100 Fun Facts About WCW

Which media mogul founded WCW in 1988 by buying a Charlotte-based NWA territory?

Ted Turner had built his cable superstation TBS partly on wrestling, and when the promotion that filled those slots hit financial trouble in 1988, he bought it.

Which NWA territory, based in Charlotte, was bought in 1988 to create WCW?

Jim Crockett Promotions took a new name with its new owner, and a familiar one: 'World Championship Wrestling' had been the title of the Saturday wrestling show on TBS since 1982, so viewers already knew it.

Who was the first ever WCW World Heavyweight Champion?

WCW and the NWA split their world-title lineages in 1991 when Flair left for the WWF with the belt.

Which WCW match, devised by Dusty Rhodes, locked two teams inside a roofed cage built over two rings?

WarGames came to Rhodes in 1987 after he watched Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. He built it as a showcase for the Four Horsemen, and WWE brought the match back thirty years later.

On which US holiday was Starrcade held each year from 1983 to 1987?

Thanksgiving was Starrcade's night until 1987, when the WWF put its first Survivor Series on the same evening and warned cable companies off its rival. Most dropped Starrcade, which moved to December.

Brothers Booker T and Stevie Ray won a record ten WCW World Tag Team titles under which team name?

Harlem Heat were billed from 110th Street in Harlem, but the brothers really came from Houston, Texas. They went into the WWE Hall of Fame together in 2019.

According to Hulk Hogan's famous 1996 heel promo, what would WCW's boss still be doing without him?

Selling meat from a truck was a real line on Bischoff's CV: he had run a butcher's business in Minneapolis that delivered by van. The crowd answered Hogan's speech by pelting the ring with rubbish.

On which network did WCW Monday Nitro air?

TNT launched Nitro against Raw on September 4, 1995. Nitro went out live while Raw was often taped a week ahead, so WCW took to reading out its rival's results on air.

Where was the first episode of Nitro broadcast from?

The Mall of America in Minnesota staged the one-hour launch on September 4, 1995. It was the opening shot of a ratings war with Raw that lasted more than five years.

Which former WWF star made a surprise return to WCW on the very first Nitro?

Lex Luger had wrestled for the WWF only the night before, the last date he owed them, and signed with WCW that morning. His unannounced walk-on showed viewers that anything could happen on a live Nitro.

For how many consecutive weeks did Nitro beat Raw in the ratings?

83 weeks: Nitro won every Monday from June 1996 until April 13, 1998, when the promise of Steve Austin against Vince McMahon put Raw back in front. Eric Bischoff later named his podcast after the streak.

Which two ex-WWF stars invaded Nitro in May and June 1996 as The Outsiders?

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash played it as a raid by the WWF, so convincingly that they were asked on air whether they still worked there. They said no, and the WWF sued anyway.

At which 1996 pay-per-view was Hulk Hogan revealed as the nWo's "third man"?

Bash at the Beach turned wrestling's biggest hero into its top villain in one night: Hogan dropped the red and yellow for black, and the storyline carried Nitro past Raw in the ratings.

Whom did Hogan hit with the leg drop when he turned heel in July 1996?

Randy Savage looked saved when Hogan marched out and the two invaders backed away. Instead Hogan dropped the leg on him three times and joined them.

What nickname did Hogan adopt as the nWo leader?

'Hollywood' Hogan traded the red and yellow for black and a dyed beard. When he won the WCW title that August, he spray-painted the group's initials across the belt.

Which former WWF star joined the nWo in August 1996 as the group's financial backer?

Ted DiBiase, the WWF's 'Million Dollar Man', arrived as the fourth member, claiming to bankroll the group. The others called him 'Trillionaire Ted', a jab at the WWF's own 'Billionaire Ted' skits.

What was the name of the nWo's red-and-black splinter faction that broke away in 1998?

nWo Wolfpac wore red and black against the black and white of Hogan's side, and it was the first version of the group that crowds were meant to cheer. Even Sting repainted his face red to join.

