10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About WCW

1. Dated Critiques

Stacy Keibler
WWE.com

There was a lot wrong with Vince McMahon's petty 'Billionaire Ted' assaults in January 1996, far beyond the fact that they completely misunderstood what had appealed to a section of disenfranchised WWE fans in the first place.

It was wrong-headed enough to suggest that the athleticism was completely superior considering the in-ring innovation sneaking through on TNT, not least when images of Diesel, Razor Ramon and Ahmed Johnson all hitting powerbomb variations was supposed to prove the point. But the increased digs at the expense of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage via crude aged caricatures flew wide of the mark too. Particularly in light of the then-unknown runaway success of the New World Order.

Hulk and Randy may have been a touch older than certain WWE topliners, but WCW performers they were barely two years old. Savage's longterm partner Elizabeth had been reborn alongside Ric Flair, shockingly turning heel that same month to kick off the company's most profitable house show run ever up to that point.

The same logic applied to virtually every ex-WWE star that donned black and white over the next 12 months. As part of Hogan's heel unit, they were both familiar faces AND brand new talent. WCW was far from the old folks home, nor getting by by stealing stars. What was old was very, very new again.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett