9 People Most Responsible For The Death Of WCW
If only WCW's top brass had planned beyond the New World Order...
From 1996-98, World Championship Wrestling was arguably the most exciting wrestling product on TV. Struggling to keep up, Vince McMahon watched with envy as Eric Bischoff gobbled up his stars and the nWo set the world on fire.
WCW's grip on wrestling's top spot couldn't last, and the company went out of business as a standalone entity in 2001. Having the last laugh, McMahon himself purchased the only real assets WCW had left. Agreeing deals for 24 talent contracts and the WCW tape library, Vince's WWF monopolised the North American market in WCW's absence.
Just how did this multi-million dollar business go from being the hottest product in wrestling to extinction in just three years? Who is to blame for the terrible state WCW was in come March 2001?
A series of questionable decisions, an unwillingness to move on from stale ideas, and sheer pig-headed arrogance all combined to take WCW from a shining diamond to rotting husk. These are the people responsible...
9. Kevin Sullivan
The former 'Taskmaster's role in WCW's demise isn't massively pronounced, but his influence whilst chief booker for the company did cause one major rift in the company.
A frosty relationship with Chris Benoit played at least some part. Reportedly, Benoit believed Sullivan didn't like him due to a romance between the Canadian and Kevin's ex-wife Nancy. Seeing problems in the near future and generally unhappy with his overall role in WCW, Benoit started looking elsewhere to earn a living.
Banding together, Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko soon debuted in the WWF as The Radicalz. Short on fresh stars, this was a talent exodus WCW could ill afford at the time.
Would Benoit and pals have left had Sullivan not been booker? It seemed an inevitability, but Sullivan's role accelerated the process. What a huge loss to WCW this was.