Which 1994 film inspired Sting's dark, brooding makeover in 1996?

The Crow, with Brandon Lee's white face and black-ringed eyes, became Sting's look at the suggestion of one of the nWo men he was fighting on screen.

What is Sting's real name?

Steve Borden broke in beside Jim Hellwig, the future Ultimate Warrior: by 1986 they were the Blade Runners, both already in face paint, before each became the painted hero of a rival company.

During his silent 1997 feud with the nWo, from where in the arena did Sting watch WCW's shows?

The rafters were Sting's perch for more than a year: he carried a baseball bat, did not speak, and sometimes slid down on a cable. The wait made his match with Hogan WCW's highest-grossing pay-per-view.

Which WCW cruiserweight mocked a rival on Nitro in 1998 by reading out a scroll of his '1,004 holds'?

Chris Jericho was needling Dean Malenko, the 'Man of 1,000 Holds'. Many of the moves on his scroll were invented, and nearly every other one he read out was an armbar.

What was Goldberg's promoted undefeated record when he finally lost at Starrcade 1998?

173-0 was the figure on the placards, but WCW had padded it: he won far fewer matches than that, and fans keeping their own tallies noticed the total jumping ahead.

Whom did Goldberg beat on the September 22, 1997 Nitro in his televised debut?

Hugh Morrus was win number one of the televised streak. Goldberg had in fact already lost once, to Chad Fortune in an untelevised match that summer, a defeat the official count left out.

In which building did Goldberg beat Hogan for the WCW title on July 6, 1998?

The Georgia Dome saw Goldberg win, and Nitro beat Raw in that night's ratings. But WCW had given its title match away on free television, and people backstage asked why it was not saved for pay-per-view.

For which NFL team did Goldberg play regular-season games before he turned to wrestling?

Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle was as far as he got: a torn abdominal muscle ended his football career, and two WCW wrestlers he met during his rehab talked him into trying the ring.

What was Goldberg's catchphrase during his streak?

"Who's next?" suited a man whose matches were often over in a couple of minutes: a spear, a slam, and the crowd chanting his name while he looked round for another opponent.

At Starrcade 1998, Scott Hall ended Goldberg's unbeaten streak by attacking him with which weapon?

A stun gun: Hall slipped to ringside disguised as a security guard and shocked Goldberg just as he lined up his spear, leaving him to be pinned for the title after more than a year without a televised defeat.

What name did fans give the 1999 Nitro title match in which the champion simply lay down for Hulk Hogan?

The Fingerpoke of Doom: Hogan prodded the champion in the chest, the champion fell flat and was pinned, and the nWo's two halves reunited. The crowd had been promised Goldberg in the title match; he was written out in a mock arrest.

On Nitro on January 4, 1999, announcer Tony Schiavone gave away that which wrestler would win the WWF title that night?

Mick Foley's win was on tape, so WCW knew the result. "That's gonna put some butts in the seats," Schiavone sneered, and it did: viewers switched over to watch, and Raw won the night's ratings.

What was WCW's second weekly prime-time show, launched on TBS in January 1998?

Thunder was the network's idea, not the wrestling office's: Eric Bischoff warned that a second two-hour show every week would overexpose his stars and wear out a roster already stretched by Nitro.

What is DDP's finishing move called?

The Diamond Cutter carried a late starter to the top: DDP was a manager first and did not take up wrestling in earnest until he was 35, yet he went on to win the WCW world title.

Which talk-show host teamed with DDP against Hogan and Bischoff at Road Wild 1998?

Jay Leno got the pin himself: his Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks slipped into the ring and floored Bischoff with DDP's own finishing move, and the comedian covered WCW's boss for the three-count.

Who pinned Rey Mysterio at SuperBrawl IX to force him to unmask?

Kevin Nash got the pin in a tag match fought over the mask; had Mysterio's side won, Miss Elizabeth, in Nash's corner, would have had her head shaved. Mysterio wrestled bare-faced until he joined WWE in 2002 and put the mask back on.

