Tag: WCW

DragonKingKarl: The 1991 WWF steroid scandal

Posted on by Karl Stern

Today on the DragonKingKarl Show, Karl Stern’s time machine takes us back to 1991, a time when pro wrestling was about as low as it could go.

Business was horrendous across the board, the WWF was plagued by multiple scandals, and WCW is drawing less than 1000 people to some of its hottest areas.

In a November 1991 issue of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he breaks down all the information one needed to know about pro wrestling and steroids, plus an interesting write-up about how WWF was forced to edit the NWA World title belt out of its TV shows and what they did about it.

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DragonKingKarl Show: A look back at Flair vs. Vader from WCW Starrcade 1993

Posted on by Karl Stern

Today on the DragonKingKarl Show, Karl Stern hops in the wrestling time machine and travels back to January 1994 for a look at an old Wrestling Observer Newsletter which covered the previous December’s incredible WCW Starrcade 1993.

The early 1990s has a reputation for being the worst era in modern pro wrestling history and, to an extent, that is true. However, there were many diamonds in this rough during this era and Ric Flair regaining the WCW title from Vader after original opponent Sid Vicious was fired is one of those.

Join Karl as we look back at this great match from a not-so-great era.

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DragonKingKarl: The 1990 wrestling year in review

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this edition of the DragonKingKarl Show, I grab the March 1991 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated which covers 1990 in-depth.

Besides the annual year-end awards, the magazine also covered the major events of a hugely transitional year.

Ric Flair was no longer king of the NWA with Sting now the reigning World Champion. Hulk Hogan was out of the WWF title picture as Ultimate Warrior now had that championship. The AWA was still barely hanging on, and a major angle in USWA was grabbing attention, while a newcomer named Steve Austin was making waves in Texas.

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DragonKingKarl: WCW in 1992 was a real mess

Posted on by Karl Stern

Today my classic wrestling podcast takes a detailed look back at September 1992 through the pages of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

WCW was having an identity crisis. The pro wrestling world was crumbling down. The WWF (WWE) was plagued with multiple scandals and business was down around the globe. Bill Watts was running WCW and had taken it backward instead of forward. He instituted weird, outdated rules and even tried to elevate the now irrelevant NWA back to some sort of stature. It was an effort in futility as Bill Watts would soon be removed due to inflammatory comments which would be brought to light by a baseball legend.

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Daily Update: WCW Nitro anniversary, Matt Riddle, Real American Freestyle

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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Thursday Update

WWE

  • Rey Mysterio and his daughter Aalyah were in attendance last night for a session at Natalya & TJ Wilson’s Dungeon training facility. WWE legend Tatanka and his sons Jeremiah & Joseph were also there.
  • Natalya wrote:
    • An insane night of training in The Dungeon. Nights like this set my soul on fire. So much passion and generations of wrestling in one room. It was such an honor having you tonight as a guest @reymysterio. Lessons upon lessons—@NativeTatanka @TJWilson
  • Zelina Vega reacted to the Wyatt Sicks exhibit that’s part of Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights:
    • The @WWE Wyatt house at #halloweenhorrornights is insane. Like insanely good. I got scared, I laughed and almost cried. It’s a MUST SEE! MUST EXPERIENCE.. and I’m not just saying that. [Bray Wyatt] would have loved it
  • Denise Salcedo has an interview with Kevin Nash.
  • The Kayfabe Friends Wrestling Podcast spoke with Mick Foley.

