Monday Night Wars

The Monday Night Wars (Wars of Monday evening) is the period of the professional wrestling of the September 4th 1995 with the March 26th 2001, which saw the emission WWF Monday Night RAW being in competition vis-a-vis the emission WCW Monday Nitro in the battle of the audiences.

Before the War

The WWF between 1993-1995: Monday becomes RAW

Monday Night RAW was lance on the USA Network in January 1993 to replace old the Prime Time Wrestling . The WWF decided that this time box would be used to be a representation of various matches and Storyline S which would help with the construction and at the same time the promotion of the Pay per view. In the beginning, RAW , separately one period of two or three weeks, was diffused on line, but the rather restricted budget forced later to limit the direct ones which could not hold any more but only once per month. This, and the departures of the stars like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage towards the WCW, were going to give a great opportunity to Eric Bischoff which it was going quickly to exploit.

The WCW before 1995: Bischoff takes the responsabilities

The same year of the creation of Monday Night RAW , the WCW named the former commentator and script writer of American Wrestling Association (AWA) at the station of Defect executive President. The first year of Bischoff as an owner was a disaster. Dusty Rhodos and Ole Anderson remained in the creative team with their storylines of " drawings-animés" , and their competitions which or were not built little. For example: the segment where the Cactus Jack was " Lost in Cleveland" , and the small films which made promotions of the statement. During the segment " A Sense of smell for Or" on line in the Clash off Champions to promote the statement Fall Brawl, the WCW decided to introduce a partner mystery for the " gentils" , a known man masked under the name of The Schockmaster. This last (before known as Typhoon with the WWF) was supposed to pass through a false wall and thus to intimidate the " méchants". But it pétait the mouth on line on television and thus made him an itinerant joke (it gained some matches nevertheless). Also this year there, the WCW started to present shows in the Studios Disney in what was called the " Disney" recordings;. Because the recording was going to be diffused only well later, this obliged the script writers to prepare their ideas in advance well. Certain fighters of the WCW were then obliged to carry a belt well before they gained the title officially on television. This was perceived as something which broke the " Kayfabe " (the illusion to reveal wrestling like not being faked), and was going in particular to make leave the WCW of the National Wrestling Alliance in September 1993.

With the end of the year, the WCW decided to base once again the federation around Ric Flair. This was perceived like an alternative, whereas the star rising being face Sid Vicious, tried to wound Arn Anderson with a scissors a few weeks before the event StarrCade during a round in England which caused its reference. (In fact, before the Sid/Anderson accident, a few weeks before were turned of the emissions with Sid as WCW World Heavyweight Champion. It was expected that Sid beats Vader in StarrCade 93, and this system was thus at the same time re-examined in 1994). Sense of smell gained the title with StarrCade once more and was named script writer. Bischoff went declared an open war with the WWF of McMahon in the media and aggressively to recruit old large stars of the WWF like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in 1994. Using the financial resources of Ted Turner, Bischoff made of its war-horse makes it recruit old glories of the WWF. Because of their large statutes, Hogan and Savage could require to obtain concessions and advantages which no all-in wrestler could have at the time, and thus for several years, guarantees of touching several million dollars and deciding the them same ones of the direction that their character must take. This was going later to become a problem for the WCW in its war with the WWF, as of other fighters later who will require the same advantages and the contracts will become amazing and out of reach. Hogan, in particular, obtained a considerable influence thanks to its friendly relation maintained with Bischoff. Another thing that the latter forgot to consider, it is the fact that good number of fans looked at the WCW like an alternative solution with the WWF with the beginnings of the year 1990, and much of fans of the NWA saw in this one a simple copy of the WWF with its old talents, whereas they seek only the concrete one, the action.

