The (Un)Sung Killer Of WCW

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

I'm really surprised that this is often forgotten about when people discuss the death of WCW. Normally, we focus on events like terrible booking, the departure of various talents, or horrendous backstage politics. These all were major contributing factors, as well as the WWF's general massive success at this time. But for all its shortcomings, at least these things had a basis in wrestling. The Fingerpoke had something to do with wrestling at the very least. Backstage politics had its basis in wrestling at least somewhat.

What didn't have any basis in wrestling whatsoever, and to me, what killed WCW, were the 1999 "concerts", if you can even call them that. Ignoring the fact that the choices for performers were laughable (Megadeth in by far their worst period in their career, a past-expiration date KISS, and don't even get me started on Chad Brock), they must have missed the memo that this has absolutely NOTHING to do with wrestling. People don't watch wrestling to watch concerts; they watch to see storylines advanced, in-ring performances, or usually both. If you present something that has nothing to do with wrestling, and your competition presents actual wrestling, or at least, a representation of wrestling in the form of promos and the like, take a WILD GUESS which one is going to go down better with television viewers. I can't believe WCW thought insulting wrestling fans like this in a horrendously failed gambit to bring in new fans was a good idea, particularly with the rising popularity of the WWF which ACTUALLY focused on a wrestling product. At least when WWE did this years later, they realised they didn't have any significant competition to pose them any threat, and kept them extremely rare.

While we're on the topic of WCW and music acts, the No Limit Soldiers sucked hard also.

 

[A11oftheLights]

ummm the best part of wrestlemania every year is the fifteen minute musical performance...

 

[nightmare]

ummm the best part of wrestlemania every year is the fifteen minute musical performance...

Only because it gives you time to rub one out before the next match

 

[klunderbunker]

Eh they were a problem but there were WAY bigger issues. WWE has had several concerts like that and they weren't that bad.

 

[A11oftheLights]

Only because it gives you time to rub one out before the next match

I dont even watch porn anymore, I just rotate through the wrestlemania musical performances

 

[BaconBits]

The concert at Mania is the best time to take a leak and grab another slice of pizza and a beer.

And WCW died because it was bleeding millions upon millions of dollars. If it had turned an actual profit, well, ever, it would have been a pretty hot commodity once Turner wanted move it.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

Eh they were a problem but there were WAY bigger issues. WWE has had several concerts like that and they weren't that bad.

WWE could afford to do that because there was no competition, plus these generally took place on PPV's. I think the best example is WM25, were people going to turn off something they already paid to watch that still had top matches to go?

Contrast this with WCW, where WCW viewers had the option to watch WWF actually advance stories or have matches at the same time while these concerts were playing. Isn't the KISS segment the lowest rated segment of Nitro ever?

I think WCW officially reached a point of no return in 1999 sometime, the ratings dive seems to correlate with the concert/Master P era. 2000 was just a Russo-induced cyanide pill, a final humiliation if you will.

 

[klunderbunker]

WWE could afford to do that because there was no competition, plus these generally took place on PPV's. I think the best example is WM25, were people going to turn off something they already paid to watch that still had top matches to go?

Contrast this with WCW, where WCW viewers had the option to watch WWF actually advance stories or have matches at the same time while these concerts were playing. Isn't the KISS segment the lowest rated segment of Nitro ever?

I think WCW officially reached a point of no return in 1999 sometime, the ratings dive seems to correlate with the concert/Master P era. 2000 was just a Russo-induced cyanide pill, a final humiliation if you will.

Fozzy and the Union Underground (did Raw's Across the Nation theme) performed on Raw multiple times.

2000 was more the breaking point, but the concerts were just another issue that they had. They really weren't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

I think we'll agree to disagree here. I think WWE could get away with Fozzy and UU's performances because they were slightly relevant to the programming (Chris Jericho, and the guys who did the Raw theme respectively), as well as this occurring after the war had been won.

Do you still think it was the Radicalz leaving that brought WCW to a point of no return?