What would you have done after Starrcade '97??

[relentless1]

As many people (including myself) see Starrcade 97 as the beginning of the end for WCW, what would you have done differently, assuming the event has already happened the way it did?? how would you plan for Starrcade 98 and beyond??

Heres my take on how they shouldve made the next year a success....

Hogan faces sting at Souled out, loses in a significant way with Bret Hart keeping the nWo at bay for the finish, send Hogan into a feud with Hart IMMIDEATELY, have Hart take out curt henning at souled out and macho man at superbrawl, have hogan try to interfere, costing macho the match, setting up the rift in the nWo that will eventually lead to the wolfpac. Id make Hogan vs Hart the main event of Uncensoed to go up against Wrestlemania.

Sting should stay world champ for abit longer than he really did, id have him run through scott hall at superbrawl, macho man at uncensored and finally nash at spring stampede where hogan will interfere to keep the belt on sting so he can take it for himself down the line thus causing the final nail in the original nWo and forming the wolfpac. Members being Nash Hall Macho Konnan and Bagwell

Goldberg continues his win streak, running throught the flock and beasting raven for the us title at spring stampede, he holds onto the belt until Halloween Havoc.....

as for the issue with hogan and the nWo id have hogan start a feud with nash and the wolfpac after his loss to bret and a second loss to bret and roddy piper at Slamboree that culminates in a match at road wild which hogan wins, afterward id have wolfpac vs hollywood at War Games, loser disbands, wolfpac wins and moves on to be a fan favourite group similar to the DX army. At this point, Macho Man wouldve been out for his kneee surgery and Lex Luger would join the pac.

Hogan now without an nWo still keeps the Disciple, Eric Bischoff and the Giant
with him as a little heel group, around this time the warrior shows up, he and Hogan fight at Halloween Havoc and Hogan loses by DQ when he severely injures the warrior, putting him on the shelf til starrcade, have them beat up sting and put him on the shelf as well seeing as how he was injured in reality around this time as well.

Sting continues as world champ, beating The Giant at slamboree and a still face DDP at the Great American Bash before losing the belt to Bret Hart at Bash at the Beach. To combat nWo's numbers, Hart starts a group of his own with Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit, having them beat the Outsiders for the Tag Team Titles.

Id have eddie and rey start the fimlthy animals this year instead of the LWO along with chavo as a ways to bolster the tag ranks.

A fatal four way between Goldberg, Big Poppa Pump, DDP and Raven for the US title at Halloween Havoc sees DDP win after beating Raven while Stiener and Goldberg brawl to the backstage area, thus keeping Goldbergs win streak intact while setting up the long simmering feud id make between Scott Stiener and Goldberg for 1999.....

World war 3 is won by Goldberg...obviously.... setting up Goldberg vs Bret Hart for the World Title at Starrcade 98

So my starrcade 98 would look like this:

CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE
Juventud vs Dean Malenko

TV TITLE
Booker T vs Stevie Ray

Nash vs The Giant

Hall vs Raven

Eric Bischoff w Curt Henning vs Ric Flair w/ Arn Anderson

TAG TITLES
Jericho and Benoit vs Gurrero and Rey Mysterio vs Konnan and Bagwell

US TITLE
Scott Stiener vs DDP

Hogan vs Warrior

WORLD TITLE
Goldberg vs Bret Hart

 

[daddyJ_t]

i cant believe im going to comment on this, but here goes. hogan vs warrior would still be a botch fest and the warrior will still be blamed, but at least warrior will be in better ring shape and pull off a half way passable match. as the wwe learned, too many factions arent the best thing and your case in point would reinforce this. wasnt it bad enough the nwo got out of hand with its size anyway? it was good enough for ratings that they had goldberg win the title on free tv as opposed to dragging his streak out another year. in your scenerio, by thee time he won the title he wouldve already beaten the entire roster. and thats the last thing luger needs was to join another stable. the only thing i do see worth while in my opinion is that goldbergs dumbass wouldnt have ended brett harts career when he did and we may have seen a differnt bret vs vince match at wrestlemania. but then again, russo was writing for wcw back then, so yeah this may have been alot better then the crap he was writing

 

[UFOcalling]

but then again, russo was writing for wcw back then, so yeah this may have been alot better then the crap he was writing

To be fair, Russo didn't come over to WCW until '99 at the earliest. Early 1999 is when the "Finger Poke of Doom" happened, and all of that. Russo might not have even came to WCW until the year 2000, I don't remember for sure. I know it didn't happen until at least the second half of 1999, though.

To the OP: Where is Sting on your card for Starrcade 1998? You mentioned him in your post, but didn't include him at all on your proposed card. I think that Sting is the only "important" guy you left off your list.

There could have been a tag match set up, maybe Sting could have tagged with Warrior against Hogan & hmmm....I dunno, someone from the nWo...maybe The Disciple (Brutus)? Maybe Brian Adams? I don't know, maybe the singles match (Warrior vs. Hogan) would draw better, but I still think it would have been a really poor match (just like daddyJ mentioned).

IMHO, you would have had to have Sting in there somewhere. Maybe you could throw him into your world title match, and make it a triple-threat? If I remember correctly, Hart & Sting kept crossing paths in '98.

I would have loved to see Kanyon on this card as well. Maybe he could be the one to face Booker for the TV title, instead. Kanyon would have to be heel at that point, but I would have enjoyed that.

Nash vs. Giant is cool and all, but maybe this is where you fit Sting in (instead of the World Title match). A triple threat between Sting, Nash & The Giant would have been sweet as hell. All three guys have history (Sting & Giant used to tag together, and Sting used to do the Wolfpac thing with Nash. Maybe Sting is pissed at Nash for disbanding the Wolfpac by this point, hypothetically), I think this would have been a no-brainer.

I think Lex Luger should have been on this card as well, I just don't know who his opponent could have been in 1998. Maybe Macho Man? He was left off your fictional card as well. A Luger/Macho feud would have been sweet, if done correctly. If the Wolfpac had been broken up by this point in time (hypothetically), then this match would have been sweet as hell and also give both of these guys something to do at the PPV.

I think I would also break up your tag match. I'd leave Eddie & Mysterio vs. Konnan & Bagwell (btw, why are Konnan & Bagwell tagging together? why not Norton & Bagwell instead?) as a one team vs. one team scenario. I'd take Jericho & Benoit, and put them in a separate match all together. I would have liked to see a ladder match between these two.

 

[hewittor]

Hey listen. Why should anything have changed. Wasnt that bad. Still making money. If anything WCW would still be around and there would probably be no TNA had TNT sold to Bischoff instead of McMahon

 

[dahvoo]

Starcade '97 wasn't the beginning of the end, but definitely one of the first signs of what was to come. It was the first time since the nWo storyline started that Hogan threw a hissy fit over losing the title (not wanting to look weak by dropping the title to Sting, someone that hadn't wrestled a real match for like year, which led to the awkward slow fast-count with Nick Patrick and Bret Hart finish). Hogan didn't want to lose clean to Sting. Hogan's creative control strikes.

Some people think Sting having the title for such a short time after Starcade '97 was a mistake, but having the title back on Hogan allowed for Goldberg's push to reach new heights in July of '98 when he beat Hogan clean for the title. WCW was arguably still the best at the time, but WWF was catching up by then.

 

[WrestlingFanSinceThe80s]

Shane Hagadorn's version of What Should WCW Have Done After Starrcade 1997?

SOULED OUT 1998 (January) :
-World Title Match: STING vs. SCOTT HALL w/ KEVIN NASH
-US Title Match: DDP vs. CURT HENNIG vs. MONGO MCMICHAEL vs. RAVEN
-BRET HART VS. HULK HOGAN
-RIC FLAIR/HIM vs. SCOTT NORTON/BUFF BAGWELL – DOUBLE COUNTOUT
-CW Title Match: EDDY GUERRERO vs. REY MYSTERIO JR.
-Tag Title Match: STEINER BROS. VS. HARLEM HEAT
-RANDY SAVAGE vs. RODDY PIPER
-GOLDBERG vs. RICK MARTEL
-GIANT IN-RING INTERVIEW (LEADS TO NWO BEATDOWN & END WITH NASH’S POWERBOMB)
-TV Title Match: SATURN vs. STEVEN REGAL

PPV NOTES : Scott Hall won this title shot at World War 3 1997; Hall picks up some clean TV wins over Booker T, Flair, and DDP along the way. In the US Title Match, Hennig pins Mongo; Raven takes out DDP with a DDT on the concrete. Hulk actually demands to face Bret Hart for his actions at Starrcade ’97; Bret gets laid out on the Nitro prior to Souled Out. The Tag Match ends when HIM and Bagwell are counted out brawling on the floor. After the CW Title Match, Guerrero repeatedly splashes Rey’s knee until Ultimo Dragon makes the save. This leads to Mysterio being out of action for several months. Savage is set on Piper by Hogan to get revenge for Piper booking the Sting/Hogan match at Starrcade ’97; emphasis on the unpredictability of both men leading up to the match i.e. random brawls backstage. Saturn won the TV Title on the Nitro the night after Starrcade; Saturn got the shot on Nitro as a reward for his victory over HIM at Starrcade, and Regal is getting the opportunity because of his previous reign and several wins on TV in the last month. Following Starrcade ’97, the WCW Executive Committee address the World Title situation (the questionable count) by simply saying “Sucks to by you” to the NWO, and explicitly state how much it must suck to have your own tactics used against you. The tag title match is simply WCW trying to restore credibility to the belts after the damage done by The Outsiders sham of a title reign, and to show how competitive a division it really is(Same with the TV Title). The Giant has been a dominating presence on TV since Starrcade taking out NWO members left and right, calling for Kevin Nash to get in the ring and stating he would be waiting for Nash at Souled Out if he had the guts to show up. The Goldberg story remains the same : picking up wins over everyone on TV. The WCW Committee offers anyone who wants a shot at breaking the streak the opportunity to do so on PPV. The two TVs right before Souled Out would show the NWO beginning to take notice of Goldberg.

SUPERBRAWL VIII (FEBRUARY) :
-World Title Match: STING(c) W/ LEX LUGER vs. KEVIN NASH W/ SCOTT HALL
-US Title Match: CURT HENNING(c) vs. MONGO MCMICHAEL
-BRET HART VS. GREAT MUTA
-DDP VS. RAVEN
-No DQ Match: RIC FLAIR/HIM/RODDY PIPER vs. SCOTT NORTON/BUFF BAGWELL/RANDY SAVAGE
-CW Title Match: EDDY GUERRERO(c) vs. ULTIMO DRAGON
-Tag Title Match: STEINER BROS. VS. TENZAN/CHONO
-THE GIANT vs. VK WALLSTREET & VINCENT
-GOLDBERG vs. KONNAN
-CW TITLE #1 CONTENDER: CHRIS JERICHO VS. DEAN MALENKO VS. TOKYO MAGNUM VS. JUVENTUD GUERRERA VS. -CHAVO GUERRERO VS. PSICOSIS

PPV NOTES : Kevin Nash steps up as the next challenger on the night after Souled Out; defeats The Giant on TV with help from the NWO. Hulk Hogan (who has been off TV since Souled Out) returns with The Disciple following the title match to assault Sting. Muta steps out as Bret’s opponent when Hart offers any NWO member a match at Superbrawl on the Thunder after Souled Out; Bret is accompanied by Bulldog & Neidhart, collectively The Dungeon. DDP/Raven stems from the US Title match at Souled Out; Raven seriously injures Page with a DDT on the concrete prior during the Nitro prior to the PPV. Piper is severely injured by Bagwell during the 6-Man tag, HIM pins Savage in the end; JJ Dillon makes the 6-Man tag for the PPV a No-DQ match after the match takes place on the last Nitro before the PPV and goes to a DQ finish when HIM piledrives Bagwell on a chair before applying the Crossface. Tag Title Match comes from The Steiners following Bret’s lead on the Nitro after Bret’s challenge. Tokyo pins Juvi to win the match; Malenko & Jericho brawl to the back. Nash sends Konnan on a mission to put the brakes on Goldberg ASAP. Giant is simply getting revenge on those who cost him the title shot. Goldberg continues to rack up the wins. Kevin Nash sees the potential threat Goldberg would present so the week before SB, Nash orders Konnan to step up and take Goldberg out before he gets too big. Eddy and Ultimo becomes an official match after Ultimo pins Eddy in a tag between Eddy/Jericho and Malenko/Ultimo on the Thunder following Souled Out. Ultimo stops Eddy from injuring Little Dragon, Judo Suwa, and Tokyo Magnum (all students of Ultimo’s) in several matches leading up to SB. Other TV happenings include a growing rift between Booker T and Stevie Ray as Booker begins to get booked more as a singles wrestler, Saturn continues to successfully defend the TV title on a regular basis against all comers, Wrath begins to establish himself as a singles competitor, and most importantly there is no sign of Hogan. The NWO won’t even address the issue if questioned about his absence.