Other Wrestling

  • Today marks 30 years since the debut of WCW Nitro, which launched in 1995 with the first episode taking place in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Mall of America.
  • Eric Bischoff commented on the Nitro anniversary:
    • Weekly 2hr LIVE format, PPV quality matchs, introduction of Lucha/cruiserweight division on a national primetime platform, targeting 18-49 male vs the teen/preteen audience, focus on reality based stories and characters. Happy 30th #NITRO
  • The Mall of America also sent out a tweet acknowledging the role it played in launching Nitro.
  • The GoFundMe campaign to benefit former EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Jaka (Jonathan Echevarria) in his recovery from a heart attack has now raised more than $17,000.
  • Mike Santana sent out a tweet promoting the GoFundMe and asking fans to continue keeping Jaka in their prayers:
    • My brother from another. 
    • My heart aches for him and his family as he goes through this tough time.
    • If you ever came across Jonathan, you know that he was a special soul who always went above and beyond to put smiles on faces. His presence always filled a room and there’s truly no one like him. 
    • We all want to make sure that he and his family have no worries and can solely focus on his recovery. So we kindly ask if you can Donate/Share his Go Fund Me
    • It would mean the world to him and his family. PLEASE continue to keep him in your prayers.
  • Los Tranquilos de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI) will be competing in Germany for wXw on September 27.
  • Thekla was the guest on AEW Unrestricted this week.
  • WrestleZone spoke with Ash By Elegance.
  • SiouxperCon announced that they’ve pulled Matt Riddle from their convention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota later this month following comments that Riddle made regarding the topics of sexual assault and domestic violence:
    • In light of recent public statements made by Matt Riddle regarding the topics of SA and DV, SiouxperCon has made the decision to cancel his appearance at this year’s convention. The statements that were made in no way represent our organization or event, and are not aligned with the mission, vision, and values of our organization.
    • Fans that have purchased photo ops in advance for Matt Riddle will be automatically refunded this week to their original form of payment.
    • SiouxperCon has always strived to be a safe and inclusive space and event for all to feel welcome, including those that have been affected by SA and DV. This is why we, along with New Sound Wrestling, will be donating 10% of the proceeds from all SiouxperMania tickets sold to The Compass Center to support the work they do in our community for survivors and victims.
  • Real American Freestyle announced that it will hold its second event at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania on November 8. The show will stream live on Fox Nation.
  • Riddle, who was backstage at RAF’s first show, told TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast that he’s hoping to compete for the organization:
    • I’m a shooter. I love amateur wrestling. And honestly, I hope I get on one of these RAF shows. I talked to [Eric] Bischoff, talked to everybody else. I’m probably going to be on one of these shows soon.

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Podcast: 1996

Posted on by Karl Stern

Join Karl Stern on this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Podcast for a look back at one of the most significant and impactful years in pro wrestling history: 1996.

WCW was exploding in popularity with the formation of the NWO, the heel turn of Hulk Hogan, and much more while WWF was trying to find the right combination to fight the rise of WCW and with some incredible matches.

I have grabbed a copy of the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Almanac for guidance, so let’s see what was so special about 1996.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: A look at 1992 with Ron Simmons’ title win, WWF scandals

Posted on by Karl Stern

Welcome to a new DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show with Karl Stern.

This week, Karl looks at 1992 when Ron Simmons defeated Big Van Vader for the WCW World championship in an angle that also involved Sting.

Plus, we dive into a corresponding issue of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter for a breakdown of the latest scandal and revelations concerning the then-WWF.

This is a packed episode with tons of insider information about a very volatile time in wrestling history.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The end of the 1990s

Posted on by Karl Stern

Karl Stern returns this week with a new podcast looking back at the 1990s.

Recently, he took a look at the first pro wrestling newsletters of that era to get a feeling for where it began which was in a very low place. Today, he looks at the last newsletters from 1999 to discover that WWF/WWE was flying high and WCW was trying to regroup, yet again, from a failed reset.

Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg, Vince Russo, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and many others are discussed through the pages of the insider newsletters of 1999.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Why 1992 was the best-ish & worst-ish of times

Posted on by Karl Stern

As Karl Stern continues his look back at the 1990s in pro wrestling, he makes a stop in one of the strangest eras of pro wrestling history: 1992.

At that point, the pro wrestling business had cratered. Ticket sales were terrible, PPV was struggling, TV ratings were nothing impressive, and the business was scandal-ridden.

However, there were still plenty of great wrestlers. WCW, in particular, had many pieces to a great puzzle but no one to put it together. The NWA was still around for some reason.

This week, I look back at the WCW Great American Bash 1992 and how it represents just how bad, yet also good, things were then.

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Former WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell undergoes leg amputation

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After a five-year battle trying to save his right leg, Buff Bagwell (Marcus Alexander Bagwell) has undergone an amputation and is hopeful that it will improve his quality of life going forward.

The former WCW wrestler underwent an above-the-knee amputation this week due to injuries stemming from a 2020 car accident. He did everything he could to save his leg after the wreck, but Bagwell was ultimately faced with a decision where he could undergo three more surgeries over the next year and have countless hours of physical therapy — only for a 20 percent chance of the leg being saved. And even then, he would need to have a steel rod in his leg for the rest of his life.

Having the amputation is a decision that Bagwell called a “no-brainer.” Losing a leg is tough, but he’s optimistic that his quality of life will dramatically improve with a prosthetic.

“I’m trying to be excited about it, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful thing. So I’m trying to make a bad situation good again, like I’ve done a lot of times in my life,” Bagwell said. “But I really do think this is the right call. And I’m really thinking that I’m going to have a better quality of life.”

