|
|
Post by Trent Valentine on Oct 13, 2010 11:23:32 GMT -5
As I look back on a lot of the failed angles that failed to pull WCW out of the mud its in, one that sticks out in my mind is the New Blood v.s Millionaire's Club angle.
First, they decide to change everything in WCW around, start over with a clean slate. That means, all previous storylines and feuds are scrapped, all titles are to be relinquished, the whole company starts over. Thats when our story begins.
The concept was actually interesting. The young and hungry superstars of WCW are sick and tired of these old has beens such as Hogan, DDP, Sting, Ric Flair and Kevin Nash getting all the air time, all the guaranteed contracts, and whatever their hearts desire. They weren't going to wait for their opportunities, they wanted it now. The Millionaire's Club thought these snot nosed punks were getting too big for their britches and wanted to teach them a lesson about respect. So the war was on.
But it turned out to be completely one sided with the Millionaires Club coming out on top, constantly burying the young talent. One instance had Kevin Nash run a New Blood Gauntlet, taking down the members one by one..hell..he didn't even have to pin them..the ref counted for them. And then there was of course the Hogan v.s Kidman feud which made little sense whatsoever..Kidman's shoots seemed very forced. (mainly because he has the personality of a wet brick.) And Hogan always came out and buried him. The angle bombed and was sent to the scrap heap with all the other failed WCW projects.
Could the angle have been salvaged though? I mean..at least have The New Blood get the best of the Millionaire's Club. The whole point of the angle was for the young guys to get a rub off the established vets, but it worked the other way around as the main stays almost always came out on top.
Could this angle have been booked correctly?
|
|
Johnny B. Decent
Patti Mayonnaise
Had one once
Everybody's Favorite Arizonian.
Posts: 31,075 
|
Post by Johnny B. Decent on Oct 13, 2010 11:25:21 GMT -5
When you got guys like Shane Douglas (or was it Buff Bagwell?) and Scott Steiner part of a group that says they are the held-down future, well it just doesn't sound right.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2010 11:30:02 GMT -5
Agreed. Shane Douglas always came off as a whiney bitch.
|
|
|
|
Post by biggdeez40 on Oct 13, 2010 11:36:44 GMT -5
Wasn't the original idea to have Bischoff side with the old guys and Russo with the young guys. That would have worked alot better in my opinion. Also, I hated the name "Millionaire's club". They were more likely to be cheered by the fans so I wouldn't have given them a heel sounding name. Just call them the "Main Event" or something like that.
|
|
|
|
Post by baerrtt on Oct 13, 2010 11:53:37 GMT -5
As I look back on a lot of the failed angles that failed to pull WCW out of the mud its in, one that sticks out in my mind is the New Blood v.s Millionaire's Club angle. First, they decide to change everything in WCW around, start over with a clean slate. That means, all previous storylines and feuds are scrapped, all titles are to be relinquished, the whole company starts over. Thats when our story begins. The concept was actually interesting. The young and hungry superstars of WCW are sick and tired of these old has beens such as Hogan, DDP, Sting, Ric Flair and Kevin Nash getting all the air time, all the guaranteed contracts, and whatever their hearts desire. They weren't going to wait for their opportunities, they wanted it now. The Millionaire's Club thought these snot nosed punks were getting too big for their britches and wanted to teach them a lesson about respect. So the war was on. But it turned out to be completely one sided with the Millionaires Club coming out on top, constantly burying the young talent. One instance had Kevin Nash run a New Blood Gauntlet, taking down the members one by one..hell..he didn't even have to pin them..the ref counted for them. And then there was of course the Hogan v.s Kidman feud which made little sense whatsoever..Kidman's shoots seemed very forced. (mainly because he has the personality of a wet brick.) And Hogan always came out and buried him. The angle bombed and was sent to the scrap heap with all the other failed WCW projects. Could the angle have been salvaged though? I mean..at least have The New Blood get the best of the Millionaire's Club. The whole point of the angle was for the young guys to get a rub off the established vets, but it worked the other way around as the main stays almost always came out on top. Could this angle have been booked correctly? The angle never had a chance because the top guys in question (Hogan, Nash) probably didn't really see any of the younger guys as being legitimately deserving of a push contrast that with the current Nexus feud which, despite some grumbles, has succeeded because the likes of Cena have been willing to do business. |
|
|
|
Post by "Nature Boy" Ric Moranis on Oct 13, 2010 13:29:06 GMT -5
I always thought that type of angle would have REALLY worked if they tried it a couple years sooner. Around 1999, if you had a WCW Civil War with...