Which NBA star skipped a team practice during the 1998 Finals to appear on Nitro with Hulk Hogan?

Dennis Rodman left the Bulls between games to join Hogan in an nWo attack on live television. A month later he was in a WCW ring against Karl Malone, the Utah forward he had just been guarding in those Finals.

Which two former WWF writers replaced Bischoff as WCW's creative team in late 1999?

Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara had written Raw while it overtook Nitro, so WCW hired them to repeat the trick. Within three months Russo was told to work under a committee instead; he refused and went home.

What name did the WWF give Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and two fellow WCW defectors who arrived in January 2000?

The Radicalz quit WCW after a dispute with management. One of the four, Chris Benoit, had just won its world title in his last match there; the next night WCW voided the win, ruling that his opponent's foot had been under the ropes.

Which actor was made WCW World Heavyweight Champion in 2000 as a publicity stunt?

David Arquette, a lifelong fan, was resented by wrestling fans for years. In 2018 he went back to train and wrestle on the independent circuit to earn some respect, a comeback filmed as You Cannot Kill David Arquette.

Which 2000 film was WCW promoting when it made the film's lead actor its world champion?

Ready to Rumble took only about $12 million against a $24 million budget, and twenty years on the title stunt staged to promote it was still being called one of wrestling's worst moments.

Which champion suffered a career-ending concussion from a Goldberg kick at Starrcade 1999?

Bret Hart finished the match, and wrestled a few more, before the concussion from that kick caught up with him. He had to give up the WCW title within a month and announced his retirement the following October.

Which former WB network boss cancelled all WCW programming in March 2001?

Jamie Kellner had only just taken charge of the channels that carried WCW. A spokesman said wrestling no longer matched the high-income audience they wanted, and with no television left, a deal to buy the company fell through.

Where was the final episode of Nitro broadcast from on March 26, 2001?

Panama City Beach, Florida was hosting Nitro's yearly spring-break special, so WCW's flagship show signed off from a seaside resort while the WWF's chairman gloated by satellite from Raw in Cleveland.

Which two long-time rivals wrestled the last match in WCW history on the final Nitro?

Sting and Ric Flair had also met on Nitro's opening night in 1995. This time Sting won with his Scorpion Deathlock, helped Flair to his feet and hugged him, moments before the WWF's broadcast took over the screen.

In the storyline that followed the WWF's purchase, who was presented on screen as WCW's new owner?

Shane McMahon walked out at the final Nitro to announce that the name on the contract was his, not his father's. In reality the WWF had bought the brand, and it took on only about two dozen of WCW's wrestlers.

Who is in WWE's Hall of Fame with both D-Generation X and nWo?

Sean Waltman was Syxx in the nWo until WCW released him while he was out with a neck injury. He went straight to the WWF, joined D-Generation X as X-Pac, and ended up in the Hall of Fame for his part on both sides of the Monday night war.

At Halloween Havoc 1995, Hulk Hogan and The Giant settled a 'sumo' contest on a Detroit rooftop driving what?

Monster trucks: Hogan's shoved the Giant's out of the circle, and in the scuffle that followed the Giant seemed to topple off the roof. He walked out later that night anyway and took Hogan's world title on a disqualification.

Who became the first Black WCW world champion by beating Vader in August 1992?

Ron Simmons is recognised by WWE as wrestling's first Black world champion. Late in his career he found a second fame by wandering into other people's scenes to deliver a single word: 'Damn!'

Which WCW newcomer fell through a prop wall on TV in 1993 and lost his Stormtrooper-style helmet?

The Shockmaster was meant to crash in as a fearsome mystery partner. Instead Fred Ottman tripped, scrambled to put his helmet back on, and WCW soon rewrote the character as a klutz.

How much did the WWF pay AOL Time Warner for WCW's name, library and other assets in March 2001?

