Throughout the 1990s and up to 2001, WCW was a pretty clear cut number two wrestling promotion relative WWE. There was even a time during the so called Monday Night War, when WCW’s Nitro aired directly opposite WWE’s Raw, that it could be argued WCW was number one, at least in terms of viewership and revenue.
Despite having been such a large and high profile company, and existing under the larger Turner empire, WCW’s operating practices were not always the most organized, clear, or even ethical. A number of past wrestlers, TV personalities, and backstage employees have suggested that the company had some uncomfortable truths attached to decisions made and ways of doing business. Additionally, there were some problematic goings on with the company that weren’t related to anyone’s decisions so much as happenstance or misunderstandings.
Over the years, WCW has become an easy target in ways that diminish the company’s historical importance and the things it did right. After all, this was the company that kept War Games alive for a national audience for over a decade, and featured the New World Order and the Four Horsemen. WCW gave us Sting, Goldberg, Booker T, and Scott Steiner as main event acts. The infusion of acts from Japan and Mexico—particularly in the Cruiserweight Division—were extremely influential. While WWE made the most of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio’s potential, it was WCW that first signed them to truly national deals and set them up for bigger success down the road.
So, WCW is an example worth learning from, both for better and for worse. This article takes a look at fifteen despicable truths about what happened under the WCW banner, as revealed by former employees.
15 15. Bret Hart Was Denied His Insurance Pay Out
Bret Hart became one of the biggest stars in wrestling based on his work in WWE. He rose from the tag team ranks to being a top mid carder, to being a main event star who was particularly well received in international markets. In the end, he would defect to WCW when WWE couldn’t afford to pay out the contract originally signed with him, and after political differences surround real life rival Shawn Michaels undermined his long term prospects.
Hart’s WCW run was largely a disappointment. Hart places responsibility on an inept creative team. Eric Bischoff—part of that creative effort—claims Hart was a shell of his former self. In a capper to a sad run, Hart suffered a stiff kick to the head from Goldberg that concussed him. Though Hart would, for a brief time, try to work through it, the injury led to the end of his full time wrestling career.
To pour some extra salt in Hart’s wounds, Lloyd’s of London initially refused to pay out his insurance funds. The company had felt scammed by other wrestlers with more spurious injuries and, in short, seemed to suspect Hart was faking that he was hurt. It would be a lengthy process before the Hitman got his just desserts.
14 14. The British Bulldog’s Career Was Ruined Out Of Negligence
Davey Boy Smith’s first run with WCW cast him as a main event level star, who feuded with Big Van Vader. When he came back in the late 1990s, he was in a far less featured spot. He’d largely come short as a top guy despite multiple pushes in WWE and WCW by that point, and so was cast as just another guy—a big name who wasn’t in any serious conversation for more than a mid card spot.
The degree to which WCW wasn’t concerned with Smith was crystal clear at Fall Brawl 1998. The War Games main event was to include a spot of The Ultimate Warrior magically appearing and disappearing from the ring, using a metal trap door built into the mat. The story goes that the company neglected to warn a number of other wrestlers about the trap door. Smith took the worst of it by taking a big back bump directly onto the door, badly injuring himself. While he would continue to wrestle for a time, by most accounts he was never the same after that totally avoidable fall.
