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With this being the 10 year anniversary that the Raw-Nitro Simulcast took place, I thought I would share with everyone what was going on in my mind at the time, from when I first heard the talk of WCW being sold from the time it was bought by WWF.
I was a senior in high school, just 3 months away from graduation and it felt like the culmination of both school and the Monday Night War Era. I remember hearing about the AOL-Time Warner merger and the sale of WCW and taken by surprise at first. I had heard and read about all the stories of Bischoff looking to by the company and possibly sign some of the ECW talent also. It definitely was an interesting time to be following the business to see what would happen to WCW and I was hoping that it would survive and a “new era” of the company would begin. I had also, of course, heard that Vince McMahon was also looking to buy the company.
When I found out that Vince had bought out WCW, I wasn’t really surprised, but I was looking forward to finding out what he was going to do with his competition now that he had owned it. I was really hoping that we would see a really awesome WWF vs. WCW storyline, the thought that every wrestling fan dreamed about finally had the potential to come true.
I was really excited as I was getting set to watch the final Nitro. The opening scene with Vince McMahon, announcing that he had bought the company was a surreal moment for me. I was enjoying hearing throughout the simulcast what was going to happen to WCW. I knew WCW had been falling apart for awhile, and was saddened to see the company come to an end, but was hopeful that with both companies now being owned by Vince, that the new era would be up and running soon. I watched as Vince appeared on both shows in various segments, and the WCW announcers wondering what he would do with WCW now that it was in his hands.
The Nitro show itself was a good end for the old WCW era and I enjoyed the Booker T.-Scott Steiner match and having Sting face Ric Flair as the final match for WCW was a nice farewell to the old version. Then of course the big moment came. Vince was in the ring asking the fans in the arena if he should re launch WCW and bring in talent like Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Buff Bagwell, Scott Steiner, Sting and Goldberg or put it on the shelf. Then when Shane McMahon came out on Nitro I must admit I was shocked! I thought at the time that having Shane be the one who bought WCW out from under his dad’s nose was a really well done segment. I had also at the time been following the WWF stock for a class project while all this was happening and gave my presentation just four days later, mentioning the purchase of WCW.
Then as the months went on, WCW talent would show up on Raw, and I was talking about the buy out in school with fellow classmates and teachers also, mentioning what the plan at the time was going to be. WCW was eventually going to be a separate brand with Shane McMahon running it. It was a really fun time for me back then, getting set to graduate from high school and the sale of WCW happening both at once. I had thought at the time that it was going to really be a lot of fun. The potential was there for a really great storyline that could have gone on for at least a year.
Then on June 25, 2001, I had finally graduated from high school and after taking pictures with my classmates and other friends from school, I came right home and watched Raw that night when they were in Madison Square Garden and the WCW talent had “invaded” the WWF in their “back yard”. I really enjoyed the show and looked forward to what would happen in the coming weeks. Of course, we all know what happened a week later, the next week’s Raw was a very disappointing show and was headlined with the Booker T-Buff Bagwell match. Then the next week, they had the ECW Talent come into play, which was also a really great moment with Paul Heyman in the ring saying they would take on WWF and WCW. Sadly, we all know how that night ended. WCW and ECW had joined forces with Shane running WCW and Stephanie being the “new owner” of ECW and that was the beginning of the end for what could have been one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history.
I hope everyone enjoyed my thoughts on that time in the wrestling business as much as I have enjoyed writing about it and even though the story was not anywhere near what it had the potential to be, I still enjoyed watching the product from March-June of 2001.
Feel free to leave feedback at THETONE4L@aol.com
I hope to hear from some of you soon.
Tony Viz