NEW BLOOD
Goldberg
Booker T
Scott Steiner
Chris Jericho
Buff Bagwell
Chris Benoit
Saturn
Eddie Guerrero
Konnan
Rey Misterio
MILLIONAIRES CLUB
Hogan
Flair
Savage
Piper
Sting
Bret Hart
Hall & Nash
DDP
Luger
Rick Steiner
Curt Hennig
Hell, you could've even had the old guys even win the feud, if you booked the New Blood like the NWO where they just completely dominated the Millionaires Club up until the very end.
The WCW crowds were ready for guys like Scott Steiner, Booker T, Benoit, Jericho, and Eddie to be booked like Main Event talent. It would've been a far more successful angle with the audience than the guys they put in New Blood (Stasiak, Palumbo, Jindrak, O'Haire, Sanders, etc).
|
|
|
|
Post by Milkman Norm on Oct 13, 2010 13:43:44 GMT -5
As I look back on a lot of the failed angles that failed to pull WCW out of the mud its in, one that sticks out in my mind is the New Blood v.s Millionaire's Club angle. First, they decide to change everything in WCW around, start over with a clean slate. That means, all previous storylines and feuds are scrapped, all titles are to be relinquished, the whole company starts over. Thats when our story begins. The concept was actually interesting. The young and hungry superstars of WCW are sick and tired of these old has beens such as Hogan, DDP, Sting, Ric Flair and Kevin Nash getting all the air time, all the guaranteed contracts, and whatever their hearts desire. They weren't going to wait for their opportunities, they wanted it now. The Millionaire's Club thought these snot nosed punks were getting too big for their britches and wanted to teach them a lesson about respect. So the war was on. But it turned out to be completely one sided with the Millionaires Club coming out on top, constantly burying the young talent. One instance had Kevin Nash run a New Blood Gauntlet, taking down the members one by one..hell..he didn't even have to pin them..the ref counted for them. And then there was of course the Hogan v.s Kidman feud which made little sense whatsoever..Kidman's shoots seemed very forced. (mainly because he has the personality of a wet brick.) And Hogan always came out and buried him. The angle bombed and was sent to the scrap heap with all the other failed WCW projects. Could the angle have been salvaged though? I mean..at least have The New Blood get the best of the Millionaire's Club. The whole point of the angle was for the young guys to get a rub off the established vets, but it worked the other way around as the main stays almost always came out on top. Could this angle have been booked correctly? The angle never had a chance because the top guys in question (Hogan, Nash) probably didn't really see any of the younger guys as being legitimately deserving of a push contrast that with the current Nexus feud which, despite some grumbles, has succeeded because the likes of Cena have been willing to do business. This. The second the Millionaires Club became faces it was over. |
|
hollywood
King Koopa
the bullet dodger
The Green Arrow has approved this post.
