• Eric Bischoff Explains Why NXT vs. AEW Is Not Considered A Real Wrestling War
On a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff compared the legendary 1995-2001 Monday Night War between the World Wrestling Federation’s Monday Night RAW and World Championship Wrestling’s Monday Nitro with the current battle for Wednesday’s TV ratings between WWE’s NXT and All Elite Wrestling’s Dynamite.
Obviously there really isn’t much of a comparison, as back in the day the WWF and WCW put their flagship A-shows against each other at a time when there was no DVR (for most of the war, as it came out in 1999), so most fans had to decide which show they would watch or they just switched back and forth during commercial breaks, while nowadays the young AEW promotion put their only TV show against the WWE’s developmental brand.
Here’s what Bischoff had to say:
“It was the type of era, the type of magic that I don’t think we’re ever going to see it again. Not because there isn’t anybody out there smart enough to do it, but because I think the world has changed to the extent it has. It was a legitimate war.
That’s why I have a hard time when people talk about the Wednesday Night Wars, they’re not the Wednesday Night Wars. Two shows head to head does not make a war.
A good war is when all boats rise with a high tide, when it lifts the entire industry. That’s what we saw here, even though the WWF was suffering in some respects, their business was improving markedly so in other respects because of Nitro.
I think sometimes that gets lost in the gang warfare of wrestling relations meaning if you’re a fan of WWF you couldn’t be a fan of WCW, if you’re a fan of WCW you hated WWF, if you’re a fan of AEW you can’t stand NXT, if you’re a fan of NXT you can’t stand AEW, that’s silly horse sh*t that people subscribe to.
It doesn’t necessarily make a war, what makes a war is when you’re competing against each other, forcing each other to improve your product and then you’re watching the audience grow in response. Therein lies a good war.”
WATCH: Liv Morgan’s Buns Exposed:
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• ON THIS DAY IN WWF HISTORY (March 16, 1985) – WWF All-Star Wrestling
On this day in 1985, the World Wrestling Federation aired another episode of their weekly TV show ‘WWF All-Star Wrestling’.
This episode was taped at the Brantford Civic Centre in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and fearued matches & interviews on the road to WWF WrestleMania I.
You can find the card below:
Mike Rotundo vs. AJ Petruzzi
WWF Update
David Sammartino vs. Terry Gibbs
Tito Santana vs. Gino Carabello
Mean Gene interviews Billy Martin
Big John Studd vs. Bob Marcus
Piper’s Pit with guests Brutus Beefcake & Johnny V
Mean Gene visits Mid-City Health Club, Piper and Orndorff training
Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik vs. Rick McGraw & Swede Hanson
Interview with WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan & Mr. T