UNCENSORED ’98 (MARCH) :
-World Title Steel Cage Match: STING(c) vs. HULK HOGAN
-Tag Title Match: STEINERS(c) vs. OUTSIDERS VS. HARLEM HEAT VS. NORTON/BAGWELL
-Last Man Standing Match: HIM VS. RANDY SAVAGE
-BRET/BULLDOG VS. KONNAN/HENNIG
-GOLDBERG vs. BRYAN ADAMS
-CW Title Match: ULTIMO DRAGON(c) vs. TOKYO MAGNUM
-DDP VS. EDDY GUERRERO - DQ
-TV TITLE #1 CONTENDER MATCH: CHRIS JERICHO VS. DEAN MALENKO
-TV TITLE MATCH: WRATH(c) VS. SATURN

NOTES : Sting actually demands the match with Hogan following Superbrawl, and Dillon puts it inside the Steel Cage to prevent the NWO interfering. Hall & Nash watch the match from the aisle way and walk away in disgust after the ending. Stevie Ray turns his back on Booker T before the match starts, making it a glorified 5-on-2 match as Nash powerbombs Rick Steiner through a table before the match officially starts. Savage wins after some assistance from Rick Rude and a metal briefcase. Bret submits Hennig. Adams steps up as the next NWO member to try and take down Goldberg after he plows thru several more members on TV, including Buff & Norton, as well as some WCW talent. DDP and Eddy is simply a match booked to showcase the talent of WCW; turns into something heated after Guerrero’s repeated attempts to cheat, and finally nailing DDP with the ringbell for the DQ. After Jericho’s pinfall loss, he attempts to attack Malenko but ends up in the Cloverleaf for his troubles. The TV Title match is a rematch from a pre-PPV Thunder where Wrath defeated Saturn to capture the belt. Ultimo held a tournament between his students to see who would be awarded the CW title match, Tokyo defeated Little Dragon to get the title shot

SPRING STAMPEDE ’98 (APRIL) :
-STING, LEX LUGER, & THE GIANT vs. RANDY SAVAGE, SCOTT HALL, KEVIN NASH
-US Title Match: CURT HENNIG(c) vs. BRET HART
-CW TITLE Match: ULTIMO DRAGON(c) vs. KAZ HAYASHI
-STEINERS & BOOKER T VS. STEVIE RAY, KONNAN, & BRYAN ADAMS
-GOLDBERG vs. CHONO
-TAG TITLE MATCH: HIM/MONGO vs. BAGWELL/NORTON(c)
-EDDY GUERRERO/CHRIS JERICHO VS. DDP/RIC FLAIR
-WRATH/MORTIS VS. BULLDOG/NEIDHART
-TV TITLE MATCH: SATURN(c) VS. DEAN MALENKO

NOTES : The main event is set-up reminiscent of Bash at the Beach ’96 but during a promo following the Tag Title Match, Hall & Nash interrupt a Hogan promo and inform him that he’s being replaced with Savage after twice dropping the ball against Sting; Savage goes on to pin Sting, which marks the 1st pinfall loss for Sting since he won the belt. Hart was awarded the title match after his pinfall on Hennig at Uncensored. Hayashi attacked Ultimo on Nitro following Uncensored for being the man left out of the tournament despite not being a student of Ultimo’s; announces via translator that he will prove Ultimo’s training to be sub-par when he takes the title. The Steiner/Booker T 6-Man tag obviously plays out of the results of Uncensored, Konnan & Adams are named as Stevie’s partners after the main event is determined; Steiners hit Bulldog on Konnan for the pinfall while Booker & Stevie brawl on the floor. Chono is the latest in Nash’s goal to end Goldberg. Tag Title match stems from a TV tournament to determine the #1 Contenders; HIM/Mongo defeat Public Enemy to advance to the PPV; Bagwell gets severely injured from the Dragon Suplex/Crossface combo that end the match and it puts him on the shelf for months. Malenko earns shot with wins over former TV champs including Disco, Alex Wright, & Prince Iaukea; Saturn recaptured the belt on the Nitro after Uncensored with a little assist from Kidman. Guerrero/Jericho vs. DDP/Flair tag match stems from JJ Dillon telling Eddy & Page to find partners after Guerrero again gets himself DQ’d during a TV match on Thunder; Jericho is the only guy who will team with Eddy while Flair agrees out of respect for DDP’s work ethic; Jericho pins DDP with a handful of tights. The Dungeon tag match is simply a tag team rankings match, no issues; Bulldog inadvertently hurts his knee and is out for a brief time

SLAMBOREE ’98 (MAY) :
-WORLD TITLE NO DQ Match: STING(c) vs. RANDY SAVAGE
-THE STEINERS vs. THE OUTSIDERS
-US TITLE MATCH: BRET HART(c) VS. EDDY GUERRERO
-1ST BLOOD MATCH: RIC FLAIR VS. CURT HENNING
-BOOKER T VS. STEVIE RAY
-TAG TITLE MATCH: WRATH/MORTIS VS. HIM/MONGO(c)
-GOLDBERG vs. MUTA
-CW Title Match: KAZ HAYASHI(c) vs. BILLY KIDMAN
-#1 CONTENDER US TITLE: DDP VS. CHRIS JERICHO
-HULK HOGAN VS. LEX LUGER
-TV TITLE MATCH: DEAN MALENKO(c) VS. FIT FINLAY

NOTES : Savage attempts to cripple Sting on Thunder before Slamboree after he assaults the champion with his own baseball bat following a non-title victory over Konnan. The Giant serves as an outside enforcer during the Steiners/Outsiders match to ward off any NWO involvement; it’s the first real chance the Steiners have gotten at retribution and it ends with a bulldog on Nash while Hall attempts to bail and eats a Giant chokeslam on the stage. Booker T sends Stevie packing in less than 5 minutes after fighting off Vincent & Wallstreet during his entrance. Wrath/Mortis get the shot after the victory over The Dungeon, and TV wins over Public Enemy, The Dancing Fools, and Saturn/Riggs. Muta is yet another obstacle from the NWO for Goldberg; Goldberg gets his first title opportunity on the last Nitro before the PPV against Malenko but is screwed over by the NWO B-Team when they attack him and cause a DQ. Kidman gets the shot at the CW title when he beats Little Dragon and Shima Nobunaga in a 3-Way on Thunder. DDP and Jericho is set up as a #1 Contender’s match by JJ Dillon after the results of Spring Stampede; originally set as Eddy vs. DDP, it all changed when the original US Title match changed. The original US title match was Hart vs. Flair, but when Flair was offered the opportunity to take on Hennig, he forfeited the title opportunity. Before JJ Dillon could name the replacement from the DDP, Jericho, and Guerrero trio, Eddy immediately attacked Hart to force Bret’s hand into wanting a match with Eddy. Hogan/Luger comes from Lex still feeling as if he dropped the ball when he beat Hogan briefly for the belt and being out in the cold on most PPV’s this year. Hogan, surprisingly, doesn’t turn down the challenge, knowing it’s the only way he may get another shot at the belt. In the end, The Disciple aids Hogan in victory. The TV Title match is simply a showcase of two of the best technicians, Finlay beat Chris Adams to get the shot. Sidenote: DDP puts an end to the lingering Guerrero issue in a TV match on Nitro following Slamboree.

GREAT AMERICAN BASH ’98 (JUNE) :
-WORLD TITLE MATCH: STING(c) vs. RIC FLAIR
-GOLDBERG VS. THE GIANT
-US TITLE MATCH: BRET HART(c) VS. DDP
-TAG TITLE MATCH: HIM/MONGO(c) VS. THE STEINERS
-LEX LUGER VS. EDDY GUERRERO
-CW Title Match: KAZ HAYASHI(c) vs. LITTLE DRAGON
-SATURN/KIDMAN VS. BULLDOG/NEIDHART
-BOOKER T VS. RAVEN
-TV TITLE MATCH: DEAN MALENKO(c) VS. CHRIS JERICHO
-WRATH VS. VAMPIRO

NOTES : The NWO are oddly absent from TV for the entire time between Slamboree & the GAB except for random videos declaring WCW to be on life support, that they proved Sting vulnerable, etc. The World Title match is set up as a tribute to the long history of the Bash, and it goes an exceptional 25-minutes before the NWO ruins the match. Attacking in full force, they lay waste to Sting, Flair, and anyone else that comes to help. The last thing on the PPV is a shot of the entire group standing over Flair/Sting with Nash holding the belt and a giant NWO banner hanging from the ceiling. Giant personally requests the match with Goldberg after watching him beat Booker T & Raven on back-to-back TV shows. It’s Giant’s way of attempting to assert his dominance over the increasingly popular Goldberg. It backfires on Giant as he suffers a stinger when Goldberg nails The Jackhammer for the win.Bret vs. DDP goes to a 20-minute draw just as Page nails The Diamond Cutter. The Tag Title match serves to establish that HIM/Mongo can hang with the best team in WCW and come out on top, stems from a promo where Mongo states they want to face the cream of the crop and the Steiners walk out. Luger/Eddy match is simply a rankings match that Guerrero wins by cheating, thereby further Lex’s feelings of uselessness. Video of Raven trying to talk to Lex is shown later in the night. Jericho & Malenko do two matches on TV that have inconclusive finishes, leading to this 3rd match where Jericho uses an exposed turnbuckle to pick up the win and the belt. Booker vs. Raven is simply a rankings match between two hot young talents who are trying to break thru to the next level. Saturn/Kidman vs. Neidhart/Bulldog is another contention match between teams trying to get a shot at the belts, video of HIM watching the monitor is shown. Vampiro debuts with James Vandenberg and immediately they turn on Wrath because Vandenberg feels betrayed by the increasing fan approval Wrath has received. Little Dragon runs the “Ultimo Gauntlet” where he must defeat Judo Suwa, Tokyo Magnum, and Shima all in a row to get the shot at the CW title

BASH AT THE BEACH ’98 (JULY) :
-WARGAMES: HOGAN, HALL, NASH, SAVAGE, HENNIG, STEVIE RAY VS. STING, DDP, LUGER, BOOKER T, FLAIR, AND GOLDBERG
-TAG TITLE 2/3 FALLS MATCH: HIM/MONGO(c) VS. THE STEINERS
-US TITLE MATCH: BRET HART(c) VS. SCOTT NORTON
-REY MYSTERIO JR. VS. EDDY GUERRERO
-WRATH VS. VAMPIRO VS. MORTIS
-NEIDHART/BULLDOG VS. KONNAN/BRYAN ADAMS
-TV TITLE (LOSER LEAVES FOR 60 DAYS) MATCH: DEAN MALENKO(c) VS. CHRIS JERICHO

NOTES : WCW sets up the War Games following the events of GAB with both sides agreeing that the losing entity will dissolve, and the NWO will control all TV broadcasts if they win. Dillon announces the WCW team while Bischoff does the NWO team. Stevie Ray is thrown in, quite obviously by Bischoff, as a 'fuck you' to Booker T. Goldberg is the last man announced and Bischoff does his best to hide his fear. Eliminations are in the order as follows: Booker eliminates Stevie; Savage eliminates Luger; Hennig eliminates Flair; Sting eliminates Hennig; Hall eliminates Sting; DDP eliminates Hall; Nash eliminates DDP; Goldberg eliminates Savage; Goldberg eliminates Hogan; Goldberg eliminates Nash. The Steiners request one more match with the Tag Champs under the classic 2/3 Falls rules; The champs capture the first fall when Mongo tombstones Rick; Scott hits the Screwdriver on HIM for the 2nd fall; and HIM locks the Crossface on Rick for the 3rd and final fall. Bret, since he is not in the Wargames, tells JJ Dillon he wants to do his part to end this war and Dillon puts out an open contract for the NWO to get a US Title match. Norton accepts, then brutally assaults Bret on Nitro 2 weeks prior to the PPV. Promos start airing for Mysterio’s return following GAB, and Eddy spends the month trying to send a message to Rey after JJ Dillon informs Guerrero they will be wrestling at Bash At The Beach. The method by which Eddy tries to send a message: by hurting as many cruiserweights as possible, including his own nephew Chavo. The list includes Juvi, Super Calo, La Parka, Psicosis, and Lizmark. Mortis elects to leave Vandenberg as well and a three way war erupts between him, Vampiro, and Wrath. This match ends when Wrath pins Mortis after Vampiro bails out. Niedhart/Bulldog continue to build themselves up in the rankings on TV, and voice their desire to face an NWO team in order to do their part in ending the war, especially after Norton’s assault on Bret. Nash selects Konnan and Hogan picks Adams to do the dirty work, but Adams ends up getting pinned by Bulldog. Jericho beats Malenko in a TV rematch with his feet on the ropes, and Malenko snaps, beating Jericho bloody. Dean goes to JJ Dillon for another shot at Jericho, offering up his career if he can’t win the TV title. Dillon agrees another shot is deserved, but isn’t willing to risk taking Malenko’s career away, instead deciding the loser must leave WCW for 60 days. Jericho screws Malenko with a brass knucks shot that knocks him out, and then puts the Liontamer on the unconscious Malenko.