$2.5 million was all it fetched because the sale came with no television: WCW's channels had just cancelled its shows, which left a brand that only a rival with airtime of its own could use.

Which promotion did Jeff Jarrett and his father launch in 2002 to fill the gap WCW had left?

Total Nonstop Action even restaged the Monday night war: in 2010, with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff newly signed, it moved its show opposite Raw, then went back to Thursdays about two months later as ratings sagged.

Who was an executive producer of the 2024 documentary series Who Killed WCW?

Dwayne Johnson made it through his company, Seven Bucks Productions. As The Rock he held the WCW world title twice in 2001, but only on WWF shows, after his employer had bought the name.

Which film character marched into WCW's Capital Combat in 1990 to free a wrestler from a cage?

RoboCop turned up to plug the imminent release of RoboCop 2, running off the villains before pulling the door off a steel cage to release the hero.

In which Asian capital did WCW co-promote two 1995 shows credited with wrestling's largest crowds?

Pyongyang staged Collision in Korea at its May Day Stadium after Japan's Antonio Inoki proposed the shows, hoping to improve relations between Japan and North Korea.

Which future WWE champion wrestled in WCW in 1994 as Terra Ryzing, then with a fake French accent?

Triple H became Jean-Paul Levesque, a snob who could not actually speak French, and carried the blue-blood act to the WWF as Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

Which WWF legend spent 1990 in WCW as 'Mean' Mark Callous, a member of the Skyscrapers tag team?

The Undertaker was given the Callous name by Terry Funk and was drafted into the team to replace an injured partner, months before the WWF recast him as the Deadman.

Which future WWF megastar did WCW fire in 1995 while he was recovering from a torn triceps?

Steve Austin was dismissed by Eric Bischoff, who did not see him as marketable, and he channelled the grudge into the persona that became 'Stone Cold'.

Which wrestler dropped the WWF Women's Championship belt into a trash can live on Nitro in 1995?

Madusa had held the title in the WWF as Alundra Blayze, and the stunt got her blacklisted by her old employer for the next 20 years.

Which rock band played on Nitro in 1999 to launch a face-painted wrestler modelled on its bassist?

Kiss used the performance to unveil a character called The Demon, but the concert was reportedly one of the lowest-rated segments the show had aired.

Which New Orleans rapper led his No Limit Soldiers into a WCW storyline during the summer of 1999?

Master P hoped the deal would give his cousin a wrestling break under the name Swoll, while WCW wanted to win over hip-hop fans.

Which future WWE champion was told at a WCW Power Plant tryout that he would never make it?

Batista heard that verdict from trainer DeWayne Bruce, then signed with the rival WWF in 2000 and went on to headline WrestleMania.

On which 1990s drama did Hulk Hogan and other WCW stars appear in scenes shot at a pay-per-view?

Baywatch built a 1996 episode around the seaside event, and women in the show's red swimsuits ringed a lumberjack-style bout billed as a lifeguard match.

Which wrestler turned politician was a WCW commentator from 1992 to 1994 while serving as a mayor?

Jesse Ventura ran Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, during his stint at the announce desk, and WCW released him for allegedly falling asleep at a taping.

Which NBA All-Star wrestled on a 1998 WCW pay-per-view as the tag partner of his friend DDP?

Karl Malone, the Utah Jazz forward and a wrestling fan, spent 23 minutes trading headlocks, slams and clotheslines in a match critics largely panned.

Which NFL great wrestled his only professional match at WCW's Slamboree pay-per-view in 1997?

Reggie White lost that night to Steve McMichael, who had stood beside him at ringside two years earlier in Lawrence Taylor's WrestleMania XI entourage.

Which soul legend made a surprise SuperBrawl appearance in 2000 to dance with Ernest Miller?

James Brown was brought in specially after Miller, who celebrated wins by dancing in the singer's style, claimed on television that he knew the real man.

Which horror-movie villain traded insults with Rick Steiner on Nitro in 1998 to plug a new film?

