The WCW Conspiracy Iceberg EXPLAINED!

26. WCW IS BACK!

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wwe.com

In December 2020, a shockwave surged through the pro wrestling world with a simple press release: after a 19-year absence, World Championship Wrestling was set to make a miracle return. This was incredible; All Elite Wrestling had formed and altered the landscape just a year prior, and now, the new competition had a competitor. A Triple Threat wrestling war was upon us, ushering in the most intense promotional battle in the entire history of the sport. Financially backed by an entity named Skystorm Productions - a nice nod to the promotion’s old weekly show ‘Thunder’ - the new WCW was set to debut in October 2021 with its pay-per-view offering ‘Greed’. After intense negotiations with WWE, Skystorm secured 50% of the old WCW intellectual property, holding the rights to the name and selected pay-per-views and gimmicks. 

Now, this was a hoax, obviously, but it took root because, in the click-crazed world of content production, various outlets and social media pages ran with the story because it was always going to grab the attention of even the most suspicious of fans, just in case. Some fans believed it because they wanted to believe it; others doubtlessly will run away with the conspiratorial idea that this was actually going to happen, and that the evil WWE quashed the idea to maintain their monopoly over the business. Because people are mental. A WCW reboot was basically untenable. Who was even left?

Goldberg could be tempted to concuss himself for a few quid, but was still under some sort of part-time agreement with WWE. Chris Jericho was still working to an improbably high standard, but was signed to AEW long-term. Sting, impossibly, could still be the Stinger…in AEW, to which he’d just signed. Hulk Hogan, Diamond Dallas Page, and Kevin Nash were broken to an extent that not even a 1980s-sized injection of stem cells could repair. Jeff Jarrett was more likely to launch a bid for the WCW rights himself. 

But don’t let every single argument that could feasibly exist get in the way of a click. That’s the game now. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!