When WCW Head Eric Bishoff visited Japan to check out some potential Japanese Wrestling talent,he watched an invasion storyline between New Japan Pro Wrestling and another Organization. That's when he got the idea for the nWo. Although it should be noted that the Invasion storyline was already a thing in the states. The USWA vs Smokey Mountain Wrestling storyline predates WCW vs nWo by a year.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From mid-1996 to mid-1998,WCW clobbered the WWE in the ratings.Mostly thanks to the nWo storyline. For almost 3 years,WCW was the most dominate name in Wrestling.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWE were initially gonna have Bret Hart defeat Shawn Michaels and retain the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1997 and then surrender the title the next night,before heading for WCW. However,at the last second,due to backstage politics,this idea was tossed away in favor of screwing Bret and having Shawn win the title. This became,what is now known as,the "Montreal Screwjob", the most infamous moment in American Wrestling History.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Jarrett was fired a day after McMahon bought WCW. In fact Double J was the very 1st WCW guy Vince fired. This was due to the bad blood between the 2. Had Vince McMahon kept Jeff Jarrett around,TNA might not even exist.
Though in recent years,the bad blood between Jarrett and the WWE has dried up a lot,as 'Ol Double J has been inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame. And is working in the WWE once again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before there was the WWE Network there was WWE 24/7,an on-demand cable service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite being a main player in the WWE,Scott "Razor Ramon"Hall,has Never been part of the Royal Rumble Match. Sure he's participated in many battle royales,but never the big one. Hall debut in the late summer of 1992,after that years Royal Rumble. In '93,Hall was the #1 contender for the WWE championship. In the '94,'95,and '96 editions of the Rumble,The Bad Guy was the Intercontenental Championship. Royal Rumble '96 was the last major WWE event Hall ever took part in,as he missed Wrestlemania 12 due to suspension and he left for WCW in the spring.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a related factoid,Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall was also the Intercontenental Champion 3 Survivor Series in a row.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the Ultimate Warrior went missing from WWE in the early-fall of '91,and then returned suddenly at Wrestlemania VIII,most people believed that it was Kerry Von Erich as the Warrior,due to the hairstyle and build. However,1 week later,we found out that the man who rescued Hulk Hogan at WM8 was indeed the Ultimate Warrior,just trimmed down with a haircut. An easy mistake to make.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Underfaker aka Ted Dibiase's Undertaker aka The Million Dollar Dead Man was played by The Undertaker's real life cousin,Brian Lee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally,Bret Hart was gonna get his Championship rematch against Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam '93. However,In a fit of pure selfishness,Hogan refused to drop the belt or even work with Hart. After a small deal with Vince McMahon,Hogan agreed to drop the title to Yokozuna instead.
Despite the title change,Hart was gonna go into SummerSlam as the challenger anyway,however plans quickly changed when McMahon found a New American Hero in Lex Luger,so he decided to give Him the title shot instead.
At the same time,it was decided that Hart would face his,then-new,arch enemy Jerry "The King" Lawler at the event. Hart was a little miffed about this decision change,but decided to do what McMahon thought was best for the company.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday Night Raw is the Longest Running Wrestling Program in History. With 25 Seasons and 1,347 Episodes (in counting).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 1996 MSG incident known as "The Curtain Call" was a 100% unscripted moment. After,then WWE Champion,Shawn Michaels successfully defended his title inside of a Steel Cage against Kevin "Deisel"Nash,both Nash and HBK shared a moment of friendship. They were soon joined by fellow Kliq members,Hunter Hurst Helmsley (aka triple h) and Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall. I'll talk more about the Kliq another time.
Anyway,The Curtain Call was a small good-bye celebration for Nash and Hall,who were WCW-bound. It was an emotional moment,that infuriated McMahon,who Hated off-scripted stunts. Someone needed to be punished,Hall and Nash were leaving for WCW soon and Michaels was the champ,so Triple H was punished instead.
His punishment: Being stripped of the opportunity to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament. This leads to our next fact.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hunter Hurst Helmsley was initially planned to win the 1996 King of the Ring Tournament,however after the "Curtain Call" incident,the plan was scrapped. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin got Helmsley's spot and eventually won the '96 crown (leading to tbe birth of Auatin 3:16).
