Professional wrestling is one of the most-watched phenomena across the world. While WWE and AEW are currently dominating the global market, in the 1990s, WCW was a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, the coveted company died a slow and painful death and ceased to exist in 2001.
According to Deadline, VICE TV will soon release a documentary on the rise and fall of WCW. Titled Who Killed WCW?, its executive producers are Seven Bucks Productions. Interestingly, this production company’s founders are Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his ex-wife, Dany Garcia. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Johnson was a prominent professional wrestler and held titles such as the WWE Championship, WWF Intercontinental Championship, WCW Championship, and more. Eventually, he became a Hollywood star and is now one of the world’s highest-paid actors.
Ted Turner founded WCW in 1988 and emerged as a major competitor to Vince McMahon’s WWE. Week in and out, the former battled with the latter in terms of TV ratings, and managed to triumph regularly. While Monday Night Raw was WWE’s product, WCW’s answer was Monday Nitro.
In its heyday, WCW was WWE’s arch-rival. However, they made several business errors, due to which they suffered massive financial losses. Although Eric Bischoff tried everything to keep the company afloat, officials decided to pull the plug on the show in 2001. Furthermore, WWE founder Vince McMahon purchased the company, and merged it with his brainchild, closing WCW’s tremulous chapter for good.
Alongside Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, Who Killed WCW?’s co-executive producers are Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz, Lee Hoffman, Evan Husney, and Jason Eisener. Danny Gabai, Paul Taylor, and Guillermo Garcia. It will premiere on June 4, 2024, at 10 PM on VICE TV.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson called WCW’s story captivating and iconic
According to Deadline, Dwayne Johnson stated that WCW’s rise and fall will forever remain iconic because it was filled with dreams, success, and failures. Furthermore, he said that its story teaches how unpredictable the wrestling business is, and releasing the documentary during the current thriving sports entertainment climate is a masterstroke. He said, “The iconic rise and fall of WCW is one of professional wrestling’s most captivating stories – full of big dreams, massive successes, painful failures, and the harsh realities of the pro wrestling business. With wrestling viewership and fan engagement at an ultimate high, there has never been a more perfect time to tell top-quality wrestling stories.”
Additionally, he said that WCW’s rise was influential in shaping the early stages of his career. In recent months, fans have labeled him the “Final Boss” of WWE. Johnson said, “There’s no better one to start with than a one-of-a-kind, behind-the-scenes look at this epic saga, known as The Rise and Fall of WCW and personally, the rise of WCW, not the fall, inspired me greatly early in my career, where I would eventually become, the Final Boss.”
Who Killed WCW? will showcase how WCW mishandled management, spent money poorly, made wrong creative decisions, and ultimately lost the “Monday Night Wars” to WWE. Deadline reports that the project will feature exclusive interviews with several individuals involved with the now-defunct company. They will vary from wrestlers to executives, who witnessed WCW’s downfall beforehand.
Dany Garcia called the upcoming WCW documentary an opportunity to highlight their talents as storytellers
Per Deadline, Seven Bucks Productions’ Dany Garcia stated that WCW’s tale was an opportunity to explore a complicated rise-to-ruin story. Furthermore, she said that she and her ex-husband’s venture has historical and authentic information when it comes to professional wrestling. She said, “Diving into the saga of WCW is not just another project for us; it is an opportunity to highlight our talents as documentary storytellers in a world where we have historical credibility and knowledge: professional wrestling.”
Garcia also explained that Who Killed WCW? will feed the curiosity of passionate wrestling fans, as well as people who are unaware of the sport’s operations. She also thanked VICE TV for providing such an honorable platform for the documentary. She stated, “This project allows us to build a bridge between the passionate global wrestling audience and those curious about an often-misunderstood industry, strengthened by our partnership with a dedicated storyteller in Vice TV.”
In recent news, VICE TV’s head executive Morgan Hertzan departed the company. Their interim president Peter Gaffney stated that his venture has been a forerunner in dissecting complicated stories and was excited to see the response of viewers who will watch the upcoming documentary. Additionally, he felt blessed to work with Johnson and Garcia. He said, “Vice TV has always been at the forefront of telling stories from which others shy away. We’re lucky to join forces again with Dwayne, Dany of the Seven Bucks team. We have unparalleled access to one of the great stories of modern professional wrestling. And we can’t wait for our audience to see it come to life.”
Why did WCW run out of business?
In the mid-90s, behind-the-scenes politics resulted in WCW’s harrowing downfall. According to The Sportster, top talents like Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan possessed creative control, resulting in messy situations. Furthermore, the company added a program to its arsenal titled, WCW Thunder, which put Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff and his team in predicaments.
In-ring action went from mediocre to shockingly poor because big WCW names didn’t seem to bother. Additionally, new wrestlers such as Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko weren’t utilized properly, as the top talents ensured that they were the program’s main attraction. Barring Diamond Dallas Page and Goldberg, the company failed to create any stars. Eventually, Vince Russo replaced Eric Bischoff, and he tried his best to push younger names. However, the damage was irreversible. WCW was receiving record-low ratings, and the company was heading into a financial crisis.
Ultimately, the Monday Night Wars ended with WCW’s sale to Vince McMahon’s WWE in 2001.
In a 2022 conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Eric Bischoff opened up about his time in WCW. He said that he loved his time in the company and is willing to work for Ted Turner if push comes to shove. He stated, “I had put so much into WCW at that time, put so much into Nitro, and I felt good about it. I loved working with the people. Loved working with Ted Turner. He is an amazing person. I would cut off a hand right now if I had the chance to work for him if it was necessary.”
Some of WCW’s biggest stars were Sting, Ric Flair, Booker T, Lex Luger, Vader, Scott Steiner, and more. Their most prestigious belt was the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
