TPFKATL LOUNGE Flashbacks BONUS: WWF vs. WCW War Moments Not Revealed Anywhere
Dec 25, 2003 - 5:35:00 PM
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY
By Octavio Fierros, PWTorch Historian
WWF vs. WCW War Moments & Facts
List of WWF-WCW Crossover Signings During War – 1994-2001
Here’s a list of wrestlers who signed with WCW or WWF during the war. Only those wrestlers that were from the WWF and WCW.
8-Ball (WWF) to Don Harris (WCW) – 2000
Adam Bomb (WWF) to Wrath (WCW) – 2000
Ahmed Johnson (WWF) to Big T (WCW) – 2000
Alundra Blayze (WWF) to Medusa (WCW) – 1995
Road Warriors (WCW) to Legion of Doom (WWF) – 1997
Bam Bam Bigelow (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1998
Bertha Faye (WWF) to Rhonda Singh (WCW) – 2000
Bret Hart (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1997
Brian Pillman (WCW) to Same (WCW) – 1996
British Bulldog (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1997
British Bulldog (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1999
Cactus Jack (WCW) to Mankind (WWF) – 1996
Chris Benoit (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 2000
Chris Jericho (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1999
Crush (WWF) to Brian Adams (WCW) – 1998
Debra McMichael (WCW) to Debra (WWF) – 1998
Dean Douglas (WWF) to Shane Douglas – 1999
Dean Malenko (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1999
Steve Williams (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 2000
Earthquake (WWF) to Avalanche (WCW) – 1994
Eddy Guerrero (WCW) to Eddie Guerrero (WWF) – 2000
Goldust (WWF) to Seven (WCW) – 2000
Honky Tonk Man (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1994
IRS (WWF) to Michael Wall Street (WCW) – 1995
Jacqueline (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1998
Jacques Rougeau (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1996
Jacques Rougeau (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1998
Meng (WCW) to Haku (WWF) – 2001
Pierre (WWF) to Carl Ouelette (WCW) – 1996
Carl Oulette (WCW) to Pierre (WWF) – 1998
Jeff Jarrett (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1996
Jeff Jarrett (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1997
Jeff Jarrett (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1999
Mr. JL (WCW) to Jerry Lynn (WWF) – 1997
Jim Neidhart (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1997
Diesel (WWF) to Kevin Nash (WCW) – 1996
Lex Luger (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1995
Johnny B. Badd (WCW) to Marc Mero (WWF) – 1996
Marty Jannetty (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1997
Miss Madness (WCW) to Molly Holly (WWF) - 2000
Mr. Perfect (WWF) to Curt Hennig (WCW) – 1997
Perry Saturn (WCW) to Saturn (WWF) – 2000
The Giant (WCW) to Paul Wight (WWF) – 1999
Rad Radford (WWF) to Louie Spicolli (WCW) – 1997
Randy Savage (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1994
Johnny Polo (WWF) to Raven (WCW) – 1997
Razor Ramon (WWF) to Scott Hall (WCW) – 1996
Rick Rude (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1996
Roddy Piper (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1997
Ron Simmons (WCW) to Faarooq Asad (WWF) – 1996
Ryan Shamrock (WWF) to Symphony (WCW) – 1999
Scott Putski (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1998
Meat (WWF) to Shawn Stasiak (WCW) – 2000
Steve Austin (WCW) to Ringmaster (WWF) – 1995
Sid (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1999
Ultimate Warrior (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1998
Ted DiBiase (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1996
The Patriot (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1997
Big Van Vader (WCW) to Vader (WWF) – 1996
Steven Regal (WCW) to Same (WWF) – 1998
123 Kid (WWF) to Syxx (WCW) – 1996
Syxx (WCW) to X-Pac (WWF) – 1998
Vince Russo (WWF) to Same (WCW) – 1999
Ed Ferrara (WWF) to Oklahoma (WCW) – 1999
Important Dates During WWF vs. WCW War
The following are important dates from the WWF vs. WCW War. Keep in mind that they are not highlights or lowlights.
June 11, 1994 – Hulk Hogan makes his WCW debut. He wins the World Title 36 days later in his first PPV match against Ric Flair.
December 3, 1994 – Two-time WWF World Champion Randy Savage signs with WCW. A big loss for the WWF at the time.
September 4, 1995 – WCW Monday Nitro debuts on TNT. In the main event, Hogan defeated Big Bubba Rogers.
September 11, 1995 – The first ever Monday Night Wars begin with Nitro scoring a stunning upset over Raw.
