10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About WCW
6. The Struggles Of 1997
1997 was the height of WWE's ratings misery, with Raw failing to outdo WCW Nitro once throughout the calendar year, not turning the corner until the aftermath of the Mike Tyson-assisted WrestleMania XIV the following year.
Creatively, it was a transitionary year for WWE, effectively serving as a bridge between the ailing New Generation period and the transformative Attitude Era. Behind the scenes, however, Vince McMahon's business was failing.
WWE's financial hole was so deep that extreme cost-cutting measures were introduced at Titan Towers, with employees banned from making long-distance phone calls and the building's water coolers taken away. Pay-per-view income was ailing, with In Your House specials priced at less than half the usual value, and while the issues had started clearing up by the year's end, the company was still operating in a deficit when Vince McMahon entered negotiations with Bret Hart over the Hitman's expiring contract.
Increasing the In Your House price paid dividends and by 1998, Steve Austin was the hottest thing on the planet and supported by emerging stars in Mick Foley and The Rock, though there's no question that WWE's business was badly hampered by WCW the year prior.