 |
| source// wwe.com |
Bursting through the curtain for his first ever WCW World Title bout, Hulk Hogan looked slimmed down, healthy, and eager to make a great first impression. At World Championship Wrestling’s Bash At The Beach event on July 17, 1994, Hogan was set to face ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair in a match pro wrestling fans had waited years to see.
This was the dawning of a new era for WCW, and many backstage felt the company – upon signing Hulk – had finally hit the big time. There was a sea of change on the roster, quickly evolving into a line-up which greatly resembled the WWF roster of the late-1980’s and early-1990’s.
Hogan brought pals like Jim Duggan, The Honky Tonk Man and Ed ‘Brutus Beefcake’ Leslie along for the ride. The latter even headlined Starrcade 1994 opposite Hulk himself, a decision WCW VP Eric Bischoff would later dub a mistake that he regrets. Talked into allowing the match by Hogan, Bischoff was left disappointed by the results.
Incredibly, Leslie wasn’t the only man floating around Hulk Hogan for a potential match at Starrcade. Another former WWF star was rumoured in wrestling magazines of the day, and it would have been quite the sight to see him headline as proposed.
1994 was a big year for WCW, but things could have turned out very, very different.
10. Bobby Heenan Was Hired To Give WCW A WWF Feel
It’s been said time and time again by everyone from Jim Ross to Gene Okerlund, there was nobody quite like Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan. A talented in-ring performer, manager and announcer, Heenan could pretty much do it all in wrestling. That’s precisely why Eric Bischoff wanted to sign him in 1994.
Making his debut with WCW in January, 1994, Heenan instantly added credibility to the product. His pro-heel cheering on commentary had a great feel to it, and he would pretty much replace Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura as the lead colour announcer in the promotion.
During a Kayfabe Commentaries shoot analysing the year of 1994, Bischoff revealed his reasoning for wanting Heenan so badly. WCW’s top brass felt the announcer could only add to the production of the television shows, and help things move away from a distinct Southern feel WCW had fostered over the years.
In other words, Heenan would help WCW seem less small time and more on par with the WWF.
9. There Was An Internal Battle Between Mick Foley And Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff didn’t much care for the wild man antics of one Mick Foley, feeling his reckless in-ring style failed to fit with the more corporate leanings of Ted Turner’s organisation. Foley – as Cactus Jack – would routinely hurl himself from the ring apron, landing violently on opponents with an elbow drop.
On other occasions, he’d soak up immense punishment during matches against the likes of Big Van Vader. Receiving thunderous powerbombs on concrete floors, Cactus used real pain to put across the dangerous nature of his matches. Ironically, it was a spot he had performed many times before which would prove the final straw for Bischoff and other management.
During a show in Munich, Germany, Mick Foley’s ear was ripped from his head whilst executing a hangman style move amidst a match with Vader. This was too much for officials, who wanted to move in a much safer direction overall.
Foley would depart WCW around mid-way through 1994, and would never wrestle for the company again. He went on to become one of the biggest names during the WWF’s ‘Attitude’ Era, his violent nature actually helping him reach the top. It wasn’t something Eric Bischoff particularly liked.
8. Ric Flair Was Giddy Over Potential Hulk Hogan Signing
Before he would agree to sign on the dotted line with the promotion, Hulk Hogan wanted assurances that he would work a lengthy program opposite Ric Flair upon his immediate arrival. WCW management were never going to stand in the way of that idea, smelling the potential for great earnings from such a feud.
On the other side of things, Flair himself was excited by the prospect of welcoming Hogan into the WCW fold. A few years earlier, both men had been together in the WWF, but had never actually worked a singles pay-per-view bout in the promotion. A proposed WrestleMania VIII tussle was shelved, but WCW offered the chance to finally do business.
Flair played a major role in convincing Hulk to sign a contract with WCW, and said himself on his podcast that he was truly enthused by the idea of working with Hogan again. Later, the ‘Nature Boy’ wouldn’t be as excited about a retirement match at Halloween Havoc, but it’s true that he was looking forward to having a fresh foe in the organisation.
7. Hulk Hogan Was Hit By Boos As Early As 1994
It may be surprising for younger pro wrestling fans to think now, but both the WWF and WCW had distinctly different fan bases in 1994. Generally, many WCW enthusiasts much preferred the hard-hitting matches prevalent in Atlanta, more so than the Hogan-led variety show Vince McMahon offered up. Actual wrestling matches were important in WCW.
Therefore, some were more than a tad frosty towards Hulk Hogan when he first crash landed in WCW. A pocket of the core fan base who followed the company felt signing Hulk was a step in the wrong direction, a move away from the more Southern, regional feel the promotion had presented for many years.
Of course, a lot of fans were willing to embrace the idea of Hogan helping WCW rival the WWF. That fact didn’t stop some boos from ringing out whenever Hulk performed in the company. Initial reaction to him was largely positive, but there were some jeers to be heard during his matches. Some people just didn’t want to see the same routine in WCW that Hogan had been peddling for years in the WWF.
6. WCW Ran A Show Based On Fan Voting
Older wrestling fans will perhaps fondly remember the WWF’s Livewire show, one which encouraged fan interaction with the product. This would be expanded upon by the time the promotion aired their first Cyber Sunday and Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view events years later. However, Vince McMahon wasn’t the first to dabble with the concept.
Way back in July, 1994, World Championship Wrestling aired an extra special version of their weekly WCW Saturday Night program. Experimenting with the possibilities of such a venture, Eric Bischoff allowed fans to vote on which matches they’d like to see take place and other – largely superficial – aspects of the show.
