These days it seems alien to imagine two wrestling promotions vying with one another for the top spot, so long and monotonous has WWE's reign become. The 90s was such a comparatively exciting time because of the intense, often underhanded competition between the WWF and WCW. Wrestling was everywhere, and (for a few years at least) everybody raised their game as a result of the rivalry. The Monday Night Wars spawned more great matches, angles and characters in such a relatively short space of time than any other period in wrestling history - and the fact that two companies were battling it out at the time is no coincidence. The war was often more entertaining than the wrestling itself. Moments such as Tony Schiavone's "that'll put butts in seats" jibe, or DX's tank-led "invasion" of WCW have entered the industry's folklore alongside any in-ring action that occurred at the time. It's difficult to overstate the importance of competition as a reason for the 90s wrestling boom, but for further proof, just look at the timing (and severity) of the industry's decline following the end of the Monday Night Wars. As widely ridiculed as TNA is, every true wrestling fan should be rooting for it (or any other promotion) to survive and eventually rise to challenge the WWE's dominance. It's an unlikely prospect given Vince's 15-year stranglehold on the industry, but one which would transform wrestling for the better once more.
