10 Wrestling Legal Battles That Turned Ugly
3. WWF Vs. WCW
In 1996, Eric Bischoff retooled a UWFi/New Japan Pro Wrestling invasion storyline he'd seen into arguably the most important angle in pro wrestling history.
The magic of the New World Order was not just in their dominance or their clearly-defined message of terror, but the manner in which the original triumvirate came together. When Scott Hall and Kevin Nash hit the screens on Nitro that summer, WCW's presentation of them both as outliers was inch-perfect.
Commentators not mentioning their names (because, logically, why would they?) allowed viewers to think this was an invasion by Razor Ramon and Diesel, crafting a dream scenario in their own heads whilst Bischoff provided it on television.
Vince McMahon understood that, and was predictably livid. He assembled his legal team to launch a trademark infringement case against his rivals to the south, that would ultimately trigger a chain of events that would aid WCW's eventual demise.
Motions to dismiss and counter-suits were filed by the Atlanta outfit, with increasingly petty suits going back and forth as the Monday Night War heated up and both companies negotiated spectacular expansions.
It was finally settled in 2000, with a host of terms serving both sides in the agreement. One such term was the option for Vince McMahon to buy the company if (and this was still hugely unlikely even then) the multi-million dollar organisation was liquidated.
One year and $4.2 million later, and that's exactly what he did.