I've been watching the Clashes and PPVs from WCW 94, and have a few observations/questions for you and the BOD.
1: Did you ever do a rant for Fall Brawl 1994? It was almost like a last hurrah for the promotion that it was before Hogan and his buddies came in to ruin the on air product.
2: Has anybody ever pointed out that Hogan and Sting didn't wrestle on the same Clash/PPV for about the first six months of Hogan's WCW run? Seems like another example of Hogan playing every card he could to try to be the top babyface.
3: Was there any specific reason for the phasing out of Jesse Ventura other than Bobby Heenan was available? I'm not even asking about Ventura leaving the company, but it seems odd that Ventura is the lead color guy for two years and then he's just suddenly demoted.
2. You are pretty much correct. Sting was a major threat to his position.
3. I don't think Jesse was particularly happy with his treatment in the promotion, and as you noted Heenan was available (and probably worked cheaper).
Every time I hear of Hogan's political games I have to ask: was it worth it for WCW to bring him in? Really? He was at the center of the first/only real main stream, legit success they ever had but all the baggage be brought in seems to be what ultimately sunk them. TOO much was built around him and outside of promoting Hogan/NWO WCW just seemed lost.
ReplyDeleteCould they have survived without him?
I just wish they didn't have to give up SO much power to him as part of the package. Hogan himself stinking up the main events in controlled doses would have been bearable, but it was the political games and scorched earth with his friends that really destroyed things for a while.
ReplyDeleteThat pretty much covers what I was going to say.
ReplyDeleteTaking a shot re-capturing Hulkamania makes sense, even if it doesn't benefit Ric Flair. Hogan turning heel makes the nWo a big fucking deal. But it's the constant reliance on Hogan that killed it for me. I thought part of Hogan's heat was that everyone was tired of him/he's old and washed up but he's still champion. And yadda, yadda, yadda, eventually he's just regular Hulk Hogan again. The fact they tried to go back to 80's Ric Flair heel and 80's Hogan face in 1999 is ridiculous.