Was it This Bad in the 90s? (Monday Night War)

[Teemu]

I wasn't online during the Monday Night Wars, so I'm curious.

Was the tribalism then as bad as it is now? Were there WCW fans calling WWF fans "not real wrestling fans" and stuff like that? I bet it happened to some degree. Of course online also wasn't as widely accessible then, especially not during the very beginning of the war. Were WCW fans viciously attacking WWF fans for their preferences like AEW fans do today? Or was it peaceful coexistence?

[noobeast]

As someone who started their journey in the IWC in the early 90s in Prodigy chat rooms...

Yeah, it's always been this bad, maybe even worse. I saw actual fights break out in school over wrestling shirts and shit like that.

[James Fabiano]

Hmmmm.....

I joined RSPW in the mid-'90s, and most people there were in agreement that WCW was doing a LOT wrong in the Hulkamania Era, and pretty much making them a laughingstock. Same thing with New Generation WWF stuff. But they also liked the good things about them. Basically, they generally mocked the bad stuff, liked the good stuff. For everyone.

True you had some elitists like Herb Kunze who felt nothing in North America was worth a damn. ECW could do no wrong at this time too and people blindly loved it, from what I remember. If you didn't like people who were totally devoted to [name your indy], you'd probably not like that.

So no I don't remember it being like it is now, with "My company, right or wrong." Then again, since the latter half of last decade, EVERYTHING has been like that.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

People used to mail actual letters to Dave Meltzer to tell him that their company was better than the other.

[thecrusherwi]

I was only in middle school during the Monday Night Wars so I wasn’t really involved in the IWC type discussions. Most everyone I knew in real life preferred one promotion or the other, but most followed both WWF and WCW. In the Midwest, no one really followed ECW outside of seeing the pictures in PWI or the occasional best of tape at the video store.

And maybe I’m not as engaged in the discussions now, but I remember the arguments between TNA and ROH fans and WWE fans in the mid 2000s being more heated than the WWE and AEW fan bickerings.

[kingoftheindies]

May 1, 2022 9:38:16 GMT -5 thecrusherwi said:

I was only in middle school during the Monday Night Wars so I wasn’t really involved in the IWC type discussions. Most everyone I knew in real life preferred one promotion or the other, but most followed both WWF and WCW. In the Midwest, no one really followed ECW outside of seeing the pictures in PWI or the occasional best of tape at the video store.

And maybe I’m not as engaged in the discussions now, but I remember the arguments between TNA and ROH fans and WWE fans in the mid 2000s being more heated than the WWE and AEW fan bickerings.

Hell TNA and any fanbase was bickering lol. The ROH stuff was bad but every other week or so WWE fans would talk about how TNA was going out of business (at it's height when WWE announced they were bringing ECW back since many thought the ECW wrestlers in TNA would jump in a heartbeat)

As for the 90's? I was a younger kid but I remember having arguments with some of my friends about it. Didn't help that WCW and WWF would take shot after shot at each other on tv

[Super Nintenjoe KBD]

Funnily, in a lot of cases today's AEW fans WERE 90s WWF fans.

[fw91]

I was just a kid, but I watched both while leaning WWF, it just seemed less convoluted than wcw back then for a young kid. Either way, I'd say WWE and WCW were similar in style and not "Real Pro Wrestling" vs "Sports Entertainment." It was establishment vs establishment and unlike today where its Establishment vs Anti Establishment.

[saneiac]

There was a brief period, when the NWO was still red hot and Austin vs McMahon was in full swing, that a lot of the IWC was happily watching both companies, because both shows were really good. Before and after that time, though? Yeah. It was this bad.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

Honestly, I didn’t start really getting into the internet side of wrestling until 1999 and WCW was already a walking punchline. I still loved the show, despite how awful it was, but I was absolutely in the minority.

[Super Nintenjoe KBD]

May 1, 2022 10:33:02 GMT -5 fw91 said:

I was just a kid, but I watched both while leaning WWF, it just seemed less convoluted than wcw back then for a young kid. Either way, I'd say WWE and WCW were similar in style and not "Real Pro Wrestling" vs "Sports Entertainment." It was establishment vs establishment and unlike today where its Establishment vs Anti Establishment.

Good point. I was a WCW fan as well as WWF when I got some WCW TV in the early 90s. By the mid-late 90s I only could see WWF so was a WWF fan be default and definitely "supported" them in the Monday Night Wars, but got WCW magazine occasionally too and wished I could have watched it, it was just more wrestling after all. It also felt like the two companies, while rivals, kind of shared the same "universe", with the various references and digs back and forth and people jumping ship etc (and WWF's ECW and NWA storylines). These days WWE have their own literal "universe", while the rest of the major wrestling world is more fluid than ever like AEW/ROH/NJPW/Impact/GCW overlapping, the whole real wrestling landscape IS the kayfabe universe. So much is different in the two eras.

[tafkaga]

I was a WWF loyalist in the early 90's who probably watched more WCW, but I remember always comparing them and being vocal about how WCW was inferior. That didn't stop me from getting super excited about Clash of the Champions. But, I was so pissed at WCW when Nitro came out. I just wanted them to fail so hard... and again, I probably watched WCW more than WWF at this time.

I knew a dude in high school whose favorite wrestler was Sting, and I used to tease him about it just because he'd get so pissed. He would turn red as a beet and be practically vibrating with rage.

[agent817]

May 1, 2022 9:38:16 GMT -5 thecrusherwi said:

I was only in middle school during the Monday Night Wars so I wasn’t really involved in the IWC type discussions. Most everyone I knew in real life preferred one promotion or the other, but most followed both WWF and WCW. In the Midwest, no one really followed ECW outside of seeing the pictures in PWI or the occasional best of tape at the video store.

