Top 15 Best Toylines of the 80s and 90s

And now For something a bit different. I've talked about a lot of things on this blog, but there's one part of Geekdom that I Haven't talked much about yet - Toylines. And since we are so close to Christmas, I figured now would be an appropriate time.

This is the Top 15 Best Toylines of the 80's and 90's!!!

Okay, Before I Begin, I'm gonna be clear about something. I'm Only gonna be listing the Boys Toylines. Yeah, 'cuz let's face it, Boys had the Best Toys. Period.

Also, this is a repost from my old blog.

Anyway, let's get to it.   

15 - Super Soaker - Ok, who played with these when they were a Kid? I had to borrow from my cousin, since, I never owned Any of the Super Soakers. Anyway, whether you owned one or not, the Super Soaker Series made 90's Summers more fun.

14 - LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars - The Federation's First Figures. These big rubber guys were static and had permanent poses. But, thanks to being made of tough rubber, you can bash and slam them to your hearts content. This legendary line from LJN lasted from 1984 to 1989.

13 - M.U.S.C.L.E. - Aka Kinikuman. This Wrestling-based toyline was produced in Japan and imported over to America as M.U.S.C.L.E. Now M.U.S.C.L.E stands for Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere. Appropriate, since this toyline is made up of a buncha Weird characters. The other thing to note is that other than being made of a tougher rubber than LJN's WWF Figures, in America they only came in flesh tone, while in Japan they came in a few other colors. They also had a Championship Belt that doubled as a Ring Playset. Cool, huh?      

12 - Monster in My Pocket - An Awesome Mini-Fig line based around various Ghouls, Ghosts, Goblins, Witches, Monsters and Other Horrors. Unlike M.U.S.C.L.E, these things were made with a more softer, more pliable rubber. They also came in a variety of colors. I actually had a few of these when I was a kid. Sadly they got thrown out decades ago. 

11 - Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Voltron was Power Rangers Before Power Rangers (though super sentai existed before voltron). Anyway, The Main concept of this toyline was combining Lions (or Vehicles) to form a powerful robot. So, this was also before Transformers Combiners. I personalty never owned Any of the Voltrons (Lion or Vehicle), but I wanted too. 

10 - Micro Machines - These Legendary Micro-Cars gave Hot Wheels a run for it's money back in the 90s. They came in a variety of vehicles and even had some playsets too. Later in the Toyline's run, gimmicks were introduced, such as light up lights and color change. I had a bunch of these when I was a kid, though I forgot which ones.  

09 - Gobots - In the Early 80s Tonka brought over a fun and inexpensive little transforming robot toyline from Japan, similar to what Hasbro would do a year later with Transformers. Gobots had initial success, but was decimated by Transformers a year later, when That legendary toyline debut. Despite this, however, Gobots had 2 things that made it stand out from Transformers - A Playset and Affordability. 

08 - Thundercats - Thundercats Ho!! This LJN produced toyline had a lot of fun characters, most of which had action features (including glowing eyes). One thing to note about this line is that it was mostly comprised of Bag Guys. Still, it was a cool line and I actually had some of the figures, though none of the playsets or vehicles, sadly.  

07 - The Real Ghostbusters - Based on the Animated Series. Each Ghostbuster came with a Proton Pack (with movable streams) and a translucent little Ghost to bust. Besides the figures there were Deluxe Ghosts and Monsters, many different Vehicles, including The Ecto-1, The Firehouse Playset, and Roleplay Items like the Proton Pack and Ghost Trap. I had some of these when I was a kid too. I even had some of the Roleplay items, the Ecto-1, And the Firehouse Playset.     

06 - Hasbro WWF Figures - One of My favorite Toylines. After LJN went out of business in 1989, the WWF license went to Hasbro. The line lasted from 1990 to 1994 and each Superstar had their own action feature. Believe it or not, I still have my figures, though never owned any of the Rings and I don't have all of the figures. Still love this toyline, regardless.  

05 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Ninja Turtles was one of Thee 80s Toylines. I had a bunch of these when I was younger. I even had some of the Playsets and Vehicles too. Hey, I admit, I was Big into Ninja Turtles at the time. TurtleMania was running wild from 1988 to 1993, when it was overthrown by Power Rangers.

