The WCW Conspiracy Iceberg EXPLAINED!
5. Hulk Hogan Told Nick Patrick To F*ck On Sting
The quintessential WWE moment is either, depending on the era, Randy Savage reuniting with Miss Elizabeth, Steve Austin dousing the Corporation with beer, or Cody Rhodes finishing the story.
The quintessential AEW moment is probably Hangman Page retrieving the AEW World title from Jon Moxley’s briefcase, or Will Ospreay kicking out of Kenny Omega’s One-Winged Angel..
The quintessential WCW moment is the main event of Starrcade 1997. This is not a good thing, but it’s fitting. That is because, with the stakes never higher, WCW, instead of sticking the safest landing possible, instead contrived to ask the question that would haunt the promotion forevermore: are we self-destructive, or just stupid?
WCW had promoted Sting brilliantly throughout 1997 as the mysterious vigilante determined to save the promotion’s soul from the nWo and its self-serving, toxic figurehead Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Fans were captivated by Sting, whose total lack of in-ring captivity created an unreal level of anticipation that was never going to match the reality. Still, all WCW had to do was strap Sting up. He wasn’t in great shape and, despite the cool new paint, entered a feeble version of a standard early ‘90s Sting performance. He was always going to be rusty, at a minimum; this was the trade-off for the unprecedented promotional tactic.
New World Order referee Nick Patrick was meant to screw Sting with a fast count, before Bret Hart reversed the decision, in order to capitalise on the Montreal Screwjob. This didn’t happen. Nick counted the three in standard time. Confusion and deflation cloaked the MCI Center. A record 700,000 watched on pay-per-view, equally disappointed. WCW would never claim a number close to it again.
So was WCW self-destructive? The rumour and innuendo is that Hulk Hogan convinced Patrick not to execute the fast count in an act of political sabotage.
Or was WCW stupid enough to not effectively communicate the finish - to the biggest match of its existence - to the ref?
Nobody will ever know. That both possibilities are very plausible says it all.