The span between Starrcade 98 and the January 4, 1999 edition of Monday Nitro will be looked back on by wrestling historians as the time when the wheels really started to fall off the wagon for WCW. The aforementioned Nash/Hogan fingerpoke of doom took place on the January 4th episode of Nitro. It wasnt the only critical error the company made on that night, however. At one point in the evening, announcer Tony Schiavone foolishly hoped to retain fans attention by announcing that Mick Foley had won the WWF Championship. Raw was taped one week in advance at the time, allowing for WCW announcers to reveal the results on-air in an attempt to convince viewers that the program was not worth watching. The strategy finally backfired, however, as about 600,000 viewers immediately tuned in to witness Foley capture the title. The shift in viewers allowed for Raw to narrowly overtake Nitro in the ratings that night, and ratings would steadily decline afterward.
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.
