10 Precise Moments When WCW Careers Ended
Yes, this is really how it ended for Chris Jericho, Steve Austin and others in WCW.
WCW ended for everyone in March 2001.
Vince McMahon's smiling mug on that historic Raw/Nitro simulcast told the full story. The WWE patriarch had finally conquered his competition, and he was only too happy to see WCW fade away (for the time being) after that 26 March send off in Panama City.
That's how 'Dubya-C-Dubya' closed doors generally though - looking at how company life ended for individuals is equally as fascinating. Top performers like Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Hulk Hogan and Goldberg all had sorry ends to their respective runs with the promotion. Honestly, one would think WCW tried to make these moments as sh*tty as possible.
Maybe they did. Who knows what went through the braintrust's minds back then. WCW was hardly the most organised place even when it was turning a profit, and in fact became a bungled mess of missed opportunities and wacky decisions which often made zero sense.
Here's how WCW careers ended for 10 famous names. Only one of them would never hold the World Title in WCW or WWE, and that's pretty shocking in retrospect considering his skills/fame...
10. The Giant
Vince McMahon must've been licking his lips when news spread that The Giant was leaving WCW in February 1999. The WWF overseer could've been forgiven for thinking that he had a new Andre on his hands; those idiots in Atlanta couldn't book the monster properly, but he would.
That wasn't strictly true, but anything had to be better for Paul Wight than his miserable experience on the 11 January Nitro. There, he looked on in horror as Hollywood Hogan said there could only be one giant in the nWo. Hulk booked Giant vs. Kevin Nash, the latter won, and then the Order crew pasted Wight.
It was just another example of WCW's rushed booking style.
Above, you can see Giant on his back taking a taser shot from Scott Hall. That was only part of the humiliation, but it stands out because Paul could barely be bothered to sell the shock before heading through the exit doors.