20 Most Horrifically Stupid Things That Ever Happened In WCW

1. David Arquette

It's truly sad that WCW's final legacy has become one of mismanagement and general ineptitude - after all, this is the company that gave us hundreds of great wrestling matches, from Flair versus Vader to Guerrero versus Mysterio to Pillman versus Liger.

Still, it is telling that the stupid decisions made by those in charge ended up overshadowing everything good ever accomplished in WCW - and no decision was stupider than David Arquette becoming World Heavyweight Champion.

Some background: in the spring of 2000, WCW released Ready to Rumble, a full-length theatrical film prominently featuring the company and many of its top wrestlers. The lead role was played by David Arquette, best known for the Scream series and his 1-800-CALL-ATT commercials, and for the purposes of cross promotion, Arquette was brought to Monday Nitro. So far, completely innocent - well-advised, even.

Of course, the spring of 2000 was also when Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo took control of WCW, and the allure of a real-life celebrity (or the closest thing to it WCW could wrangle) was too much for Russo to resist. In a tag match on an episode of Thunder, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page teamed with Arquette to take on Jeff Jarrett and Bischoff, with the stipulation stating that whoever scored the pinfall would become champion. Arquette and DDP ended up getting the victory when Arquette pinned Bischoff.

As the confused, overwhelmed Arquette was handed the title, DDP, unconcerned with becoming a former champion, celebrated with him. The reaction, of course, was unanimous disgust. Any interest WCW had drummed up with their relaunch weeks earlier was flushed away as it became apparent that the company was little more than a tool for Vince Russo's personal amusement.

In many interviews over subsequent years, Russo would justify the decision by citing the mainstream media attention Arquette's win received - specifically referencing front-page coverage given by USA Today. Unfortunately for WCW, none of that publicity translated into television ratings, pay-per-view buyrates, ticket sales, or anything that helped the company in any way. Instead of creating new fans, the move simply stunned and ostracized current fans. WCW was a company killed by stupidity, and David Arquette's world championship victory stands as its murderers' crowning achievement.