The Death of WCW: WrestleCrap and Figure Four Weekly Present . . . (WrestleCrap series) Reviews

• The Story of WCW's Amazing Rise & Fall

  
  By A2JP0URFHXP6DO on 2005-01-06
  I've been reading Bryan Alvarez' column now for quite some time and he is one of the most respected people covering pro wrestling today. Along with R.D. Reynolds they tell the story of the remarkable Rise & Fall and eventual Death of WCW. Relive some of the classic moments as WCW began its increidble rise from a second rate wrestling company who once gave us Robocop in the ring, to the juggernaut that nearly did the unthinkable: Nearly putting Vince McMahon and the WWF out of business.
  
  Through interviews with many of the stars and other participants we'll see how WCW used the WWFs long-time strategy of raiding its rivals talent rosters as they systematically stole nearly every major star that the WWF had in the 80's and early 90's: Hogan, Savage, Nash, SCott Hall, Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase, Sean Waltman, the Nasty Boys, Ultimate Warrior, and more. The eventual "turning" of Hulk Hogan and the creation of the NWO led to WCW winning the Monday Night ratings war with the WWF for over 80 consecutive weeks.
  
  Riding high, WCW will soon collapse under its own weight. Soon, big, guaranteed contracts given to wrestlers take their toll on WCWs budget as guys like Nash, Hogan, Hall, and Hart would be injured for months at a time. WCW leaked money like a sieve, tossing about millions to bring in celebrities like Dennis Rodman, Jay Leno, and Karl Malone, and trying to make wrestlers out of people like Jerry Only of the Misfits.
  
  Meanwhile egos clashed as the powerbrokers like Bischoff, Hogan, and Nash controlled everything and kept younger wrestlers down. Fights backstage and no advancement would eventually lead many younger stars like Chris jehrico, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero to jump ship to the WWF.
  
  Small cracks became large fissures. WCW brings in Vince Russo to do the booking leading to some of the greatest embarrassments in the history of wrestling with Hogan lying down on the mat to lose and actor DAvid Arquette becoming WCW champion. Add to that, WCW could find no answer to the WWF's two hugely popular stars: Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.
  
  It would all lead to a company that was once worthy tens of millions being bought by Vince McMahon for a fraction of that and opening up the last Nitro show announcing the purchase of WCW.
  
  Many of these details are quite well known but the interviews are great and its amazing the way even years later some of the parties involved still refuse to accept any blame for WCWs downfall. Excellent Read!
  
  

• A Biased, Wrong fannish kind of book

  
  By A2B3GK6U0FGG7S on 2005-01-17
  The thing about wrestling is that it always requires believing
  in something fake. In the old days, the fans used to believe
  what was in the ring was real. Now, things have changed in
  that they don't believe whats in the ring is real....but they
  believe (as the guys who wrote this book) that every bit of
  phony insider propoganda put up by wrestlers and hangers-on
  in the business is utterly real.
  
  This book will not tell you what went wrong in WCW. It will
  give you stories from one faction of people in WCW usually
  with their own agenda.
  
  The truth about WCW is that it failed as a business way back
  at the time it was sold to turner broadcasting. Turner was
  willing to keep it around because it could fill TV time in a
  very cost-effective way but nobody at Turner really cared
  much about wrestling. And would have preferred to spin
  WCW out on its own as a production company rather than having
  it in-house. But it could not support itself.
  
  Certain people at WCW were able to convince the turner
  organization to increase the money going to WCW in exchange
  for a better timeslots. The increase at WCW happened at the
  same time that wrestling went into one of its cyclical booms.
  And WCW was even more helped by the fact that its only competitor
  (the WWF) was putting out a bad product with little appeal.
  
  WCW then prospered for a while, overexposed itself and then
  fell apart as the boom in wrestling ended. Then,
  time-warner came into the picture, ted turner went out....and
  time-warner wanted to take the turner networks in a different
  (more upscale) direction. And WCW sold for so little (and to
  the WWF) because the wrestling promotion minus the programming
  slots at turner isn't worth anything at all.
  
  The people the book doesn't go after are:
  
  
  - All the whiny little wrestlers (Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit,
  Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko, Eddie Gurarreo and others) who kept
  telling their friends in the fan community that WCW would be
  saved if they turned into headliners instead of being "held
  back". They went to the WWF and for the most part spend their
  time as mindcard attractions. Their roles in the WWF were
  not substantially different. And the worst of them were
  invited to leave even the WWF because aside from in their
  own minds, their appeal was close to zero.
  
  - Bobby Heenan (whose skills as an announcer suffered because
  of his personal problems). Not mentioning the problems with
  him is an almost deliberate omission.
  
  - The problem that almost all of the talent in WCW had serious
  problems. Most businesses don't have to deal with most of their
  staff being drunks and junkies or out of control steroid
  psychos or hooking up with a co-workers wife or guys who don't
  want to work out and get fat. And when you make an example
  and fire one of the worst messed up guys, nobody in the fan
  press will applaud....they will scream for the managements
  head because they were not being fair to a "talented" guy.
  
