WWE history: Pyro goes off in the middle of a match in WCW

The backstory

It has been more than 18 years since WCW folded and possibly the greatest era in the history of professional wrestling came to an end.

WCW was home to some of the most iconic and legendary moments inside the squared circle, and produced megastars like Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, and Sting. Backed by a media giant, Ted Turner, WCW didn't have issues when it came to spending money towards making the show more attractive and intriguing. Along with some of the most amazingly made stage sets, WCW used to spend lots of cash on pyro.

WCW's weird idea with pyro

At one point during the Attitude Era, WCW began doing a bit that seems incredibly weird and out of place all these years later. The company began setting off huge amounts of pyro as soon as the 2nd hour of Nitro kicked off. This tactic led to the fans witnessing an interesting visual on a weekly basis.

The following match between Rey Mysterio and the late Bam Bam Bigelow is from 1999. In the middle of the match, the commentators announce the 2nd hur of the show. Suddenly, the pyro goes off on top of the ring as well as on the entrance set. The pyro keeps going off for a good while, amidst a white-hot crowd and an awkward Bam Bam just staring at the fans with no idea on what should he do until the pyro dies down.

Here's the clip. Go to the 4:52 mark to see the pyro go off in the middle of the bout.

The aftermath

This was just one of several head-scratching ideas WCW came up with. Although this one didn't affect the company much, other ideas like David Arquette winning the World Title, and Russo coming in, harmed the company beyond repair.