Remember When WCW Had A Hall of Fame?

Brian Damage

Most wrestling fans are very familiar with WWE’s Hall of Fame. It began in 1993 and the ceremony…for the most part…has been televised the night before the company’s biggest event of the year…Wrestlemania. Ever since WWE came up with the concept, several other pro wrestling halls of fame have emerged including the TNA/Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame, The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and an actual brick and mortar Hall…The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. All of these honor pro wrestling’s legends from the past. There was another that some may have forgotten all about and that was the World Championship Wrestling Hall of Fame.

2001: The Dark Era of Professional Wrestling

Brian Damage

Professional wrestling is a very cyclical business. There are years when the industry is red hot and everybody wants to be associated with it and then there are years where it is ice cold and nobody would touch it. One year in particular stands out as perhaps one of the very worst in the history of pro wrestling. At least on the business side of things. Today, we take a look back at the year that was 2001.

World Championship Wrestling: A Tale of Two Owners

Brian Damage

March 26th, 2001 was one of the darkest days in pro wrestling history. On that date, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) folded and was sold to Vince McMahon and the WWE, its main rival. What could have been, what should have been? Those are questions that sadly, we really never got the opportunity to find out. Oh sure, we as fans got to see a very watered down version of WCW in the WWE, but it wasn’t the original plan.

Frenemies: The Up And Down Relationship Between Eric Bischoff And Rick Rude

Brian Damage

“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” – Michael Corleone ‘The Godfather Part 2’

Pro wrestling has been filled with wrestlers, managers, valets and promoters who were friends outside of the ring. It has also seen its fair share of enemies throughout the business. One relationship in particular, captured both the love and hate within a time frame. The relationship I speak of is between former head of World Championship Wrestling Eric Bischoff and the late ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude.

Big Apple Blues: WCW’s Venture Into Madison Square Garden in 1993

Brian Damage

New York City…the Big Apple….the city that never sleeps..etc, etc..this was the largest market in the world and a place where professional wrestling has thrived under the McMahon family. Other promoters have attempted to crack into the New York market and failed for various reasons. Verne Gagne and the AWA, Jim Crockett Jr and many others simply tried and did not succeed to be a player in New York’s thriving marketplace.

Remember When…The Honkytonk Man Went to WCW Briefly

Brian Damage

A recent inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, Wayne ‘The Honky Tonk Man’ Farris was a top heel for the company in the 80s, including a lengthy run as Intercontinental Champion. But in 1994 he had a cup of coffee run with WCW – it’s that run that we look at in this latest piece.

Great Ideas That Didn’t Last: ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page and His Mysterious Benefactor

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’. This latest piece focuses in on ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page and his mysterious benefactor.