Triple H would eventually go on to win the '97 King of the Ring,however.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WCW's famous War Games match was the brainchild of none other than the late great "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was the first to win the Royal Rumble match. In 1988,WWE held it's very very first Royal Rumble and 'Ol Hacksaw won it. Hoooooo!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bret Hart is the Only Wrestler in history to win the King of the Ring Tournament Twice,once in '91 and again in '93.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Late,Great Bruno Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE champion of all time holding it from 1963 - 1971. And this was just his first reign. Reign #2 took place from 1973 - 1977.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Late Fabulous Moolah is the longest reigning WWE Women's Champion. Reighning from 1956 - 1984. Now Thats A Long Time!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The WWE Women's title was retired in 1990,with Rockin' Robin being the last champion. It wouldn't be until the very end of 1993,when the Women's division would be revived and a new Women's title would be created.
Alundra Blaze aka Madusa was the first champion of that revived division. The Women's division would die again in late-1995 thanks to Madusa leaving WWE for WCW...with the WWE Women's championship. And as we remember,She dumped the belt in a garbage can live on Monday Nitro.
The women's division would get yet Another revival in 1998,with Jacqueline being the first champ.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kane is not really related to the Undertaker,they Are good buddies however.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time to explain Fake Diesel and Fake Razor. McMahon wanted to (stupidly) prove to the world that WWE owned the rights to the Diesel and Razor Ramon characters,so he hired 2 guys to play the parts. Glenn Jacobs as "Diesel" and Rick Bognar as "Razor Ramon".
This stunt was to be Incorporated into the "Disgruntled Jim Ross" storyline,where Good 'Ol JR would've turned heel and openly oppose Vince McMahon. This storyline was quickly dropped and the Fakes worked independently.
Originally,the Fakes were only gonna stay for a month or so,but were needed to stay longer so that WWE could sell unsold Diesel and Razor Ramon figures,which were repackaged as 2-packs.
Meanwhile,back in Dubya-See-Dubya,After seeing this stunt for himself,WCW President Eric Bischoff quickly signed Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (the original 2 guys who had the razor and diesel gimmicks) to long-term contracts.
The 2 Fakes left the WWE in March of 1997. So,what happened to them anyway? Both fakes would later appear in the USWA,first as partners,then as rivals.
While,Rick "Fake Razor"Bognar would be rejected by the WWE,his partner,Glenn "Fake Diesel"Jacobs would be repackaged in the fall of '97....as Kane!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ron Simmons aka Farooq aka Mr.Damn was the very first Black WCW Champion.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 1986,Jake "the Snake" Roberts was primed to be one of,then WWE Champion,Hulk Hogan's greatest enemies and was even gonna battle Hogan for the title. However,thanks to the fans liking him,those plans were scrapped and Roberts was turned babyface.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Big Show aka The Giant was the least experienced WCW Champion. Winning the title just 2 months after his debut. He was also WCW's youngest and heaviest champion. Winning the title at 23 years old,weighing in at 500lbs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hulk Hogan debut in the WWE in 1979,but was fired in 1981 after going against Vince McMahon Sr's wishes by doing Rocky III. Vince Sr. didn't want his Wrestlers in other forms of Entertainment.
His son,Vince Jr, felt differently. So in 1983,Vince McMahon,the now owner of WWE,rehired Hogan and turned him into the face,of not only the company,but of Professional Wrestling as a whole.
On a fun little note,it was on the set of Rocky III where Hulk Hogan and Mr.T met and became good friends (and eventually one-time tag partners).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWF owned WCW before the Monday Night Wars. As a way to grab more power,In 1984,Vince McMahon bought majority stake in WCW (then georgia championship wrestling's) and aquired their timeslot. This didn't go over well with neither the fans nor the GCW Wrestlers. This insident was called Black Saturday,due to the show airing on Saturdays.
For almost a year,WWE ran GCW..into the ground and Almost to into hell. Ted Turner began to hate Vince because of this. Vince McMahon,seeing the company as a failure (though he never blamed himself for it),was looking for someone to take it off his hands.
Jim Crockett Jr.,President of the National Wrestling Allience and Owner of Jim Crockett Promotions,agreed to perchace Georgia Championship Wrestling from Vince for 1 Million Dollars. After buying GCW,he added it to the NWA. Crockett then renamed the promotion to World Championship Wrestling. By 1988,Crockett sold the company to Ted Turner,who withdrew it from the NWA.
This incedent lead to the McMahon/Turner fued...which evolved into The Monday Night Wars.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bushwackers were once the Sheepherders,a vicious and nasty tag team,who loved injuring opponents. However,when they went to the WWE,those vicious and nasty tendancies were replaced with fun and comedic ones.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WCW's downfall came in January 4th of 1999. First it was the backfiring of Tony Schiavone,under Eric Bischoff's orders,giving away the results of Raw. And then it was the infamous "Fingerpoke of Doom" in the main event.
