In the world of professional wrestling, there are two types of storylines: there are those that are obviously fake, and those that are obviously fake that blend the line between kayfabe and reality. During the mid-90s, World Championship Wrestling relied on the latter to overtake its rival World Wrestling Federation in the ratings war by turning perennial face Hulk Hogan into a bad guy and forming the New World Order. The stable was formed under the guise of WWF employees invading WCW, although all employees were under contract with WCW. Originally consisting of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan, the group would eventually feature basically every jobber on the roster and his mother, and would go down as arguably the most influential faction in the history of professional wrestling. In case anyone reading is not familiar with the ending of this story, spoiler alert: WCW eventually went out of business and was purchased by rival WWF. The companys ownership did not wake up one morning and say, Hey, you know what? Today seems like a great day to call it a career and sell off our assets to that McMahon fellow. Instead, a series of poor decisions led to the company losing popularity and eventually having to fold. Here are ten events that led to the demise of WCW...
10. Goldberg Gets Zapped
If one were to write An Idiots Guide to Professional Wrestling Booking, the first page would likely state in 100-point neon font, DONT MAKE THE FACE OF YOUR COMPANY LOOK WEAK. This is exactly what happened at Starrcade 1998, as Goldbergs undefeated streak was snapped after he dropped the title to Kevin Nash. At the time, WCWs popularity was starting to wane a bit, with Stone Cold Steve Austin emerging as the premiere superstar in professional wrestling and the WWF entering into its extremely popular Attitude Era. In an attempt to regain influence, WCW booked Bill Goldberg as an unstoppable monster. He entered his match against Kevin Nash as WCW World Heavyweight Champion and sported a 173-0 televised undefeated streak. He would leave the arena with a record of 173-1 after Scott Hall used a taser to help slay the beast and hand the title to Kevin Nash. There are rumors that Nash was in charge of booking at the time and abused his power to book himself as the top superstar in the company. Whatever the reason, one could immediately tell that it was an awful decision. The move would then lead to a series of poor booking decisions, ultimately diminishing the companys credibility. Goldberg never really regained momentum after the match, essentially putting an end to WCWs last mega-star.
Michael Hicks is a writer originally from Pittsburgh, PA. He has written for a number of websites about subjects ranging from professional wrestling to raw denim.