  And then there is Goldberg. Goldberg was a football player
  turned wrestler. He could draw attention and money for a while
  by knocking over everyone in sight like they were nothing, but
  he had a problem for the long run that nobody could fix....
  he had no skills to put on a match and had no particular love
  for his job. Despite the confusion of many people, he was
  always going to be a short-term attraction because once he
  was exposed in a match as having no skills, the cheers were
  going to stop. (and they did).
  
  There is some useful information in the book, but don't believe
  all of whats there. WCW's biggest flaw was that nobody could
  get along, nobody could enforce discipline and that everyone
  with a grudge could get a sympathic response from the fan
  publications.
  
  
  
  

• An Excellent Read! Very Accurate!

  
  By A2HPYTM7DY4KIN on 2005-04-19
  I was VERY impressed with this read! I bought this book like Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst In Pro Wrestling to support Wrestlecrap.com (a very ammusing site). I must've wasted countless hours arguing with WWF fans about what went wrong with WCW and now here's a very accurate account of what really went wrong with my favorite promotion. WCW was indeed my favorite promotion. I became a fan back in 1988 (then the NWA) because of the cartoon characters and intelligence insulting crap the WWF was putting out at the time. Yes, WCW had just as many stupid gimmicks and ridiculous booking ideas but all in all they always WRESTLED! World Championship WRESTLING wrestled! Unfortunatly the 4-5 star wrestling matches we got from Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, the Guerreros, Lance Storm, Mike Awesome, Raven, Vampiro, and the Luchadores were put in the low to midcards in favor of the Nash-Hogan finger poke of Doom, Rick Steiner losing a debate with a horror movie prop named Chuckie, Goldberg's monsterous winning streak as World Champ put to an end by Nash's egotistical booking and a drunken Scott Hall's tazer gun... Oh, and don't forget the Warrior's horrific WCW run.
  
  Sure, it's hard to predict the future and hindsight is always 20/20 but c'mon! The people in charge of WCW (Turner, Bischoff) couldn't see that their numbers were dropping faster than spit off the Empire State Building?? Russo's fluke "crash TV" booking worked in the WWF for a stort time, (as expected from an armchair booking smark)however it proved disasterous for WCW. David Arquette as WCW Champion? Rehashing the pig's blood thing from 1976 horror flick "Carrie?" What was WCW thinking when they hired him? They did... and he made no improvments (just turned WCW into a cheap imitation of WWF/E's worst programming; 2 minute matches, too much backstage drama, a dash of sleeze) so they fired him or sent him home... WITH PAY! OK, maybe they learned... Nope, they brought him back, TWICE! THEN they make the dazzling deduction that they lost nearly $80 million in 2000! Nash not learning from his big ego and horrible booking killed the heat of many newcomers (Lance Storm, Sean O'Haire, Mike Awesome...) in 2000 that really could've helped turn the promotion around. They wouldn't have pulled off BIG miracles but they were definitly the start of the future WCW needed to turn itself around. He even booked himself over established workers like Booker T, Jeff Jarrett, and even Ric Flair. And people wonder why Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, and Jericho went to greener pastures in the WWF? Hey, they're the "vanilla midgets" right Big Kev? The other "Kev" would be Sullivan...
  
  Eric Bischoff DID try and turn WCW around by focusing more on what distiguished WCW from other promotions; the Cruiserweight division. Alot of the geezers were showcased less and less (even though I had to look at Luger longer than I wanted to)and he even tried desparatly to purchase WCW, but alas... By 2001, it was too little TOO LATE! AOL/Time Warner had seen enough and pulled all wrestling off of TBS and TNT forcing an already reluctant Fushient (Bischoff's investors) to back out and ultimatly lead to the sale of WCW for a mere fraction of what it was to a drooling Vince McMahon. Poor Bischoff... His dream of crushing Vince McMahon came to an abrupt end. But, it was expected from a guy who tried to turn around the dying AWA by having teams of grown men fight over a raw turkey in an empty gymnasium...
  
  In the epilogue I relived McMahon dancing on WCW's gravesite by booking that horrible WCW Invasion in 2001. Great workers like Booker T and (my fave) Lance Storm had to lay down for WWF's jobbers to the stars. They weren't even booked as a threat to what could have been bigger than the nWo invasion of WCW back in '96. You did it Vince, you've beaten your competition! But you still had to get your revenge on a promotion that you now OWN squandering potential millions in the process. Now what do you have? A dwindling fanbase, a promotion that lost it's trademark name, and practically booked by your son in-law...
  
  Who killed WCW? It was definitly the 4 guys pictured on the cover along with many supporting players (Kevin Sullivan and Brad Seigal come to mind). Eric Bischoff: had a dream that was alomst realized. But dirty tactics (giving away the WWF's results), an inflated ego, and bad decissions (the ridiculous spending of Ted's money) lead to him now working for the guy he tried to destroy. Hogan and Nash: two inmates that were allowed to run the assylum. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutly. Cost too many talented workers to be buried and lose credibility and fans to just lose interest altogether. Vince Russo: an overglorified wrestling smark who chose to make his WCW tenure a personal vendetta against his former promotion by doing angles that made sense to no one but himself and his peers. And the loss of over $80 million sure didn't help! I would've added Vince McMahon's face to the cover as well because he really could have done something special with WCW and made millions in interpromtional specials that fans of both WCW and WWE could've enjoyed for years to come. Instead he chose to stroke his own ego and spit on the grave and bury any of its talent that came over in the buy out...
  
