Luger pulled it of when needed. Furthermore, the tweak to his wrestling ability was nice, as WWE was always trying to use the “loaded” forearm as his finisher but the Human Torture Rack was what many WCW fans loved instead. He’d used the forearm to set up the rack in WCW, often throwing up the signals and poses that the Rack was coming. He was cutting good promos in WCW, too, which showed major growth and experience. His in-ring wrestling ability, though it was never awful, was tighter and easy for his opponents to use. Luger had matured through 1995 as a performer and was actually ready for his peak years.

Then, the NWO arrived and Luger was on the Bash at the Beach 1996 team that lost to Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Many thought Luger could be the 3rd man, after he was injured during the match, but that wasn’t the case… While Luger wasn’t as present during the rest of 1996 to combat the NWO, but when The Giant was kicked out of the NWO, Luger befriended him and this friendship made for a solid babyface duo to challenge the NWO. In fact, at Superbrawl 1997 (WCW’s February PPV), Luger and the Giant defeated Scott Hall & Kevin Nash to win the WCW Tag Titles! This Giant/Luger friendship worked and became a great anti-NWO babyface sensation… Then, WCW began to think about really pushing Lex Luger as a singles wrestler against Hulk Hogan.

With Sting in the rafters, Diamond Dallas Page in the middle of a battle with Macho Man Randy Savage, there was a real need for a top babyface star to stand up for WCW. Luger, thanks to rehabbing the Giant back into the WCW fold, fit the mold perfectly. Luger became the #1 contender for Hogan’s WCW Title and then teamed up with the Giant to take on Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach 1997. That’s 2 BatB events in a row that Luger headlined and he was on Team WCW both times. That match ended with Luger making Hogan tap out to the Human Torture Rack.

Through August 4th, 1996, WCW Nitro expanded to 3 hours (major mistake that would burn out their fans later, especially as WCW Thunder arrived during early 1998) and to celebrate that, the show was headlined by Lex Luger vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan in front of a RED HOT crowd that was 100% behind Lex Luger. The 2 year build up from the first WCW Nitro during September 1995 was about to pay off. The match was great, too, as it featured the strengths between both wrestlers and it was a very clear GOOD vs. EVIL match-up. Then, as the match wound down, the NWO members tried to interfere but each (Savage, Nash, Hall) failed to land any hits on Luger. He cleared all 3 from the ring and that led Hulk Hogan completely vulnerable to receive the Human Torture Rack. Luger signaled it, the crowd went bonkers, and Hogan then submitted. New WCW Champion and Luger celebrated the win as if it was the biggest thing in his professional career (which it was).

Then, the segments AFTER the Hogan vs. Luger match really iced the importance of this match. The babyfaces cleared the locker room and entered the ring to celebrate the win. It was great, too, as many of them had their own issues with the NWO and this was a breakthrough relief for the WCW brand. Then, backstage, they celebrated like sports stars by spraying Champaign everywhere while the Giant was trying to remove the “NWO” spray-paint with paint thinner. It was quite a moment that we rarely see in wrestling, actually, and clearly defined Team WCW versus Team NWO. Meanwhile, Hogan was backstage screaming at his own NWO members and throwing furniture. Things were heated, as if the NWO was going to actually fall apart after this loss.

Well, it didn’t… 6 days later at WCW Road Wild 1997, Hogan regained the WCW Title…

In many ways, Luger’s GREAT victory on this day in pro wrestling history, 26 years later, was what WCW should have done with Sting just 4 months later. Luger beat Hulk Hogan 100% cleanly, without any doubt compared to the controversial ending at Starrcade 1997 between Sting and Hogan. That finish tainted Sting’s victory over Hogan and made his big win look WEAK in comparison to what Lex Luger did just 4 months earlier. Furthermore, Sting’s character had no connection to the babyface wrestlers like Luger did. Luger inspired The Giant to become a functionable part of Team WCW again and grew to be a leader that everyone respected during 1997. Also, by cleanly defeating Hulk Hogan and then seeing a frustrated Hogan afterward, the NWO dynasty was finally showing cracks. After Sting vs. Hogan, that feeling that the NWO was in trouble just wasn’t there because of the controversial finish.

Luger could have become an even bigger star, but Road Wild 1997 happened and Luger dropped the title back to the Hulkster.

And sadly, from there, Lex Luger would never see his career go to that kind of heights. His interactions with the NWO was reduced and by 1998, he joined the NWO Wolfpack. By early 1999, he was part of the merged NWO group that nobody cared about. He’d take some time off for injury and then return as the “Total Package” with Miss Elizabeth as his manager. Then, the WWE acquisition of WCW happened and Vince McMahon was not about to buy his expensive Time Warner contract. Worse yet, Vince mocked him hard on the final WCW Nitro.

Then, personal issues happened to Luger… Miss Elizabeth, whom Luger had been dating, passed away from mixing pills and alcohol. Luger was then arrested following her death after investigators searched their home and found performance enhancing substances tied to Luger. A few years later, Luger’s health began to fail through his spinal cord and to this day, he has difficulty walking and is seen using a wheelchair for assistance. He’s also not the jacked up guy that most people remember, as he’s much thinner today.

Stuff tragically happens to people worldwide, and bad injuries, substance abuse, and even death are more rampant among the wrestling profession. There’s a demand on wrestlers to stay perfectly fit, work 300+ dates per year, and to live out of a suitcase. That kind of lifestyle would drive most people insane for just 1 year, but Luger did it for around 15 years at major promotions. Furthermore, the wrestling business lacked any safeguards on substance abuse, concussions, and workload that it does now. Late 1990s wrestling pushed everything to its limits and everybody took what they could to get by.

Luger has since become more into religion, while also being seen at his kids’ sporting events attempting to make up for lost time. He also appears throughout the country at wrestling conventions and events to say hi to his fans and sign whatever autograph they need. Ironic, as many of Luger’s critics during his early days suggested that he wasn’t as attached to pro wrestling as other talent were. Yet through today, he recognizes the great connections that he made with many wrestling fans and has tried to give back to the profession that made him a household name.

Nobody can deny that his August 4th, 1997 victory over Hulk Hogan was one of the greatest moments in pro wrestling history. It was tremendous watching it live and such a shame that Luger dropped the title so quickly back to Hogan, especially in hindsight with Sting not receiving the best finish with Hogan just 4 months later.

26 years ago in Pro Wrestling history, Lex Luger shocked the world by defeating Hulk Hogan cleanly for the WCW Title. What a great moment in history!

Lex Luger debuts on WCW Nitro 9/4/1995

Watch the ending of the 8/4/1997 Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger WCW Nitro Match!

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