Wrestling101.com interview
Finlay talks about his time wrestling for WCW:
I had some great times in WCW, but there were also some very frustrating times, but that’s life in general. I did win a couple of titles during my time there, and enjoyed some great matches and rivalries. To be with WCW was a great experience, and it’s another page in the book. Life has it’s ups and downs, and you just have to go with it, I was with the company to the bitter end, but luckily enough I was asked to go to the WWE.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Funk comments on his final run in WCW:
Not my confidence I just questioned my sanity. I also questioned their sanity at the time, you know? I just thought that I had a great deal to offer to them and whenever I got there it was evidently somebody up in the hierarchy that wanted me but the people immediately, my superiors weren’t sure whether they needed me or not. They certainly didn’t loosen the reigns and let me take off running. Well and I don’t blame them it’s their business. But I try not to, I try never to hurt a territory. You know I love coming into a territory and popping it.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Rhodes gives his thoughts on booking WCW:
Well it is, but people from the outside don’t really know what it is to coach a team. And that is really what you are doing. To have, to take this team and we are actually going to make a sitcom out of it, we’re going to make a movie out of it. And that is my job to, to do the movie, to cast the movie, to make the storylines, to write the music, and that’s the way I am. I put my fingers on everything, I let nobody touch that product, and that’s the hardest thing with people.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Hart talks about managing The Great Muta in WCW:
They approached me about a Kabuki-type wrestler, and I said, I do have a wrestler in mind, he’s not a Kabuki, but someone very similar. I looked at three, or four Japanese wrestlers and there was a young kid in Florida at the time, a mid-card level wrestler by the name of the White Ninja, I said Bring him in.” I spent four or five weeks with him in smaller towns in the Carolinas, I decided that he was someone that we could do something with. He was very talented, very hungry at the time, really wanted to break through.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Sammartino gives his thoughts on WWE buying WCW:
That is a tragedy because who loses out? The wrestlers do. In my day, when you had so many different territories, if you wrestled for Vince McMahon for a year or two, and now you were an undercard guy and were not happy, there were so many other territories you could go to, and become a headliner. You had choices, so many different places you could go. Now you don’t, and McMahon, I don’t care how big his organization may be, he can only use so many wrestlers. That means there are a lot of wrestlers that are either no longer in the business or always looking for work on the independent shows. In my opinion, it has been a horribly destructive thing to the business, the fact that there is just one existing major organization.
Last Nitro broadcast
WCW broadcasts last ever Monday Night Nitro from Panama City, Florida. The event features an appearance by Vince McMahon, Booker T vs Scott Steiner, Shane Helms vs Chavo Guerrero and Sting vs Ric Flair.
Final WCW appearance
Sting main events very last WCW match on final Monday Night Nitro broadcast. Sting faces off against longtime rival, Ric Flair. Flair is defeated and the two embrace after the bout, bringing the final show to a close.
I’ve always described that day as being surreal, very, very tough thing to swallow. After all the years and finally becoming the number one wrestling organization in the world. To see it go and we’re on the chopping block. Suddenly there’s someone new running the company. It was really strange, a strange time.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Zenk speaks about the possible sale of WCW:
I mean, come on! Has anyone done a cost-benefit analysis of the implications of the AOL-Time Warner merger for its wrestling product? I mean, real money could be made selling wrestling product across all AOL-Time Warner media outlets. You could download wrestling, you could watch wrestling on demand via the net, etc. Vince would kill for all of their outlets world wide. Is Siegel that naive? …. I can’t believe Time Warner could be so stupid to give all this away to Bischoff for pennies.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Zenk discusses the politics in WCW:
Yeah, it did. I’m not a liar. I mean I can manipulate but I don’t chose to be that way. Wrestling’s a business. So much for honesty, responsibility, quality or goodwill. They complicate the business by manipulating people. Why? Because they can – because they have the stroke. And they like to play with people’s lives. I’d like to talk to Seigel. Sit him down and say “Don’t you get it man, don’t you get it?
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Steamboat speaks the injury he suffered in his last match in WCW:
I had my last match with Stone Cold and at the time he was wrestling as Steve Austin, just as Steve Austin in Roanoke, VA August of ’94. We were both standing on the top rope. He does a thing where he gives me a push off the top rope and is customary in our business, and which I have done a thousand times, like a lot of guys. You just fall straight back and land flat on your back. But this time, I don’t know, maybe there was some oil on the top rope or the turnbuckle. I’m guilty of it. I do put some baby oil just to enhance the body. My foot slips. As I’m falling back, instead of landing flat on my back I land in a sit up position. In other words, I land on my tail bone and I did a spinal compression on two discs.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Daniels gives his thoughts about debuting in WCW:
This is my opportunity. I hope I get a fair shake, an opportunity to perform at my best on television and go from there. Right now, I think they are in the position where they will give guys an opportunity to shine. I think they’re trying anything they can do to offset the differential in ratings. I think right now, it’s a great time to be in WCW. If you’re a young talent, you’re more likely to get an opportunity than you would in the WWF, because they’ve got proven talent that they put on television night in and night out.
Madusa vs Evan Karagias – Cruiserweight title
Madusa defeats Karagias to become the first female WCW Cruiserweight Champion in history at Starrcade.
Goldberg & Hart – Creative Control tag team champions
Goldberg and Hart defeat Creative Control on Thursday Night Thunder to capture the WCW tag team championships.
Goldberg – Sid United States championship
Goldberg defeats Sid at Halloween Havoc to recapture the United States championship.
Final WCW championship
Sting defeats Hogan at FallBrawl to capture his sixth and final WCW championship.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Douglas comments on negotiations with WCW:
That they need a heel there pretty desperately and with World Championship Wrestling let’s face it, they need ratings. So both companies have come to the table. But to be quite honest with you so far the deal from the World Wrestling Federation seems to be paying more dividends. When I say negotiations it’s probably a misnomer with World Championship Wrestling. They’re have been phone calls made to ask if they’re would be interest in doing business. So there’s not even been a number put on the table from them.
5th WCW Championship
Sting defeats DDP on Monday Night Nitro to capture his fifth WCW championship.
Finger poke of doom
Hogan faces Nash for the WCW title on Monday Night Nitro. When the match beings, Hogan pokes Nash in the chest, Nash falls to the ground and Hogan pins him, winning the championship in what WCW officially titles “The finger poke of doom”. Nash:
The “Fingerpoke of Doom” was nothing. The “Fingerpoke of Doom” was just trying to realign The nWo to face off with Goldberg and Goldberg ended up getting injured. I love how the story of my life is how I beat Goldberg to turn around and take the “Fingerpoke of Doom” a week later. Boy, that did me a lot of good. When you look at how people perceive the whole thing, it’s ridiculous…The number one problem people have with the “Fingerpoke of Doom” is it “got” everybody. And nobody likes to be “got.” So, of course, [know-it-alls] are going to hate it the most because they never called it. They didn’t see anything coming.
Sting Unmasked
WCW releases Sting Unmasked on VHS home video. The documentary features highlights of Sting’s WCW career including his transition from surfer dude to silent crow to nWo wolfpac.
Goldberg – Hogan WCW championship
Goldberg defeats Hogan in singles competition on Monday Night Nitro in Atlanta, GA to capture the WCW championship.