  Perhaps the book should have been titled "The Death of Wrestling in the Main Stream." Again, a great and accurate read. Definitly more so than that WWE produced Monday Night Wars DVD. RIP WCW, you are missed! Especially the man who brought it to new hieghts in the 90's who never wrestled for WWE; STING!
  
  

• Q: Who killed WCW? A: Jamie Kellner

  
  By A2INX8B6VXUVW6 on 2005-02-15
  This book tells the story of not only the death of WCW, but the entire history of WCW. Most wrestling fans are probably familiar with the story, but it's still an interesting read. Plus, there were so many boneheaded mistakes made, that many fans probably forgot a lot them. Much of this book is funny, but it's also sad in a way. After all, a lot of people lost their jobs when WCW shut down. And the wrestling industry was much better off with two major promotions. Just look at how bad WWE is now, compared to how it was when WCW was around, and you can see how competition inspired them to put on a better product. This is an entertaining book that wrestling fans will enjoy.
  
  

• The Blame of WCW's Demise

  
  By A2G7E3A0YN6XLV on 2005-10-30
  It's hard to believe that a company could fold the way WCW did several years ago. At one time, WCW stood at the top of the wrestling mountain, and crushed the WWF/E in all ratings on television. It was obvious. WCW had became the number one promotion in the wrestling world. But gradually, something happened. WCW decided to go against the formula that brought them success. And when you do that, something bad is bound to happen.
  
  When Eric Bischoff's idea to bring in Scott Hall and Kevin Nash from the WWF came about, no WCW management was for sure if it would save the ratings. It did just that. WCW became the mainstream wrestling product for most wrestling fans, as the N.W.O. changed wrestling forever. But, just as it was normal for WCW to do, they ran the N.W.O so long that it became stale. But rather than drop them, they continued the run, which eventually led to the likes of Scott Norton, Buff Bagwell, and even Virgil joining the group. Bad idea.
  
  Also, the backstage situation was nothing short of a disaster. No one liked anyone. When you run a successful company, everyone wants to be the number one guy. Which is exactly why in the late 90's, the WCW World Title began to change hands on pretty much a weekly basis. Also, we can't forget one of the most memorable title reigns ever brought about by Vince Russo, and his idea was for........himself to become WCW Champion. Probably not good business there. Neither was the idea to have actor David Arquette win the WCW Title and beat two legitimate contenders, Jeff Jarrett and Diamond Dallas Page.
  
  It becomes obvious in this book that there is more than one person to blame for the death of World Championship Wrestling. Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Lex Luger, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and even David Arquette had vital roles in situations that led to the company folding.
  
  For any former WCW wrestling fan, this book is an absolute must-read. This is one of the greatest wrestling books I have ever read, and it shows just how bad things can get in a company in a downward spiral. Some of the things you read in the book will be so completely absurd, that you would think some of these things weren't possible. But, it's true. And that is why WCW is no longer in business.
  
  
• Awesome
  By AHFVMFM2XLLBZ on 2004-12-10
  It was a great book. Everything was told well. As an avid fan since Bischoff came to power, this is a must-read. I learned a lot of things that I wasn't aware of at the time.
  
  
• Eat your heart out, Russo
  By A3N4S5TAFMMIY7 on 2004-12-12
  R.D. Reynolds is one of the better writers of wrestling books, Mick Foley excluded, and he proves it here. He took the time to go incredibly in-depth on the Death of one of wrestlings greatest companies, World Championship Wrestling, and it shows. While Reynolds is (self-admittedly) not a fan of Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff, and Hulk Hogan, he keeps these prejudices to himself as much as possible and comes out with an excellent book for any wrestling fan who missed the humiliating end of WCW. A highly recommended read for any wrestling fan, even over Ric Flair's book (though not over Foley's).
  
  
• suckas gots to know!
  By A24X074DMRRCH5 on 2004-12-12
  Well, it took me 9 hours but I did finish it in one shot. I must say I haven't laughed out loud so much in a while. It's truly an amazing book. Now, let's keep in mind that WCW produced great shows. They mention that too. But let's face facts. This is THE DEATH OF WCW. WCW didn't just decide to call it quits. They slowly dug their own grave and possibly wern't even aware of it. You'll learn in great detail how it happened. I bought The Monday Night Wars DVD and in no way whatsoever is it as good as this book. Hell, I sold the watered down WWE DVD on Amazon for $15.00. I would not even think about selling this work of art book. It's going into my library for a very long time. So many great things to mention, but one that comes to mind is the Warrior/Hogan match when Warrior does the log roll. Damn.
  Not only is the book tremendously hilarious but I love how you guys provided all the specific information on ratings and business strategies they came up with. Ok, most of that is hilarious too. Anyway, I thank you guys for reminding me of all those memories and stuff I've never heard of and wasn't aware of. You know what? I miss WCW. True wrestling fans and non wrestling fans should buy this book. Why? Because it's an extremely great story and this is a part of history! Don't pay attention to those who are bitter just because they have a crush on Kevin Nash. I've met Nash, he aint that great. The truth is out there. This book is awesome! Oh, let's not forget that this book is dedicated to Hunter and Steph.
  