And maybe I’m not as engaged in the discussions now, but I remember the arguments between TNA and ROH fans and WWE fans in the mid 2000s being more heated than the WWE and AEW fan bickerings.

If you want to talk about the mid-2000s, I remember being a part of a wrestling group on Myspace (and yes, this screams mid-2000s) where the main page had a graphic that had some fake reports and stuff like "Hulk Hogan signs with TNA" and a small picture that was lifted from the poster for The Marine, but it said "John Cena stars in The (well-known homophobic slur that starts with an F)."

I had friends who preferred one promotion over the other. It was fine, but I remember in middle school being picked on for also watching WCW, and during that time WCW was not at its best. But I still followed it.

I find it funny how tribalistic AEW fans are, as if they are flawless. While I can enjoy the action in the ring, there are problems with their booking at times.

[Ecks Ecks Ringout Ecks Ecks]

I would argue that it was much, much worse back then. The key difference is we didn't have social media in its modern form, which amplifies the loudest voices and broadcasts them to a much larger audience, which can lead to inaccurate impressions of perceived groups and their opinions.

Back then, conversation mostly took place on message boards, private forums, chat rooms, comments on news articles and the like. Each mostly existed in its own bubble, and different fans had different places they knew about and favored. Despite most of those places being moderated, it was generally acceptable to act a lot more childish and say much more horrible shit compared to today. Very much a "middle school gym class" sort of tribalism, with a lot less nuance than most of the conversations that happen today.

That's not to say things are a happy cuddly paradise these days, but it's important to keep in mind that controversy drives engagement and engagement is what makes our social media overlords their money, so bad faith takes tend to get a megaphone whilst respectful dialogue hums quietly in the background.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

I shudder to imagine how insufferable the online ECW fans would have been while the company was alive. 'It's not about the violence, it's the workrate guys, also did you see the burning New Jack barbedwire, thumbtacks and sprinkles table match last night? Way better than fake WCW and it's old guys.'

[salz4life]

May 1, 2022 10:29:42 GMT -5 Super Nintenjoe KBD said:

Funnily, in a lot of cases today's AEW fans WERE 90s WWF fans.

This is pretty much on point. I liked WWE over WCW, but not to the point where I got mad at people... but there were people that did. I remember being in AIM Chats where people would bury each other.... much like they do today on Twitter. LOL

[James Fabiano]

I will say that back then, there were more people who'd personally attack wrestlers because they didn't like their characters or the backstage stories. ("pleasant" memories of the SHOOT VADER SHOOT fund on RSPW when Superbrawl was coming) That still happens, but I think a lot of us are more careful seeing as wrestlers are more obviously on social media now.

[Jindrak Mark]

ECW fans online were definitely the "we're real wrestling and WWF/WCW is dumb kiddies stuff" type. ROH took over that mantle to a degree but they were nowhere near as annoying as the hardcore ECW fans.

At least during the MNW most fans were flipping channels and watching both Raw and Nitro to a degree even if they preferred one over the other. At least until 2000 or so when I think a lot of people stopped watching WCW completely.

A lot of people today though completely ride for one side and don't watch the other. Which is completely fine but if you don't watch then don't spend so much energy on it. When someone says they don't watch WWE/AEW but then you see their comment history and they're constantly shitting on every little detail it's like okay, either you're lying or you're spending a whole lot of energy hating on a TV show you claim you don't care about. It's like Walking Dead fans who stopped watching years ago but can't just let go. They have to constantly let you know how much they hate it now. It would be a complete win/win scenario for everybody if they just stopped devoting their time to it. Better for themselves not having to focus on something they clearly despise and better for the people still watching the show who don't have to put up with their constant whining.

[Deleted]

I would definitely say it was worse during the MNW era. Hell, even nWo fans vs. detractors was as bad.

May 3, 2022 9:22:05 GMT -5 The Dark Order Inferno said:

I shudder to imagine how insufferable the online ECW fans would have been while the company was alive. 'It's not about the violence, it's the workrate guys, also did you see the burning New Jack barbedwire, thumbtacks and sprinkles table match last night? Way better than fake WCW and it's old guys.'

This is entirely accurate, if you also throw in talk of how their women were hotter than Sunny and Sable.

[Super Nintenjoe KBD]

May 3, 2022 12:00:49 GMT -5 salz4life said:

May 1, 2022 10:29:42 GMT -5 Super Nintenjoe KBD said:

Funnily, in a lot of cases today's AEW fans WERE 90s WWF fans.

This is pretty much on point. I liked WWE over WCW, but not to the point where I got mad at people... but there were people that did. I remember being in AIM Chats where people would bury each other.... much like they do today on Twitter. LOL

Yeah, I wasn't online in the 90s so never saw any hate between fans but can imagine it. I was just excited that you had WWF on fire as well as ECW and WCW which felt "exotic" to me because I simply couldn't see them, apart form video games and magazines. But it is funny to me the idea that modern WWE fans are pissed at AEW fans, when an AEW fan like me was a WWF fan years before they were born in some cases. Of course there are probably plenty of AEW fans that are dicks (again I haven't seen them since I tend to avoid places that have those "debates" like Twitter) but of course there are WWE fans equally ignorant and dismissive out there (which I have seen occasionally). I will say in a way it's hard not to be slightly tribal though when AEW has made wrestling fun again for someone like me for the first time in years, when watching WWE felt like banging your head against a wall. Also as a football fan, tribalism is part of the game and really part of the fun! But there's a difference between that fun, and people who get mean and disrespectful to individuals.