Posts: 11,122
|
Post by hollywood on Oct 13, 2010 14:15:47 GMT -5
Could this angle have been booked correctly? No. It was practically self-sabotaged from the beginning. The unprecedented "reboot," while it garnered national attention, was a bad decision right from the beginning. The previous week, WCW essentially shut down, and Monday Nitro featured Mark Madden and Tony Schiavone doing a 2-hour WCW's Greatest Hits special. Ratings tanked that week, which pissed off advertisers, leading to a stiff handicap for future television programs right off the bat. They also changed the set. Again. For like the 3rd time in a year. This only added to investors' complaints that WCW was bleeding money and showing no sign of restraint or responsibility. Now, with those problems established, let's take a look at the New Blood v. Millionaire's Club angle. They booked the whole thing ass-backwards. The young guys just want their shot, and the old, rich guys refuse to budge...but the old, rich guys are the BABYFACES!?? REALLY!?? Next, they tried scrapping Hulk Hogan's iconic name in favor of his real one, Terry Bollea. Nevermind the fact that "Hulk Hogan" is a household name that generated thousands of dollars in revenue for the company and most people had no idea who the hell Terry Bollea was, Russo wanted to make things all "edgy" and "shoot." So WCW started advertising the immortal Bollea. For about a week and a half, anyway. Hulk Hogan v. Billy Kidman was doomed to failure from the beginning. They had no chemistry, no history, no angle, no nothing. From a match booking standpoint, it was already a bad idea. Kidman's a high-flyer, Hogan's essentially a grappler, and the latter is almost twice the size of the former. There was very little they could do together. It didn't help that Kidman had the personality of a stick, either. The problem with the whole thing is, once you fix one problem, you're faced with a dozen more. Make the New Blood babyfaces and Millionaire's Club the heels. Okay, sounds great on paper, but who's the star of the show? Who's the number one babyface in this angle? Goldberg? He's hardly been held down by the old guys. He's pretty much the only option, but story-wise it makes no sense. Keep Hulk Hogan as Hulk Hogan? Well, duh. But here's another problem... Hogan's already been the biggest babyface in the industry as the immortal Hulkster. He's also been the biggest heel in the industry as the slimy "Hollywood" Hogan. What's left for him? What different option do you have for the guy? And then there was the nWo reunion V. 3.0.... Rather than try to create the "next big angle," WCW should've just tried to establish new stars to lead the way into the company's future...the very thing they SHOULD'VE been doing all along. No reboot. No attempted hot new angle. Just solidify the young talent as contenders, while utilizing the established talent as moneymakers. Stick to that formula, and work the storylines around it. Not the other way around. For all the obstacles Russo supposedly faced while he was in charge of WCW, the very simple fact of the matter is he didn't have a clue what he was doing. He'd become a mark for himself, thinking he was the creative genius behind WWE's success. (Fun fact: He wasn't.) And most any pro wrestler will tell you, the worst thing you can do is become a mark for yourself. |
|
|
|
Post by biggdeez40 on Oct 13, 2010 19:54:08 GMT -5
The New Blood should have been portrayed as mega heels. They want the top spots and money but lack respect and use Nexus style tactics to get it. It was inevitable that the fans would cheer the old guys just like the MEM in TNA. The casual fan is not going to side with Billy Kidman over Hulk Hogan or Shane Douglas over Ric Flair. Just pick a better name than millionaire's club and have them severely outnumbered and beaten down for a while.
|
|
|
|
Post by hajimenoippo on Oct 13, 2010 21:44:36 GMT -5
They chose the wrong guys to lead.
Fans were not going to accept Kidman or Vampiro taking out Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Lex Luger, or Sting.
If they had just pushed the guys who were actually over it could have worked.
Let's say they used Booker T, Mike Awesome, Buff Bagwell, Kanyon, with Shane douglas as the mouth piece, and Jarrett. add in the NBT as the lackeys it would have been way better.
You got heels, might as well use ones that could be main eventers. Regardless of what people say Buff was over as both a heel and a face back then.
You have Booker T take the belt from Hulk at BATB as that match had never happened and you build it as Booker breaking through the glass ceiling finally. Raising the roof.
You do a double turn, where Hulk, Flair, and Savage turn back into dirty backstabbing cheaters.