  
  
  
• A great read. Not perfect, but great.
  By ANZGTXUNPHQRV on 2004-12-14
  First of all, let me say - if you're a hardcore wrestling fan, you're not really going to get much new information from this book. Pretty much everything that's discussed here, you've read about on a message board somewhere. Frequently, not in the level of detail that RD Reynolds goes into, however, which is what makes this book good.
  
  There are, however, some inconsistancies. One thing Reynolds completely fails to take into account was the popularity of the nWo Wolfpac, writing the part of the book dealing with that time period as if Goldberg was the only person in the company who could draw as a main eventer. He obviously didn't remember the audible "Goldberg sucks" chants from the Wolfpac loyalists at Starrcade '98.
  
  My other major gripe with the book was that it failed to mention the excellent undercard WCW had put together just before it collapsed. Having recognized that one thing WCW could easily beat WWF on - Cruiserweights - they hired a good half dozen of cruiserweights, and frequently gave large portions of the undercard to these guys. They brought in some amazing talent like AJ Styles, Jason Jett (ECW's EZ Money), Air Paris, Kid Romeo, etc, the WCW braintrust seemingly knew what they were doing with these guys. But again, it wasn't in time to have any effect on the ratings. A mistake which WWE is duplicating yet again today...
  
  As for the good things about the book, generally everything else. RD Reynolds maintains the humorous edge he keeps in his wrestlecrap website, while keeping the tone of the book generally serious and leaving it to the reader to laugh his head off about the various inane things WCW management did. He documents such things as how Goldberg's career was ruined, how WCW managed to build up a $100 million debt, the problems that Eric Bischoff's panicked attempts to win the weekly ratings war with WWF caused.
  
  This book isn't just a narrative on Hogan and Nash ruining the careers of Goldberg and Bret Hart - there's a lot of stuff on smaller name wrestlers. Some of whom would go on to be huge stars in WWF later, such as Chris Jericho. Psicosis - one of world's most underrated wrestlers, and the guy who got me interested in wrestling in the first place - got a fair amount of print in the book, as it discussed his cruiserweight title "win", and the crisis surrounding a match between himself and Mysterio that took place in Mexico, after Mysterio was unmasked by then WCW booker Kevin Nash. And he's not the only one. No matter who you're a fan of, said wrestler probably got some print in the book - quite possibly more than they got from WCW itself.
  
  If half star ratings were possible, I'd have given this 4 1/2, because the book does have flaws. But on the whole, this is an excellent read for any wrestling fan.
  
  
• Sooo much left unaddressed.
  By A3S8162IWDTWKD on 2005-02-22
  First off, I love Wrestlecrap and check it every week. If anything, I started off biased in favor of the book but was disappointed.
  
  I enjoyed this book at the outset but became increasingly bothered by it as I read through it. Some points:
  
  1. C'mon, enough of the ratings and buy rates. Stop beating that dead horse.
  
  2. Why did the authors completely ignore all of the nWo off-shoots created to stave off the failure of the show? No mention of nWo red, nWo Wolfpack (I forget all of them), etc. Although I don't specifically remember them, I know there were alot of other issues at WCW that the book totally ignored.
  
  3. Why no mention of Bob Mould? I was always curious about how the former member of Husker Du, the punk/hardcore band from Minneapolis, became a writer for WCW. No mention at all. Not even as a matter of curiosity.
  
  I agree that the author focussed on his pre-selected stable of bad guys who took down the WCW based on their own insecurities. I'm not saying that this conclusion is incorrect but there was alot of other ground to cover which was entirely ignored.
  
  
• Were to start on this one
  By A110NSX7GRUMKW on 2005-12-10
  WCW was not booked into destruction like the author's (one who has failed as a wrestler and the other a failed manager) write about. Bottom line Time Warner who owned WCW mearged with AOL. Since the pro wrestling industry was on a downward slide the new owners, who did not rely solely on wrestling to make money, and did not care about wrestling anyway decided to cut WCW programing from their T.V. stations and sell the rights. Dont buy any books from these two leeches of pro wrestling.
  
  
• Crap just Crap
  By AEN8G17D29R48 on 2004-12-11
  Save your money and buy the DVD The Monday Night War. This book just copys that DVD. The Book is wrote by someone who had a gruge with Eric Bischoff for personal reasons. The author of this book has been banned for prowrestling.com for the last year.
  
  
• time to face the bad news about WCW
  By A3HLR27MM0S7MB on 2005-01-15
  The author has impressive research materials at hand: the A. C. Nielson television ratings surveys, the pay-per-view buy rates, the arena gate receipts, and likely a complete or near-complete collection of video cassettes of every television program broadcast by World Championship Wrestling. With these tools, along with a great deal of insider information, the author has set about to detail the origins, the climb to prominence, and the complete unraveling of WCW. Most of this book discusses the "Nitro" period of WCW and devotes the majority of its pages to the decline of WCW during the last few years of its existence.
  