04 - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - The 1st Great 80s Toyline. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe arrived on the scene in 1981 and was a hit with many young boys. For a good while, The He-Man Was America's #1 Boys Toyline, but in 1988, was quickly usurped by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and TurtleMania. And, Yes, I had some of the figures, though none of the Vehicles or Playsets.   

03 - G.I Joe : Real American Hero - A fan favorite line from the 80s and early 90s. G.I. Joe was one of 2 of Hasbro's Main Toylines, along with Transformers. These figures were very articulated for the time, so articulated they an preform Wrestling moves. Anyway, The Toyline, of course, also had a a lot of unique Vehicles and Playsets. I personally only had a handful of Figures and the Skystriker. After Real American Hero, G.I. Joe would begin to fall off the map and eventually die thanks to 2 failed (financially) follow-ups, Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles in 1994 and G.I. Joe Extreme in 1996.  It would eventually be revived in the Early 2000s with what I call the "Valor vs. Venom" series.  

02 - Power Rangers (Mighty Morphin' to Lost Galaxy) - The Phenomenon that Beat the Ninja Turtles and Dominated Toy Shelves. Martial Arts Super Heroes in Color Costumes and Cool Transforming Mecha that could combine into an Awesome Robot were this Toylines main selling points. Power Rangers would remain dominate until 1998, when Pokemon became the Newest Craze.  

01 - Transformers (G1, G2, and Beast Wars) - Transforming Robots will Always be cool. Imported from Japan and given personalities by Hasbro, Transformers Became an instant hit when it first debut in 1984 and would remain popular until 1990. In 1991, Hasbro would try to revive the brand with Generation 2, but it failed. Hasbro Then tried again in 1995 with Beast Wars and, with help from the Animated Series, succeeded. Today, the brand is still going strong as a Toyline and has become Hasbro's Cash Cow.  And Yes, I Had some of these too.

Special Mention  - Mega Man - Just thought I'd mention this line. Based on the Ruby Spears TV Series, these figures had very low articulation, but came with Special Weapons that could plug into Mega Man and Protoman's Busters in an attempt to mimic the Weapon Copy the characters had in the Cartoon and the Games. PVC figures were also made.

Note: The Reason Why Lego and Hot Wheels aren't on this list is because they were created in the 40's and 60's respectively, and this list is Only for Toylines that originated in the 80's and 90's.

As you can see I've decided to talk about something a little different. Nice change of pace,huh? I may do Board Games or Table Top Games next, who the hell knows?

Well, that's it for now. Until then, Punch Nazis, Kick Commies, Resist Modern Attitudes, and Stay Gold!

Top 40 Favorite Sitcom Themes

If there is one thing I like as much as Retro Video Games and Cartoons,is Retro Sitcoms. So today,I'm gonna be listing my Top 20 Favorite Retro Sitcom Theme Songs.

As usual these are not in any particular order,so bear with me. Also, Disney Channel Sitcoms and Nickelodeon Sitcoms will Not be included on this list. I'm gonna save them for their own. Anyway,here we go.

#40 - ALF (Gotta love ALF!) 

#39 - Full House (A household of 9 with plenty of heart? or the Michelle Tanner show?. You decide.)

#38 - Perfect Strangers (Great theme,needed a full version)

#37 - The Hogan Family (A family with no relation to the Hulkster!)

#36 - Growing Pains (Who here also remembers this show? Kirk Cameron is a good dude.)

#35 - Good Times (This theme is all right,so says Kid *claps hands* Dy-No-Myte!!!)

#34 - The Addams Family (They're creepy,kooky,mysterious,spooky,and completely ooky. They are the Addams Family)

#33 - The Munsters (A groovy theme.)

#32 - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Fun rap. The full version is best.)

#31 - Smart Guy (He's a Smart Guy!)

#30 - Welcome Back Kotter (They teased him a lot,cuz they got 'im on the spot. There is a full version of this theme that's even better.)

#29 - Sanford and Son (*imitating fred sanford* The theme song of Junkmen everywhere. dummy.)

#28 - Who's The Boss? (Catchy song.) 

#27 -  Benson (another catchy song. The Only show where Rafiki,Odo,and Neelix appear together.)

#26 -  Mork and Mindy (Alien man meets Earth woman and hilarity ensues. R.I.P. Robin Williams!)

#25 -  Sister,Sister (Sisyer,Sister)

#24 - Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (All Seasons. Yeah, I'm cheating.)