From that day forward,Wrestling Fans lost trust in WCW and even abandoned it all together.
Well,that's all for now. But don't worry. I'll have more Wrestling Facts for you guys in the future.
Stay Gold,Space Cowboys!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From mid-1996 to mid-1998,WCW clobbered the WWE in the ratings.Mostly thanks to the nWo storyline. For almost 3 years,WCW was the most dominate name in Wrestling.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWE were initially gonna have Bret Hart defeat Shawn Michaels and retain the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1997 and then surrender the title the next night,before heading for WCW. However,at the last second,due to backstage politics,this idea was tossed away in favor of screwing Bret and having Shawn win the title. This became,what is now known as,the "Montreal Screwjob", the most infamous moment in American Wrestling History.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Jarrett was fired a day after McMahon bought WCW. In fact Double J was the very 1st WCW guy Vince fired. This was due to the bad blood between the 2. Had Vince McMahon kept Jeff Jarrett around,TNA might not even exist.
Though in recent years,the bad blood between Jarrett and the WWE has dried up a lot,as 'Ol Double J has been inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame. And is working in the WWE once again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before there was the WWE Network there was WWE 24/7,an on-demand cable service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite being a main player in the WWE,Scott "Razor Ramon"Hall,has Never been part of the Royal Rumble Match. Sure he's participated in many battle royales,but never the big one. Hall debut in the late summer of 1992,after that years Royal Rumble. In '93,Hall was the #1 contender for the WWE championship. In the '94,'95,and '96 editions of the Rumble,The Bad Guy was the Intercontenental Championship. Royal Rumble '96 was the last major WWE event Hall ever took part in,as he missed Wrestlemania 12 due to suspension and he left for WCW in the spring.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a related factoid,Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall was also the Intercontenental Champion 3 Survivor Series in a row.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the Ultimate Warrior went missing from WWE in the early-fall of '91,and then returned suddenly at Wrestlemania VIII,most people believed that it was Kerry Von Erich as the Warrior,due to the hairstyle and build. However,1 week later,we found out that the man who rescued Hulk Hogan at WM8 was indeed the Ultimate Warrior,just trimmed down with a haircut. An easy mistake to make.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Underfaker aka Ted Dibiase's Undertaker aka The Million Dollar Dead Man was played by The Undertaker's real life cousin,Brian Lee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally,Bret Hart was gonna get his Championship rematch against Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam '93. However,In a fit of pure selfishness,Hogan refused to drop the belt or even work with Hart. After a small deal with Vince McMahon,Hogan agreed to drop the title to Yokozuna instead.
Despite the title change,Hart was gonna go into SummerSlam as the challenger anyway,however plans quickly changed when McMahon found a New American Hero in Lex Luger,so he decided to give Him the title shot instead.
At the same time,it was decided that Hart would face his,then-new,arch enemy Jerry "The King" Lawler at the event. Hart was a little miffed about this decision change,but decided to do what McMahon thought was best for the company.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday Night Raw is the Longest Running Wrestling Program in History. With 25 Seasons and 1,347 Episodes (in counting).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 1996 MSG incident known as "The Curtain Call" was a 100% unscripted moment. After,then WWE Champion,Shawn Michaels successfully defended his title inside of a Steel Cage against Kevin "Deisel"Nash,both Nash and HBK shared a moment of friendship. They were soon joined by fellow Kliq members,Hunter Hurst Helmsley (aka triple h) and Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall. I'll talk more about the Kliq another time.
Anyway,The Curtain Call was a small good-bye celebration for Nash and Hall,who were WCW-bound. It was an emotional moment,that infuriated McMahon,who Hated off-scripted stunts. Someone needed to be punished,Hall and Nash were leaving for WCW soon and Michaels was the champ,so Triple H was punished instead.
His punishment: Being stripped of the opportunity to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament. This leads to our next fact.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hunter Hurst Helmsley was initially planned to win the 1996 King of the Ring Tournament,however after the "Curtain Call" incident,the plan was scrapped. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin got Helmsley's spot and eventually won the '96 crown (leading to tbe birth of Auatin 3:16).
Triple H would eventually go on to win the '97 King of the Ring,however.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WCW's famous War Games match was the brainchild of none other than the late great "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was the first to win the Royal Rumble match. In 1988,WWE held it's very very first Royal Rumble and 'Ol Hacksaw won it. Hoooooo!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bret Hart is the Only Wrestler in history to win the King of the Ring Tournament Twice,once in '91 and again in '93.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Late,Great Bruno Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE champion of all time holding it from 1963 - 1971. And this was just his first reign. Reign #2 took place from 1973 - 1977.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Late Fabulous Moolah is the longest reigning WWE Women's Champion. Reighning from 1956 - 1984. Now Thats A Long Time!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The WWE Women's title was retired in 1990,with Rockin' Robin being the last champion. It wouldn't be until the very end of 1993,when the Women's division would be revived and a new Women's title would be created.
