"WCW" Word Championship Wrestling.

WCW was an American professional wrestling company that officially existed between 1988 and 2001. It was WWE's biggest direct competitor in the 1990s.

🔹 Origins (Before 1988) WCW was born from Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), a company affiliated with the NWA. In 1988, tycoon Ted Turner (CNN, TNT, TBS) bought JCP to secure wrestling content on his channels. That's where World Championship Wrestling was officially created.

🔹 Early Era (1988–1993) WCW remained closely linked to the NWA. A more technical and sporting fight. It was unable to seriously compete with WWF (now WWE). Issues: Maladministration Constant changes in management Lack of self-identity

🔹 The Big Boom – Monday Night Wars (1995–1999) This is the best moment in WCW history 💥 In 1995, WCW launched Monday Nitro on TNT, competing directly with WWF's Monday Night Raw. Eric Bischoff becomes the chief creative officer. WCW steals big stars from WWF with better contracts. ⭐ The nWo (New World Order) In 1996, WCW revolutionized professional wrestling: Hulk Hogan becomes a villain The nWo is created WCW dominated the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks. This era changed the history of wrestling forever.

🔹 Decline and fall (1999–2001) Poorly written stories Too much power for certain fighters Extremely expensive contracts Misuse of young talent In 2001: AOL-Time Warner decides to sell WCW Vince McMahon (WWE) buys WCW WCW officially closes on March 26, 2001 🪦 End of an era.

🏆 Important Championships WCW World Heavyweight Championship WCW United States Championship WCW World Tag Team Championship WCW Cruiserweight Championship WCW Television Championship

📅 WCW Annual PPV Calendar (month by month):

🟣 January Souled Out (1997–1999)

Without (2001 – WCW's last PPV) 🔵 February SuperBrawl (1991–2001) 👉 One of WCW's most stable PPVs

🟢 March Uncensored (1995–2000) (PPV of extreme fights and no disqualification)

🟡 April Spring Stampede (1994–2000)

🟠 May Slamboree (1993–2000)

🔴 June The Great American Bash (almost always in June)

🟤 Julio Bash at the Beach (1993–2000)

• August Road Wild/Hog Wild (1996–1999) New Blood Rising (2000)

🟣 September Fall Brawl (1988–2000) 👉 Famous for WarGames

🟢 October Halloween Havoc (1989–2000)

🔵 November Mayhem (1999–2000) World War 3 (1995–1998)

⭐ December Starrcade (the most important event of the year).

⭐ Legends and main figures Hulk Hogan Ric Flair Sting Lex Luger Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) Goldberg Randy Savage Kevin Nash Scott Hall Booker T Scott Steiner Sid Vicious The Giant (Big Show)

🔥 The nWo Hulk Hogan Kevin Nash Scott Hall Syxx (X-Pac) Scott Steiner Buff Bagwell Konnan Eric Bischoff

💪 Hardcore / Midcard Fighters Raven Bam Bam Bigelow Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect) Meng The Barbarian Fit Finlay Arn Anderson Barry Windham

🚀 Cruiserweights (aerial combat – very important in WCW) WCW pioneered this division: Rey Mysterio Jr. Eddie Guerrero Chris Jericho Dean Malenko Warrior Youth Psychosis Last Dragon The Parka Chavo Guerrero Jr.

📄 What were contracts like in WCW?

🔹 1. Guaranteed contracts 💰 WCW offered something very rare for the time: 👉 Guaranteed salary, whether you fight or not. In WWF/WWE, most people were paid per appearance. In WCW they were paid monthly, even if they didn't appear on TV 📌 Result: The wrestlers preferred WCW But many didn't make the effort because they were paid the same.

2. Long-term contracts ⏳: They lasted between 3 and 5 years Some reached 6 or more They couldn't be broken easily. 📌 If WCW didn't use you: 👉 they still had to pay you

🔹 3. Creative control ✍️ The big stars had creative control, meaning:

They could reject defeats They could refuse to lose championships They decided how and against whom they fought 💣 This was lethal for WCW. Famous example: Hulk Hogan refused to lose cleanly against Sting Kevin Nash and Scott Hall decided the finals

🔹 4. “Most Favored” (MFN) Clause 📑:

If WCW improved someone's contract… 👉 They automatically improved it for others This caused wages to skyrocket.

🔹 5. Few work dates 📆:

In WWF: 250–300 shows per year In WCW: 120–160 shows 💡 More rest, same or more money. 🔹 6. Bonuses and extras 🎁 Some contracts included: PPV Bonds For merchandising sales Based on ratings But only the biggest stars had them.

💸 Approximate salaries (1990s):

⚠️ These are estimated, unofficial figures. Hulk Hogan: $2–3 million USD per year Kevin Nash / Scott Hall: 700k – 1 million Randy Savage: +1 million Goldberg: 1 million (at its peak) Midcard: 150k – 300k Cruises: 60k – 150k 😔

❌ Problems caused by these contracts:

WCW spent much more than it earned They couldn't fire anyone Old stars blocked young talent Stories without clear endings Millions in losses every year.

In WCW there were three levels of “bosses”: Owners / Executives Presidents and executives Creative heads (booking and storytelling) 👑 1. Owners and top authorities 🔹 Ted Turner (1988–2001) Actual founder of WCW Owner of Turner Broadcasting (TNT, TBS, CNN) He bought Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988 📌 Important: I didn't handle the day-to-day It allowed you to spend a lot of money He loved wrestling and protected it. 👉 Without Ted Turner, WCW would never have existed. 🔹 AOL – Time Warner (2000–2001) New owner company after the merger They didn't want wrestling They viewed WCW as a useless expense. ⚰️ They were the ones who approved the sale to WWE. 🧑‍💼 2. WCW Presidents and Executives 🔹 Jim Herd (1989–1992) One of the worst bosses in history ❌ Problems: I knew nothing about wrestling He fought with Ric Flair Absurd ideas (I wanted to change classic characters) 👉 WCW almost died at this stage.

🔹 Bill Watts (1992–1993) Former wrestler and promoter He tried to make WCW more “realistic” ✔️ Good things: Discipline Clear rules ❌ Bad things: Too rigid Conflicts with wrestlers 🔹 Eric Bischoff (1994–2000) ⭐ The most important boss in WCW Executive Vice President The public face of WCW's success Creator of Monday Nitro Promoter of the nWo ✔️ Achievements: It beat WWF in the ratings He modernized the product He opted for international fighters ❌ Errors: Too much power to Hogan and the nWo Impossible contracts Poor handling of the WCW ending ✍️ 3. Creative managers (bookers) 🔹 Dusty Rhodes Multi-stage booking Classic, emotional style 🔹 Kevin Sullivan Booker, a key player in the 90s He helped create the nWo (initial idea) 🔹 Vince Russo (1999–2001) 💣 Very controversial I came from WWF I wanted shock, chaos, and constant twists. ❌ Problems: Nonsensical stories Too many titles Damage to the prestige of the world championship 👉 For many, it accelerated the fall of WCW.

🧠 4. The “shadow bosses” 😈 Although they were not official leaders, they wielded considerable power: Hulk Hogan Kevin Nash Scott Hall 📌 They had: Creative control Influence on decisions Power to block fighters This broke WCW's real authority. 🪦 Last boss of WCW 🔹 Jamie Kellner (Time Warner) Television executive WCW was cancelled by TNT and TBS Without TV, WCW was dead. 👉 After that: 💼 Vince McMahon buys WCW (2001).