8 Biggest Talent Exoduses In Wrestling History
7. WCW Snatch ECW's Finest
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash jumping to WCW to form the New World Order with Hulk Hogan in 1996 was an obvious turning point in the Monday Night Wars. It helped propel Nitro to 84 consecutive weeks of success in the ratings battle, redefined WCW as a promotion, and put the WWF’s long-term future in real jeopardy. It wasn’t the only reason for WCW’s turnaround, however, and even when the company’s main event scene was at its most contrived and ridiculous, you could usually rely on the exciting midcard to deliver.
WCW’s ECW raids were a huge reason for this. ECW was the most buzz-worthy underground promotion in the world, and their independent status allowed them to bring in multi-talented freelancers like Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Chris Benoit without tying them down to contracts. Sadly, the lack of contracts made ECW extremely susceptible to raids, and all three joined WCW in summer 1995.
The likes of Rey Mysterio, Psicosis and Chris Jericho followed suit the following year, and WCW’s high-workrate midcard soon resembled an old ECW show. But WCW were never able to harness the star power that the likes of Jericho and Mysterio would exude later in their careers.
The company’s tendency to push ageing plodders like Nash and Hogan over their exciting young stars was one of their greatest failings, and ironically led to another exodus as each of these wrestlers eventually jumped to WWE.