10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Aug 4)

8. Buff Bagwell Was Against WCW Launching Thunder

WCW Thunder
WWE

It's pretty obvious that WWE haven't learned from WCW's mistakes. The industry is different now than it was during the mid-90's (WWE have a monopoly on the North American market/no real competition), but it's alarming how many similarities there are. Raw is 3 hours, just like Nitro, and there's just too much product generally.

Back in 1998, Buff Bagwell felt WCW chiefs were making a mistake by adding Thunder to the weekly schedule, feeling it'd water down the product and leave wrestlers overexposed to the audience. Talking to Wrestling Inc, Bagwell said he was against the launch of Thunder and revealed Eric Bischoff told top stars they wouldn't be on the show.

Bischoff's plans involved making Thunder a place where lesser stars could try to get themselves over, but low ratings for the first few episodes convinced him that he needed marquee names on the show. Buff didn't want anything to do with it, and felt Thunder was doomed from the start.

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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.