Booker and Buff go back to being faces. And well we end it with Booker beating Hulk Hogan for the belt, and the following night you have jarrett smash a guitar on Booker during their "victory" promo, as Jarrett goes heel, Booker turns face, and the new blood dissolves.
|
|
|
|
Post by gmoneyftw on Oct 13, 2010 21:53:42 GMT -5
wow; i completely forgot this whole era; i do think the whole clean slate concept was something that was a great idea... if your paul heyman and derive a 5 year plan building it... but we all know what happened
|
|
|
|
Post by Hammer Smashed Ball on Oct 14, 2010 1:25:37 GMT -5
This story line developed around the time I felt guilty for constantly ridiculing WCW but never actually watching it. I started tuning in to Nitro (during the commercials on Raw, of course) and really tried my damnedest to enjoy what I was watching. Even as a 13 year old I was confused as to why the young guys were the heels. I think, as others have stated, that this was the main reason why this idea never got over.
|
|
CaptainFall
Samurai Cop
'Fascinating is the word of the day'
Posts: 2,151
|
Post by CaptainFall on Oct 14, 2010 2:03:56 GMT -5
Lance Storm talks about this in his interview in Wrestlecrap Radio. He says the whole thing was done backwards as New Blood should have been the faces and Millionaire's Club the heels so it was wrong from the very beginning.
Could have worked but all the main guys would have had to turn heel, that's the only hope it had.
|
|
|
|
Post by baerrtt on Oct 14, 2010 7:03:43 GMT -5
Lance Storm talks about this in his interview in Wrestlecrap Radio. He says the whole thing was done backwards as New Blood should have been the faces and Millionaire's Club the heels so it was wrong from the very beginning. Could have worked but all the main guys would have had to turn heel, that's the only hope it had. As someone has said previously no matter how well they executed it would the fans have really cheered for the young guys over Hogan, Nash etc? If the NWO got cheered eventually how would this have been any different? |
|
|
|
Post by Djm Doesn't Find You Funny on Oct 14, 2010 9:37:08 GMT -5
No. Never, and no attempt at redoing has ever worked or ever will work.
Because most wrestling fans don't care about younger newer guys getting a shot. They care about the guys they know doing the stuff they know and grew up with.
And at the end, when the angle fails, the business can just use the cop out "The young guys just couldn't get over, even though we gave them everything", which is almost always a lie.
So, no. It will never work.
|
|
|
|
Post by johnnyk9 on Oct 14, 2010 10:08:23 GMT -5
If Russo didn't book it maybe
|
|
|
|
Post by Trent Valentine on Oct 14, 2010 10:45:34 GMT -5
This story line developed around the time I felt guilty for constantly ridiculing WCW but never actually watching it. I started tuning in to Nitro (during the commercials on Raw, of course) and really tried my damnedest to enjoy what I was watching. Even as a 13 year old I was confused as to why the young guys were the heels. I think, as others have stated, that this was the main reason why this idea never got over. Listen Friar, you're mighty preachy, and you're gonna preach yourself into a hangman's noose! But yeah, I agree. At the time I was preferring WWF over WCW, the whole angle failed to get my attention at the time. (Even though I was a mark.) Not to mention I had to endure Russo on my TV shooting on certain Superstars. If anything the young guys should be the faces, they just want their shot. And the old guys..who should be heels..are too greedy to give up the spotlight to the younger stable. This whole angle was completely backwards. |
|
CaptainFall
Samurai Cop
'Fascinating is the word of the day'
Posts: 2,151
|
Post by CaptainFall on Oct 14, 2010 12:41:29 GMT -5
Lance Storm talks about this in his interview in Wrestlecrap Radio. He says the whole thing was done backwards as New Blood should have been the faces and Millionaire's Club the heels so it was wrong from the very beginning. Could have worked but all the main guys would have had to turn heel, that's the only hope it had. As someone has said previously no matter how well they executed it would the fans have really cheered for the young guys over Hogan, Nash etc? If the NWO got cheered eventually how would this have been any different? I think they would have got behind the new guys if you have guys in that group who the fans love, like some of the cruiserweights and book guys like Palumbo, O'Haire and so on as genuine threats. |
|