  More than just reporting the events leading to its demise, the author offers an endless series of suggestions for alternatives for each wrong turn taken by WCW. I am sure the author is well-informed, but please take into consideration that these suggestions are not necessarily sure-fire solutions to the company's problems, but merely the author's opinions. I think it helps to realize that while reading this book.
  
  I have been a fan wrestling since I was a kid in the early 1960s and was a WCW fan from start to finish. I watched WCW on televsion usually three times a week: "WCW Nitro", "WCW Saturday Night", and "WCW Worldwide". I just couldn't bring myself to watch "WCW Thunder" with regularity simply because I thought it was one TV show too many. WCW came to my local arena eight times starting in 1991. I attended every show and still have my ticket stubs.
  
  As a fan, I felt uncomfortable reading this book simply because it was so full of bad news about my beloved WCW. There has been fragmented reports of the undoing of WCW since 2001. The author has tried to bring all this information to one place and I appreciate his efforts.
  
  I have read the autobiographies of Ric Flair and Harley Race, both published this year. I recommend both.
  
  
• A Good....but Depressing... Book for old WCW Fans
  By A34IBXM7E8CPWE on 2005-07-20
  I am a steady visitor to Reynold's Wrestlecrap.com website, and really enjoyed "Wrestlecrap" the novel. I was looking forward to reading "Death of WCW" to get a few laughs at the stupid booking ideas, and to remember some of the goofy things that used to happen on "Thunder". About halfway through the novel I realized....I wasn't laughing, in fact I was getting angry and depressed at the same time. I have quite a few fond memories of watching WCW, and just reading about all of the talent WCW had, all of the money made available to the promotion...it just kind of hit me how badly the entire promotion was run. Eric Bischoff and company had all of the means necessary to become THE Premier wrestling company in the US....and just blew it! As a fan who lived through the "Monday Night Wars" this was a great book, that brought back so many memories, and if you were a fan of WCW or WWF/E at that time you should definately read this book. It's amazing how inept WCW became...and what's really amazing is watching the current WWE making so many of the same mistakes that are outlined in this book??!!
  
  
• Nothing particular new here
  By A1MRE7OH4A0G2X on 2006-08-07
  I'd go 2 stars, but this book should probably be required reading for wrestling promoters. Plus, it's WCW and that was something I held near and dear. There's nothing in this book that you couldn't find on the internet. In fact, if you were a spoiler junkie in the 90's, you've probably already read this book. It's a nice, more or less, factual recap of the ratings and PPV buy rates of WCW. The authors then like to thrown in their 2 cents, but they're like every other internet wrestling geek. They all hate Hogan, Nash, and Bischoff. They all think Flair, Benoit, and Jericho are god. And they all think they could start booking tomorrow and run a major promotion. There's nothing truly personal in this book - no stories from wrestlers, crew, or suits that truly relate any sort of real connection to the story of WCW's demise. Kudos for actually getting all this info in one place and making a book out of it, but oddly, better personal stories can be found from DVD's produced by WWE of all places.
  
  
• Memories-good and bad
  By A1626MZR4Q452Z on 2004-12-13
  I became a fan of JCP (WCW's predecessor) in 1985 and remained loyal to the end in 2001. I've always felt that the reason WCW failed was because they failed to deliver what the fans wanted to see for one of two reasons-(1) they didn't know what the fans wanted, or (2) they knew and purposely did the opposite. When you consider the egos involved it's pretty clear that #2 is the right answer. It is said that failure from learn from mistakes guarantees the repetition of them. I hope all the higher-ups in WWE read this book and take it to heart. Kudos to the authors on a job well done.
  
  
• Great read in the style of Figure Four Weekly
  By A2139C5PUMN3I7 on 2004-12-24
  Really great. Funny and well-written account of the idiotic business, booking, and personal decisions which led to WCW going from the biggest wrestling company in the world with the highest cable ratings of ANY show, to being sold for *THREE* million bucks to Vince McMahon, in the space of four years. Entertaining fun, and a cheap book. Good read, even if you have zero interest in wrestling (the book doesn't go into "match details" or "in character" at all). A friend enjoyed it and he hadn't watched wrestling since the 80s.
  
  
• Great reading for ol' WCW fans!!!
  By A2MR99BV2PCO09 on 2005-10-08
  I had been waiting a while to get my hands on this book, and I am so glad I finally did. This is the whole story of how WCW should have been the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and how with the help of a number of greedy individuals and writers with no wrestling knowledge and no understanding of how a wrestling fans mind works; the company soon became a failure!
  
  I read this book in a few days, it was hard to put down, it was that good. The writing is good, but the story is even more impressive.
  
  One of the highlights (or lowlights) were reading about how out of control the spending got with millions being wasted on quick fixes like bands ie. KISS and Megadeth, celebrity personalities ie. Dennis Rodman, Master P and Jay Leno.
  
  One of the best wrestling books out in a long time...only Micks "Have A Nice Day" has done the same for me.
  
  So who killed WCW? ... Well a lot had their hands in the pot ... but only one pulled the killswitch in the end ... but I will give you a clue ... it's not one of the major players, who you may think it would be!!!
  
  If you enjoyed WCW at anytime in the late 90's, you'll enjoy this book a great deal.
  
  
• Lets see here......
  By A34HUL9LE3FA70 on 2004-12-11
  Lets see here.....
  