Bagwell’s life was previously in a dark place with alcohol addiction, but he’ll officially be three years sober next month. Bagwell said these past three years have been some of the best of his life due to his relationship with God, his fiancee Stacy, and focusing on himself.

“I’d rather be sober right now with this situation than Buff Bagwell on WCW making money and in the funk I was in,” he said. “I’d much rather have this life.”

The 55-year-old Bagwell isn’t closing the book on his in-ring career, saying he hopes to have another match to prove you can still live a great life after amputation.

“I want to get back in the ring, hit the ropes, have a match,” Bagwell said. “It’ll show that I’ve came out of the darkness with this thing and I’ve turned it around all the way to being back in the ring as Buff Bagwell. You don’t have to give up with something like this. This is something that I am taking by the horns, man. And I’m going to show the world that you can have just as good of a life with or without a leg.”

Bagwell documented the journey of his amputation through a video on his YouTube channel and another on Maven Huffman’s channel.

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: July Q&A

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this week’s DragonKingKarl with Karl Stern, you have the questions and I have the answers.

We have several great topics and questions to discuss this week including the Roddy Piper movies Hell Comes to Frogtown and Body Slam, masked wrestlers of the territorial era, Mr. Wrestling II and his legal mystery unearthed, Jake Roberts, Sting, Rick Rude, Sonny King, early 1990s WCW feuds, and much more!

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The late 1990s were wild

Posted on by Karl Stern

Today on a new DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show with Karl Stern, he wants to look back at the late 1990s in pro wrestling history.

The decade was a wild time with the latter part seeing the rise of the NWO, WCW passing WWE in popularity only to implode, and the hard-hitting Japanese scene making the era one of the most interesting times in pro wrestling — one of The Rock, Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg, the NWO, ECW, and so much more.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The early 1990s

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, you and I are heading back to the early 1990s to discuss the state of pro wrestling at the time.

While business was just about as bad as it could get, there were still plenty of great storylines and personalities. Hulk Hogan was gone from WWF, but we saw the rise of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and others. WCW was a complete corporate mess but there was still great wrestling with Sting, Big Van Vader, Ron Simmons, Cactus Jack, and others.

I also look at the PWI 500 during the early 1990s from both the top and bottom of the rankings.

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Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael passes away at 67 years old, Ric Flair pays tribute

Posted on by Josh Nason

After a four-year battle with ALS, Pro Football Hall of Famer and former WCW wrestler/commentator Steve “Mongo” McMichael passed away Wednesday at 67 years old.

Jarrett Payton, son of the late Walter Payton, announced McMichael’s passing, stating he died at 5:28 PM. Earlier on Wednesday, it was announced McMichael had entered hospice care.

McMichael was elected to the Hall of Fame in February 2024 with his story on being elected while battling ALS getting national headlines. He was a star defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears and was part of the 1985 Super Bowl winning team which featured arguably the best defense in NFL history.

Wrestling fans know McMichael as both a WCW wrestler and commentator during the Monday Night War era from 1995 through 1999. He was a member of the Four Horsemen and a one-time United States Champion, also appearing at 1995’s WWE WrestleMania XI as part of Lawrence Taylor’s entourage before he faced Bam Bam Bigelow.

Ric Flair, a longtime friend of McMichael, paid tribute after the news broke to who he called “my best friend” —

WWE launches WCW YouTube channel

Posted on by Josh Nason

With uncertainty swirling regarding the long-term availability of WWE-owned wrestling footage, fans of WCW will at least be able to watch some classic action via a new dedicated YouTube channel launched by WWE on Thursday.

The WCW account kicked off with 25 different videos, ranging from the first episode of WCW Nitro, several full episodes of Thunder, two full Clash of the Champions events, several full pay-per-views, full-length matches between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan and Goldberg, and more.

Based on another episode of Thunder set to debut Thursday at 8:05 PM Eastern, it appears they could release new content at the times and days on which WCW used to air.

From the channel’s description:

“This is where the BIG BOYS play! WCW on YouTube is your destination for full matches, complete WCW pay-per-view events, full episodes of Monday Nitro and Thunder, Clash of the Champions and much more!”

When WWE signed their current deal with Netflix, WWE Network closed up shop outside the United States with only limited WCW content on the streaming leader to this point. Domestic fans still have full access to the WCW archives and other WWE-owned footage through Peacock, but with the deal between WWE and NBCUniversal expiring in March 2026, the availability of those archives after that remains to be seen.