The main thing pay per view held by the WCW since the arrival of Hogan is Bash At the Beach, which saw the " Hulkster" to beat Ric Sense of smell for the WCW Championship. Both had worked at the same time with the WWF of 1991 with 1992, and a competition was engaged between them, but this great match which would have enormously brought back money and which was planned for WrestleMania VIII was finally changed for a match by teams Flair/Savage against Hogan/Sid. When the WCW organized this match, the statement thus carried out good sales which had with the intrigue that the fans around this great confrontation were posed. In spite of a success as well on the sporting level as financial, and this will not last a long time for the competition Hogan/Flair which had been held only for this match where the WCW hoped for a long-term effect on the purchases of the statement and their audiences.

This does not pass unperceived for Turner which did not approve the expenditure and the manners of making of Bischoff, and thus decided to make a complete point with this last in 1995. It will result creation from it from the emission WCW Monday Nitro Monday evening to counter WWF Monday Night RAW.

1995-1997: WCW Monday Nitro and Monday Night Wars begin

Beginnings of WCW Monday Nitro

Bischoff was thus at the origin of the launching of Nitro Monday evening the September 4th 1995.

In Bash At the Beach, Hall and Nash were to fight with a partner mystery the team of Lex Luger, Randy Savage and Sting. Hall and Nash were pointed without their troisème fellow-member. " Mean" Gene Okerlund came confused towards the boxing ring, wanting to know where their mysterious partner was. They answered simply by affirming that it was in the building, but which they did not have need for him for this match. Hall and Nash controlled this match when Hulk Hogan was brought back on the boxing ring, attacking Savage suddenly. After the match in an interview with Okerlund, Hogan explained this change by the fact that it was tired fans who were turned over against him. Hogan named this from now on new faction " new world order off professional wresting (new order of professional wrestling) " , thus démarant a long competition enters the honest all-in wrestlers towards the WCW and those of the nWo. The fans in the arena were so much outraged treason of Hogan which they threw of the remains on the boxing ring like plastic bottles, during its interview. A fan had even succeeded in passing safety and tried to be caught some in Hogan but it was quickly controlled by Hall and Nash as well as safety.

Little time after, World Wrestling Federation inflicted a lawsuit with the WCW, pretexting that New World Order implied the fact that Hall and Nash were invaders sent by McMahon to destroy the WCW, in spite of the fact that Bischoff in front of the cameras required of Nash " Summers you employed by the WWF? " who answered antiphatiquement " Non." Another reason for this lawsuit was that the WWF found that the character played by Scott Hall resembled too much that of Razor Ramon and who is the property of the WWF. The lawsuit proceeded for several years before it is a withdrawal of case there.

Largely thanks to this, the WCW beat the WWF for 84 weeks consecutive. Another means for the WCW of beating the WWF was to give the preregistered results of RAW to preserve the spectators on Nitro.

Efforts of the WWF

RAW and the WWF were in lack of creativities between 1995 and 1997. The WWF in vain tried to return in 1996 with sketches of parody like that of the " Billionaire Ted" , parodying Turner, Hogan (" The Huckster"), Gene Okerlund (" Gene" design;) and Savage (" Nacho Man") in particular.

The November 4th 1996 at the time of RAW, the WWF diffused the famous segment " Pillman has a flingue" with the competition between Steve Austin and Brian Pillman when Austin visited this first then wounded at his place. Austin was taken with party by friends of Pillman and a brawl burst until the image is cut. The diretor in scene contacted Vince McMahon and informed it that he had heard " explosions". The transmission was restored later showing Pillman lowing " This wire of **** had its account! Let leave it! I will kill this wire of ****! Release from my way whore! " This last comment was not censured and was clearly comprehensible, which wanted to say that the WWF was to be excused the following week for this incident to be able to remain on the USA Network. Pillman was to be as excused for this comment, affirming as it was not usual for him to hold this kind of matter.

The February 3rd 1997, Monday Night RAW became a two hours format, with " the Era Attitude" who started to run on the WWF. In the hope to break the dash of domination of the WCW in the audiences, the Extreme Championship Wrestling was with RAW the February 24th 1997 answering a challenge launches by Jerry Lawler. In an edition where RAW went back to Manhattan Center, " Extremistes" invaded the show of Monday evening with Taz, Mikey Whipwreck, Dudley Boyz, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer and Sandman. The following week, Paul Heyman carried out an interview.