  They blame:
  1.Bischoff
  2.Hogan
  3.Nash
  
  for destroying WCW, when those are the guys who built it. What a bunch of morons. There wouldn't have been any WCW in the first place if it wasn't for those guys. These guys worship overrated jokes like Flair and Hart.
  
  
• WCW: In Memoriam
  By A3AB2GXRZ7MS2R on 2004-12-25
  How a company can go from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the ocean in 3 short years is a story filled with more turns, betrayals, confusions, and DQ finishes than any other in wrestling history.
  
  If you're a fan of Wrestlecrap, or just a diehard wrestling fan with a twinge of sadism, pick up this book. RD Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez both put their heart and soul into getting every painstaking detail down, and it's well worth a read.
  
  RIP WCW: 1989-2001
  
  
• Very Entertaining ...
  By ACBBFG805ZZRG on 2005-01-24
  With a book such as this, you're going to have people questioning the legitimacy of the facts that are presented. Many will say that they're "one sided" and "don't tell the whole story", in my opinion R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez do their absolute best to give the most detailed second hand account that they can possibly muster.
  
  If you're a long time wrestling fan, and most likely you are if you're considering this book, then a good majority of the information that is presented here is not new to you ... however it's presented in such a way where you are entertained when re-reading it. There are also enough new tidbits to keep your appetite wettened for more.
  
  I read this book in one day, and normally I don't do that, I usually make it a point to break my books up over a few days. However, this is an extremely entertaining read, and beyond that it also provides a good majority of information that many may not have been aware of prior.
  
  I cannot recommend this book enough.
  
  
• This book is fantastic
  By A3247PLRJ8X1FJ on 2005-08-06
  If you were watching while the "Monday Night Wars" were taking place, then this book is a perfect little nostalgia trip, with some answers to questions you may still have today. If you started watching once WCW died, this is a great book on the little federation that could- but didn't. And if you hate wrestling, but for some reason still want this book, it's a great example of how NOT to run a company. Great frickin book by a great frickin author.
  
  
• An Excellent Book!
  By A1OPP77E3GAQC0 on 2004-12-20
  From within the pages of this book you can learn the history of Jim Crockett Promotions and the birth of WCW after Ted Turner bought up the company. Then you can learn how Eric Bischoff took the company and made it a huge success. Then you can learn how people like Bischoff, Vince Russo, and Hulk Hogan drove the company into debt and oblivion.
  
  Of course, this book doesn't cover a lot of things. Yes, it covers the creation of the NWO but doesn't even mention anywhere in the book the second "incarnation" of the NWO, the Wolfpack. It doesn't mention a lot of the people and gimmicks that helped WCW take off, though what it does mention it goes into great detail about.
  
  This book is nothing short of great and is a high recommended read to any degree of wrestling fan.
  
  
• Romper Room on Steroids
  By AGTFW4TAC7W2H on 2005-02-28
  "The Death of WCW" is one of the funniest and most informative books I've ever read. My jaw was on the floor reading about the insanity run amok and laughing aplenty. After I finished I thought about who was primarily to blame for the destruction of the organization. I've read other reviews adding their two cents worth but here is my opinion. The guilty parties are, in order:
  1.Ted Turner
  2.Hulk Hogan
  3.Eric Bischoff
  As I was reading the book I kept asking myself: "Where was Ted Turner through all of this?" He was Time Warner's czar and was wrestling's biggest booster. It was essentially his baby. I don't know how much Teddy knows about wrestling but after carrying the NWA for all those years you'd think he would know what a good wrestling show should've looked like. When it became apparent the show was really going south he should have stepped in and tightened the reigns a bit on Mr. Bischoff and not let him and everone else run riot. It was his responsibility step in and restore order.
  Eric Bischoff comes in third because he was really the new kid on the block. He is an example of the saying "too much too soon." While he brought fresh ideas and energy, he misidentified the foundation (i.e. wrestlers) of the company. They were Flair, Sting, Arn Anderson, Luger, etc. The workers who had been there all along and who, most importantly, brought with them a built in fan base to kickstart the new WCW brand. Instead, they were completely taken for granted. The stars Bischoff brought in:Hogan, Savage, Hall & Nash, Hart and other former WWFers, were important to the "invasion" angle but they were not the ones hardcore fans really identified with. Indeed, it was the fans who started booing "Hulkamania" Hulk Hogan that set the stage for Hogan's turn to heel. When the WCW/NWO rivalry was established it should have been clear to Bischoff where fans' loyalty were and try to build around it. Instead he tried to manipulate their emotions trying force them to cheer or jeer who HE wanted.
  He had a shallow understanding of the wrestling world and should have consulted someone whom he trusted to clue him in.
  Which brings us to Hulk Hogan.
  It could be argued that Hogan had as much power as Bischoff. He had total control over his own character thanks to the clause in his contract and you can bet he was whispering in Bischoff's ear influencing his decisions. He knew the focus of the entire company was centered around him but because his ego was constantly stroked, he lost sight of the fact that matches work better when the combatants cooperate and make each other look good. Hogan already had been through all this in the WWF so he was no stranger to how it all worked. It was his judgment and input that helped shape events in WCW. He was in an excellent position to help keep WCW on top even if he wasn't in charge of the talent. Hogan WAS the talent and decided which talent to work with. That is why he places second over Bischoff.
  Please don't talk to me about Jamie Kellner being the one most responsible. He may have done the deed but the decision was made incredibly easy for him. Anyone with no knowledge of the industry would have looked at the situation at face value and made the same decision. Had the true guilty parties kept WCW intact it would have been much harder for Kellner to pull the plug. No one wants to explain why they canceled an historic moneymaker that would have had the legs to sustain Time Warner for years to come. Even the authors of the this book acknowledge this fact. But theirs was a knee jerk conclusion stated out of the indignanty that someone actually had the balls to do it. It shouldn't have been surprising that Vince McMahon delivered the final blow to the careers of WCWers in the manner he did. He is all ego even to the detriment of his company. His actions prove he will always put himself before his business. Just as everyone in WCW did.
  
