World Championship Wrestling

:There was also a World Championship Wrestling circuit in Australia from 1964 to 1978. This article is about the U.S. promotion.

The Bischoff Era Begins

No matter how technically amazing and athletic WCW's action could be, it did not make as much money as the WWF. The creative product of the company sank very noticeably in 1992 and 1993 under the presidency of Jim Herd and, subsequently, Bill Watts. There were signs of gradual recovery in late 1993 when former commentator and American Wrestling Association (AWA) booker Eric Bischoff joined WCW. Bischoff, originally brought in as a secondary commentator behind Jim Ross after the AWA became defunct, was desperate to give WCW a new direction and impressed Turner's top brass with his confrontational tactics and business-savvy.

Related Topics:
1992 - 1993 - American Wrestling Association - Eric Bischoff - Jim Ross

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Bischoff did not disappoint, declaring open war on McMahon's WWF in the media and aggressively recruiting high-profile former WWF superstars such as Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage in 1994. Using Turner's superior monetary resources, Bischoff placed his faith in the established, WWF-made stars with proven track records. Because of their high profiles, however, Hogan and Savage were able to demand and get several concessions not usually allowed to wrestlers at the time, such as multi-year, multimillion dollar guaranteed contracts and significant creative control. This problem only became worse during subsequent years of competition with the WWF, as other wrestlers were able to make similar demands, and contract values soared out of control. Hogan, in particular, was able to gain considerable influence through a blossoming friendship with Bischoff. Another problem Bischoff failed to consider was the fact that many WCW fans watched it as an alternative to the cartoony product of the WWF in the early 90s, and many NWA fans saw the hiring of former WWF talent as an attempt to copy its success as opposed to being a high-quality alternative product.

Related Topics:
"Macho Man" Randy Savage - 1994 - Creative control - 90s

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However, WCW's first major event since Hogan's hiring, Bash At The Beach, saw the former WWF mainstay cleanly defeat longtime WCW stalwart Ric Flair for the WCW Championship in a genuine dream match. Interestingly enough, the two had worked for the WWF at the same time from 1991 to 1992, and a feud was teased between them, but the big-money match originally planned for WrestleMania VIII was changed to Flair/Savage and Hogan/Sid. When WCW delivered the match, the PPV drew a high buy rate by WCW standards due to mainstream intrigue and hype if nothing else, but the hoped-for long-term effects on ratings and buy rates simply did not materialize. Hogan was, to an extent, still a definite draw and celebrity, but his style was not as suited to the Southern NWA audience.

Related Topics:
Bash At The Beach - 1991 - 1992 - WrestleMania VIII - Sid - Celebrity

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This was not lost on Turner management, however, and Bischoff's bold, expensive steps didn't quite meet their expectations when they came to check up on things in mid-1995. Thus, Bischoff called Turner and requested a private meeting, which he was granted.

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