Tag: WCW

Wrestling world pays tribute to Sid Vicious

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The wrestling world is paying tribute to Sid Vicious.

Across social media on Monday, wrestlers and promotions alike paid tribute to the former WCW and WWF Champion. During Raw, WWE aired a tribute video highlighting his career and accomplishments:

Among those who paid tribute online were Shawn Michaels, who dropped the WWF Championship to Sid at Survivor Series 1996 and won it back months later at the 1997 Royal Rumble.

“Saddened to learn of the passing of Sid Eudy,” he wrote on X. “An unforgettable presence, and it can’t be overstated how big of a role he played in creating “The Heartbreak Kid”. His work, legacy, and influence will inspire our business for generations to come,” he wrote.

WWE’s COO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque also paid tribute to Sid:

Several promotions including WWE, AEW, NWA, and TNA also posted tributes on X:

Other wrestlers on X paid tribute, including PCO, Ric Flair, and Sting:

Sid’s son Gunnar shared the news of his father’s passing at age 63 on Facebook earlier on Monday. He had been battling cancer for several years.

Former WWE & WCW Champion Sid Vicious passes away at 63

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former WWF & WCW World Champion Sid Vicious (real name Sid Eudy) has passed away at 63 years old.

His death was announced on Monday by his son Gunnar Eudy, who disclosed that Sid had been battling cancer for several years. On behalf of his family, Gunnar thanked everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support.

“I am deeply saddened to share that my father, Sid Eudy, has passed away after battling cancer for several years. He was a man of strength, kindness, and love, and his presence will be greatly missed,” Gunnar wrote on Facebook.

“We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we grieve this loss. Details for a memorial service will be shared soon. Thank you for your support.”

Born in Arkansas, Sid became one of the defining big-men wrestlers of his era after entering pro wrestling in 1987. He had multiple main event runs in WCW and WWF, including joining the Four Horsemen early in his career. He went on to headline WrestleMania in both 1992 and 1997, facing Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VIII and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 13.

Sid was a two-time World Champion in both WWF and WCW.

The last televised match of his career was a squash of Heath Slater on Raw in 2012 when Sid returned to WWE for the first time in 15 years. It took place during the build to Raw’s 1000th episode, which Sid also made an appearance on.

In an interview with the Attitude Era podcast last month, Sid expressed that he thought a WWE Hall of Fame induction was more likely for him now that Vince McMahon is gone from the company. Sid said he was under a Legends contract with WWE.

Booker T tweeted out the following tribute to Sid:

WWE, AEW, TNA Wrestling, Sting, Ric Flair, DDP, PCO, and Marc Mero have also shared tributes.

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Who Killed WCW?

Posted on by Karl Stern

Today I turn my show over to Eric Darsie, Eric Allen and Joe Drilling to review the four-part Vice series entitled “Who Killed WCW?”

They talk why was WCW was popular back in the day, the Jerry Springer show, Hulk Hogan and his creative control, the bad management skills of Eric Bischoff, how WCW dropped the ball on Goldberg, Vince Russo’s writing style, and so much more!

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Subscriber exclusive: Dave Meltzer’s thoughts on a new story regarding the sale of WCW

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Dave Meltzer has a new article for subscribers sharing his thoughts on a recent Post Wrestling interview with Lenita Erickson, who was part of a group attempting to buy WCW in 2001 before it ultimately went to Vince McMahon.

Subscribers can read the story here.

Subscriber exclusive: Dave Meltzer on Jamie Kellner and the end of WCW

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Dave Meltzer has an extensive article for subscribers on Jamie Kellner, who passed away on Friday. Kellner was the head of Turner Broadcasting who made the decision to cancel WCW programing on Turner stations in March of 2001, which allowed Vince McMahon to purchase the company.

Subscribers can read the article here.

Former head of Turner Broadcasting Jamie Kellner passes away at 77

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jamie Kellner, the television executive who ultimately put an end to WCW, has passed away.

Variety reported that Kellner died Friday at his home in Montecito, California at the age of 77. While his biggest contributions to television include helping launch both the Fox and WB networks, in the pro wrestling world he is best known as the man who canceled WCW programing on Turner networks after becoming head of Turner Broadcasting in 2001.

Shortly after Kellner succeeded Ted Turner as head of broadcasting, he canceled WCW programing on TBS and TNT. This caused Fusinet Media, who was initially set to purchase the struggling company, to pull out of their deal, allowing Vince McMahon and WWE to purchase the company and change the face of pro wrestling.

WCW went on to hold its final episodes of Nitro and Thunder in March of 2001. Although inital plans were to keep WCW as a seperate company, those plans were ultimately changed to WCW (and eventually ECW) becoming part of an invasion angle on WWF television. By November, the storyline had ended, with the WCW/ECW Alliance being written off.

