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In March 2001, the wrestling world changed forever.
Countless of fans opened up their dial-up internet, only to be greeted with the most shocking news in wrestling: the WWF had bought WCW.
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Buying ECW not long after, this brought a definitive end to the Monday Night Wars, and for the first time, left the WWF as the sole major promotion in the United States.
On March 26, WCW hosted their final Monday Nitro, a celebration of the historic company's past, with plenty of new-owner Vince McMahon thrown in for good measure.
A bizarre night for all involved, McMahon had finally conquered his foes and was able to run WCW how he wanted.
Despite being such a historic night, the show itself is still shrouded in mystery.
Here are five things you (probably) didn't know about the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro.
#5 Wrestlers didn't believe it
Everyone knew WCW was doing poorly, but few expected something like this to happen.
Sure, the company was doing bad, thanks to a mix of egos, bad writing, and no-one in firm control, but surely, they'd bounce back, right? They always do.
This belief was crushed, when Shane McMahon walked into the venue, not as an invader or in any disguise, but as a representative of the WWF, and their new employer.
Arguably the least ruthless of the McMahons, Shane O'Mac promised that the WWF would keep WCW alive, and run shows such as Nitro and Thunder, though under the WWF banner.
The truth is that this was just one of several ideas being thrown around about the future of the company, and after a dreadful WCW Title match on RAW later that year, it was killed.
#4 The WWF were worried for their safety
Shane McMahon may have been the most prominent WWF employee at the final Nitro, even appearing during the show, but he wasn't the only one there.
The WWF reportedly sent several backstage officials to help with the final show, and break the news to the WCW stars.
This led many WWF officials to be worried for their safety, as not only were they coming in from the opposing company, but they would shortly be delivering the worst possible news to the WCW locker-room.
Fortunately, no attacks occurred, and many WCW stars said it was a relief to see the WWF officials there, as it meant someone knew what they were doing, a rare sight in WCW after months, if not years, of backstage politicking and pure chaos.
#3 DDP knew it was coming
The final episode of Nitro was a shock to everyone. It was a shock to the fans, both those of WCW and the WWF, as well as WCW wrestlers and those involved in the show.
One person it wasn't a shock to, was Diamond Dallas Page.
The reason for this was that DDP knew this was coming, as he had already signed his contract for the WWF, and had been alerted of the demise of his company.
Knowing what was about to happen, it must've been difficult for the three-time World Champion to not tell his colleagues who were left worrying for months about the fate of the company.
Page would debut in the WWF in June, as the stalker of The Undertaker's then-wife Sara, and would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.
#2 The Harlem Heat breakup
Whilst the final Nitro was an emotional moment for many WCW wrestlers, most would find their way into the WWF down the line.
Stars such as DDP, Booker T, Goldberg, Sting, Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Rey Mysterio and more, would all eventually join the WWE, to varying degrees of success.
One wrestler who sadly didn't make the cut was Stevie Ray, who for years had teamed with Booker T.
During the final Nitro, it was clear to both men who would become a huge star, and who would not, and had an emotional moment.
Realizing that this was their last night living their dream together, the pair embraced, before Booker would go out and capture the WCW World Championship in the opening match of the final show.
#1 Jeff Jarrett's firing scared employees
If there's one thing the final Nitro can be remembered for, it's Jeff Jarrett.
Whilst Double-J did not appear in person on the show, he certainly had an impact (pardon the pun), as Vince McMahon, seen watching both WCW and WWF simultaneously, publicly fired Jarrett, arguably because of Jarrett leaving the WWF in 1999.
This firing was very real, and whilst Jarrett knew Vince didn't like him, the cold callous manner in which McMahon publicly got rid himself of one of WCW's biggest stars sent shockwaves for the remaining WCW stars.
After all, if McMahon was fine with firing a huge star during a quick promo, how were any of them safe?
Jarrett would go on and founded TNA Wrestling the next year, before returning to the WWE 17 years later to enter their Hall of Fame.
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