Chucky was promoting Bride of Chucky, and the segment is remembered as an example of the product placement for which WCW was criticised.

At which theme park did Hulk Hogan sign his WCW contract in a public ceremony in June 1994?

Disney-MGM Studios was familiar ground: WCW rented a soundstage there to tape months of its syndicated television in advance and save money.

In which South Dakota town did WCW stage free outdoor pay-per-views during a motorcycle rally?

Sturgis hosted the August shows, first as Hog Wild until a trademark worry over the Harley Owners Group forced the change of name to Road Wild.

Which console was home to WCW/nWo Revenge, a 1998 best-seller built on AKI's grappling system?

Nintendo 64 owners made it the console's best-selling wrestling game, and in its first month only Metal Gear Solid outsold it among American home console releases.

Which trademark colours did Hulk Hogan return to in August 1999 after three years in nWo black?

Red and yellow were the Hulkamania colours he had dropped on turning villain, and he brought them back again in 2002 after a WWF run in his nWo look.

Which famous ring announcer did WCW sign to an exclusive deal to introduce its biggest main events?

Michael Buffer's contract barred him from other wrestling-type organisations, which forced him to stop announcing for the UFC after only two cards.

Which former WWF manager, nicknamed 'The Brain', joined Nitro's commentary team at its 1995 launch?

Bobby Heenan had planned to retire after leaving the WWF, but took WCW's offer once he learned it came with a lighter schedule and health insurance.

Which lead WCW announcer asked for his release in 1993 and debuted for the WWF at WrestleMania IX?

Jim Ross wanted out once Eric Bischoff, a rising commentator he had a strained relationship with, was promoted to executive producer.

Which veteran WWF interviewer joined WCW in 1993 and spent years plugging its telephone Hotline?

Gene Okerlund said the WWF never actually offered him a new contract, so he crossed over and stayed with WCW until it closed in 2001.

Which future promoter led WCW's Dangerous Alliance as a brash manager who carried a mobile phone?

Paul Heyman played Paul E. Dangerously, an exaggeration of his own fast-talking New York personality, and his group was among WCW's top villainous factions of 1992.

Which former WWF champion joined WCW in 1998 and vanished in smoke through a trapdoor in the ring?

Ultimate Warrior was signed at great expense to renew an old rivalry with Hulk Hogan, but his trapdoor nearly paralysed Davey Boy Smith, who fell on it during a match.

Which 1980s WWF villain beat Hulk Hogan with a sleeper hold in the main event of Starrcade 1996?

Roddy Piper won a non-title match, so the championship stayed put and his reward was a title shot, which he lost at SuperBrawl VII.

Which wrestling legend did WCW falsely bill as the father of its towering 1995 newcomer Paul Wight?

André the Giant was the invented parent, which is why the newcomer, later famous in the WWF as Big Show, wrestled in WCW simply as The Giant.

Which future WWE star began as a Nitro Girl called Skye before managing wrestlers as Miss Hancock?

Stacy Keibler won her place in the dance troupe, and a $10,000 prize, by topping an online vote in a 1999 contest that drew 300 entrants.

What name did Goldberg give the suplex powerslam he used to finish opponents after the spear?

The Jackhammer was devised in Japan by Jaguar Yokota in the 1980s, but it was WCW's unbeaten star who made the move famous.

Which object did Jeff Jarrett, WCW's self-proclaimed 'Chosen One', often smash on opponents to win?

A guitar, always an acoustic one, was his trademark weapon, nicknamed El Kabong after the cartoon character Quick Draw McGraw.

Which Marvel hero did a masked 1991 WCW character resemble so closely that a lawsuit was threatened?

Spider-Man's owners objected to Arachnaman, a masked vigilante played by Brad Armstrong, and WCW dropped the character within three months.

Which WCW character, modelled on Mortal Kombat's Sub-Zero, entered amid lasers and synthetic snow?

