10 Times WCW Was The Most Insane Company In The World
3. Nash And Hall Earn An Unexpected Bonus
For a very brief period, WCW were the biggest and most successful wrestling company in the entire world. Based on their complete lack of organisation at a management level, it's remarkable they even managed to challenge the WWF, let alone surpass them.
In 1996, top WWF stars Razor Ramon and Diesel jumped ship to the rival Turner brand, lured by lucrative contracts far in excess of anything Vince could offer. Knowing they had to bag the pair before their Stamford deals rolled over, WCW found themselves without time to confirm the duo's final deals. As a result, 'the Outsiders' spent their first five months in Georgia working sans-contract.
Sounds barmy already? It doesn't stop there. In September 1996, Jim Ross announced to WWF viewers that Razor Ramon and Diesel would be returning to their screens; the theory was that just because the company no longer had the talent, they still owned the trademarks, and could refit anyone into the gimmicks. Clueless as ever, panicked WCW officials quickly rushed to offer them an additional $400,000 per year under the impression that the contract-less Hall and Nash were about to renege on their unconfirmed deals.
Nonplussed, Hall and Nash didn't hesitate a single second to accept the unexpected dividend. A few weeks later, Rick Bognar and Glenn Jacobs lumbered to ringside as the 'new' Diesel and Razor Ramon, and - like the WWF audience - WCW officials were left aghast. The departed duo had never intended to return to Vince; Eric Bischoff had outlaid $800,000 to sign two performers already on the books.