During his run at the helm of both the WB and Fox, Variety’s article credited him for the likes of “The Simpsons,” “Married… With Children,” “Cops,” “In Living Color”, “21 Jump Street”, “Dawson’s Creek,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Gilmore Girls,” “7th Heaven”, and “Felicity”. He retired in the early 2000s.

Wrestling Observer Radio: Latest ‘Who Killed WCW?,’ AEW Dynamite & NXT recaps, WWE & NOAH news

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Image: AEW

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Who Killed WCW episode 2, WWE working with NOAH and Marigold, ratings, Conor McGregor, AEW Dynamite and NXT TV reports, Rampage spoilers and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: Bryan’s birthday, ‘Who Killed WCW’ part two thoughts
30:11: NOAH/WWE announcement, IYO SKY to Marigold
32:23: AAA on Unimas, Triplemania lineup
36:00: What’s going on with Conor McGregor?
40:05: Ratings
46:03: AEW Dynamite notes
1:03:55: WWE NXT notes
1:13:07: AEW Rampage spoilers

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Wrestling Observer Live: Death of WCW, tons of news, NXT TV notes

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the Death of WCW and thoughts on the VICE show, all the news in wrestling, the NXT TV review with the finishes Bryan really didn’t like, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Ric Flair blames ‘Three-Headed Monster’ for killing WCW

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Ric Flair took to social media on Monday to blame “A Three-Headed Monster” for killing WCW in the wake of Vice’s new docuseries on the subject.

In a post on X, Flair noted that he had tried to “lay low” regarding ‘Who Killed WCW?’ but that he blames former executive vice president Jim Herd, senior vice president Eric Bischoff, and head writer Vince Russo for tanking the wrestling promotion.

Flair wrote:

“I’ve Tried To Lay Low On This But Let’s Face It- Who Killed WCW? It’s A Three-Headed Monster! Jim Herd, @EBischoff, And @THEVinceRusso!!! There’s No Individual Wrestler Or Faction That Caused Anything To Kill WCW. It Was The People In Charge That Created Dysfunction, Animosity, And Tried To Divide And Conquer By Lying To Everyone And Involving Themselves In The Promotion Which Was The Ultimate Failure! God, I Could Give You A Thousand More Examples. I Am One To Live Through All Three Nightmares And To Be Saved By The @WWE! Thank You To The WWE For Bringing Someone Who Was Dead In The Water As A Result Of These Three People Back To Life!”

Russo responded to Flair with his own social media post:

“Looks like The Nature Boy is Hitting that RUM CANDY Again!!! Thanks for Giving me that Much Credit. For a Writer to take down a Multi-Million Dollar Company through Words on a Page? I guess I really was Special. Not my fault you weren’t in the Doc, Rick. Sorry, man. I hope you don’t think my excessive use of your son David, and the Rest of Your Family for that Matter—who were all GREAT BY THE WAY—wasn’t the Knife that drew the Company’s Last Blood. Yeah—I failed at Laying Low too.”

Flair responded to Russo, then proposed a summit with the 91 year-old Herd, Bischoff, and Russo where he would pay each $20,000 to appear, selling tickets and perhaps producing the event for pay-per-view to “hash this out”:

“Wow, Glad You Got Back To Me @THEVinceRusso!!! Whatever Candy I’m Eating At Least I Can Afford To Eat Which I’m Not Sure You Can. I Would Give You $20k, @EBischoff $20k, And Jim Herd $20k A Piece Wired In Advance To Show Up In Tampa Or Atlanta. I’ll Rent The Venue In Tampa Or Atlanta, It Will Sell Out For Sure, So We Can Hash This Out. And I Guarantee That I Can Probably Sell This To A PPV Status Because I’m Ric Flair And You’re Not. Story Of My Life!”

JNPO: Author Guy Evans on new David Penzer book, ‘Who Killed WCW’ contributions, Eric Bischoff

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a brand-new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, author Guy Evans returns after a five-year absence to talk about his new co-authored book and his contributions to the “Who Killed WCW?” series currently airing on Vice TV.

The book is Sitting Ringside, Vol. 1 — the first of a two-part autobiography/scrapbook series by longtime WCW ring announcer David Penzer. Guy and I discuss the background of the book, why it’s two parts, and the large amount of documentation that gives some fun insights into week-to-week WCW TV.

We talk about the debut episode of “Who Killed WCW?” which Guy appeared on and also contributed to behind the scenes. We talk about why fans can’t let the memory of WCW go and why it’s a little more than just nostalgia. (Check out Guy’s Nitro book if you haven’t already.)

We also discuss Eric Bischoff who Guy co-authored his second book with, called Grateful. I give some thoughts on the former WCW head and the public discussion around him which Guy gives some insights on as well.

Click Here to Listen (no sub needed)

Wrestling Observer Radio: Who Killed WCW? preview, RAW, WCW history, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including tons of thoughts from Dave on the Who Killed WCW trailer, Conor McGregor no-shows press conference for the biggest MMA fight ever, New Japan news leading into Dominion, plus the RAW report and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out!~!

