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The dust has long since settled, but what really led to Vince McMahon's victory over WCW?
It's hard to stay on top, and no one knows that better than Vince McMahon and his World Wrestling Entertainment promotion.
Vince McMahon took the regional business model of pro wrestling promotions and expanded them to the mainstream during the 1980s with his Rock N Wrestling connection. From there he succeeded in luring many top stars into his federation, and became the undisputed master of the airwaves.
But then, Billionaire industrialist and media mogul Ted Turner bought JC Productions and the contracts of all their talent. He formed WCW, a new organization built on the NWA model that would challenge WWE for supremacy.
For the first several years of its existence, WCW was successful but nowhere near as much as WWE. Then, with the high profile hiring of Hulk Hogan and the launch of their own, competing Monday night wrestling show they turned the tide. WCW was the ratings champ for three years, and WWE was nearing a total shutdown.
But in the end, WWE prevailed and bought its rival, ending the Monday Night War in a decisive and shocking fashion. What led to the WWE's victory? Here are ten things that won the war for WWE.
#1.Building future stars from the beginning of the war.
While WCW was intent on scooping up every bit of established veteran talent it could manage, WWE continued to look for superstars who would carry the brand into the future.
While men like Austin and the Rock may have been the main event stars, WWE put in the work of building up new talent like Edge. Their focus on the future put them in a much better position as the war wore on and many of WCW's talents continued to age.
#2. Giving the fans what they wanted
Back in the Attitude Era at the height of the Monday Night War, the WWE listened to the wants of their fans.
The heel Rocky became The Rock, the most unconventional and wildly successful babyface of all time. Had the WWE insisted on pushing him as a villain, they may not have won the war, but the WWE listened to their fans and gave them what they were demanding.
#3. Innovative Matches
While WCW plodded forward with the tried and true match types, WWE kept trying to innovate new matches and generate more excitement for the fans.
Some of these didn't last--like the Hog Slop Match--but others became classics, like Hell in a Cell and the Ladder match. WWE's willingness to think outside the box helped secure their victory over WCW.
#4. Giving a push to former WCW talent equal to their ability.
WCW's boss Eric Bischoff referred to Eddie Guerrero as a 'midget' who couldn't 'put asses in seats.'
When he joined WWE, he was given an instant push. Guerrero became Latino Heat and finally was able to let his personality and charisma shine. He would go on to become World Heavyweight champion and a bonafide legend before his untimely death.
The WWE's ability to take a diamond in the rough and polish it no doubt helped them win the Monday Night War.
#5. The Undertaker turned down a contract worth millions to stay with WWE.
Rumors abound as to the actual amount offered, but WCW definitely made a play for the Deadman during the height of the War.
Some say the offer was as much as seven million per year. However, Undertaker chose to remain with WWE both out of loyalty for Vince McMahon and because he felt there were too many big stars in WCW, and he would be left out of the main event picture.
There's no doubt that Undertaker helped save the WWE from ruin and helped lead it to victory.
#6. Eric Bischoff's ego.
After years of beating WWE in the ratings, Eric Bischoff's ego caused him to make some bad decisions.
He spent millions of dollars on non-wrestlers like Master P and the Misfits, behaved snidely and insulted Vince McMahon on air every chance he had, and figured that it was only a matter of time before he put WWE out of business and became the only show in town.
Then of course, there was the time he ordered the announce team on Nitro to give away the main event ending on the taped edition of Raw. Inadvertently, he caused millions of viewers to switch over to witness Mick Foley's championship victory.
If Eric had been more savvy and logical, he might not have set the stage for his eventual defeat.
#7. Better angles with better payoffs
A great wrestling angle is like any other form of storytelling. It needs a beginning, a middle, and a satisfying conclusion.
The WWE crafted their angles with superb creativity during the War. While WCW would often have to rush or drop angles because of talent negotiations or backstage politics, WWE angles often came to brilliant fruition. Shane McMahon turning on Austin, Vince McMahon turning out to be the Greater Power, and many others all led to their victory over WCW.
#8. JR and the King
While WCW's announce team were no slouches, especially Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay, the team of JR and King's chemistry and timing were unmatched.
Many fans of the Attitude era can recall JR's bombastic commentary, and the way he got them emotionally invested in the matches. Fans tuned in to see the duo as much as the matches they called.
#9. The Montreal Screwjob
For good or ill, Kayfabe came crashing down when Vince McMahon conspired to take the WWF title off of Bret Hart without the Hitman's prior knowledge.
The fallout from that match set the stage for WWE's victory. It led to greater speculation and interest in the contracts of various wrestlers, and it created one of the best wrestling villains of all time; The Boss Vince McMahon.
#10. Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold!
There's no doubt that the number one reason WWE won the Monday Night War is Stone Cold Steve Austin.
An old-school technical wrestler with top-notch brawling skills, Austin was already a star when WWE hired him. However, they allowed him to truly flourish by giving him free reign with his character and interviews. He became the ultimate anti-hero, and huge ratings and buyrate driver.
There you have it; Ten reasons WWE won the Monday Night War. What were your favorite moments from that era? Please comment and let us know and thanks for reading!
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