8. WCW Thought Spring Stampede Relaunch Would Succeed
Just before the Spring Stampede Pay-Per-View in April, Eric Bischoff returned to WCW, and both he and Vince Russo were entrusted with turning things around. It's unclear why people thought this would be a success, given that neither man had been able to do much good individually, but this was treated like a real meeting of geniuses at the time. The duo's big idea was to plan a program pitting the older, more established wrestlers of WCW against a group of younger, hungry talent who desperately wanted to take their place. Thus, the 'Millionaire's Club' was born, featuring the likes of Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, DDP and Sting. Facing them were the bold collective of the 'New Blood', headed up by Bischoff and Russo. Featured members included Jeff Jarrett, Shane Douglas and Buff Bagwell, who were all veterans, totally negating the initial concept. It's sobering to imagine now, but WCW really felt this was their ticket back to the top, recreating the old gang warfare magic of the nWo.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
