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.

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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.

Great Ideas That Didn’t Last: Jimmy Hart Takes Control of WCW Saturday Night

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’.

Road Rash: WCW’s Failed Idea to Bring a Pay Per View to New York City

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.

Remembering The Very First WCW Monday Nitro and some of its Backstage Stories

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.