10 Most Disappointing Wrestling Entrance Stages Ever

Thunder was a show that never had a lot going for it from the beginning. For starters, Eric Bischoff was against the introduction of a second show as he believed Nitro had already become too bloated at three hours in length. Add on top of that a shallow talent pool and high production costs that the network refused to pay for and you have a recipe for disaster. Even the addition of the 'Excellence of Execution', Bret Hart, was not enough to turn Thunder into must see television.

The problem in terms of branding for the show was: how do you link the concept of Thunder to a wrestling product? Nitro was explosive, RAW was (is) War, and Smackdown had a solid connection to The Rock's blistering catchphrases.

When Thunder debuted and WCW had to come up with a new entrance stage, they went with a fibreglass stone wall that looked like something Spinal Tap would have awkwardly lowered during a concert. With lights shining over the top and green lasers emanating from the carved tunnel, the entire piece was so confusing that it looked out of place the entire time it was there.

Presumably meant to invoke images of Norse Mythology, the early Thunder stage contradicted the more edgy and realistic tone WCW were going for at the time. The often forgotten stone wall was replaced with a much more fitting set after only one month.