Whether it was the trench coat-wearing Sting, the black and white of NWO: Hollywood or the red and black of NWO: Wolfpac, the Diamond Cutting DDP or the unrivaled intensity of Goldberg, WCW touted some of the coolest acts in wrestling history when it was at its peak of popularity during the Monday Night Wars. While Vince McMahon's WWF may have had a superior wrestler in Shawn Michaels, the Sexy Boy gimmick was far from cool. Bret Hart, as all-time great was he was, did not have teenage boys walking around in malls wearing the pink and black. Fans were not bragging about how awesome The Undertaker was while talking to their non-fan friends. The fact of the matter was, Eric Bischoff, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall understood what the mainstream culture considered cool and used that knowledge to help fuel merchandising and craft a show casual fans could immerse themselves in. Nash, Hall, Konnan and other members of the NWO would wear doo-rags in an attempt to capitalize on the east and west coast rap wars, according to Nash in the 2012 WWE Home Video release "NWO: The Revolution." Sting adopting the look of The Crow, one of the popular independent heroes from comic books and film, created a visceral visual that captured the attention of the fans. Where WWF's Undertaker benefited greatly from lighting and music, the effect Sting had on the audience was born of simplicity. The arenas were darker, the graphics were made up of flames and metal, giving them a harder and edgier appearance. Wrestlers wore darker colors, opting to leave the brighter reds, yellows, greens and blues to McMahon's show. The teenage and young adult fans appreciated a show that played to their demographic and did not treat them like children or simpletons. WWE may have taken credit for the Attitude Era but it was WCW that provided a much more edgy product long before McMahon and his company took Raw in a drastic new direction.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