ROAD WILD ’98 (AUGUST) :
-WORLD TITLE MATCH: STING(c) vs. LEX LUGER
-WORLD TITLE #1 CONTENDER MATCH: DDP VS. RIC FLAIR
-GOLDBERG VS. THE GIANT
-TAG TITLE MATCH: NEIDHART/BULLDOG VS. HIM/MONGO(c)
-BOOKER T vs. SCOTT STEINER
-CW Title Match: REY MYSTERIO vs. KAZ HAYASHI(c)
-VAMPIRO VS. MORTIS
-TV TITLE MATCH: CHRIS JERICHO(c) VS. JUVENTUD GUERRERA
-US TITLE MATCH: BRET HART(c) VS. EDDY GUERRERO
-CHRIS ADAMS VS. SATURN

NOTES : Sting promises Goldberg a shot at the WCW Title for winning Wargames for Team WCW, but the Executive Committee awards the Road Wild match to Luger. Dillon sees the slump Luger is in and figures this may snap him out of it, like a long anticipated apology from the Horsemen days. During the build, Luger also beats the hell out of Raven in response to his offer for Lex to join The Flock. JJ also comes out on TV and announces that the majority of NWO members were under WCW contracts thanks to Eric Bischoff, which meant that they were expected to come to work just like everyone else, and if they didn’t at least contact WCW in the next 30 days, they would be terminated. Goldberg watches the World Title match from the entrance as Luger taps out to the Scorpion Deathlock. The Committee then books DDP vs. Flair for the shot at Fall Brawl, further infuriating Goldberg, but Sting promises him his shot will come because he earned it. The Giant blames Goldberg for causing him to miss the War Games match and demands a rematch. He evens lays out Goldberg with repeated chokeslams a week before the PPV just to make a point. Following the tag title match, HIM embraces Bulldog and actually cuts a promo talking about how the toughest men in wrestling are people like him, Bulldog, and Anvil who came from The Dungeon. Booker T vs. Scott Steiner is simply a match between two of the best wrestlers in WCW. Rick is on the shelf nursing a small shoulder injury from the Tag Title match at the Bash so the Committee gives these two a chance to show what they’ve got. Scott nearly walks away on a handshake, but turns back to give an aggressive one. The win over Eddy gives Rey another shot at the CW title he lost when he got injured, and Mysterio takes it home in a spectacular match. Vampiro takes out Wrath on a Thunder, leaving Mortis to fight the battle alone, but the presence of Vandenberg costs him the match when Vandenberg throws a fireball at Mortis’ face. An arrogant Jericho rips the mask off of Juventud after beating him and proudly wears it as a trophy. It joins the collection of trophies Jericho has taken since winning the TV title which include La Parka’s chair, Riggs' eyepatch, and Iaukea’s skirt. Increasingly vicious after losing to Rey, Eddy burns his way through a tournament to see who will challenge for the US Title next, defeating Fit Finlay and Ultimo Dragon in dominant fashion. Eddy cheats to win the belt and runs for the hills as soon as the three count happens. Finlay, unable to compete, chooses Chris Adams to take his place in a Special Challenge Match with Saturn that has impact on the TV title rankings. Raven, following the Saturn match, comes out and issues an offer to Hulk Hogan to come join The Flock.

FALL BRAWL ’98 (SEPTEMBER) :
-WORLD TITLE MATCH: STING(c) vs. DDP
-RAVEN VS. HULK HOGAN
-US TITLE MATCH: EDDY GUERRERO(c) VS. THE GIANT
-TAG TITLE MATCH: HALL/NASH VS. HIM/MONGO(c)
-BOOKER T vs. RIC FLAIR
-CW Title Match: REY MYSTERIO(c) vs. BILLY KIDMAN
-BRET HART VS. LEX LUGER
-TV TITLE MATCH: CHRIS JERICHO(c) VS. PSICOSIS
-GOLDBERG VS. RICK STEINER

NOTES : Sting successfully defends the title on TV against Scott Steiner, much to the chagrin of both DDP and Goldberg. Goldberg questions Sting on when he will follow thru on his promise, Sting states that as soon as the WCW Committee lets him because they are the ones who have booked these matches. Goldberg again watches the World Title match from the stage as Sting barely scrapes by DDP with the Deathdrop. The Giant steps into the US Title picture after defeating a recently returned Curt Hennig & Konnan, and after Hart is sidetracked by Lex Luger. Guerrero cheats to win with a low blow behind the ref’s back. Luger, frustrated and angry, decides that Bret Hart’s arrival in WCW was about the same time Lex really started to head downhill. So during the US Title rematch between Guerrero & Hart, Luger storms the ring and attacks Bret, placing him in the Torture Rack until Neidhart & Bulldog run in for the save. Bulldog ends up in the Rack, causing a serious back injury that puts him out of WCW. Hogan returns to face Raven, but Raven refuses to fight back, simply repeating the phrase “Let it out.” as Hulk beats him up for five minutes before pinning him. Hogan leaves the ring confused, while Raven smiles as Horace Hogan helps him to his feet. Hall & Nash return to action with Konnan and begin referring to themselves as The Wolfpack. They agree to come back to WCW if they are given a shot at the Tag Titles in their first match back. Dillon, knowing Hall & Nash are ratings draws, relents and makes the match official for Fall Brawl. As for HIM, HE is found in the weeks prior to the PPV fraternizing with The Dungeon backstage, but just blows it off as catching up with old friends when questioned by his Horsemen allies. Booker/Flair is just Booker continuing to climb the ranks in WCW, looking for a shot at the World Title. Kidman, who is progressively becoming a babyface thru the sheer quality of his wrestling, wins a shot at the CW Title with a victory over a visiting Gedo. Psicosis demands a shot at Jericho to get some revenge for those Jericho has disrespected with his trophies. Jericho agrees if Psicosis willingly puts up his mask, which he does, and Jericho adds another trophy to his belt after Psicosis taps out to The Liontamer. When Jericho won’t release the hold, Malenko returns from his “60 days” a bit early and beats the tar out of the TV champ. With the WCW locker room becoming increasingly jealous of Goldberg’s success, people have started challenging him in order to knock him out of contention, and maybe take his shot at the World Title. Rick Steiner steps up for the PPV, and ends up another victim of the Spear.

HALLOWEEN HAVOC ’98 (OCTOBER) :
-WORLD TITLE 2/3 FALLS MATCH: STING(c) vs. DDP
-US TITLE MATCH: THE GIANT VS. EDDY GUERRERO(c)
-HIM/MONGO/FLAIR VS. HALL/NASH/KONNAN
-CW TITLE VS. TV TITLE MATCH: CHRIS JERICHO VS. REY MYSTERIO
-HORACE HOGAN vs. HULK HOGAN
-WORLD TITLE #1 CONTENDER FINALS: BRET HART VS. BOOKER T
-WRATH VS. VAMPIRO
-HANDICAP MATCH: RICK/SCOTT STEINER VS. GOLDBERG
-DEAN MALENKO VS. JIM NEIDHART
-SATURN VS. CURT HENNIG

NOTES : On the Nitro after Fall Brawl, Goldberg beats Scott Steiner one-on-one. When Sting accepts DDP’s challenge to go 2/3 Falls on Thunder, Goldberg immediately comes to the ring looking for a fight but before he can make it to the ring, Scott & Rick jump Goldberg in the aisle until DDP and security get them backstage. Sting just watches. Goldberg challenges the Steiners to meet him in a handicap match at Havoc, but tells Sting that he hasn’t forgotten about him. And on the last Nitro before Havoc, Goldberg pins DDP after The Jackhammer. During the handicap match, Scott Steiner gets frustrated and bails on Rick, leaving him to get beat by Goldberg alone. After the World Title match, Goldberg comes back to the ring to confront Sting face-to-face but Sting backs away and walks to the back , saying “I’m Sorry” as he does. Eddy gets himself disqualified with a blatant low blow after The Giant hits him with a chokeslam and then goes for a second one. The Giant flips out afterwards and trashes the ringside area. The 6-Man Tag match stems from The Outsiders wanting one more shot, but Dillon saying they needed to earn this one. Flair puts himself in the spotlight by offering up the 6-man match, but ends up the one getting pinned by Konnan. HIM seems more interested in hurting his opponents than winning, and it becomes questionable whether or not he could’ve saved Flair from being pinned. Malenko wants Jericho at the PPV, but because he returned early, Dean must sit out an additional week. During that week, Jericho becomes #1 Contender for the CW title with a non-title win over Mysterio (of course by cheating), and dodges the bullet. Dillon makes the PPV bout a title-for-title match after Rey pins Jericho on TV in a non-title rematch, and Jericho takes advantage of a freak knee injury during the match to apply The Liontamer for the win. Again Jericho won’t release, bringing Malenko out to beat Jericho bloody. Raven and The Flock (now minus Saturn & Kidman) continue their appeals to Hogan to join them, and when he refuses, Horace forces him into a match at Havoc. Much like Raven, Hogan refuses to fight back and ends up being beaten, bloodied, and ultimately DDT’d on a steel chair. With their outstanding records in 1998, the WCW Committee makes the Booker T/Bret Hart match a #1 Contender’s Match to give a fresh challenger to the WCW World Title. Booker catches the win with a roll-up out of the corner, Hart shakes his hand after the match, and raises Booker’s hand in victory. Wrath returned to TV after a few months to find Mortis out of action from the fireball to the face, and immediately goes after Vampiro. Wrath takes Vandenberg out of the equation on TV with a brutal beating in the parking lot, and Mortis returns at the PPV to ensure Vampiro’s defeat. The night after Fall Brawl, Hennig cuts a promo stating how he came back because he wanted a fresh start and knows he needs to make amends for his actions as part of the NWO, specifically his actions towards Ric Flair. Saturn is in a similar boat, having recently left The Flock, and now striking out on his own, looking for a new direction

WORLD WAR III ’98 (NOVEMBER) :
-WORLD WAR III: GOLDBERG WINS
-WORLD TITLE MATCH: STING(c) vs. BOOKER T
-TV TITLE MATCH: CHRIS JERICHO (c) VS. DEAN MALENKO
-CURT HENNIG VS. JIM NEIDHART
-BRET HART vs. DDP
-TAG TITLE MATCH: SCOTT HALL/KONNAN VS. HIM/MONGO(c)

NOTES : Goldberg confronts Sting on TV the night after Havoc and Sting once again steers the blame onto the WCW Committee, claiming he wanted to give Goldberg a title shot, but they said he has to win WW3 in order to get it. The final two men in the ring are Goldberg & HIM and, reminiscent of the HBK/Taker finale of WWE's Royal Rumble 2007, they go a good 10 minutes before Goldberg powers out of the Crossface and press slams HIM to the floor. In notable eliminations: HIM eliminates Flair, The Steiners eliminate each other, Giant eliminates Eddy, and Raven eliminates Hogan but Hogan “Sid’s” Raven and pulls him out too. Malenko is finally given his match with Jericho and completely tears through him, making Jericho tap to the Cloverleaf in less than 10 minutes and stripping him of all his trophies. Prior to Curt’s match, Hennig goes to Flair’s dressing room with the cameras and asks Flair for forgiveness for his actions. Flair tells him to earn it both in the ring and in person. In the opening match, HIM & Mongo elect to defend the tag titles but it seems that HIS focus isn’t completely on the match. Hall/Konnan are awarded the shots after their victory at Havoc, and it’s Hall who pins Mongo to capture the belts. Bagwell returns following the match and tells HIM he forgives him, accidents happen, but Buff wants a match as soon the doctors clear him for competition. DDP/Hart goes to a 30-minute draw, this time with DDP in the Sharpshooter as the time limit expires; Bret is assisted out of the ring by Neidhart and a concerned HIM when he is slow to his feet, clutching at his neck from receiving two Diamond Cutters in the match (one he rolled to the floor, the other he got his foot on the ropes)

STARRCADE ’98 (DECEMBER) :
-WORLD TITLE MATCH: STING(c) vs. GOLDBERG
-HIM VS. RIC FLAIR
-US TITLE MATCH: THE GIANT VS. EDDY GUERRERO(c)
-SCOTT STEINER VS. RICK STEINER
-IRONMAN MATCH: BRET HART VS. DDP (4-3)
-CW TITLE MATCH: CHRIS JERICHO(c) VS. REY MYSTERIO JR.
-BOWERY MATCH: HULK HOGAN VS. RAVEN
-TAG TITLE MATCH: SCOTT HALL/KONNAN(c) VS. SATURN/KIDMAN
-BOOKER T vs. LEX LUGER
-TV TITLE MATCH: DEAN MALENKO(c) VS. CURT HENNIG