Through 1997, there was more and more controversy with RAW and in the programs of the WWF like the Nation off Domination, and the D-Generation X (DX) which organized with its army stiff on the buildings of the WCW the April 27th 1997.

The March 10th 1997, Monday Night RAW became officially RAW is WAR. The March 17th 1997 marked the dispute at the edge of the boxing ring between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon (which unconsciously was a first impression from what was going to occur in November) with insults this time censured. Brian Pillman began a series from segments " XXX Files" with Terri Runnels, which pushed of advantage the stopper. These segments prematurely stopped the September 29th 1997 at the time of RAW with the death of Pillman the October 5th according to following hereditary vascular cardiaux problems and with the use of drug.

Despite everything these controversies, the WCW remained with the signal. However, the WWF could seize one second chance to beat its rival after WrestleMania XIV in March 1998.

1998: McMahon counter-attacks

When Hart left the WWF after the Montreal Screwjob with the Survivor Series 1997, it appeared sure that the WCW was going to finish of them good once for all with the WWF. Indeed, the WCW had the largest stars of this industry, like Hogan, Savage, Sting, Flair, Hart, Hall and Nash. But in addition to the stars rising not being yet in the foreground like Chris Benoit and Raven, without forgetting one exciting division cruiserweight (weight-means) which brought together acrobats of the Mexico (the luchadors) and Japan in addition to those of the the United States. However, the things were not held as the WCW had envisaged them.

The general opinion was that Screwjob and the acquisition of Bret Hart by the WCW were favorable to this one and were going to carry a blow fatal with the WWF. The whole of a company swindling an all-in wrestler more than popular and putting the fans at back would have could generate the end of the WWF and left credit to the WCW to work on this history. The WCW it organized the statement StarrCade 1997 which was a real success but certain fans considered that this show was the beginning of the end for the WCW, even if it always had better audiences that the WWF. Hogan was extremely criticized not to have finishes a match in a manner " clean" , which made confused and irritated the fans who waited during nearly one year until Sting takes the top on the nWo. The end of this combat implied the new arrival Bret Hart (which arbitrated in the preceding match between Bischoff and Larry Zbyzsko for the control of Monday Nitro) which arrived on the boxing ring after Hogan gained the match. Binder challenged the referee Nick Patrick on the fact that it is carried out an account of three too fast on Sting, indicating that it wanted " to make good a chose". He insisted that the continuous match (with itself as a referee) to prevent that Sting is made have like the " Hitman" was with the WWF in Montreal Screwjob.

However, after WrestleMania XIV in March 1998 which saw as posts dream a confrontation between Austin and Michaels arbitrated by Mike Tyson, Vince McMahon took again the head in Monday Night Wars with its new WWF " Attitude" and all its new generation of stars rising like precisely " Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock'n'roll, Triple H, and Mankind. The traditional competition between McMahon (its character became a true diabolic leader) and Austin (which ironically, had been transfered by Bischoff at the summer 1995 not to be enough a salesman) captivated the fans completely. The April 13rd 1998, RAW saw with the poster clashing Austin and McMahon, and thus marked the 84 weeks end of domination of the WCW in the audiences since 1996. The WWF did not stop there for as much. Their audiences strongly increased in the two years which followed, and this more than ever. The WCW tried to always counter by dividing the nWo with Hogan side " heel " carrying out the nWo Hollywood and other Nash in " face " who carried out the nWo Wolfpac, but much thought that they did nothing but take up the idea of history WCW vs nWo.

