March 26th marked the end of an era, and was surely a sad day for both fans and competitors. Vince McMahon and his World Wrestling Federation had officially won the Monday Night War. The WWE had inked the deal and purchased World Championship Wrestling. As such, the March 26th edition of Nitro was the final WCW broadcast in history. Nitro began with a surreal sight that night, as Vince McMahon himself appeared on WCW television. McMahon announced the purchase and stated that he would sign the contract that Sunday at WrestleMania. However, his plans would be derailed as his son -- and WrestleMania opponent -- showed up in Panama City, Florida. Shane entered the WCW ring and announced to his father and the world that he had signed the contract -- effectively becoming the new owner of World Championship Wrestling. Of course, Vince really owned the company -- purchasing all of the promotions trademarks and copyrights, a number of specific superstar contracts, and the vast WCW tape library. The final Nitro was also significant for its Night of Champions theme. It was decided that every WCW championship was to be defended on the ultimate Nitro broadcast. In a very un-WCW manner, nearly every championship was won by a good guy. WCW had always been known to stick to the Southern mentality of having a face chase a heel for the championship. Furthermore, Booker T defeated Scott Steiner, retaining his United States title and attaining Steiners World Championship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeAsznxYxds The show ended with a throwback to the very first Nitro broadcast. Earlier in the evening, Ric Flair had cut a heartfelt promo about his time in WCW and had subsequently challenged his longtime rival -- and sometimes friend -- Sting. The two did battle in the main event of the evening, and it was obviously an emotional affair for both competitors. It was also an emotional moment for every that worked at WCW and for dedicated fans of the promotion. WCW and Monday Nitro were no more. The Monday Night War was over, and they lost.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