NOTES : Goldberg comes out on the 1st Nitro after WW3 and tells the fans how JJ Dillon told him after Havoc that Sting was ducking him, that the Committee never said Goldberg had to win WW3, and in fact the Committee was pushing Sting to finalize a date for their title match but Sting always had something else in mind. Sting comes out to the ring to retort, but only utters “I’m Sorry” as he levels Goldberg with a baseball bat shot to the head that splits Goldberg open. The following week Sting cuts a promo from the rafters stating that he had every intention of giving Goldberg his shot after War Games, but he got too greedy, too demanding, and Sting felt it was his job to make Goldberg fight as hard for his opportunity as Sting had to for his. He wasn’t ducking, he was teaching a lesson, but Goldberg still had a lot to learn. Giant finally beats Eddy but suffers minor damage when Guerrero missile dropkicks Giant’s knee from the top rope. Bret challenges DDP to the Ironman match and it looks to be tied until both men topple to the outside on a superplex. As Hart makes his way into the ring, he pulls the official to him, leaving DDP open for HIM to German Suplex him on the concrete, and give Hart the final fall by countout. Hart, HIM, and Neidhart celebrate in the ring afterwards. JJ Dillon gives Rey a rematch with Jericho for the CW Title after he returns from a small knee surgery, Jericho cries foul, Dillon says tough shit and Mysterio recaptures the CW Title. Hogan & Raven have been going back and forth on TV since WW3 in backstage brawls until Hogan challenges Raven to face him inside a Steel Cage, Raven accepts but tweaks it into a Bowery Match. Raven ultimately wins with some assistance by Horace, Riggs, and Lodi (the remaining members of The Flock), and Hogan disappears from WCW in shame. Scott Steiner beats Rick down throughout the match, eventually drawing DQ when he won’t stop assaulting his brother after planting him with the Steiner Screwdriver. HIM/Flair starts as a friendly rivalry but ends brutally when HIM delivers multiple German Suplexes and finally Crossfaces Flair into submission. When HIM won’t relent, Bagwell comes out for the save but ends up in the Crossface as well until multiple officials pull him away. Saturn/Kidman earn their title shot with a shocking non-title victory over Hall/Konnan when Hall takes them too lightly and gets rolled up. This match is again competitive and the champs barely squeak out the win. Hennig is awarded the TV title shot after an impressive string of wins on Nitro & Thunder. Booker T/Luger stems from both men nearly getting left off the biggest PPV card of the year. Booker respectfully addresses the situation with JJ Dillon while Luger uses his “star power” and “track record” as reasons why he should be on the event. Dillon tells them to fight it out.

So we end 1998 with the following champions:
-WORLD: Goldberg
-US: The Giant
-TAG: Scott Hall & Konnan
-CW: Rey Mysterio Jr.
-TV: Dean Malenko

 

[WrestlingFanSinceThe80s]

Wrestling Fan: Mark Lasota's version of What Should Have Happened After WCW Starrcade 1997?

1. STING INTERVIEW TO BEGIN SHOW
The show starts with the lights turning off and Sting walking to the ring with the title belt to a huge crowd roar. Mean Gene interviews Sting in the middle of the ring. Schiavone hypes the fact that Sting hasn't spoken a word in 1 1/2 years. Sting is holding the belt and raising it in the air to a huge crowd roar. Mean Gene asks how does it feel to be the WCW champion and restore pride to that belt. Sting responds with his trademark "Woooooooooo!!!!!" The crowd goes nuts. Then Mean Gene says, "Well Sting, there are people out there who believe that match last night was a draw and that perhaps it could have went either way." Gene continues, "There was certainly controversy at the end. Would you be willing to take on Hogan again to validate the win and to prove the naysayers wrong."

Sting pauses while the crowd anticipates his response for 30 seconds. Sting finally responds, "Darkness has hovered over Hogan's plans and now he is the one that must pay a price for his actions. He must learn the hard way and this man turned his back on all the people who supported him. I never turned my back on my TRUE stingers, who stuck by me through the darkest of times. I have changed and became a different man. I became the prince of darkness. I am the gatekeeper! I will not allow the NWO to poison WCW again." A sarcastic Sting continues, "As for Hogan, if he wants to cry about the finish yesterday let me remind him that him and his cronies have manipulated many finishes to matches. He has cheated many great wrestlers out of title shots. Now, he must pay a price. He will not get a title shot because he doesn't deserve one. Instead, I would be more than happy to face him Man-on-Man tonight in a fight anywhere in the arena. Except, I am no longer the man I used to be. I am his worst nightmare. I am Hogan's dark cloud! He will be forgotten, as I have been for many in the past 1 1/2 years. This is a new beginning for WCW." Mean Gene with a bizarre look on his face asks Sting who will get the first shot at his title. Sting ends with the phrase, "The only thing we know for sure about Sting is nothing's for sure. It's showtime folks, Wooooooo!!!!!!" Sting then leaves with some smoke and his new theme, which is dark music combined with a rock background. The music was well thought out and excites the crowd.

(THIS INTERVIEW MARKED A NEW BEGINNING IN WCW HISTORY. HE HINTED AT THE DEMISE OF THE NWO and HOGAN! HE ALSO CHANGED HIS FOCUS FROM THE NWO AND MORE ON POTENTIAL CHALLENGES. HE ALSO SLIGHTLY CHANGED CHARACTER AND BECAME MORE EDGY AND SARCASTIC, WHILE CLOUDED IN MYSTERY. HE ALSO INCORPORATED A LITTLE OLD STINGER AS WELL. HE IS COMBINING A LITTLE OF BOTH TO MAKE A BIG RUN WITH THE TITLE. HE IS STILL A FACE, BUT IS CLOUDED IN MYSTERY, WHICH WOULD HAVE KEPT FANS EXCITED BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS LOVED BOTH STINGS.)

2. CRUISERWEIGHT MATCH

(Commercial)

3. JJ DILLON INTERVIEW
Dillon comes out and briefly said that Sting is the champion, and there have been many controversial finishes through the years. He mentions how Hogan had obtained the title by many tainted finishes. He references being a Horseman and 'tough crap' things aren't always fair (referring to how the Horseman used to cheat to win). He also says that Hogan can get another title shot down the line if he earns it. He said that there are many deserving competitors right now that should get title shots other than Hogan. He even mentions there are other members on the NWO who might deserve shots other than Hogan (to stir things up). He then announces there will be a 16-man tournament for the #1 contender spot starting next week. He goes further, "The only thing I can guarantee is that Hogan will not be 1 of the 16 men and the 16 men will be carefully selected based on performance" (which implies there could also be a conspiracy against Hulk Hogan.) He then says the winner of the match will compete at the following pay per view (WCW Vengeance and discontinues NWO Souled out). Dillon says the NWO lost naming rights to the pay per view because their power has dwindled not currently owning any titles. He then leaves.

4. The Giant vs Brad Armstrong (Giants wins convincingly)

5. It goes to the back and shows Hogan arriving in a limo with Bischoff and this new Disciple character. Hogan seems mad and is hurrying to the ring after watching the beginning of the show in his limo.

(Commercial)

Hogan's music and an angry Hogan and Bischoff come to the ring.
6. HOGAN INTERVIEW
Hogan comes out to the ring with Bischoff in a serious mood and says cut the music. Hogan comes out whining with Bischoff about how he got screwed. He repetitively says "I got screwed, I got screwed" He says he doesn't want to fight Sting if it isn't for the title. Hogan obsesses over the title and says it is his and I must get it back. He calls JJ Dillon a yellow coward. Then, he starts to blame Bret Hart. He says that Bret Hart cost him the title. Bischoff then takes over the mic as Hogan is visibly frustrated kicking things. Bischoff mentions how he was an advocate of Bret Hart coming here and in angry fashion mentions how Bret Hart's refusal to join the NWO was a spitting in their faces." Then Bischoff continues by saying, what did we ever do to you for you to screw Hollywood like this you little ungrateful punk." Bischoff mentions that they will appeal this match to Ted Turner if they have to. Then Hogan grabs the mic and says if Hart had any guts he would come here to the ring right now.

Hart comes out
7. HART COMES OUT
All of a sudden Hart's music comes on. He then enters the ring. Hart and Hogan are face-to-face for about 30 seconds. (Then a quick commercial break). Then, it resumes with them face-to-face getting the crowd reaction. Hart is looking Hogan straight in the eyes like Mel Gibson looked the killer of his wife in the eyes before killing him. An irate Hogan then says, "You screwed me! You screwed me! What do you have to say for yourself." Hart then takes the microphone away and talks about how Hogan had always ducked him for years. He references how Hogan took away opportunities he had put many blood, sweat, and tears to earn. He talks about how Hogan never passes the torch and that Hart got no shortcuts like Hogan did. Hart says he held a vendetta against Hogan for years and dreamed of this moment. Hart then says that you aren't the only one who wants a title shot. He continues that he left that other promotion that has no principles (WWF) to come here to compete against the best competition in the world. He continues, "I intend on becoming the champion." Then he tells Hogan that he may have been one of the best in the past, but he is the best there is, best there was, and best there ever will be. Hogan responds by telling Bret Hart to be real careful because and threatens that the NWO may come out. Then Hart responds by telling Hogan that he is not worried about that and has troops waiting in case it got ugly. Then Hart says, "As far as I'm concerned the NWO stands for No Way Out of this mess you got yourself into." Hall, Nash, and Syxx come running to the ring to help Hogan. On the way to the ring, the British Bulldog, Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart, and Chris Benoit all come running out and start fighting in the pathway to the ring. Benoit is doing some damage to Scott Hall. The Bulldog body slams Nash on the pathway. Neidhart clotheslines Syxx. They all push each other in back and continue fighting. Meanwhile, Bischoff throws a chair in the ring. Hart intercepts and starts to punch Hogan. Hogan gets to the chair and tries to hit Hart, but Hart ducks and he hits Bischoff. Then, Hart hits hogan in the knee with the chair. Then, Bret Hart starts to give Hogan a figure four on the ring post, while security comes to break it up. Hogan is yelling for help, but the others have all beat each other up and were escorted out. The security comes out and has to release Hogan. His knee is in bad shape. Absolute mayhem!!!

Then, the camera goes in back and shows the 6 men continuing to fight. Some of the other NWO members come in to help and the Giant comes in after Nash, while Malenko comes in to fight Curt Hennig, who was helping out. Mayhem!!! (commercial)

8. NITRO GIRLS ARE DANCING

9. Tag match between Steiner Brothers vs Scott Norton & Macho Man Randy Savage (New tag-team Brute Force)
In the middle of the match, Scott Steiner walks out. Norton gives Rick the Shoulder breaker and then Randy Savage comes with the flying elbow. Macho Man mentions in the ring that they no longer work for the NWO and that they will use brute force to win the tag-team belts.

Mean Gene is backstage with Scott Steiner as Rick Steiner lays in the ring. Mean Gene asks what was Scott doing. Scott says nothing and pushes Mean Gene (This is the start of the heel turn for Steiner. The next Nitro, he then gets the hair dye and becomes Big Pappa Pump. In an in-ring interview the following Nitro, Steiner explains his actions, becomes the new character, and says that Rick Steiner had been holding him back for years. He said that Rick Steiner cost them the tag match at Starrcade. He then starts a feud with Rick Steiner that will culminate at Souled Out/WCW Vengeance

10. JJ Dillon comes out and says since Hogan won't be able to participate in a non-title match with Sting tonight because of his condition, Sting will defend the title against another NWO member who has experienced much success in Japan and is a historical figure in WCW history - "The Great Muta"

11. IT shows the NWO arguing in back fighting amongst themselves. Each person feels they want a shot at the title and deserve one. In the meantime, an ambulance shows Hogan being taken away and the NWO don't even care. Everyone is so focused on the WCW title. It appears an NWO split is eminent. It is in shambles.

(Commercial)

12. DDP comes out proudly holding the US title belt. He mentions how hard he worked to acquire such an honor. Mean Gene asks him about the new tournament and if he thinks he will be one of the 16 participants chosen. He says he hopes so because he's the real peoples' champ. He then mentions that he would be more than willing to defend his US title against anyone. Perry Saturn then comes out and challenges DDP. The Flock tries to enter the ring, DDP diamond cuts Van Hammer and leaves in the crowd.

13. GOLDBERG BEATS SOME JOBBER IN A MINUTE

(Commercial)

14. Booker T defeated Disco Inferno and wins the WORLD TELEVISION TITLE

Booker's first singles title!

15. Ric Flair interview. He says he is the best pure wrestler ever. Then, Dean Malenko comes out saying that he is a man of 1,000 holds and can beat Flair any day of the week. This sets up a match at the next pay-per-view.