Glacier's entrance cost nearly half a million dollars to produce, yet the costume and blue lighting were scrapped after only his fourth match.

Which WCW creature burst from a block of ice in 1995 wrapped in bandages like a huge mummy?

The Yeti wore lifts in his boots and bandages piled high on his head, so that he looked noticeably taller than the towering ally he had come to help.

With what did Hulk Hogan scrawl the letters nWo across the faceplate of the WCW world title belt?

Spray paint turned the famous gold belt into what the gang called the nWo World Heavyweight Championship, moments after he won the title in August 1996.

Which elite stable formed in 1985 had Arn Anderson in every line-up until a neck injury retired him?

The Four Horsemen got their name from an off-the-cuff remark by Anderson, who likened the havoc the group had caused to that of the biblical riders.

Which nickname did Scott Steiner proclaim for himself after bleaching his hair and goatee?

Big Poppa Pump replaced two nicknames he quickly discarded, one of them 'Superstar', a homage to the 1970s champion Billy Graham.

Which former 'Mr. Perfect' led the West Texas Rednecks, WCW's country-singing stable, in 1999?

Curt Hennig was actually from Minnesota, unlike his three Texan bandmates, and the villains' tongue-in-cheek song attacking rap music proved popular.

Which luchador in a skeleton bodysuit was nicknamed 'the chairman of WCW' for the chair he carried?

La Parka's name is an altered spelling of the Spanish for 'The Reaper', and his suit echoed the skeletons of Mexico's Day of the Dead.

Which brooding newcomer sat in Nitro's front row in 1997 while gathering lackeys into his own stable?

Raven was in fact returning to WCW, and the commentators introduced him only as a man who had been a champion with other organisations.

Which former WWF barber wrestled in WCW as the Butcher, the Zodiac and the Booty Man?

Brutus Beefcake took the Butcher name as a nod to how he had butchered his friendship with Hulk Hogan, whom he then challenged for the world title.

Which wrestler appeared on both Raw and Nitro on the same night in 1997, one live and one on tape?

Rick Rude had quit the WWF after its Raw was taped, so viewers saw him there while he stood on the live rival show mocking the company he had just left.

World Championship Wrestling took its name from a promotion Jim Barnett launched in the 1960s in which country?

Australia's promotion lent its name first to a wrestling programme on TBS, years before a separate company called WCW existed.

Which March 2001 event, which had replaced Uncensored on the calendar, was WCW's final pay-per-view?

Greed was held only eight days before the final Nitro, and its top feud pitted the champion Scott Steiner against DDP.

Which series of free TBS wrestling specials began in 1988 on the same night as WrestleMania IV?

Clash of the Champions was payback: earlier that year the WWF had aired a free cable special of its own against a rival pay-per-view.

Which WCW pay-per-view was built around a sixty-man battle royal fought in several rings at once?

World War 3 debuted in 1995 with the vacant world title at stake, after officials stripped the champion over a controversial disqualification win.

Jim Herd, WCW's first executive vice president, once worked as a regional manager for which chain?

Pizza Hut credited him with a notable rise in sales after he ran phone surveys and acted on what customers told him.

WCW's 1991 Chamber of Horrors match ended when Abdullah the Butcher was caught in which device?

An electric chair stood inside the cage, and the bout ended when one of Abdullah's own teammates accidentally pulled the switch on him.

Which investment group joined Eric Bischoff in a 2001 bid for WCW that died when its TV slots vanished?

Fusient Media Ventures had a deal reported as done, but its offer depended on keeping WCW on the cable networks that then dropped wrestling altogether.

Which WCW boss of 1992 banned moves off the top rope as part of a return to old-school rules?

Bill Watts set out his old-school rules in a memo to the wrestlers, then resigned amid clashes with management and pressure over an interview about race.

Goldberg severed a forearm artery in 1999 by punching through what during a scripted segment?

A limousine window was meant to be smashed for the cameras, but he drove his forearm through real glass, and the surgery kept him out for an extended time.