Finally, after months of one-sided storytelling, WWE Network's documentary series The Monday Night War turned out a few chapters that highlight some of the standout performers that came out of WCW in the mid-90's. After four straight episodes about Attitude Era WWE Superstars (and one very deserving episode documenting ECW's role in the war), The Monday Night War has begun delving into some of WCW's successes besides the nWo, like innovative Cruiserweight Division and the dynamic Bill Goldberg.
Over the course of the Monday Night Wars, the greatest inter-promotional rivalry pro wrestling has seen before or since, the competition between WCW and WWE was much closer than Vince McMahon would like to have you think.
While the biased documentary series obviously gives credit to the nWo for allowing WCW to gain the upper hand in the ratings battles throughout much of the mid-to-late '90s, they have been slow to praise much of the other immensely successful strategies that WCW VP Eric Bischoff implemented during that time.
Apart from spending the money to create a live television event each and every week, which forced WWE to revitalize their own product, WCW also began to cull talent from all over the world, including Mexico and Japan.
The international athletes, often smaller, and more agile, brought with them a unique brand of high-flying, hard-hitting moves which hadn't had much exposure in the US up to that point.
The new stars from Mexico and Japan, as well as smaller athletes from America, Canada and Europe, would comprise WCW's new Cruiserweight Division, a treat for fans but a double-edged sword for the wrestlers themselves, who eventually ran into a glass ceiling at WCW.
While WCW searched the world over for undiscovered independent talent, they also had major success with a "homegrown" character beginning in 1998, when former Atlanta Falcon Bill Goldberg emerged as a fan favorite.
His time in professional wrestling was brief, but Goldberg made a huge impact on the sport (ahem, excuse me... Sports Entertainment). His physical presence and charisma quickly made him a fan favorite, with an undefeated streak ultimately reaching the hundreds driving his gimmick, though, eventually WCW realized that they had painted themselves into a corner.
When people talk retroactively about the Monday Night War, they reflexively analyze it with the benefit of hindsight. It's easy to forget about the immense pool of young talent that was developing at WCW, since behind the scenes problems such as ineptitude in management led to self-destruction of the company.
For all the rightful praise that Vince McMahon deserves, the truth is WCW could have easily driven WWE out of business a couple of times. They just bled to death first, after multiple gunshot wounds to the foot.
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