16. Shows Hogan at the hospital with his leg up in a sling, angry. Bischoff is there being his bitch giving him water, etc... Hogan says he is going to kill Bret Hart.
(Commercial)

17. MAIN EVENT: Sting vs The Great Muta (Sting wins in a very good match. Many of the old WCW / NWA fans cheer. On his way to the match, Muta tears off his NWO shirt and spits mist on it. Chono stops him in the runway and argues about what he is doing, in Japanese. Muta pushes Chono and enters the ring. Chono leaves disappointed. Muta has not been seen for some time and is in great shape. Sting wins with the scorpion Deathdrop from the top rope as Muta misses on a aerial move. After the match, Raven stands in the entranceway just looking at Sting. Sting is starring back at Raven. The show then goes off the air.

-THIS NITRO SETS UP A YEAR OF SURPRISES. The NWO is in disarray and will completely dissolve by the Bash at the Beach.

-THE NWO DWINDLES DOWN TO HALL, NASH, SYXX, and KONNAN and become the Wolfpack. This faction was very popular with the fans for a while. They sport red and black and sell many tshirts. They have feuds with Hart's Dungeon, who Jericho later joins. Konnan wins US title at some point.

-WCW re-signs Syxx because him leaving seemed to start a bad trend for WCW. He was a big part of that degenerate original NWO and will stay with Hall and Nash to counter DX, even though the NWO were the originals.

-Hart eventually beats Hogan at SuperBrawl after Hogan heals up for a month, and gets a shot at Sting at Uncensored.

-Sting successfully defends title at WCW Vengeance against Luger (who won the 16 man tournament in which many of the younger stars got over being competitive against the older stars).

-Sting successfully defends title against the Giant (who gets a huge push) at Uncensored

-Sting defeats Bret Hart because of Wolfpack interference at Spring Stampede. Hart's Dungeon group has feud with Wolfpack.

-Sting defeats Raven in Slamboree. Raven maintains a weird connection with Sting and then eventually turns on him. Raven gets over being in a main event.

-Hogan goes independent for a while feeling like he lost everything. He becomes this bad ass, don't give a shit character. He had a feud with Nash, but also feuds with other younger stars throughout the year letting them win some of the time and putting them over. Eventually, Hogan beat Sting at Halloween Havoc for the World title after Raven interferes. This builds up a Hogan vs Goldberg Starrcade match for the WCW title in which Goldberg wins. In the meantime, Goldberg wins the US title in the summer from DDP in front of 40,000 people in the Georgia Dome as the main event for that night. The Goldberg vs Hogan Starrcade match breaks all WCW attendance records.

-Younger stars are consistently pushed and there are a few new entries from the Powerplant as well. Booker T, Scott Steiner, Guerrero, and others get huge pushes during the year and beat big stars like Piper, Savage, etc... This also happens at a time when they are recognized because it is at the APEX of WCW, not when it's too late at the end. I believe WCW competes with the WWE for years to come.

 

[WrestlingFanSinceThe80s]

Eric Santamaria's version: -The first Nitro after Starrcade 1997 opens with clips from after the pay per view went off the air, showing the nWo's locker room door with lots of screaming and arguing noise behind it, then The Outsiders & Hogan/Macho Man leaving separately with their own halves of the nWo in tow. Schiavone lets us know that no one has seen or heard from the nWo in any form since & we have no idea if they're going to be here tonight.
-The first segment opens the show with new World Champion Sting coming down the ring presumably to a huge pop. Mean Gene Okerlund stands in the ring after having made the introduction, sets up Sting grabbing the microphone, still having not spoken for over a year. This moment is milked with the audience's anticipation. The first thing out of Sting's mouth is a classic, "WOOOOOO!" We get a good Sting promo about being vindicated and ridding WCW of the nWo in the process because they tucked their tails between their legs & ran in humiliation and defeat. They didn't have the guts to fight clean for almost 2 years, so since they don't deserve a rematch even if they were still around, the first World title match on pay per view nWo-free will be against his old friend he has forgiven, Lex Luger.
-To that end, J.J. Dillon(Chairman of the executive committee) announces that since the nWo has slithered away like the snakes they are, WCW is moving on and plans to present the best show possible at Souled Out to demonstrate that WCW is the best wrestling promotion around. The best matches possible will be booked & announced over the course of the next several weeks
-Bret The Hitman Hart comes out for a Mean Gene interview, stating he's sad that the nWo disappeared coincidentally when he showed up in WCW, because he knows what it's like to be screwed and when he stopped them from doing the same to others, they couldn't take it & ran. He was looking forward to setting the New World Order straight because he's realized he likes the World as it is - Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, etc. He's admired all over the world and now knows the United States is part of that too so he hopes to represent everyone in World Championship Wrestling. With that in mind, he was ready to fight off the nWo along with everyone else in his new home, but since that seems to be taken care of, he wants to not line jump ahead of everyone simply based on him being a multi-time World Champion. He wants to earn his keep here in WCW by doing it the proper way, by climbing the ladder. So, to not rest on his laurels, he's starting off with the biggest rung ; The Giant, at Souled Out.
*Chris Jericho does his slow heel turn around this time just as it actually unfolded.


WCW Souled Out 1998 - January 24, 1998 in Dayton, OH :

-Chris Benoit d. Lord Steven Regal(*The opening slot is going to be an important match on each PPV card, as the idea is to start the show off with a really good match, whatever the style, to fire up the crowd. Here, for instance, Benoit & Regal will surely kill each other(no pun intended) in a hard hitting, strong-style match)
-TV Champion Disco Inferno Vs. Perry Saturn
-The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith d. Ernest "The Cat" Miller(on the surface to keep the Bulldog active with hopefully some star power having just left the WWF, but really is solely to give the announcers the chance to point out that it's 'the dog vs. the cat.')
-Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers Vs. Wrath & Mortis(Scott is not happy at Rick for them losing the tag belts at all).
-Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero d. Dean Malenko
-Raven, Reese & Billy Kidman d. Harlem Heat & Rey Mysterio, Jr.(ends with The Flock going over and Reese injuring Mysterio in the process as reason for him to be off getting knee surgery. Booker T tries saving Rey & gets jumped, while Stevie Ray blows this off and just leaves.)
-Goldberg d. Rowdy Roddy Piper(thus begins Piper role for the rest of the year ; "trying to keep these young guys in line" while putting them over. Piper at least shows guts for stepping up to challenge an undefeated, much larger, younger opponent)
-Bret The Hitman Hart d. The Giant(Bret counters the chokeslam in to a small package for a narrow victory)
-US Champion DDP d. Ric Flair
-World Champion Sting Vs. Lex Luger(After the match, which Sting wins by falling out of a Torture Rack & hitting a Scorpion Deathdrop, both men shake hands & hug in the ring. While this goes on, Bryan Adams comes down to the ring - no one knows why he is here. He gets in the ring, stares both men down for a moment, then raises the nWo sign as the 'B-team' pawns are jumping the guardrail and attacking Luger & Sting while they are distracted looking at Adams. Then the Elite come out(Hogan, Outsiders, Savage, etc.), join the beatdown as the nWo hold off babyfaces from surrounding the ring(Schiavone : "Oh no, not again! I thought this was over!"), nWo ruins WCW's moment and is baaaaack.

*Next/post-Nitro on Jan. 26, the main event is The Steiner Brothers Vs. Harlem Heat in a #1 Contenders match for the WCW Tag Team Titles. Ted Dibiase & Ray Traylor accompany The Steiners. Ted Dibiase, who had been face, suddenly offers pre-match Stevie Ray a pay-off to forfeit the match to the Steiners. Rick isn't happy about this as he wants a fair fight, Scott asks what his problem is, Stevie wants to take the money, Booker also doesn't like this as he doesn't want to lose & wants a fair fight, so on cue with Dibiase's laugh, Stevie turns on Booker, Scott turns on Rick, and Traylor joins the beatdowns as the nWo music starts playing. Dibiase, Traylor, Stevie Ray & Scott Steiner have all joined(along with Bryan Adams the day before to once again make the nWo more WWF-centric) as the rest of the group comes down the aisle. nWo proclaims they will get all the titles back & all the power to stamp out WCW once & for all and it starts at SuperBrawl. Macho Man says he ran with Sting in the rafters & knows his game, wants to get revenge for Hogan's defeat by bringing the title back to the nWo himself with Scott Hall as the backup with his World War 3 win-guarenteed title shot. Sting appears on the ramp with Flair, Piper, The Giant, Luger, Bret Hart & DDP as Nitro goes off the air.
*The next week is when Scott Steiner makes his transformation to Big Poppa Pump.


WCW SuperBrawl VIII - February 22, 1998 in San Fransisco, CA :

-Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero Vs. Ultimo Dragon
-Goldberg d. The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith
-Tag Team Champions Wrath & Mortis d. The Public Enemy
-Bret The Hitman Hart d. Curt Hennig
-Scott Steiner & Stevie Ray d. Rick Steiner & Booker T
-TV Champion Perry Saturn d. Chris Benoit
-Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper & The Giant d. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Disciple & Kevin Nash
-Scott Hall d. Lex Luger
-US Champion DDP d. Buff Bagwell(Raven attacks DDP after the match & lays him out to start their program).
-Champion Sting d. The Macho Man Randy Savage


WCW Uncensored 1998 - March 15, 1998 in Mobile, AL :

-Tag Team Champions Wrath & Mortis Vs. The Public Enemy, tables match
-TV Champion Perry Saturn d. Rowdy Roddy Piper
-Cruiserweight Champion Ultimo Dragon, Little Dragon & Juventud Guerrera d. Silver King, La Parka & Psicosis, no DQ
-Bret The Hitman Hart d. Lex Luger, submission match
-Booker T d. Scott Steiner
-Kevin Nash d. The Giant(Kevin Nash injures The Giant's neck at the end of this match ala the actual Souled Out 98's ending)
-Goldberg d. The Flock(Scotty Riggs, Lodi, Sick Boy, Kidman, Van Hammer, Horace, Reese), gauntlet match
-Ric Flair d. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, first blood/submission match(A submission match where submissions are only in play after your opponent is bleeding)
-US Champion DDP Vs. Raven, cage match
-Champion Sting d. Scott Hall

*Next Nitro, Feb. 23, 1998 :
-TV Champion Perry Saturn, in rematch from SuperBrawl, loses the title to Chris Benoit. Raven & The Flock turn on Saturn afterwards and throw him out, no time for losers, Raven will be the only one with the glory in The Flock now, but the US title is not enough. Raven says as the US Champion he is #1 Contender for Sting's title and demands a title shot. J.J. Dillon says not to get ahead of himself as tonight he also has a rematch, defending the US title against DDP in the main event tonight, which ends in a no finish with The Flock until Sting makes the save & fights them all off, just like he used to do against the nWo.
*Sting accepts Raven's challenge for the World title at Spring Stampede because he's sick of fighting the nWo and they don't deserve a title shot anyway.
*Saturn says he's going to pick himself up from being thrown out of The Flock and show why he earned the TV title in the first place wasn't because of The Flock but on his own, so he's going to push himself by challenging Goldberg.
*Much like Raven's Rules, The Public Enemy insist on defending the Tag Team titles in no DQ matches.
*J.J. Dillon reports on The Giant's neck injury, saying the doctors are advising him against wrestling but The Giant is gutting it out & insisting on fighting on.


WCW Clash Of The Champions 36 - March 30, 1998 in Chicago, IL :

-Bret The Hitman Hart Vs. The Great Muta
-Cruiserweight Champion Ultimo Dragon Vs. Little Dragon
-Lex Luger Vs. Bryan Adams
-Goldberg Vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
-Tag Team Champions The Public Enemy Vs. High Voltage, no DQ
-TV Champion Chris Benoit Vs. Eddie Guerrero
-Ric Flair d. Curt Hennig
-US Champion Raven d. The Giant(Ends with Raven countering a chokeslam with an Evenflow DDT, spiking The Giant on his bad neck).
-Champion Sting Vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

*The purpose of this 3-hour special broadcast on TNT(This is not too unrealistic an idea as TNT was always keen to give Nitro more time) is to counter-program the post-WrestleMania 14 WWF Monday Night RAW with a pay-per-view quality show and get an hour's headstart too.
*The Eddie/Chavo Guerrero dissension/feud storylines begin around this time, as Eddie pushes Chavo in to a match with Goldberg to show how much he loves his uncle - 'Do it for grandma! She'll be so proud of you!' When Chavo loses at COTC, Eddie says he's going to show Chavo how it's done, and gets promptly squashed to Chavo's delight.