Had the test been a raging success, who knows where things might have gone next. WCW wouldn’t need to worry about that however, because the show only pulled a terrible 1.8 TV rating. Any hopes of running another similar broadcast were cancelled, and it was reasoned the experiment had been a miserable failure.
Despite some fans enjoying the concept, WWE would find the same problems with their aforementioned interactive pay-per-view shows like Cyber Sunday.
5. Fall Brawl's Buyrate Dropped Off Significantly
Bash At The Beach 1994 drew quite the buyrate for WCW, pulling in a monstrous (for the time) 1.02 rating. By contrast, and to put things into some perspective, the Beach Blast 1993 show had only garnered a 0.50 buyrate. The bigger number was attributed to the star power of Hulk Hogan, who faced Ric Flair on the event.
If hopes were high that the promotion had turned a corner, a reality check following the next pay-per-view brought things crashing back down to earth. Just two months after Bash At The Beach, WCW presented their now-annual Fall Brawl event, one which would be headlined by the infamous War Games match.
Hogan wasn’t scheduled on the show, which unquestionably hurt the buyrate. Headlined by The Nasty Boys, Dusty and Dustin Rhodes vs. The Stud Stable, Fall Brawl pulled in a 0.53. The next show, Halloween Havoc (just a month after Fall Brawl) featuring Hogan gleaned a 0.93, meaning Hulk was able to point to himself as the sole reason for turning the WCW ship around.
4. Sting Was Earmarked For The World Title In The Summer
It did take some convincing to entice Hulk Hogan into World Championship Wrestling, the man had reservations about putting pen to paper on a contract. Straight away, Hogan told Eric Bischoff that he wasn’t interested in working with Rick Rude, someone he didn’t exactly trust to do business how he wanted.
That would become a moot point shortly thereafter, as Rude was forced to retire from the ring full-time. Thus, Hogan swept into WCW and captured the promotion’s World Title from Ric Flair at Bash At The Beach ’94 in July. That wasn’t the original plan, the title was initially earmarked for another top superstar.
According to Flair, it was actually Sting who was supposed to work a program with him that Summer, not Hulk. Had Hogan not came into the company, the Stinger would have been crowned WCW World Champion and reigned supreme for the rest of the year as WCW’s top babyface.
As soon as it became clear Hulk was making his way to Atlanta, Sting was moved aside. Virtually everyone in WCW’s power base embraced Hogan, but things could have been extremely different.
3. There Were Only 2 World Champions All Year
On December 27, 1993, Ric Flair captured the WCW World Title from Big Van Vader at the 10th anniversary of Starrcade. Technically, the champion would vacate the title following a double pin scenario during a match opposite Ricky Steamboat at the Spring Stampede pay-per-view. Shortly afterwards, he’d regain the title after a rematch just days later.
Flair’s run is considered continuous in the history books, albeit with the slight caveat of that double pin. Even if the title did become vacant for a short period, it still wasn’t captured by many men in 1994. The ‘Nature Boy’ held the belt until July, where he was vanquished by Hulk Hogan.
Hogan would hold the belt until late in 1995, meaning the WCW World Title only changed title holders once all year. In ’94, only Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan strapped the championship around their waists, which is quite remarkable considering how they treated the belt in the future.
Just a few years later, WCW would begin passing their top prize around with alarming regularity, but they were serious about presenting the title as meaningful even in the mid-1990’s.
2. Randy Savage Didn't Cost The Company A Penny
Frustrated and feeling insulted, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage decided to call up Vince McMahon one evening in 1994 and inform him that he was leaving the WWF system. With immediate effect, he was heading to WCW, a company more than prepared to offer him a role as an in-ring performer. Savage yearned to continue working at a high level, and WCW gave him the chance to do that.
Randy had been phased out in the WWF, playing the role of announcer more than wrestler. That didn’t sit well with him, and it seemed WCW had managed a tremendous coup by signing him to a contract. Incredibly, things would be better than they appeared at first, because the legend didn’t really cost the company anything.
Most of the man’s salary was offset by his promotional deal with Slim Jim, who sponsored Savage in return for his help with advertising. This only made him more appealing to Eric Bischoff and company, who realised they were getting a world-class, motivated piece of talent for a fraction of the cost.
1. Curt Hennig Vs. Hulk Hogan Was A Potential Idea For Starrcade
During the intro of this piece, it was told that Hulk Hogan would eventually face his old pal Ed Leslie in the main event of Starrcade 1994. Known as ‘The Butcher’, Leslie was never really considered a true threat to Hogan, and the subsequent match fell a little flat. Things could have been oh so different.
As time raced closer to Starrcade – WCW’s biggest pay-per-view of the year – several wrestling magazines began reporting on rumours that Curt Hennig would be Hulk’s rival on the show. As Mr. Perfect, Hennig had worked extensively with Hogan in the WWF during the early years of the decade.
Such a bout could have been huge, and there’s little doubt it would have been more enjoyable than Hulk Hogan vs. The Butcher ended up being. Plans were eventually squashed as Hennig was content to cash in his Lloyds of London insurance policy, ruling out his big appearance on the show.
Starrcade pulled a 0.60 buyrate, proving that fans weren’t motivated to buy the show in order to see Ed Leslie headline opposite Hogan. Undoubtedly a Hogan-Hennig bout would have drawn much better.
No comments:
Post a Comment