October 1995 – Eric Bischoff starts announcing results of taped editions of Raw in order to keep viewers tuned in to Nitro.
December 18, 1995 – Medusa (formerly known as Alundra Blayze) appears on Nitro and throws the WWF Women’s Title on the trash.
January 1, 1996 – The WWF begins to air “Billionaire Ted” skits with imitations of Ted Turner, Gene Okerlund (Scheme Gene), Hulk Hogan (The Huckster), and Randy Savage (Nacho Man).
March 5, 1996 – Kevin Nash gives his notice to the WWF and lets Vince McMahon know that he will sign with WCW once his contract expires.
March 31, 1996 – The Huckster and The Nacho Man wrestled to a draw prior to WrestleMania XII to end the “Billionaire Ted” skits.
May 26, 1996 – Due to a heavy storm in Florence, SC, the lights went off during a WWF pay-per-view. There were rumors that Eric Bischoff attended the show to unplug everything in the arena. (Insert joke here)
May 27, 1996 – Scott Hall made his WCW debut on Monday Nitro. Many fans thought the WWF sent Hall to WCW to compete against them. That was not the case. Kevin Nash debuts two weeks later…WCW Monday Nitro expands to two hours.
June 20, 1996 – The WWF files a lawsuit against WCW for misleading information and trademark infringement. The lawsuit stated that WCW made it seem that Hall and Nash were part of the WWF during their respective debuts.
June 23, 1996 – Steve Austin cuts the best speech of his career when Austin 3:16 was born.
June 17, 1996 – WCW Monday Nitro begins their 83-week head-to-head winning streak over Raw.
July 7, 1996 – Hulk Hogan turns heel by becoming the third man with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Three men were responsible for the formation of the New World Order.
October 4, 1996 – WWF Raw moves to an hour earlier (well, 63 minutes earlier to be exact) in order to counter Nitro’s strong hour. WWF hot-shots a controversial angle with Brian Pillman-Steve Austin gun incident.
March 10, 1997 – WWF Raw becomes “Raw is War” and it’s now for two hours to counter both hours of Monday Nitro.
August 4, 1997 – WCW begins airing three hours of WCW Monday Nitro. This was just a one-month occasion for WCW. In the main event, Lex Luger captured the WCW Title from Hulk Hogan.
September 22, 1997 – Bill Goldberg makes his WCW debut against Hugh Morrus. Goldberg starts a long winning streak that ended in 14 months.
November 9, 1997 – Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart out of the WWF and his World Title in Montreal. This was the biggest story during the WWF vs. WCW War.
November 17, 1997 – Rick Rude becomes the only wrestler to appear on both Raw and Nitro during the same night.
December 8, 1997 – Vince McMahon appears on live television for the first time since the Bret Hart Screwjob. Vince officially becomes a heel and starts a feud with Steve Austin.
December 15, 1997 – Bret Hart makes his WCW debut, announcing that he will referee Larry Zbysko vs. Eric Bischoff at Starrcade.
January 16, 1998 – WCW Thunder debuts on Thursday nights on TBS. In the main event, Lex Luger and Dallas Page defeated Kevin Nash and Randy Savage.
April 13, 1998 – The WWF finally won the ratings battle against WCW with a score of 4.3 to 4.1. In the main event, Vince McMahon “wrestled” Steve Austin.
April 27, 1998 – Degeneration X invades WCW territory by attempting to take over the company in Norfolk, VA.
May 11, 1998 – Live from the CNN Center, DX were having fun trying to take over WCW.
July 6, 1998 – In one of the most memorable editions of Monday Nitro, Hulk Hogan jobs clean to Bill Goldberg in front of 40,000 plus at the Georgia Dome.
August 17, 1998 – The Ultimate Warrior makes his WCW debut. His first feud was against Hulk Hogan and it turned out to be a major flop for the business.
September 14, 1998 – Ric Flair returns to WCW and breaks up the Four Horsemen with a very emotional speech. Flair acknowledges his backstage problems with Eric Bischoff.
November 2, 1998 – WWF Raw starts a long winning ratings streak that never ended. Nitro never won a ratings battle since October 25, 1998.
December 27, 1998 – Bill Goldberg ends his winning streak at 173 when he loses the WCW Title to Kevin Nash.
August 25, 1999 – WWF Smackdown debuts on UPN. This was the permanent debut since the special edition aired in April 1999. In the main event, Triple H defeated The Rock with help of special guest referee Shawn Michaels.