WCW Spring Stampede 1998 - April 19, 1998 in Denver, CO :

-Cruiserweight Champion Ultimo Dragon Vs. Chris Jericho(So starts Chris Jericho making 'trophies' from his defeated opponents)
-Goldberg d. Perry Saturn(Worked injury angle as Saturn is hurt by Goldberg's spear, Saturn off TV, Raven & The Flock attack Saturn on way out of ring to take him out of the equation altogether should Raven win the title and put more of the heat from Saturn's absence on the heels rather than Goldberg).
-Booker T d. Stevie Ray
-Scott Steiner d. Rick Steiner(Scott & the nWo injure Rick after the match & worked injury keeps Rick off TV).
-Tag Team Champions Public Enemy Vs. The Outsiders, tables match
-Bret The Hitman Hart d. The Macho Man Randy Savage
-Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Curt Hennig d. Ric Flair & Lex Luger
-The Giant d. Scott Norton & Ray Traylor(Giant fights through bad neck to win quick squash impressively)
-TV Champion Chris Benoit d. Rick Martel
-Champion Sting d. US Champion Raven

*Next Nitro, April 20, 1998 :
-Outsiders say they're not done collecting belts, they want the big one & demand a title shot from Sting for Kevin Nash. Sting says he'd sooner face Bret Hart, who has really shown his worth in 1998 so far, but Nash isn't even the most deserving giant to contend for this title ; he really admires Giant's fighting spirit to be going through neck problems but still fighting forward, and that's more guts than Nash will ever have, so if anyone should be asking for a title shot it's him. If Giant feels up to it, he'll grant Giant a title shot. Needless to say he is despite being warned to take time off to heal, and the Outsiders are not happy. So Nash says he'll kick Sting's hero's ass(Bret), and then Sting must face him.
-Later on, Raven asks, "What about me? Why is Bret Hart a contender? Giant?" Raven already beat The Giant & Bret never even faced Raven ; he is still US Champion & should get every title shot until he wins. Roddy Piper comes out to defend those guys, saying they deserve everything they get because they fight on but all Raven does is whine, and Piper's going to shut him up.
-Wrath splits with Mortis & James Vandenberg.


WCW Slamboree 1998 - May 17, 1998 in Worchester, MA :

-Wrath d. Mortis
-Scott Steiner d. Lex Luger
-Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho d. Little Dragon
-DDP d. Tag Team Champion Scott Hall
-TV Champion Chris Benoit d. Fit Finlay
-Hollywood Hulk Hogan d. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
-US Champion Raven Vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper(Raven's Flock tries ending the match, but Bret Hart, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart & Ric Flair fight them off, celebrate with Piper. Since Flair is already in the ring, this segues after a typical Flair promo into...)
-Goldberg d. Ric Flair
-Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash d. Bret The Hitman Hart(Match for #1 Contendership for World title, doesn't end clean, Raven costs Bret Hart the match, but Nash jackknifes Raven also & gets nWo spraypaint job, it almost appears to be nWo Vs. Hart's team Vs. Flock, which can lead to numerous multi-man tag matches on TV)
-Champion Sting Vs. The Giant(Finish is Scorpion Death Drop, Giant does a stretcher job after acting immobile).

*Next Nitro, May 18, 1998 :
-rematch for US Title - Champion Piper Vs. Raven, dog collar chain match.
-Goldberg Vs. The Macho Man Randy Savage
-Main event : World Champion Sting & DDP Vs. Tag Team Champions The Outsiders, ends in an nWo finish, big brawl with all the top names, hopefully fans already chanting for Goldberg, who hasn't fought any nWo the entire year to date, Goldberg comes out, spears the B-Team, goes to spear Scott Hall, who moves and Goldberg spears DDP accidentally instead, worked injury angle with DDP's ribs hurt, which will last for another 2 months.
*Piper says now that he's taught one young punk(Raven) a lesson, he sees what Eddie Guerrero has been doing to his nephew Chavo Jr. & it disgusts him. He used to beat Chavo Sr. in California years ago, now he's going to do the same to Chavo Sr.'s nephew Eddie.
-Bret Hart calls out Raven, tries appealing to him that he shouldn't be upset that Bret worked his way up the ranks through hard work, they should be fighting the nWo together. Raven says he doesn't care about the nWo compared to the glory he could have achieved had he won the world title, so he will personally make Bret Hart pay for taking him out of the title picture.
-The Giant is now medically suspended until his neck gets better.
-El Vampiro debuts with James Vandenberg, who also adopts La Parka to team with Mortis as a tag team. All three wrestlers together form the faction The Skeleton Crew.


WCW Great American Bash 1998 - June 14, 1998 in Baltimore, MD :

-TV Champion Chris Benoit Vs. Booker T
-Lex Luger d. Curt Hennig
-Wrath d. Bryan Adams
-Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho d. Prince Iaukea
-Goldberg d. Tag Team Champion Scott Hall
-Scott Steiner Vs. Ric Flair
-Hollywood Hulk Hogan d. Dusty Rhodes
-Bret The Hitman Hart d. Raven
-US Champion Rowdy Roddy Piper Vs. Eddie Guerrero
-Champion Sting d. Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash

*This is the last straw ; nWo, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to win back the title & the power, has had enough and makes the final challenge ; Wargames, at The Bash At The Beach, the event the nWo was born at, with something bigger than a mere title on the line - the very existence of WCW itself at stake. If the nWo wins, WCW dies. If WCW wins, the nWo dies. Because of the magnitude of such an event, the normal 5-on-5 is doubled to 10-on-10 for Wargames, and each participant will have a second/cornerman to help train or support them in the battle. However, for the sake of numbers in the two ring cage, there will an elimination format installed in addition to incremental entries. Eliminations can occur at any time via pinfall or submission, the winning team is the one who survives after the other team's members have all been eliminated and the last elimination(the winning elimination on the last team member) MUST be submission.
The PPV will also have a point system to determine a winner of the 'war,' where each match will count as a victory against the other, with the Wargames match having each elimination worth a point, meaning there are enough available points to make a big comeback to barely win from behind or win big. Each undercard match is worth one point, Wargames worth a total of 10(1 per elimination), therefore a total possible score of 16 in the entire PPV. Team members & their cornermen will be chosen as the weeks go by.
*J.J. Dillon calls out the Cruiserweight & US Champions, Chris Jericho & Eddie Guerrero. Dillon says that all WCW's champions are champions for a reason - they're good. As such, he wants the best on WCW's Wargames team and asks all WCW Champions to come out & represent WCW. Both Eddie & Jericho tell Dillon to piss off, they don't care which side wins because they'll get paid either way as long as they have the belts. So Dillon makes both of them defend their belts on PPV then. They agree as long as their opponents have to put up something too.
*Rey Mysterio Jr. is cleared to comeback and will face the man who injured him at Bash At The Beach, Reese.
*Dillon calls out Raven & Bret Hart. He wants them to put their differences aside and use their skills as leaders of factions for WCW itself. Bret Hart says his guys(Bulldog & Neidhart) and himself came up in The Dungeon, and so chooses the Dungeon alumni who has had the most success in WCW as his trainer - Chris Benoit. Ric Flair comes out, says he was the leader of a group too, the Horsemen, the only group with Wargames experience for WCW's side, and so considers Benoit a "favor" to "The Dungeon"(name is now coined for Hart's group) for the sake of WCW, and since he was originally going to pick Benoit since Benoit has Wargames experience himself, he chooses as his trainer Arn Anderson. Raven is left though with Dillon, says he doesn't want a trainer because no one in The Flock is superior to him so he has nothing to gain, but Dillon insists - bringing out the returning Saturn, since Saturn knows Raven well. They will put the good of WCW above their rivalry.
*Booker T & Sting are brought out. Booker chooses Rey Mysterio Jr as his cornerman because he showed guts when they teamed earlier in the year. Sting says he's going to choose a big, young, strong wrestler with tons of potential who has been tearing up the ranks in WCW(which should cue the fans to chant, "Gold-berg!") but once they're teased, he chooses Wrath instead.
*Bischoff comes out to announce Dennis Rodman will appear at the PPV to train fellow big man Kevin Nash. Dusty Rhodes comes out & says Wargames is hell and no one knows better than him since it's WCW's hell to dish out to the nWo, but being that Dusty represents traditio & old school,he is going to train someone who represents old school himself - returning Rick Steiner. But before the Wargames, he wants to get his hands on Bischoff & Rodman, and knows someone else who'd love to get Rodman in the ring - Karl Malone!
*The Giant comes out & announces he is on WCW's Wargames team, but on the Thunder before Bash At The Beach, Mean Gene is interviewing him to find out if he's actually physically up to it or just trying to fight through it again, The Outsiders jump him and 'injure his neck.' The biggest member of WCW's team is now taken out which leaves us with just days to go as :
-Hogan, Nash, Hall, Savage, Hennig, Scott Steiner, Stevie Ray, Konnan, Muta, & Bryan Adams Vs. Sting, Luger, Flair, Bret Hart, Booker T, Raven, Piper, Rick Steiner, DDP & ???


WCW Bash At The Beach 1998 - July 12, 1998 in San Diego, CA :

-Rey Mysterio, Jr. d. Reese(Mysterio starts his "giant killer" streak)
-Hiroyoshi Tenzan d. Disco Inferno(nWo - 1, WCW - 0)
-Wrath d. Masahiro Chono(This will hopefully get Wrath exposure in the Japanese media, nWo - 1, WCW - 1)
-Bryan Adams, The Disciple, Vincent & Ray Traylor d. Kevin Greene, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jim The Anvil Neidhart & Steve "Mongo" McMichael(nWo - 2, WCW - 1)
-Scott Norton d. Chris Benoit(nWo - 3, WCW - 1)
-Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho d. Juventud Guerrera, mask Vs. title(Juventud unmasks)
-Dusty Rhodes & Karl Malone d. Eric Bischoff & Dennis Rodman(Short harmless match, gets mainstream pub from Malone & Rodman and puts them in the same match as big name Dusty Rhodes, nWo - 3, WCW - 2)
-US Champion Eddie Guerrero d. Chavo Guerrero, Jr., title vs. hair
-Goldberg d. nWo Sting(Last match before main event, Sting comes out on the ramp mid-way through, watches Goldberg defeat his doppelganger, Goldberg perhaps taking a little bit too much pleasure in it, since Sting chose Wrath over Goldberg as his second for tonight. Goldberg carries lifeless nWo Sting up the ramp, lays him before Sting, Sting asks him to take The Giant's place on WCW's Wargames team, Goldberg just walks away, unanswering, nWo - 3, WCW - 3)
-The Wargames :
-Hollywood Hulk Hogan -Sting
with The Disciple with Wrath
-Kevin Nash -Lex Luger
with Dennis Rodman with The Giant
-Scott Hall -Rowdy Roddy Piper
with Ted Dibiase with Kevin Greene
-The Macho Man Randy Savage -DDP
with Miss Elizabeth with Kimberly
-Curt Hennig -Bret The Hitman Hart
with Ravishing Rick Rude with Chris Benoit
-Scott Steiner -Rick Steiner
with Scott Norton with Dusty Rhodes
-Stevie Ray -Booker T
with Hiroyoshi Tenzan with Rey Mysterio, Jr.
-The Great Muta -Ric Flair
with Masahiro Chono with Arn Anderson
-Konnan -Raven
with Ray Traylor with Perry Saturn
-Bryan Adams -Goldberg
with nWo Sting

*Needless to say, heels win the coin toss, the one time JJ Dillon got it wrong("a bad sign!"). All seconds accompany their wrestlers to ringside, so lots of traffic around the ring and the names progress in terms on stature as the match goes on, though I want to start with Muta & Sting. Anyway, up on the ramp, on either side are two figureheads representing the teams : Eric Bischoff(with Vincent, Masa Sato & Mike Rotundo), and J.J. Dillon(with new US Champion Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Larry Zbyszko and Magnum TA!!)
*Casualties include : Macho Man Randy Savage is eliminated and hurt from Sting's Scorpion Deathlock as a reason for him to have knee surgery & be off TV the rest of the year. The nWo also target DDP's tender ribs(from Goldberg's accidental spear a couple months ago) and he is out for several months afterward with some time off.
*Rick Steiner eliminates Scott, and Booker eliminates Stevie Ray. The last WCW team member to come out(surprise!) GOLDBERG! The final four : Sting & Goldberg for WCW, Hogan & Hall for the nWo. Sting locks Hall in the Scorpion Deathlock, Hogan moves in to break it up, but Goldberg spears him, jackhammer, 1-2-3, and that leaves Scott Hall to submit moments later(the one who started the nWo submitted to end it), leaving the sole survivors Sting & Goldberg, for WCW's team, WCW wins 13-11, the nWo is no more, the cage is raised, the entire locker room enters, heel & face alike, and raises Sting & Goldberg on their shoulders as the two pillars for WCW as the PPV goes off the air. Goldberg stepping up to take The Giant's place in the Wargames match sets up their match/feud down the line, as it killed The Giant to not be a part of the nWo's demise in the first place, but then had to watch this younger dominant wrestler - like he used to be - take that spot.