Alundra Blaze aka Madusa was the first champion of that revived division. The Women's division would die again in late-1995 thanks to Madusa leaving WWE for WCW...with the WWE Women's championship. And as we remember,She dumped the belt in a garbage can live on Monday Nitro.
The women's division would get yet Another revival in 1998,with Jacqueline being the first champ.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kane is not really related to the Undertaker,they Are good buddies however.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time to explain Fake Diesel and Fake Razor. McMahon wanted to (stupidly) prove to the world that WWE owned the rights to the Diesel and Razor Ramon characters,so he hired 2 guys to play the parts. Glenn Jacobs as "Diesel" and Rick Bognar as "Razor Ramon".
This stunt was to be Incorporated into the "Disgruntled Jim Ross" storyline,where Good 'Ol JR would've turned heel and openly oppose Vince McMahon. This storyline was quickly dropped and the Fakes worked independently.
Originally,the Fakes were only gonna stay for a month or so,but were needed to stay longer so that WWE could sell unsold Diesel and Razor Ramon figures,which were repackaged as 2-packs.
Meanwhile,back in Dubya-See-Dubya,After seeing this stunt for himself,WCW President Eric Bischoff quickly signed Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (the original 2 guys who had the razor and diesel gimmicks) to long-term contracts.
The 2 Fakes left the WWE in March of 1997. So,what happened to them anyway? Both fakes would later appear in the USWA,first as partners,then as rivals.
While,Rick "Fake Razor"Bognar would be rejected by the WWE,his partner,Glenn "Fake Diesel"Jacobs would be repackaged in the fall of '97....as Kane!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ron Simmons aka Farooq aka Mr.Damn was the very first Black WCW Champion.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 1986,Jake "the Snake" Roberts was primed to be one of,then WWE Champion,Hulk Hogan's greatest enemies and was even gonna battle Hogan for the title. However,thanks to the fans liking him,those plans were scrapped and Roberts was turned babyface.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Big Show aka The Giant was the least experienced WCW Champion. Winning the title just 2 months after his debut. He was also WCW's youngest and heaviest champion. Winning the title at 23 years old,weighing in at 500lbs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hulk Hogan debut in the WWE in 1979,but was fired in 1981 after going against Vince McMahon Sr's wishes by doing Rocky III. Vince Sr. didn't want his Wrestlers in other forms of Entertainment.
His son,Vince Jr, felt differently. So in 1983,Vince McMahon,the now owner of WWE,rehired Hogan and turned him into the face,of not only the company,but of Professional Wrestling as a whole.
On a fun little note,it was on the set of Rocky III where Hulk Hogan and Mr.T met and became good friends (and eventually one-time tag partners).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWF owned WCW before the Monday Night Wars. As a way to grab more power,In 1984,Vince McMahon bought majority stake in WCW (then georgia championship wrestling's) and aquired their timeslot. This didn't go over well with neither the fans nor the GCW Wrestlers. This insident was called Black Saturday,due to the show airing on Saturdays.
For almost a year,WWE ran GCW..into the ground and Almost to into hell. Ted Turner began to hate Vince because of this. Vince McMahon,seeing the company as a failure (though he never blamed himself for it),was looking for someone to take it off his hands.
Jim Crockett Jr.,President of the National Wrestling Allience and Owner of Jim Crockett Promotions,agreed to perchace Georgia Championship Wrestling from Vince for 1 Million Dollars. After buying GCW,he added it to the NWA. Crockett then renamed the promotion to World Championship Wrestling. By 1988,Crockett sold the company to Ted Turner,who withdrew it from the NWA.
This incedent lead to the McMahon/Turner fued...which evolved into The Monday Night Wars.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bushwackers were once the Sheepherders,a vicious and nasty tag team,who loved injuring opponents. However,when they went to the WWE,those vicious and nasty tendancies were replaced with fun and comedic ones.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WCW's downfall came in January 4th of 1999. First it was the backfiring of Tony Schiavone,under Eric Bischoff's orders,giving away the results of Raw. And then it was the infamous "Fingerpoke of Doom" in the main event.
From that day forward,Wrestling Fans lost trust in WCW and even abandoned it all together.
Well,that's all for now. But don't worry. I'll have more Wrestling Facts for you guys in the future.
Stay Gold,Space Cowboys!
