The Day WCW Nitro Died
The job of Vince Russo as WCW's new creative head honcho was to show us that things had changed at the top, not tell us at the top of the f*cking show.
But that's what happened on October 18th 1999.
Viewers were told on camera by Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan earlier in the broadcast that the company was under a new creative direction as if that - in kayfabe - warranted explanation. There'd already been a clue of this in the opener when Bret Hart walked out during a match between Juventud Guerrera and Evan Karragias to cut a promo because "somebody in the back" told him he couldn't have any time for an interview.
That's yer universe rules established and then destroyed within the first six minutes of the show, then. At least it ended with the promise of a World Championship match that night. Which, as it turned out ended up going on in the middle of the show and finished cheaply thanks to a poorly-executed Lex Luger run-in.
It was just after Schiavone and Heenan's reveal of Russo's involvement that they promoted a "New York Evening Gown" match too. This was all suddenly following form, but at least there was...sigh...a sales pitch to stick around. Or was there? Soon enough, Madusa was cutting a promo saying she refused to compete, which, based on the precedent set by Hart's interruption, would get her a title shot, right?
Lol. Nope, she was just forced to compete anyway.
Women got a raw deal on this show because of course they did, but a Nitro Girls fan vote triggered the most egregious deathblow - Buff Bagwell.
No, 'The Stuff' didn't help put a nail in WCW's coffin (this time), but he was involved in the calamitous segment that did.
CONT'D...