*Next Nitro, July 13, 1998 :
-Sting will finally defend the belt against Bret Hart at Road Wild. Flair comes out & says he expects Benoit to stop associating with The Dungeon because if he should be helping anybody it should be Flair. Furthermore, since Flair is "Mr. WCW," not Bret Hart, Flair should be getting that title shot, not Bret, and will take it out on his brothers-in-law. Furthermore, since Benoit was a Horseman, he owes his success in WCW to Flair & should prove his debt by teaming with him.
-In the back, we see nWo B-Team members in a long line being forced to remove their nWo shirts. Separately, Stevie Ray asks Booker T for forgiveness(he made a 'mistake,' was 'selfish,' and 'wrong.' "I'm sorry"), they reunite - or, at least are on good terms again.
-Rey Mysterio, Jr. defeats Scott Norton
-In the last segment, J.J. Dillon calls out 4 people to the ring - Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall & Eric Bischoff. All are still wearing nWo shirts. J.J. reminds them that they are no longer the nWo and cannot work together or else their contracts are null & void - FIRED. A garbage can is brought in to the ring, Bischoff angrily takes off the shirt, throws it in and storms down the aisle. Hogan sadly and slowly takes the shirt off, throws it in, and stands there. Nash & Hall aggressively take off their shirts, throw them in Hogan's face and walk off. J.J. picks up their shirts, throws them in, and sets them on fire, leaves the ring. Hogan is left standing in the ring, looking down in the flames as the fans pelt the ring with garbage. No commentary over this scene, fade out.


WCW Road Wild 1998 - August 8, 1998 in Sturgis, SD :

-Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho d. Dean Malenko(Malenko reacts badly to loss, tells Mean Gene he is "going home." Malenko off TV, Jericho trashes him for weeks)
-Wrath d. Ray Traylor
-TV Champion Booker T Vs. Rick Steiner(Rick also doesn't take losing too well, seeds planted for heel turn)
-Tag Team Champions The Outsiders Vs. The Faces Of Fear
-Perry Saturn d. Raven(Raven takes out loss on The Flock, beats and slaps them, they eventually abandon him while he whines in the ring)
-Ric Flair & Chris Benoit d. The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith & Jim The Anvil Neidhart(Mongo runs out and costs Bulldog & Anvil the match, Flair gets the pinfall, Arn Anderson comes ringside, beatdown from everyone but Benoit who seems confused while the others hold up four fingers, the Four Horsemen reunited - or at least, the other 3 seem to think so, Benoit reluctantly holds up the fingers)
-Goldberg d. Rey Mysterio, Jr.
-US Champion Chavo Guerrero, Jr. Vs. Eddie Guerrero
-Champion Sting d. Bret The Hitman Hart

*Hogan sitting in crowd on a Harley for whole show, shown but does nothing beyond that. Outsiders flip off on way to ring, and blame for loss as they were 'distracted' by his mere presence, trash him for weeks afterwards. Hogan sits in the crowd wearing plain black clothes for weeks with no expression, in his version of Crow Sting in the rafters.

*Next Nitro, Aug. 8, 1998 :
-Saturn says WCW rid themselves of one group that was ruining the promotion weeks ago, and if he has anything to say about it, they have one more to go ; he calls out The Flock by himself. Raven tries stopping them on the way to ring, but they dismiss him. Saturn tells them all to leave manipulator Raven behind & go off on their own. When they move to leave the ring to do just that, Raven slaps them once more, and all of them beat him down at once. Eventually Saturn steps in and tells them to just leave him be, he's pathetic enough. Raven will then seek each one out and fight them one by one for revenge.
-Rey Mysterio, Jr. defeats Kevin Nash when Nash is distracted by looking at Hogan in audience. After the victory, Konnan attacks Rey, jealous because he thinks he should be the biggest Mexican star but Mysterio gets all the spotlight. Konnan cool with The Outsiders from the nWo days so they start associating themselves together as The WolfPack.
-Ric Flair says Bret Hart failed to defeat Sting, but Flair knows Sting better than anyone and wants a title shot. Bret Hart says if Flair's getting a title shot, he'll still show Flair he can win gold, so goes for the tag titles with Neidhart. Luger comes out in the middle of this and says if we're talking about title shots, he defeated Hogan last year and that was forgotten. Why do Sting & Goldberg get all the spotlight for helping WCW fight the nWo when Luger did it first? J.J. Dillon says Flair's legend is big enough to deserve a title shot, Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart's legend is enough to deserve a tag title shot, but Luger needs to defeat Goldberg to show he deserves one.
*#1 Contenders match between The Dungeon(Bret & Neidhart) Vs. The Outsiders set it up. Scott Hall distracted by Hogan being there, blames Hogan for loss.
*Warrior debuts out of nowhere, comes to the ring, calls Hogan in the ring, tells Hogan he doesn't want to fight him, he wants to help him. The nWo may be no more, but if he wants to achieve his past glory, to be the Hogan we knew & admired, he must rid WCW of the residuals of the virus he started, he must destroy what he created, with his own hands. Warrior tells Hogan to watch his example, as The Warrior has come to WCW to destroy imitators("with hair, and without" inferring The Renegade, and Goldberg) and to expand his horizons.


WCW Fall Brawl 1998 - September 13, 1998 in Winston Salem, NC :

-Billy Kidman d. Ultimo Dragon
-Wrath d. Steve "Mongo" McMichael
-TV Champion Booker T d. Mortis
-The Warrior d. The Renegade(Renegade lasts as long as The Honky Tonk Man)
-Raven d. Van Hammer
-Hulk Hogan d. Scott Hall
-Tag Team Champions The Faces Of Fear d. Bret The Hitman Hart & Jim The Anvil Neidhart
-Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho d. Rey Mysterio, Jr.
-Goldberg d. Lex Luger(Luger injury angle with worked hurt rubs to give him time off)
-US Champion Eddie Guerrero d. Perry Saturn
-Champion Sting d. Ric Flair

*Next Nitro, Sep. 14, 1998 :
-DDP returns in first segment with Mean Gene, says he watched the show last night and felt Luger's pain, as he knows how painful Goldberg's spear is, but one guy who doesn't is Luger's friend Sting. DDP calls Sting out, says Sting's been a fighting champion sure, but there's one guy out there that everyone wants to see challenge Sting for that belt and he appears to be ducking him. DDP says he was dubbed "the people's champion" a year ago and can hear the people chanting for Goldberg every show now. Sting doesn't take too kindly to the accusation, says since DDP said the people like Goldberg, what about the "people's champion," DDP? Wouldn't the people like to see DDP fight for the title? He'll give DDP a huge opportunity - a shot at the title his first match back, at Havoc. J.J. Dillon says DDP will be granted the title shot, but it will be after Sting defends the title tonight, against The Warrior! Sting defeats Warrior in the main event with Goldberg watching.
-Bret Hart & Ric Flair both came up short in their titles shots the night before, so before they can get back in to contention, they want Benoit's support on their side & make up his mind where his loyalties are. Benoit is split, so Bret Vs. Flair is set up with Benoit as the referee who will raise the 'winner's' hand, with the word 'winner' being obviously not just the winner of the match, but the 'winner' of Benoit's loyalty.
*Buff Bagwell appears in a wheelchair at the Georgia Dome(hometown) in his first appearance since neck injury in April interviewed by Mean Gene, Scott Steiner comes out & threatens him since he was weak and left the nWo high & dry when they needed him, Scott needed to pick up the slack for this loser. Scott Norton comes out to defend him, but Rick comes out to back Scott up. Steiners re-united as heels.


WCW Halloween Havoc 1998 - October 25, 1998 in Las Vegas, NV :

-Wrath d. Scott Hall
-Raven d. Scotty Riggs
-US Champion Eddie Guerrero & Konnan d. Perry Saturn & Rey Mysterio, Jr.
-TV Champion Booker T d. El Vampiro
-Tag Team Champions The Faces Of Fear Vs. Mortis & La Parka
-Cruiserweight Battle Royal, winner Vs. Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho(Same angle as the actual Slamboree 98, except more appropriate here as Dean Malenko wins as Ciclope(giving the announcers the perfect opportunity to say, "What a Halloween costume!") and defeats Chris Jericho for the title in the subsequent match)
-Hulk Hogan d. Kevin Nash
-Bret The Hitman Hart Vs. Ric Flair(half hour time limit with Chris Benoit as special guest referee, goes to a draw so Benoit has both men's wrists clutched, but raises Bret's & leaves with him, officially joining The Dungeon. Flair goes apeshit)
-Goldberg d. The Warrior(Warrior injury angle from spear to write him off TV, "Sting - You're Next!")
-Champion Sting d. DDP(Finish has Sting go for Scorpion Deathdrop, and as he holds DDP in position raising his other hand for a pop, DDP grabs Sting in a Diamond Cutter but is caught in the Scorpion Deathdrop on the way down, so he Diamond Cuts Sting & takes the move at the same time, leaving Sting unconscious on top of DDP for the pin).

*Next Nitro, Oct. 26, 1998 :
-US Champion Eddie Guerrero loses the title to DDP & can join The WolfPack officially afterwards.
-Jericho complains about a conspiracy against him. Joe Joe Dillon comes out to deal with this. To shut him up, he puts him in the co-main event of the next PPV and gives him a US Title shot. Jericho plays it out like he wasn't expecting such a big match & doesn't want it now, like he's bitten off more than he can chew & didn't expect to be given THIS big a challenge! This is supposed to be a "be careful what you wish for."
-Sting wants a break(Just as Goldberg defeated in The Warrior at Havoc in what looks like a #1 Contenders match after months of beating other top names!), as he has been defending the title for 10 months straight. He's going to sit out World War 3 to see who will challenge him at Starrcade & rest up until then.
-Ric Flair brings Barry Windham back to the Horsemen to go to war with The Dungeon, with Benoit the traitor now amongst their ranks.
*Bam Bam Bigelow debuted on Nov. 16 by showing up in the back, screaming for Goldberg & being held back by security. That was cool, so let's just do that again here.
*How about this for a TV main event - Outsiders, Konnan & Eddie Guerrero Vs. Hogan, Mysterio Jr, Chavo Jr. & Saturn?


WCW World War 3 1998 - November 22, 1998 in Auburn Hills, MI :

-Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko d. Rey Mysterio, Jr.
-Perry Saturn d. Konnan
-Bam Bam Bigelow d. Meng
-Billy Kidman d. Juventud Guerrera
-Tag Team Champions Mortis & La Parka d. Disco Inferno & Alex Wright
-Scott Steiner d. Curt Hennig(#1 Contender's Match for TV title, finish is Steiner Recliner 'injuring' Hennig's back to give him time off)
-TV Champion Booker T d. Eddie Guerrero
-Bret The Hitman Hart, Jim The Anvil Neidhart & Chris Benoit d. Ric Flair, Barry Windham & Steve "Mongo" McMichael
-US Champion DDP d. Chris Jericho(Finish is Jericho going for a Lionsault & DDP catching him in a Diamond Cutter in mid rotation).
-World War 3 match :
(1. Kevin Nash, 2. Goldberg, 3. Scott Hall, 4. Buff Bagwell, 5. Scott Norton, 6. Stevie Ray, 7. Hulk Hogan, 8. The Giant, 9. Lex Luger, 10. Rowdy Roddy Piper, 11. Dusty Rhodes, 12. Bryan Adams, 13. Vincent, 14. Ernest The Cat Miller, 15. Glacier, 16. Hacksaw Jim Duggan, 17. Jim Powers, 18. Norman Smiley, 19. Lodi, 20. El Dandy, 21. Brian Knobbs, 22. The Barbarian, 23. Bobby Eaton, 24. Hugh Morris, 25. Raven, 26. Chavo Guerrero, Jr., 27. Ciclope, 28. Damian, 29. Chris Adams, 30. Kaz Hayashi, 31. Lenny Lane, 32. Jerry Flynn, 33. Rick Steiner, 34. Booker T, 35. Roadblock, 36. Dean Malenko, 37. Wrath, 38. Steve Armstrong, 39. Villano IV, 40. La Parka, 41. Kevin Sullivan, 42. DDP, 43. Rick Fuller, 44. Horace Hogan, 45. Scotty Riggs, 46. Van Hammer, 47. Reese, 48. Fit Finlay, 49. Ultimo Dragon 50. Silver King, 51. Psicosis 52. Robbie Rage 53. Kenny Kaos, 54. Rocco Rock, 55. Johnny Grunge, 56. Prince Iaukea, 57. Ray Traylor, 58. Marty Jannetty, 59. Mortis, 60. Barry Horowitz)

*Only champions may wrestle twice - in the standard card AND in the WW3 match itself.
*Match unfolds with Nash completely clearing one ring, Giant clearing another, and the bigger names left in the third ring. Nash & Giant clear their respective rings at the same time, they staredown, and when they go to collide, wrestlers from the third ring prevent it just before they can truly throw down & maybe they eventually eliminate one another.
*Goldberg wins by throwing out Wrath.

