3. There Was Still A Big Fan Base
Even after all the nonsense that fans had been forced to sit through since the promotion started to go off the rails towards the end of 1998, it's startling to think that there was still a huge fan base desperate to see WCW return to the glory days of old. People didn't want to think that the company could go out of business, and that seemed pretty unlikely anyway. Due to the backing of Ted Turner, fans thought there would always be a WCW to watch, regardless of how terrible it was becoming. The WWF hadn't just pulled away by 2000, they were operating on a different planet from their Atlanta-based rivals. This was a war that seemed over, but fans believed one big idea could turn things around. WCW management were under the same impression, and a lot of company staff felt it was only a matter of time before somebody gave their promotion some direction, making stars like Hulk Hogan and Sting relevant again. As for the fans, yes there were big gaps at live events, and even Pay-Per-View attendances were grim, but WCW was still pulling in big TV ratings, so there was clearly still a market there.