The WCW tries to return

Next the large blow of the WCW in the hope of reprandre its suprémacie in the audiences, was enrôlement of the former player of the NFL Bill Goldberg as an invincible monster with a series of victories record and thus without defeats. Goldberg was incredibly popular near the fans who sang " Goldberg, Gold-Berg" at the time of its entry on the boxing ring, but this did not last a long time considering the list of stars of the WCW agreeing to be made destroy by Goldberg became increasingly thin. One of the last grosses victories of the WCW in Monday Night War was the July 6th 1998 when the federation offered very waited confrontation between Hogan and Goldberg for the championship of the World (that this last will have gained) at the time of Nitro. By doing that, they only have booster rocket their audience for one week and lost much money which would have could be gained if the match were in hand-vent of statement. The September 14th 1998, the WCW once more gained the audiences with a memorable moment which saw the return of Ric Flair to the federation and the reformation of the legendary gang of the Four Horsemen. The October 25th 1998, statement WCW Haloween Havoc finished later that envisaged because of the addition of a match for the title by teams. Blow, much could not see the end of the event with the match of championship between Diamond Dallas Page and Goldberg. The following day, the WCW decided to correct the problem by diffusing at the time of Nitro the entirety of the match free, and thus gained Monday Night War for the last time.

1999-2000: The chance turns

At the beginning of 1999, each show rafflait one 5.0 on the scale of Nielsen, and more than 10 million televiewers looked at thus RAW and Nitro each week. This War fascinated wrestling completely, of the all-in wrestlers made the cover in the media but also in magazines like " Entertainment Weekly " or " TV Guides ". But at the time of the first Monday evening of the year, the rage to overcome was from now on side of the WWF and this until the end of the war.

This Monday evening of the January 4th once more saw Nitro diffused on line of Georgia Dome. In second the three hours part (the show passed to two hours in 1996 and three in 1998), Bischoff ordered in Tony Schiavone to announce that Mick Foley (as Mankind) which is before appeared with the WCW as Cactus Jack, was going to beat The Rock for WWF Championship, and Schiavone ironically added that " that will put of it more than one bottom by ground! ". Continuation, after these comments of Schiavone, more than 600,000 téléspecatateurs changed chain to see RAW and Mankind to gain the WWF Championship, because much of them wanted to see a guaranteed change of title and the success of very popular Foley. After the victory for the title of Mankind, much of fans zappaient and turned over on Nitro, letting think that the WCW had a show which the fans wanted to see, and which it could have gained this evening there without announcing the results of RAW. The audiences of the evening were for RAW one 5.7 and Nitro one 5.0. During the remainder of the year, much of fans of the WWF brought signs saying " Mick Foley puts to me the bottom by terre". The Hand-vent of Nitro was the famous " Fingerpoke off Doom" where Hulk Hogan dealt with Kevin Nash for the championship of the World which it will gain by putting Nash at ground with only one finger. It was new a " heel turn" for Hogan and thus reformation of the nWo. This match was doubtless the beginning of the end for the WCW; the show took only one 5.0 on the scale of Nielsen; it is at the time of the February 8th that it will do one 5.8, one of the last times that the federation reached such a large figure.

The WCW had also more than 40 hand-eventers, which exasperated the fans wanting to see young stars like Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Raven to be more proposed. In June, Jericho left the WCW for the WWF where a " Countdown of new Millénaire" its arrival announced. Jericho made its beginnings with RAW with a verbal confrontation with The Rock. This evening there, RAW beat Nitro of four points in the audiences. RAW dominated Nitro at such a point that the WCW was obliged to make actions despaired to make up for its lost time by bringing for example the rappor Master P or the groups Megadeth and KIS for concerts which will be complete failures and will not change anything. In September 1999, Bischoff was thanked. Whereas during this time, RAW reached the tops and threw into a panic the figures; long a 25 minutes segment between The Rock'n'roll and Foley did one 8.4 during fifteen minutes on September 27th.

October 5th, 1999, Russo Vince and ED Ferrara which worked as a script writer for the WWF, were engaged by the WCW. Russo and Ferrara tried to recreate the magic of their days to the WWF when they made Nitro a true clone of RAW . Ferrara even began a Parodie on Jim Ross entitled " Oklahoma". It pitches struck full whip, beginning in December 1999, when Bret Hart suffered from a severe concussion during its match vis-a-vis Goldberg at the time of StarrCade . The federation became increasingly desperate, added to that the fact that the WCW entered a large financial crisis, and all this only went enpirer. The audiences of Nitro were in Bern more than ever, and in January 2000, Russo and Ferrara were suspended. Thereafter, the nomination of Kevin Sullivan tent some that chief-script writer was going to engage the grogne all-in wrestlers of the WCW. In spite of to have gained the title of the WCW with Souled Out , Chris Benoit east left in sign of protest, with Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko. The four made their beginning with the WWF as a The Radicalz, at the time of RAW of January 31st very right fifteen days after the victory of Benoit for the title of the WCW.

