7. The Southern Fan Base, Millions Of Wrestling Fans Tuned Out When WCW Went Down
There were huge cultural differences between WWF and WCW. The Atlanta based WCW played very well in the southern states. It had committed fans who only watched WCW based off of tradition and the companies ownership of key southern territories. Southern fans had grown up with the NWA title belt which became the World title. WWF meanwhile was a Northern company, and was very New York in it's showbiz glitz. The tradition of Northern to Southern wrestling fan bases remained, despite the companies becoming more and more similar in content. When WCW went out of business, it is thought that millions of southern wrestling fans simply stopped watching wrestling. Statistically this can be supported by looking at the audience figures that both WCW and WWF pulled as a collective. When WCW went out of business, the WWF rating didn't simply absorb what WCW had been doing. A rebirth of the WCW brand and the southern wrestling values can perhaps engage the once passionate audience. If WWE was to take 'WCW' on a tour of the south they would likely do very well. You only have to look at all the WCW and NWO t-shirts that swamped audiences in the 90's, the brand name generated huge loyalty.