October 3, 1999 – Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara signed with WCW.
October 4, 1999 – WCW pays tribute to the late Owen Hart when Bret faced Chris Benoit in a 30-minute plus classic match.
January 31, 2000 – In one of the major acquisitions by the WWF, The Radicalz (Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko) signed with the company all at the same time.
July 9, 2000 – Vince Russo screwed Hulk Hogan out of the WCW World Title, then cuts a “shoot” on him for letting wrestlers down during his tenure in WCW. This was Hogan’s last appearance in WCW.
September 25, 1999 – WWF Raw is War moves to TNN after six years of airing their Monday Night Raw show on USA Network.
March 23, 2001 – The WWF purchases WCW from Ted Turner to end the war.
Famous Quotes During WWF vs. WCW Wars
The following are famous quotes from wrestlers, promoters, managers, or any other wrestling personnel during the WWF vs. WCW War.
Don’t bother switching to the other channel [USA Network]. They had Shawn Michaels beating that big guy [Psycho Sid] with a super kick. Eric Bischoff, September 11, 1995 – WCW Monday Nitro
***
As far as I'm concerned, all this crap in the ring represents the fans out here. For two years, brother, for two years, I held my head high, I did everything for the kids, the reception I got when I came out here...you fans can stick it, brother, because if it wasn't for Hulk Hogan, you people wouldn't be here. If it wasn't for Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff would still be selling meat from a truck in Minneapolis and if it wasn't for Hulk Hogan, all these Johnny-Come-Lately's that you see out here wrestling, wouldn't be here. I was selling out the world, brother, while you were stealing gas to put in the car to get to high school, so the way that it is now, brother, with Hulk Hogan and the New World Organization of Wrestling, brother, me and the new blood by my side ... Whatcha gonna do when the New World Organization runs wild on you? Whatcha gonna do? Hulk Hogan, July 7, 1996, - Bash at the Beach ’96
***
The NWO is like a bunch of guys meeting out in the backyard in a clubhouse in a tree. They've got the easiest job in the world. All they have to do is go out there and be themselves - childish, obnoxious, adolescent guys with a case of severe arrested emotional development and a fixation on trying to act macho. You've got Kevin Nash, 40 years old, trying to act like a teenager. As far as I'm concerned the biggest no talent in the business. He has six moves, no mobility, and enough timing to cover up for some of it. What he does is he goes around and he manipulates. Kevin Nash had a multi-million dollar promotional company, the WWF push him to the moon to make him a star. What does he do? He leaves after he gives his word he's staying - so by the way he's a liar, too - he leaves and he goes to WCW for a big contract…
Scott Hall is a good wrestler, but that's about it, the best of the bunch. He had the same million dollar promotional company make him a star after he had been in the sport ten years and hadn't put three asses in the seats. What does he do? He goes to WCW for a big contract…
Syxx, 1-2-3 Kid, his name's Sean Waltman, whatever you want to call him. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason he has a job is the other guys think he's funny when he gets drunk and throws up on himself. He has the distinction of being the only guy since this wrestling war got started that was released from a valid contract from one company to go to the other side which shows you how valuable he is…
Do you know why they are all employed, all in the spotlight today? Because of Eric Bischoff, the boss of WCW. Not the NWO. Look at the credits of their PPV if you can get one for free. The idiot's name is on it. He's the boss of WCW, he works for Ted Turner, and he throws a billionaire's money around like water so he can have guys he likes to hang out with. Because even more than being a mark for his own face and own voice, Eric is a big fan of hanging around studly guys with long hair and beards who smoke cigars and ride Harleys so some of that can rub off on his little pansy ass frame. So he takes that billionaire's money and he throws it around like water to buy guys he can hang around with so he can prove his johnson is bigger than everybody else's. And that's the sole reason the NWO guys are employed…
I personally think it's about time the wrestling fans and promoters started recognizing guys like Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Cactus Jack - guys who bust their ass, work hard, have ability, and have talent to get where they are instead of guys who get to their spot by hanging around the boss and sucking up. I'm Jim Cornette and that's my opinion. Jim Cornette, October 6, 1997 – WWF Raw is War
***
I had a choice. I could have gloated, which I think I'm doing a pretty good job of right now. Instead of applauding, I could get in my plane and assuming they have an airport there, fly down to the Redneck Riviera in Panama City, Florida and give every WCW star a piece of my mind. How appropriate is it that WCW's last broadcast is in a beer hall. Surrounded by a bunch of beer drinking rednecks. There are obviously a few here tonight. I have decided to come here tonight rather than walking in their ring and line up all the WCW stars and say Goldberg, Booker T, and all the rest of them and said, 'You're fired!' That's exactly what's going to happen because WCW is going on the shelf. It's going nowhere. WCW is buried. WCW will remain buried just like anybody here in this arena or anybody in the world who gets in my way. Every single one of you who try to compete with me, and that includes my son Shane, every single one of you will be buried, just like WCW is buried. Vince McMahon, March 26, 2001 – WWF Raw is War
***
WWF vs. WCW Ratings Records
Highest WWF Raw Rating With Competition – 7.1 May 24, 1999 – Owen Hart Tribute
WWF wrestlers took their time to pay tribute to the late Owen Hart, who tragically died the night before on pay-per-view.
