8 Things We Learned About WWE Buying WCW From Dave Meltzer On Talk Is Jericho

by Jamie Kennedy

1. How The XFL's Failure Factored In

Vince Mcmahon Xfl
NBC

Here's the real reason Dave Meltzer feels Vince McMahon pulled the plug on WCW when he did.

After the Los Angeles Xtreme defeated the San Francisco Demons 38–6 in the final game of the season, McMahon's football dreams went up in smoke and the XFL was cancelled. That game occurred on 21 April 2001, which was smack bang in the middle of Vince's acquisition of and grand plans for WCW.

Meltzer doesn't think it's a coincidence that McMahon got cold feet on WCW after its early troubles, because the Observer chief believes Vince couldn't stomach another failure. Specifically, he couldn't tolerate a wrestling-related flop. That'd reflect very badly on his ability as a businessman, and it wasn't acceptable.

By cutting the cord before WCW could ultimately fail, McMahon was saving some face. He'd shipped a reported $35 million on the XFL deal, and it wouldn't do to have more money fly out the door because of WCW.

What else did you learn from Dave Meltzer's latest appearance on Talk Is Jericho? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.