Brian Damage
Long before the WWE’s dual broadcast of Monday Night Raw’s 25th anniversary special that emanated from both Barclays Center in Brooklyn and the Manhattan Center in New York City, WCW had a similar idea. First off, the Manhattan Center has held its fair share of wrestling shows through the years. Not only WWF/E shows, but shows from Ring of Honor, ECW, TNA and even the ill fated World Wrestling Network run by both Paul Heyman and Jim Crockett Jr. Continue reading
Brian Damage
The latter years of WCW were so riddled with mistakes you could write a book about it – in fact, there is one – with money blown left, right and centre and the same superstars booked at the expense of hotter and younger talent. One of the most (in)famous drains of money was spending on KISS, and that’s the focus of today’s piece. Continue reading
Brian Damage
We are all aware that WCW’s Monday Nitro telecast helped shape the way we currently view professional wrestling on television. It was a show that almost pushed the rival WWF on the brink and sparked the infamous Monday Night Wars. The show itself wasn’t years in the making, but a split second decision by WCW owner Ted Turner over an idea by Eric Bischoff. The birth, the planning and the stories of that first Monday Nitro are all interesting, to say the least, and is the focus of today’s piece. Continue reading
Brian Damage
Throughout the history of pro wrestling bookers and promoters have always tried to come up with new, creative and innovative ideas to generate interest in their product. Some ideas have not only succeeded…but flourished. Others were DOA from the get go. Then there are those ideas which initially were innovative but, for various reasons, faded away. Those are the focus of this latest series of posts titled ‘Great Ideas That Didn’t Last’. Continue reading
Brian Damage
For many, the Intercontinental title is an iconic built. During the peak years in the 80s it was seen as the worker’s belt and later became the first run on the ladder for future superstars. But that didn’t stop the WWE briefly retiring it, the focus of today’s piece. Continue reading
Brian Damage
The Attitude Era was considered by some as the single greatest era in WWF/E history. The television ratings were astronomical, buy rates were skyrocketing and the content, well, it wasn’t exactly for the faint of heart. The language was foul, the lines between heels and babyfaces were completely blurred and the nudity was in your face. We all know when the Attitude Era was ushered in, as covered by my colleague Craig, but when did it all end? Continue reading
Brian Damage
Back in 1996, all was not rosy in the WWF garden. Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling was dominating the ratings war and some of the WWF’s biggest names were now part of their success. On the home front, Vince McMahon tied down Bret Hart to a 20-year deal, prompting fury from Shawn Michaels. In this ‘A Moment in Time‘, we look at when Shawn Michaels tried to jump ship to WCW. Continue reading