Main Event: The Rock vs. Val Venis
***
Highest WWF Raw Rating Without Competition – 8.1 May 10, 1999 – The Night of Babyfaces
WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels gave the night to the babyfaces by booking several matches (including Paul Bearer vs. Big Show) in order to give the advantage the “good guys”.
Main Event: The Undertaker, Triple H, and Shane McMahon vs. The Rock, Steve Austin, and Vince McMahon (Referee…Shawn Michaels)
***
Highest WCW Nitro Rating With Competition – 5.2 August 24, 1998 – The Return of Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior returned to wrestling last week to feud with Hulk Hogan. Hogan wants to even the series with Warrior after he lost to him in the WWF. Warrior wants to prove that he is Hogan’s worst nightmare.
Main Event: Hulk Hogan & The Giant vs. Kevin Nash & Bill Goldberg
***
Highest WCW Nitro Rating Without Competition – 6.0 August 31, 1998 – Hogan & Bret Team Up
In the WWF, Hogan and Bret never teamed up. In fact, Bret was “too small” for Hogan at the time. In WCW, Hogan decided to team up with Bret, despite his success in the WWF.
Main Event: Sting & Lex Luger vs. Bret Hart & Hulk Hogan
***
Lowest WWF Raw Rating – 1.5 December 23, 1996 – The Raw Before Christmas
Bret Hart was rusty in his first few months back after an eight-month absence. One of his matches upon his return was against Fake Razor Ramon.
Main Event: Fake Razor Ramon vs. Bret Hart
***
Lowest WCW Nitro Rating – 1.8 April 3, 2000 – Recap Show
This was the final Nitro before the Russo-Bischoff era.
Main Event: None
Please send your feedback to ofierros@msn.com and I’ll be happy to send a reply if you have any questions.
[Credit: Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter for a lot of information on this column. Check the site for more information on subscribing for the Torch newsletter.]
We suggest these recent related articles...
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
THE TORCH REACHES MORE COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT FANS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling full time since 1987 starting with the Pro Wrestling Torch print newsletter. PWTorch.com launched in 1999 and the PWTorch Apps launched in 2008.
He has conducted "Torch Talk" insider interviews with Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, Lou Thesz, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Bruno Sammartino, Goldberg, more.
He has interviewed big-name players in person incluiding Vince McMahon (at WWE Headquarters), Dana White (in Las Vegas), Eric Bischoff (at the first Nitro at Mall of America), Brock Lesnar (after his first UFC win).
He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)
REACHING 1 MILLION+ UNIQUE USERS PER MONTH
500 MILLION CLICKS & LISTENS PER YEAR
MILLIONS OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTERS SOLD
PWTorch offers a VIP membership for $10 a month (or less with an annual sub). It includes nearly 25 years worth of archives from our coverage of pro wrestling dating back to PWTorch Newsletters from the late-'80s filled with insider secrets from every era that are available to VIPers in digital PDF format and Keller's radio show from the early 1990s.
Also, new exclusive top-shelf content every day including a new VIP-exclusive weekly 16 page digital magazine-style (PC and iPad compatible) PDF newsletter packed with exclusive articles and news.
The following features come with a VIP membership which tens of thousands of fans worldwide have enjoyed for many years...
-New Digital PWTorch Newsletter every week
-3 New Digital PDF Back Issues from 5, 10, 20 years ago
-Over 60 new VIP Audio Shows each week
-Ad-free access to all PWTorch.com free articles
-VIP Forum access with daily interaction with PWTorch staff and well-informed fellow wrestling fans
-Tons of archived audio and text articles
-Decades of Torch Talk insider interviews in transcript and audio formats with big name stars. **SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS HERE**