The departure from these four there left the WCW in ruin. The WCW was still increasingly desperate, and decided later to save the championship of the World with David Arquette with an aim of the promotion of the film Ready to Rumble . Nitro was brought back to a two hours format in January 2000 in the espérence of booster rocket the audiences, but the stop of the third hour did not want inevitably to say much more audience for Nitro , which on the contrary plunged and was in the neighborhoods of 2.5 on average (whereas RAW shows the double of it even sometimes triple).

April 10th, 2000, Bischoff and Russo returned with the WCW and in team to try to save the federation. They launched a new formed faction of young talents like Billy Kidman, Booker T or Buff Bagwell (which was named the New Blood ) and especially which faced the Millionaires Club which included/understood the stars oldest and the most paid federation like Hogan, Sting or Diamond Dallas Page. In spite of a good start, the storyline degenerated quickly to still give again a simple copy of the nWo, with the heels of the nWo which recruited New Blood and the faces of the WCW which joined the Millionaires Club. The WCW continued its negative spiral.

From now on, Ted Turner was not any more the majority shareholder of the Time Warner which amalgamated with AOL in 2000. This year there, the WCW did not lose less than 62 million American dollar, because of the amazing contracts of its stars, of the lack of returned advertizing, the low level of purchase of its Pay Per View, its weak multitudes at the time of the house shows, or of the bad script of the less and less followed shows. To add to all that; Bill Goldberg, the star of the moment was far away from the boxing rings for the one year half following a wound with an arm. At the time of its return, its morals was with low a little like everyone in the company, after being forced to make a heel turn with the Great American Bash in spite of its enormous popularity near the fans.

In July, Bischoff once more left just like Russo in September, and the shows from now on were written by ED Ferrara, Bill Banks, Jeremy Borash, Disco Inferno and by other all-in wrestlers or employees in the federation whatever it is. The rumors insisted on the fact that the WCW was ready to be sold.

2001: End of the War

In January 2001, Fusient Media Ventures, carried out by Eric Bischoff, announced to have bought the WCW. The agreement lay mainly under the condition which Turner Networks preserves Nitro Monday and WCW Thunder on TBS Wednesday. When Jamie Kellner took the head of Turner Broadcasting System, it decided to withdraw all the programs of the WCW. With any national cover to diffuse the shows, Fusient decided to give up the repurchase of the WCW. March 23rd, 2001, the WCW was finally repurchased entirely with its video registered trademarks and its catalog by the World Wrestling Entertainment of Vince McMahon.

The contracts of the all-in wrestlers were not included/understood in the sale, which obliged AOL Time Warner to continue to pay most of the all-in wrestlers for a few years.

McMahon organized the last Nitro Monday following the repurchase, on March 26th with the Panama City Beach. This edition was into simultaneous with RAW diffused Cleveland this evening there. The US champion Booker-T beat the world champion, Scott Steiner, to become the last WCW World Heavyweight Champion, in addition to being the US last Heavyweight Champion. Sting against Ric Flair (gained by Sting) was the most nostalgic moment and last match of this emission, finishing affectionately with an accodance between the two.

The end was a duplex with RAW and Nitro which saw Shane McMahon announced that it was him (and not Vince) which bought the WCW. This began the history from the invasion of the WCW. To compensate for this lack, the WWE diversified in other fields.

In 2004, the WWE left a DVD entitled The Monday Night War . The DVD treats a broad part of the war, especially in the neighborhood of 1997 and right during the decline of the WCW. The precision and the objectivity of this DVD are called in question, by the fact that some think that the documentary one tells only part of the history.

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