10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (July 27)

8. One $75,000 Ad In USA Today Made Millions For WCW

Eric Bischoff had quite the task on his hands when he assumed control of WCW as Executive Producer in 1993.

One of Bischoff's main goals was for the company to turn a profit for the first time. He'd eventually achieve that, and it's partly because he capitalised on small opportunities when he knew they'd reap monster rewards. That was the case before Hulk Hogan's WCW pay-per-view debut at 1994's Bash At The Beach.

A keen radio listener when driving to work, Eric realised that shock-jocks like Howard Stern and others would regularly read out ads or articles from USA Today. On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bisch told how he secured a half-page ad for £75,000 in the publication for his upcoming pay-per-view, and he knew that DJs would be drawn to Hogan's name.

Then, they'd start talking about WCW, and the promotion would (finally) draw some money. The plan worked, and Bash At The Beach raked in a stunning 1.02 buyrate, which more than doubled the prior month's Slamboree special.