How I would have saved WCW!
If I could change history, I would have done the following things differently:
- Starrcade '97: I can't say I'm disappointed with the way it was played out. However, I felt like with all the hype and build-up, the "right thing" to do would have been to make it an absolutely epic match-up that had a CLEAN ending. Hogan gets Sting via leg-drop, Sting kicks out, Sting gets Hogan in Scorpion Death Drop that comes out of nowhere (gets huge crowd reaction), Sting attacked by NWO, fights them off, gets Hogan again in Death Drop, attacked by NWO agian, but this time WCW comes out and intervenes, Nick Patrick either gets injured in the chaos or is indeed pro-NWO and is ousted/replaced by Bret Hart. Sting finally gets Hogan in the Scorpion Deathlock, Hogan kicks out at one point, but Sting gets it on once more, and after two to three minutes of Hogan struggling to get out of it, he taps out and the celebration ensues, etc.
If you consider the fact that the following Monday Nitro features controversy, then Starrcade should've at least given what the fans wanted all long, if there was going to be contrevorsy no matter what.
- NWO: Arguably the primary reason for WCW's success and the primary reason for its downfall. The fact that NWO persisted for so long despite the Hogan-Macho Man-Nash feud of the first half of 1998 showed that the whole thing was a pointless rouse. That internal conflict should have killed NWO right there. Around the time the Wolfpac formed, I would've instead had the NWO finally splinter apart and get embroiled in a massive brawl on either a PPV or on Nitro. Then WCW comes out and engage in one last, epic battle in which WCW, led by Sting, Luger, DDP, and Giant destroys the NWO and they hoist a WCW flag and the American flag over the ring, signifying that the NWO was finally defeated for good and a new era began. The fact that the NWO was never actually defeated pretty much wasted everything that had gone one over the past two years. I always felt like there was no closure.
- NWO Wolfpac: This goes along with the previous point. Negating the fact that the Wolfpac was very popular, the fact that the NWO existed in ANY form by July of 1998 was probably what really hurt WCW. The NWO should've died and never returned after that point, period. Give the story arc closure. However, I would not have done away with the Wolfpac. I would've had the Wolfpac, but it would not have any connection with the NWO and it would've featured different people. The Wolfpac would've been a perfect opportunity to give the younger talent more push.
- Hogan/Savage: Yeah, these guys were hugely popular. But I felt like they were around WAY too much. After the downfall of the NWO, I think Hogan and Savage should've taken a long sabatical, giving time for the younger, newer talent like Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero to get the push and development.
- The Giant: He was such an awesome face during the WCW/NWO conflict, but again, going back to the NWO's persistent existence, they basically wrecked and wasted his character.
What do you guys think? The NWO is central to my thesis, as well as Hogan and Savage. The constant usage of the NWO pretty much gave no room for anything else and that says a lot considering the fact Nitro was three hours by this point.
It sounds like I'm changing a lot, but aside from the above, I would keep most of WCW's history largely the same. And as if this had to be mentioned, the "Fingerpoke of Doom" would've never been possible in my world. Here are some feuds I would have liked to have seen from around mid-1998 and onward:
Sting vs. Benoit
Bret Hart vs. Chris Jericho
Veterans vs. newbies, basically.