• Eric Bischoff Has An Interesting Thing To Say About The Success Of WWE & AEW
During a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff discussed the WCW SuperBrawl Revenge pay-per-view from February 18, 2001, which was the second to last PPV that World Championship Wrestling held, before they were officially bought and taken over by Vince McMahon on March 26, 2001 (with the last PPV being WCW Greed on March 18).
Bischoff discussed the downfall, caused by the infamous AOL / Time Warner merger, as well as the historical importance of Jim Crockett Promotions for companies like the WWF (now WWE) and also the much newer All Elite Wrestling, a company that basically took over WCW’s role recently by being the #2 promotion in the United States and also airing their flagship show on the same TV channel that WCW Monday Nitro used to air on, TNT!
Here’s what Eric had to say:
“It was a combination of a couple things, WCW was on the chopping block with TimeWarner, AOL, even many executives in Turner Broadcasting that realized Ted Turner was no longer calling the shots at Turner Broadcasting.
Ted Turner was the only thing that kept WCW from the chopping block going back probably to 1992, with Ted out of the picture, there were some financial shenanigans.
That was one big factor, that probably started late 1998, by 2001, WCW was terminal and ready to pull the plug and was looking forward to doing it.
My own lack of focus probably from the early part of 1999, I just wasn’t on my game creatively.
All the things that got us to the dance that made Nitro such a huge success, that changed the industry forever to this day, all the great things that were happening, my head was no longer in the game.
Jim Crockett Promotions was the birth of WCW, had there not been Jim Crockett Promotions, there would not have been a WCW, there would not have been a Nitro, there would not have been a Monday Night Wars.
There would not be in my estimation, a WWE as we know it today. My life would be completely different today, I don’t know where I would’ve been today, it’s like a spider-web.
When you follow that web, it all goes back to the centre and the web of WCW and in my opinion the success of WWE, the product we see today and the fact that AEW is on TNT, all of that goes back to the centre of that web which is Jim Crockett Promotions. I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you today if it weren’t for Jim Crockett Promotions, that’s how significant it is.”
WATCH: Maria Kanellis Kisses Candice Michelle:
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• ON THIS DAY IN WWF HISTORY (February 20, 1994) – WWF Wrestling Challenge
On this day in 1994, the World Wrestling Federation aired an episode of their weekly TV show ‘WWF Wrestling Challenge’.
It was broadcasted from the Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts and featured pre-taped matches, promos & storyline segments on the road to the ‘WWF WrestleMania X’ PPV.
The card can be found right here:
– The Quebecers vs. Tim McNealey & Phil Apollo
– Razor Ramon vs. The Brooklyn Brawler
– Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Dan Dubiel
– I.R.S. vs. John Paul
– WrestleMania Report
– Earthquake vs. Bastion Booger
