10 Things We Learned Jim Cornette's WCW 1989 Timeline Kayfabe Commentaries Shoot

2. WCW Paid The Iron Sheik To Sit At Home

During the early portion of 1989, George Scott - as the then-booker of the promotion - decided that bringing The Iron Sheik into the mix would help swing the wrestling war firmly in WCW's favour. There was only one problem, Sheik was largely finished as a top-level in-ring performer, unable to have even decent matches and never actually being of any benefit to WCW. Cornette spills a revelation here, explaining that the Sheik was pretty much paid to sit at home and do nothing by the company, who really didn't have a place for him after realising that he wasn't fit to collide with the likes of Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Sting or Lex Luger in main events. Even more incredibly, WCW forgot to trigger the 90-day notice period of termination for Sheik's contract, which meant that his deal rolled over for yet another full year in 1990, despite him not making any appearances. It was thought easier to simply pay the man to do nothing, rather than finding something for him to do. That's the kind of thing many blame WCW for doing in the late-90's with guys like Lanny Poffo, and it's utterly mind-blowing that it was happening 10 years earlier.