  
• Much better then Wrestlecrap
  By A3K8Z60RM7FXLH on 2005-04-02
  Although I did not think "Wrestlecrap" the book was very well written, this book was great. I found that I just could not put it down. In fact this book does better, what "wrestle crap" should have done. It is brillant, how the author recalls the absurdity of decisions made in the WCW. It is hilerious reading about the senseless angles that were purused in late years of the WCW
  
  
• Required Reading For Any Wrestling Fan
  By A2TVJ0YDW3QO63 on 2005-08-27
  I've read a lot of wrestling books but this has to be 2nd only to Mick Foley's "Have A Nice Day!" (the bible of wrestling books). R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez recap the life and death of WCW from 1996-2001 in the kind of detail that you wouldn't expect in a 'wrasslin' book, and do they ever deliver.
  
  From the birth of WCW winning the Monday Night Wars, the picture is painted as a driven Eric Bischoff suprisingly is elevated to the #1 man at World Championship Wrestling, and he has a sound approach to building his wrestling show. Get proven talent and don't be afraid to pay for it. While this formula worked alright for 2 years, WCW really took off with the creation of the new World order angle in 1996. Like Goldberg later on, WCW lucked out with the success of this creation, a creation that would ultimately take WCW to the highest highs and lowest lows.
  
  From the creation of the nWo to the push of Goldberg, to the laziness and shoddy booking that started this deathspin to the lowest moment in wrestling history (title-wise) when David Arquette became the World Champion, everything you ever wanted to know about why WCW eventually was bought by Vince McMahon for a paltry sum is all in this book... and I mean EVERYTHING.
  
  The thing I found so fascinating about this book is how cutting edge and good WCW was from 1996-1997. I started watching wrestling again in late 1997 and rarely ever watched WCW, but it's quite clear from this book that Eric Bischoff really was a brilliant hire for the time (especially considering there were many more senior people that could (should?) have been chosen). I can only imagine the kind of presentation he must have given to get this gig, it must have been similar to when Peter Jackson pitched his vision of Lord Of The Rings (Peter Jackson was for the most part nothing but a B movie director at the time).
  
  It's really quite clear that WCW was very, very close to putting the WWF out of business, and if it wasn't for the misuse of Bret Hart (I do agree with Bischoff that if used properly, he might have put the WWF six feet under) and total mismanagement in WCW as a whole, Nitro would most definitely still be on today.
  
  No question that the gem of this book is the recap of WCW's fall from grace. With extremely humorous writing, nearly every page has something to laugh about, for if the reader does not laugh they would most surely cry reading about the pathetic way WCW was turned into a laughing stock.
  
  If you are even the SLIGHTEST wrestling fan you owe it to yourself to pick up "The Death Of WCW" as soon as possible. This is a marvelous read even if you didn't watch WCW back in the 90s, and it's a perfect example of how poor management can ruin ANY organization.
  
  ***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION
  
  
• The Death of a Once Great Wrestling Promotion
  By A2BW8ZI352D37P on 2005-09-01
  On the one hand, "The Death of WCW" is just the story of the rise and fall of a professional wrestling promotion. On the other hand, the book almost reads like a modern day moral fable where men who get consumed by the vices of greed, arrogance, egotism and delusions of grandeur end up getting their just deserts.
  
  The book covers the entire history of WCW, from its early years as the perennial distant number two wrestling company in the country behind the WWF, through its rise under the surprising leadership of Eric Bischoff (surprising because Bischoff's only previous notoriety in the wrestling business came as a third-string announcer) to the position of not only the top wrestling promotion in the country, but into a company so incredibly successful that it actually appeared for awhile they might run the once-powerful WWF right out of business. Of course, the book then covers WCW's tailspin where they not only lose the position of top wrestling promotion in the country back to the resurging WWF, but end up going out of business altogether just a few short years after their greatest success.
  
  I enjoyed "The Death of WCW" overall -it was easy, fast reading, often funny, an interesting trip down memory lane and I feel the authors were fair and accurate in their analysis of what factors led to the promotion's amazing success as well as what led to its shocking downward spiral. If I have any constructive criticism for the authors it would simply be to better decide on who your audience is prior to writing. The book doesn't really offer any new insights or uncover any previously unknown information regarding the demise of WCW, making it slightly disappointing for long-time wrestling fans like myself who are already familiar with the story from following it in real-time through newsletters and wrestling news web-sites. Yet alternatively the book would often drop names and insider wrestling terms without giving a whole lot of description as to who the people were (or their significance in the industry) or explanation as to what the terms mean, leading me to believe the book may be somewhat hard to follow for the more casual wrestling fan. Otherwise, a very good effort that is easy to recommend.
  
