25 Crazy WCW Facts (That Get Progressively More Ridiculous)

1. The SECOND Antisemitic Gaffe You Didn’t Know About

Four Horsemen Logo
WWE

If you know your LOLWCW history, you’re probably aware of the first WCW antisemitic gaffe. (What a collection of words that is, good grief).

Ahead of Uncensored 1996, at which Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage did battle against eight heels, one member of the Alliance To End Hulkamania - Jeep Swenson - was named the Final Solution. WCW, upon being informed that this was less “rushed generic name for a monster heel” and more “the Nazi plan for the genocide of the entire global Jewish population”, changed Swenson’s ring name to the Ultimate Solution. How did this even happen? You’d think, or hope, that this wasn’t deliberate - but then, the alternative scenario is that somebody high up learned of one of mankind’s most evil ideas ever and thought it sounded cool, parking it in the recesses of their subconscious for a rainy day. What’s even crazier is that WCW did more subconscious antisemitism five years earlier. 

Look at that lesser-known 1991 Four Horsemen t-shirt design, bloody hell. The chiral pattern, if not identical, is eerily similar to the swastika, only with four horse heads replacing the bent crosses. 

Again: you’d truly hope that nobody within WCW was trying to subliminally offend the Jewish population, or express white supremacist values. The best possible explanation is that the company, since day one, was populated by careless idiots. It’s a good hypothesis. But how did nobody notice what was the most simple Rorschach test imaginable?

This isn’t a symmetrical ink blot. It’s a f*cking swastika!  

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!