*Next Nitro, Nov. 23, 1998 :
-Bret Hart says he's done with Ric Flair, he's looking at another 'washed up, bleached blond who's overstayed his welcome - Hulk Hogan!' He says Hogan is trying to redeem himself, but Bret Hart is way ahead of him as he's been doing that for an entire year now, wrapping up unfinished business & climbing the ladder. Bret says he thought he was rid of Hogan, but since Hogan's stuck around, Bret wants to get the match he never got because Hogan was ducking him for years, at Starrcade!


WCW Starrcade 1998 - December 27, 1998 in Washington, DC :

-Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko Vs. Billy Kidman
-Eddie Guerrero, Konnan & Scott Hall d. Rey Mysterio, Jr., Perry Saturn & Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
-TV Champion Booker T Vs. Scott Steiner(Can probably do the Steiner recliner injury finish here to give him time off)
-Wrath d. Reese
-The Giant d. Kevin Nash, #1 Contenders match
-Tag Team Champions Mortis & La Parka Vs. Vicious & Delicious(Bagwell's comeback/feel-good title victory)
-Chris Benoit d. Ric Flair(Benoit goes to shake Flair's hand, which Flair does, but then he low blows him, Malenko attacks Benoit afterwards, joins the Horsemen - Flair, Mongo, Windham & Malenko with Arn Anderson)
-US Champion DDP Vs. Chris Jericho
-Raven d. Horace Hogan(Raven destroys Horace in short order, bloodies him, Hogan comes out to make the save, Raven walks off, smiles, segues in to next match...)
-Bret The Hitman Hart d. Hulk Hogan(The Dungeon attack Hogan after the match, the Horsemen come out to make the save, but Jericho comes out, attacks Malenko & the rest, joins The Dungeon - Bret, Neidhart, Benoit & Jericho)
-Champion Sting Vs. Goldberg(Sting does the traditional spear injury angle to give him time off until the spring).

And so ends my WCW in 1998. Some storylines for the next year :
-Hogan/Raven feud which will lead to Hogan's redemption at the end and then a return to the red & yellow.
-Horsemen/Dungeon feud continues(Bret/Neidhart/Benoit/Jericho Vs. Flair/Windham/Malenko/McMichael) & involves feuds/matchups such as Jericho/Flair, Jericho/Malenko, Benoit/Malenko, Bret/Malenko, etc., and leads to a Wargames match before Jericho leaves WCW as he did in 99. The previous/perhaps current Jericho/DDP feud probably segues in to DDP/Benoit, DDP/Bret.
-Steiners can win the tag titles from Vicious & Delicious but Bagwell can come back to beat Scott for the TV title.

 

[WrestlingFanSinceThe80s]

Continued from Eric Santamaria's version of What Should Have Happened After WCW Starrcade:

And for a preview of where the rest would go, here are the tentative World title PPV matches for 1999(I say tentative because 1999 has not been written out in detail as above) :

-Souled Out : Champion Goldberg Vs. The Giant
-SuperBrawl : Champion Goldberg Vs. Kevin Nash
-Uncensored : Champion Goldberg Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
-Spring Stampede : Champion Goldberg Vs. US Champion Chris Jericho
-Slamboree : Champion Goldberg Vs. Wrath
-Great American Bash : Champion Goldberg Vs. DDP
-The Bash At The Beach : Champion DDP Vs. The Macho Man Randy Savage
-Road Wild : Champion DDP Vs. Raven and/or Chris Benoit
-Fall Brawl : Champion DDP Vs. Bret The Hitman Hart
-Halloween Havoc : Champion Bret The Hitman Hart Vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr., Eddie Guerrero or Ric Flair
-Mayhem : Champion Bret The Hitman Hart Vs. Chris Benoit
-Starrcade : Champion Chris Benoit Vs. ?

 

[Carpathian Florist]

I would have had Bret Hart teaming with Sting to dismantle the nWo piece by piece over the next couple of months and then given Hogan some time off TV after being "destroyed" by them. Meanwhile Goldberg would be mowing through the entire roster like his life depended on it.
Then the still evil Hogan would redebut at Bash of the Beach, destroying Sting after a hard fought but successful title defense and announce his plans to take over WCW again, starting with the belt.
At this point I'd try anything I could to grab a top WWF star (and depending on whom, could be given the same type of role as Ed Leslie had as The Disciple) to run interference at Road Wild, where Hogan would get his shot against Sting (just for that trademarked WCW "SHOCK") and win via said interference.
Goldberg would then win World War 3, earning his shot at Hogan for Starrcade.

Tease it slowly that Hogan was reforming the nWo again, until Starrcade where he is completely destroyed by Goldberg is a decisive victory for the title, at which point Hogan loses all credibility and once again disappears for awhile. As it's likely he'd still have time on his contract he could always be brought back as the "red and yellow" later, after having "changed his ways"

Then there are a number of ways things could go. Hopefully by this time Raven would have been elevated as the top heel, Hall and Nash could be made even more evil than before due to being bitter at the failure of the nWo (or perhaps one turns on the other), Bret could be turned heel as he never got the match for the title against his "friend" Sting, then 1999 is set up with new main events in the form of all the various top level stars against Goldberg, especially the older guys like Lex, Macho etc who could slowly be phased out to make room at the top for Benoit, Saturn, Raven etc whilst also drawing the buyrates against Goldy, giving the rest of the roster time to properly ascend the ladder. You could even have Bash at the Beach hosting Hogan/Goldberg II for example.

I would hope that Starrcade 1999 would be Sting vs Goldberg for the title, with a slight change in the rules of World War 3 so a newer star could win that and have a title shot at a later PPV.

 

[relentless1]

@Idioteqe555, as i said, i think the injuries wouldve played out the same so thats why macho and sting are not on the starrcade list, as for 1999, i would have goldberg run through everyone, id have scott stiener do the same, becoming the crazy big poppa pump heel and have him take the belt off goldberg at road wild only to lose it back to goldberg at starrcade 99

 

[huegtoad]

WOW
some of you guys have wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy thought this through too much, all i know is bret hart should have been shelved until after starcade, making him a part of the show, too hot shotty and a huge mistake AND they should have started him with a clean slate having him challenge sting at superbrawl for the title. they should have highlighted hart's skills instead of his screwed.

just my opinion

 

[FlairFan2003]

First, you built Hogan vs Sting for a year... you don't end it with two quick PPV matches and that's it. Leave Hogan & Sting alone through SuperBrawl, one of WCW's anual biggest PPV of the year. Have the first half of the year be about Hogan trying to regain his title (Sting goes over again at SB).

Have Hart spend his time is he or isnt he going NWO... have Bischoff and company court him hard, leading to an all out feud with Ric Flair, rekindling their WWF time. WCW did this for about a month before they realized Flair was too popular and Hart was getting booed too much. This time let it go, allow Hart to be seen as a tweener, plus he and Flair had some really good matches early 98, expand on that.

Eventually as summer moves in, Hart seemingly goes NWO only to stab them in the back, saving Flair in the process, becoming a ful fledged fan favorite. Some good tag team matches ensue vs various NWO combos.

Sting moves through Scott Hall and Scot Steiner as the NWO can't get the world title back. Nash growing anxious, hint at him turning face and leaving.

Goldberg win streak grows. At the Great American Bash Gooldberg finally gets his World Title shot vs Sting and wins. Goldberg survives rematches with Sting, moves into a full fledged feud with The Giant, not the hastily thrown together wash that WCW did in fall of 98.

Have Hogan disappear after his series vs Sting ends, probably around March, then re-emerge at summer's end looking for a title shot. Fued with Nash envelops because he feels Hogan abandoned the group and doesn't deserve to be next in line for a title shot after The Giant, it should be him. Randy Savage shocks his NWO brethren when he joins Nash and forms The New Outisders. Nash vs Hall matches start.

Hogan vs Nash at Fall Brawl, Hogan wins with a lot of help from Bischoff et all. Meanwhile, start laying the groundwork for Flair in the title picture which just infuriates Hogan. Hart too wants his shot. At Halloween Havoc, forget the Ultimate Warrior, have Hogan vs Hart, winner gets title shot at Starrcade. Co-Main Event, Flair vs Goldberg, Goldberg retains, Hogan goes over Hart, again with help from NWO. Hart wants another hot at Hogan but Nash does too, they fued while Hogan antagonizes Goldberg on the road to Starrcade.

Have some related tag matches, grudge matches, and maybe a non title Goldberg match, specialty match like No DQ or in a cage vs an NWO guy, maybe Steiner.

At Starrcade 98 Hogan vs Goldberg headlines, with Hogan ending the streak when Nash shocks everyone after a ref bump and interferres to SAVE Hogan, re-join the NWO. When Savage confronts him they punk him until Hart & Flair make the save.

So heading into 1999 we have Hogan ending the Streak, Nash rejoning the NWO, Goldberg joining with Hart & Flair, with Sting lurking in the background, Savage on the warpath vs NWO. Lot of potential for early 1999.

Of course I though early 99 looked really good back then and look what happened, I wont go there, Ive posted my opinions on that time rame many times.

 

[MMK]

WOW
some of you guys have wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy thought this through too much

lol. I know. that was my reaction.

bret hart should have been shelved until after starcade, making him a part of the show, too hot shotty and a huge mistake AND they should have started him with a clean slate having him challenge sting at superbrawl for the title. they should have highlighted hart's skills instead of his screwed.

I agree that they misused Bret. But I dont think the problem was that they focused too much on him getting "Screwed", I actually think that they didnt highlight the montreal screwjob enough. This should have been the period where WCW killed WWF. WWF was at it's weakest and the whole Bret Hart controversy could have been the nail in the coffin. This was WCW's chance to bury WWF and they blew it. Strangely enough it was Vince who capitalized on the controversy and used it to turn WWF around.

Brets introduction to WCW was AWFUL. Especially when you compare it to Jerichos debut in WWF. The production value for Jerichos arrival was top notch, whereas Bret just walked out to generic music in a very forgettable segment.

Bret should have showed up the night after the Montreal incident. He should have been in the opening segment of Nitro and did a shoot on Vince, Shawn, and all of the WWF. Why WCW waited 3 or so weeks to bring him in is beyond me. They needed to capitalize on the controversy right away. You'd think Bischoff, the man who wrote Controversy creates Cash would know that. When people want to hear the dirt on a recent controversy, they go to the source. WCW had the source (Bret) and yet they didnt bring him on Nitro for like a month.

I would have had NWO interrupt Brets shoot promo and offer Bret a spot in NWO only to have Bret turn them down because when he looks at Nash and Hall all he sees is Shawn and Hunter 2.0. He just left a company where the inmates ran the asylum, he wasnt about to join another group like the one that screwed him 24 hours earlier.

I agree with you that Bret should not have been involved in the starrcade match. That was hot shot booking like you said. I also agree that he and Sting should have met for the title. It's so obvious, yet WCW didnt see it. I would have had Bret/Sting form a partnership and fight the nwo for a while, but eventually they would have to face each other for the belt. Make it a submission match if you like, Sharpshooter vs Scorpion death lock. They're so similar in styles and were both the face of their respective companies for so long, that the two could have had a series of epic clashes in WCW.

There's two ways you go with that feud. 1)It could end with a handshake out of respect ala Bret/Davey Boy Summerslam 92, or 2) you could pull a swerve and have NWO help Bret win and reveal that Bret actually was with them all along. He's a former WWF guy just like Hulk, Macho, Nash, Hall, etc, so it would make sense for him to be working with them all along. I would prefer to go the respectful rivalry route, but thats just me.

 

[Kasey]

I would've done the best thing possible and have Hogan ousted from the NWO. They'd embarrass him the next night on Nitro and let him know that they were tired of protecting him all the time. Wipe the slate clean. They had already began bleeding too much life out of the thing and Hogan was too old to deliver main-event matches five years before that Starrcade. I would've shitcanned Hogan entirely. Let Nash lead the NWO and be the top heel. Why? Simple. He could actually sell the opponents' offense and wasn't a physical gag like Hogan. WCW flunked the next two years because they kept stacking the cards around Hogan and he couldn't compare to ANY of the WWF's top guys in terms of the match quality they put on. At least Nash could make it believable if he took a punch from somebody. Hell, have Hart's assistance at Starrcade bring him over to the NWO as the new defacto leader and then put a huge bullseye on Sting's back with Hart and the NWO trying to do him in. Then you could have a series of matches between Hart and Sting or whatever instead of Hogan clutching the belt with a deathgrip while simultaneously destroying the company while Hart is wasted losing in midcard matches to Piper and DDP for the U.S. belt. Hell, I'd have even brought Goldberg into the NWO as an enforcer-type the following year and trimmed their ranks to make them seem more elite and fearsome.