"Where the big boys play!"

Over the holidays, while most were with their families, I got to spend some quality time with the WWE Network and its back catalog of great (and not so great) wrestling content. Whereas last time I binged, I looked at WWE pay-per-views of the early 2000's, this time I picked out a string of WCW shows from the mid-nineties, beginning in the spring of 1996, when the landscape of World Championship Wrestling would be changed forever with the formation of the NWO.

So I plowed through Slamboree, The Great American Bash, and Bash at the Beach. And you know what? I liked most of what I saw. For some reason in the years since, I'd come to retroactively think of WCW as a cut-rate WWF with more hillbillies. But rose-tinted glasses be damned, the more I watch the more I think the opposite is true. I'm beginning to wonder about the legendary "Attitude Era" and if what was gained during that time is worth what the wrestling business lost in the long run.

Even with modern WWE, the legacy of Vince Russo's "crash television" booking techniques can be felt. The Attitude Era/Monday Night Wars brought about big ratings and paydays for those fortunate enough to see which way the wind was blowing, but the constant need to shock and engage a weekly television audience meant that long-term (sometimes spanning years) storylines and feuds had no place.

But I digress . . .

But before Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan could hijack the promotion, WCW was already a pretty good alternative to the WWF in term of in-ring action. Cruiserweights like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko provided a killer undercard while still-vital ring veterans like Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Kevin Sullivan filled out the main event scene. Of course by '96, Sting and Flair had been on top for a while, so I can understand why the NWO shakeup was necessary. Those watching at the time might have been a little bored with the Nature Boy.

The raw talent here really is staggering: Harlem Heat, Konan, Jushin Thunder Liger . . . It reminds me of TNA. And didn't Eric Bischoff eventually worm his way into that promotion as well? Hmm . . .

There is a listlessness to the shows just before Bash at the Beach '96, where Hogan would "turn heel" and recolor himself as the Big Bad of WCW. Jimmy Hart and The Dungeon of Doom felt like a heel stable from ten years prior. Hulkamania could still pop a crowd, but even fans could see through The Giant (now known as the Big Show) parading around as Andre's son. WCW just kind of existed in this period, not doing anything too differently than they had for the last fifteen years.

I'm going to continue my trek into the NWO saga until I lose interest. I think once Hollywood Hogan starts teaming with Dennis Rodman, I may tag out. Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter at @ChrisBComics.