  
• Enjoyable read, but badly sourced
  By A1MFYOS1S1PJN3 on 2008-01-01
  This is a tough review to write. On the one hand, I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a fun trip down memory lane reviewing all the twists and turns of the Monday Night Wars in terrific detail. In fact, this is probably the most detailed book you'll find out there about this period. The authors also have a wonderful sense of humor, and the book is a quick and fun read.
  
  What immensely frustrated me, however, was that almost no effort was made to provide sources for the voluminous amounts of information presented. While there is a very short bibliography at the end of the book listing a handful of sources organized by chapter (which probably do not account for most of the information in the book), no indication is given as to which pieces of information came from which source. To me, this is a major issue because the wrestling industry is rife with unfounded internet rumors, and it's important for the reader to be able to distinguish documented facts from unfounded rumors or speculation.
  
  For example, the authors make numerous allegations about WCW's financial status at different points throughout its history with no citations or any other indications as to where this information purportedly came from. In his book, "Controversy Creates Cash," Eric Bischoff lamented the fact that internet writers often made unfounded and inaccurate claims about WCW's profits and losses since the company's information was proprietary and was allegedly unavailable to anybody outside of WCW. Of course, Bischoff could be lying through his teeth, but there's no way to tell (at least from this book) because Alvarez and Reynolds give us no way to determine where their figures came from.
  
  In addition, the book is replete with allegations of conversations and happenings that occurred backstage with, again, no citations provided to allow the reader to verify any of it. This became especially frustrating when the authors wrote about promoters' and wrestlers' INTERNAL motivations for certain actions. The authors write about these internal thought processes as if they were mind-readers. Hulk Hogan got the worst treatment, as he was frequently accused of internally plotting to put his own interests above those of WCW. A notable example occurs on page 139, detailing what allegedly led to the July 6, 1998 match between Hulk Hogan and Bill Goldberg:
  
  "As the date drew near, Hogan, the wily veteran, came up with a plan. Aware that all the Turner bigwigs would be at the show, he offered to take Goldberg on in a non-title, non-televised match in which Goldberg would get the win and and send the folks home happy. All the company execs, seeing the huge house, would obviously assume that Hogan drew it, and his standing as WCW's top dog would be cemented."
  
  How do the authors know this was Hogan's motivation and thought process? Did they interview him? Did they rely on his book or something else that he wrote? Not according to the bibliography. In the bibliography, the only sources listed for the chapter on 1998 were a Prodigy Chat with Eric Bischoff CONDUCTED IN 1997 and a personal interview R.J. Reynolds conducted with Bobby Heenan (which is also listed as a source for the chapter on 2000). Since the Heenan interview is never referred to in the text of the book, it's entirely unclear which pieces of information (if any) actually came from that interview. Even assuming that Heenan provided the authors with information about Hogan's "plan", at best that's hearsay about another individual's internal thought processes from somebody who may or may not have an axe to grind. The reader is left to wonder whether Hogan's "plan" is a documented fact, the result of hearsay from Heenan (or somebody else), or completely unfounded speculation by the authors.
  
  That's just but one example of the unfounded allegations that arise throughout the whole book. In sum, while this book is an immensely enjoyable read, the facts presented in it, other than what we saw on our TV screens, simply are not reliable. And that is a shame.
  
  
• WCW Simply Shot Themselves In The Foot
  By A8YAMYXV6YQ10 on 2005-09-13
  Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Alvarez do an excellent job in providing a succint and informative chronicle of what wrestling observers could analogize as a classic Shakespearean tragedy - the rise and fall of a "wrasslin'" promotion. The mid 1990's until 2001 was really an exciting time in professional wrestling, as good competition can bring out the best in all participants. And that is what we had, and what is well-chronicled in this excellent read.
  
  The book is well-written, and a quick read. Frankly, I was hoping for a little more "behind the scenes" or "shock value" information, but then in the internet age that is now probably next to impossible. However, the insight provided is applicable to any business: do not rest on your laurels, and find a way to incent the employees to strive to achieve new levels of success. WCW came crashing down due to selfish egos - pure and simple. Not uncommon in any area of business. But in WCWs' case,it was very public. It was unfortuante that the players who helped initiate its rise did not seem to care about extending the legacy and making it better for generations to come. So we are now left with a virtual monopoly and as a result, an unimaginative product. Should people purchase this book? Yes, most definitely.
  
  
• How long do we have to wait to get this?????
  By A3BN3D952R4C66 on 2006-03-31
  I ordered this on December 27, 2005 and I still have not received it, it keeps going on back order and getting delayed. What a joke! And it still says its available...if you think you are going to get this in the usual few days..think again!
  
  

• WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling (WrestleCrap series)
• The WrestleCrap Book of Lists! (WrestleCrap series)
• Eric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash
• A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex
• Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling