Post by Alexander The So-so on Jul 22, 2014 19:47:37 GMT -5
We all know the reasons why WCW failed. The failure to push fresh talent, the stale main events, the abysmal backstage morale, the business incompetence, etc. But imagine that you are the markiest of marks and don't know anything about backstage politics or booking processes, and only know about what you see on the screen. Even then, there's a straightforward, purely kayfabe reason why WCW lost ratings and got killed, which I don't think gets addressed enough.
The simple fact is, the nWo really did kill WCW.
From the beginning, the New World Order was booked as the most badass, dominant, bad news heels imaginable. They ran roughshod over WCW's best and brightest, such as Sting, Luger, the Giant, and DDP.
In the midst of all this, though, was their kayfabe motivation: "WCW sucks, WCW are just a bunch of losers, we're taking over because WCW sucks."
And over the years...who could, objectively, say that they weren't right? Hogan, Hall, and Nash dominated the title scene and regularly made WCW's top faces look like ineffectual pansies. They took over broadcasts and kicked out the announcers whenever they wanted, with no impunity, making WCW look impotent and powerless. The company's own Vice President threw in his lot with the nWo, showing that even WCW's own leadership would choose these no-good cheaters over WCW. The Four Horsemen, WCW's staple, cohesive foundation, was torn apart and crippled by the nWo.
All the beat-downs, run-ins, and times when the nWo would clear house? From a purely kayfabe perspective, it made it look like they were a cohesive, familial group who looked out for each other, and always got DQ'd for interference because, well, they didn't care about the rules. Look at the WCW guys, in contrast! The Horsemen are falling apart, Sting and Luger don't trust each other, the Giant and DDP are both loners. They're a bunch of infighting, incoherent losers who can't get their s*** together, and keep on sticking to the goody-goody rules despite the fact that the nWo has repeatedly shown that they're never going to follow those rules in turn, making the WCW wrestlers look like a bunch of naïve idiots.
The fact that the group grew like The Blob and took on every Tom, Dick, and Harry who passed by? Forget the real-life explanations of Bischoff milking the nWo concept dry; from a purely kayfabe perspective, it looked like a whole bunch of WCW's wrestlers were deciding that, yes, WCW really did suck, and that they'd rather join the winning side.
Everything that went down at Starrcade '97? Forget Hogan's creative controlling and politicking. From a kayfabe perspective, Sting had just made an ass of himself, failed miserably at being WCW's savior, got the title off of a fluke, and lost the title anyway a month later. The symbol of the company himself couldn't cut the mustard either.
The Fingerpoke of Doom? Forget what you know about Hogan and Nash's backstage wheeling-dealing. In kayfabe, Nash and Hogan had outsmarted everyone, putting on a ruse of a faction war so that they could dethrone Goldberg, get the belt back on their leader Hogan, and run roughshod just as they had for the past three years. Goldberg, who everyone thought was the unbeatable, invincible monster good guy, had the legs cut out from under him; WCW's last hope for a guy that could actually kick ass and get rid of the nWo once and for all went up in smoke.
From the perspective of Marky Mark the Markingist Wrestling Mark, they're probably watching the course of WCW from 1996-99, and eventually concluding "I hate the nWo! They're a bunch of cheaters ruining our beloved WCW! But...maybe they're right. WCW really DOES suck. Why am I wasting my time watching and supporting WCW if they're just going to fail time after time, and do nothing to put these bullies in their place?"
And the rest is history. From a purely kayfabe perspective, fans lost faith in WCW, because the bad guys kept winning, none of WCW's finest main eventers measured up, none of that new young talent rose to the occasion in the war against the nWo, and the bad guy faction just would never go away.
All the while, the nWo had a message: "WCW sucks, we're taking over." Well, from a mark's perspective, yes, it really does appear that WCW does indeed suck. But since the nWo were a bunch of cheater poopheads, they didn't want to watch a show where they were dominant. So it just became easier to wash your hands of the ineffectual WCW and quit watching Nitro.
What do you think of this interpretation of WCW's downfall? To what extent do you think it may have played a role in driving the fans away?
The simple fact is, the nWo really did kill WCW.
From the beginning, the New World Order was booked as the most badass, dominant, bad news heels imaginable. They ran roughshod over WCW's best and brightest, such as Sting, Luger, the Giant, and DDP.
In the midst of all this, though, was their kayfabe motivation: "WCW sucks, WCW are just a bunch of losers, we're taking over because WCW sucks."
And over the years...who could, objectively, say that they weren't right? Hogan, Hall, and Nash dominated the title scene and regularly made WCW's top faces look like ineffectual pansies. They took over broadcasts and kicked out the announcers whenever they wanted, with no impunity, making WCW look impotent and powerless. The company's own Vice President threw in his lot with the nWo, showing that even WCW's own leadership would choose these no-good cheaters over WCW. The Four Horsemen, WCW's staple, cohesive foundation, was torn apart and crippled by the nWo.
All the beat-downs, run-ins, and times when the nWo would clear house? From a purely kayfabe perspective, it made it look like they were a cohesive, familial group who looked out for each other, and always got DQ'd for interference because, well, they didn't care about the rules. Look at the WCW guys, in contrast! The Horsemen are falling apart, Sting and Luger don't trust each other, the Giant and DDP are both loners. They're a bunch of infighting, incoherent losers who can't get their s*** together, and keep on sticking to the goody-goody rules despite the fact that the nWo has repeatedly shown that they're never going to follow those rules in turn, making the WCW wrestlers look like a bunch of naïve idiots.
The fact that the group grew like The Blob and took on every Tom, Dick, and Harry who passed by? Forget the real-life explanations of Bischoff milking the nWo concept dry; from a purely kayfabe perspective, it looked like a whole bunch of WCW's wrestlers were deciding that, yes, WCW really did suck, and that they'd rather join the winning side.
Everything that went down at Starrcade '97? Forget Hogan's creative controlling and politicking. From a kayfabe perspective, Sting had just made an ass of himself, failed miserably at being WCW's savior, got the title off of a fluke, and lost the title anyway a month later. The symbol of the company himself couldn't cut the mustard either.
The Fingerpoke of Doom? Forget what you know about Hogan and Nash's backstage wheeling-dealing. In kayfabe, Nash and Hogan had outsmarted everyone, putting on a ruse of a faction war so that they could dethrone Goldberg, get the belt back on their leader Hogan, and run roughshod just as they had for the past three years. Goldberg, who everyone thought was the unbeatable, invincible monster good guy, had the legs cut out from under him; WCW's last hope for a guy that could actually kick ass and get rid of the nWo once and for all went up in smoke.
From the perspective of Marky Mark the Markingist Wrestling Mark, they're probably watching the course of WCW from 1996-99, and eventually concluding "I hate the nWo! They're a bunch of cheaters ruining our beloved WCW! But...maybe they're right. WCW really DOES suck. Why am I wasting my time watching and supporting WCW if they're just going to fail time after time, and do nothing to put these bullies in their place?"
And the rest is history. From a purely kayfabe perspective, fans lost faith in WCW, because the bad guys kept winning, none of WCW's finest main eventers measured up, none of that new young talent rose to the occasion in the war against the nWo, and the bad guy faction just would never go away.
All the while, the nWo had a message: "WCW sucks, we're taking over." Well, from a mark's perspective, yes, it really does appear that WCW does indeed suck. But since the nWo were a bunch of cheater poopheads, they didn't want to watch a show where they were dominant. So it just became easier to wash your hands of the ineffectual WCW and quit watching Nitro.
What do you think of this interpretation of WCW's downfall? To what extent do you think it may have played a role in driving the fans away?