Timestamps:

Start: UFC cancels UFC 303 press conference

3:04: “Who Killed WCW” premieres Tuesday night on Vice, Dave’s thoughts

25:30: Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles scheduled for Clash at the Castle, PLE lineup, Best of the Super Juniors update, Dominion lineup

32:11 Misawa/Kawada 30th anniversary

37:49: KSI/Jake Paul update

40:17: WWE Raw recap, lineups for this week

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Wrestling Observer Radio: The Rock & his WCW project, WWE Backlash & Dontaku previews, AEW Dynamite, NXT & Rampage recaps

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the Rock and the stories of him costing film sets millions, his WCW project, previews of WWE Backlash and NJPW Dontaku this weekend, recaps of AEW Dynamite, Rampage and NXT, and all the news. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: The Rock article on The Wrap

7:18: “Who Killed WCW?” to premiere in June

13:39: WWE Backlash preview, ratings, other weekend shows

31:39: AEW Dynamite & Rampage recap

58:29: WWE NXT recap

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Vice TV reveals premiere date for The Rock’s ‘Who Killed WCW?’ docuseries

Posted on by Ian Carey

The Rock, Seven Bucks Productions, and Vice TV have officially confirmed a four-part docuseries on the death of WCW is set to be released soon. 

In November, it was revealed that Rock’s production company was working on a project that would investigate “the mysterious demise” of the promotion. An article in Deadline confirmed the news today and revealed that “Who Killed WCW?” will premiere June 4 on Vice TV. 

Rock, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Brian Gewirtz will serve as executive producers, as will Vice TV’s Lee Hoffman, Evan Husney, and Jason Eisener. Vice Studios Canada will produce the series alongside Bell Media’s Crave.

Rock’s production company previously worked with Vice TV on the Tales of the Territories series released in 2022 as well. 

The Rock said about the project:

The iconic rise and fall of WCW is one of professional wrestling’s most captivating stories – full of big dreams, massive successes, painful failures, and the harsh realities of the pro wrestling business. With wrestling viewership and fan engagement at an ultimate high, there has never been a more perfect time to tell top-quality wrestling stories, and there’s no better one to start with than a one-of-a-kind, behind-the-scenes look at this epic saga, known as The Rise and Fall of WCW and personally, the rise of WCW, not the fall, inspired me greatly early in my career where I would eventually become, the Final Boss.

Dany Garcia said of the project:

Diving into the saga of WCW is not just another project for us; it is an opportunity to highlight our talents as documentary storytellers in a world where we have historical credibility and knowledge: professional wrestling. This project allows us to build a bridge between the passionate global wrestling audience and those curious about an often-misunderstood industry, strengthened by our partnership with a dedicated storyteller in Vice TV.

Interim president of Vice TV, Peter Gaffney, said:

Vice TV has always been at the forefront of telling stories from which others shy away. We’re lucky to join forces again with Dwayne, Dany, and the Seven Bucks team. We have unparalleled access to one of the great stories of modern professional wrestling, and we can’t wait for our audience to see it come to life.

December 6, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Pride, history of WCW

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

According to several different sources in both Japan and the United States, Dream Stage Entertainment has talked with various groups about selling the Pride Fighting Championships.

Most of the prospective buyers that have been talked about by sources in Japan are from outside the country. Among them are a group from South Korea, as well as several different U.S. groups. It is believed WWE was approached and it is known UFC has been approached.

There are groups in the business as well as, according to Japanese sources, one wealthy player in the U.S. with no ties to the business that has been talked with. There is also at least one group in Japan showing some interest, largely for the intellectual property and tape library. While nobody in WWE or UFC has confirmed anything more, the belief going around is that WWE did not express much interest in buying the company. They seemed to be more interested in talking about an interpromotional angle that they would control the booking of. UFC has interest, but how much is unclear.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

November 15, 2006 Observer Newsletter: History of the Monday Night Wars

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The history of WCW, the Monday Night Wars that brought pro wrestling to a popularity in many ways never seen before, and the Eric Bischoff reign and legacy in the business are back in the news with the release of Bischoff’s autobiography a few weeks ago.

Due to the strong promotion, the book looks to be the best-selling WWE book since Ric Flair’s book in 2004. The No. 16 opening on the New York Times best seller list is probably more impressive than it sounds. It got off to a better start than the disappointing results from the Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels books. They were two of the company’s biggest stars the year the books came out, and Guerrero’s came out shortly after his death. The wrestling book market had obviously fallen from when it was a novelty and even very bad WWF books spent weeks on the bestseller list.

Most best sellers are available everywhere. I know in this market, almost none of the bookstores were even carrying the book. After one major store after another didn’t have it, I ended up having to order it. All the great TV promotion done isn’t going to be of a lot of benefit if stores aren’t carrying it.

Subscribers can read this issue here.