In fairness to David Arquette, the actor reportedly told WCW officials that he felt the idea to put the World Title on him was terrible. Fans agreed, and responded to the title switch by tuning out of WCW programming in their droves. As if vacating the belt regularly wasn't bad enough, putting the top trophy in the entire company on a non-wrestling movie star was unforgivable for many. Vince Russo has since said that he'd book the idea again without hesitation. Unfortunately for him, and despite his claims to the contrary, fans of World Championship Wrestling felt insulted by the move. For years, WCW had been viewed as a real alternative to what the WWF presented. When Vince McMahon was booking celebrities to appear on events, wrestling enthusiasts could tune into WCW and watch tremendous matches such as Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat. It was that mindset which fuelled the company. When Arquette won the title on an episode of Thunder in April, just one day after DDP had captured it from Jeff Jarrett, fans revolted. There's absolutely no way this decision should have been taken. In the same calendar year, Chris Benoit - one of the best in-ring technicians of all time - left WCW, and David Arquette won the World Title. That's insane.