#23 - Boy Meets World (All Seasons. I'm cheating again,so what?!)

#22 - Diff'rent Strokes (Wha'chu Talkin' 'Bout,Willis! lol.)

#21 - Step by Step (It's the Brady Bunch...but better!)

#20 - Threes Company (Memorable and catchy.)

#19 - King of the Hill (Great song. Fast=paced and fun to listen to!)

#18 - Happy Days Seasons 2 and Onward (These happy days are yours and mine! *imitating the Fonz,thumbs up* Ayyyy!!!)

#17 - Laverne and Shirley (Schlemiel,Schlemazel,they're gonna do it their way.)

#16 - The Jeffersons (they moved on up to the east side,and finally got a piece of that pie.)

#15 - Gilligan's Island (A very memorable theme about 7 stranded castaways,who originally were on a 3-hour tour.)

#14 - The Beverly Hillbillies (this is story about a mountain man,who went hunting,found oil,struck it rich,and moved to Beverly Hills. Whee Doggies!!!) 

#13 - The Cosby Show (I love this show,regardless of what happened to Bill Cosby.)

#12 - Saved By The Bell (Zack Morris and his Friends make Bayside High a Cool School.)

#11 - Saved By The Bell - The Collage Years (They are standing at the edge of tomorrow...today!!)

#10 - California Dreams (don't wake me up if I'm dreamin'!)  

#09 - Frasier (not tossed salads and scrambled eggs,and very short,but still good. Frasier is always listening,caller!)

#08 - Family Matters (the Steve Urkel Show! Lol!)

#07 - Sabrina the Teenage Witch (All Seasons,yes I'm cheating yet again,but who cares,it's MY list!)

#06 - Taxi (Easy listening!)

#05 - The Simpsons (One Word - Iconic!!!!)

#04 - The Critic (It Doesn't Stink!!!!)

#03 -  Dr. Katz - Professional Therapist (Short,but gets the job done!) 

#02 - Home Improvement (This song is so great,that it doesn't even need "More Power!!!" *grunts like the tool man*)

#01 - Roseanne (Love the bluesy sound of this theme. It got lyrics in it's final season)

One final thing before I sign out,just to let everyone know that this was the first of a Brand New segment here at the Retro Rebellion - Retro Sitcoms and Live-Action TV. Cool,huh?

So Until Next Time, Punch Nazis, Kick Commies, Resist Modern Attitudes and Stay Gold.

Read Nintendo Power Online!!!!

Wanna relive the glory days of Nintendo Power,but Don't have any of the Issues? Well now you can. There is a cool Internet Archive that hss Every Issue from 1988 - 2004.

So if you're hungry for some NP Nostalgia,go here: https://archive.org/details/NintendoPower1988-2004

Cool huh? I'll talk about my personal experience with the Mag later. In the meantime,Enjoy. 

Simple Solutions - America's Prison System

Left-Wingers have a Strong Fetish for Chaos and their Psychotic calls for Defunding and Abolishing the Police and Prison System is just Sick and Tiresome.

No,You Leftards, we Don't need to Abolish the Prison System. However, there's always room for improvement and reformation. So today, I'm gonna give you My Simple Solutions on what    Should be done to fix our Prison System.

1 - First and Foremost, No Cash Bail. That should be banned. In fact, No Bail Period...except for Narco Users. Their bail will be set from $500 - $2000, depending on the substance they've abused.   

2 - Use Politician's Money (and some tax payers money) to convert these prisons into Live-In Community Centers, where the treatment can fit the crime. For example, if the felon is a burgler, his treatment will be a mandatory daily economics and business classes, so when he gets out, he'll be ready to start their own business and abandon a life of theft.

If they can get what they want the legal way, there's no need for them to steal. Other examples are Heavy Daily Mental Health treatment and Narco-Rehabilitation (especially faith based) for murderers and drug users.  

3 - The length of the stay will depend on the crime. Example - Drug Users will get 1 Year with Rehabilitation (both faith based and non-faith based), while Murderers will get 20 Years of Mandatory Psycho Therapy. And the Worst Offenders will get 40 Years of Everything.

4 - A Strong Vetting Possess for those who wanna work in this new System. No Indoctrinaters or Unqualified Peoples Allowed!!  

5 - The Programs of this New Live-In Community Center System. 

- Narco Rehabilitation for Drug Users and Drug Possession.

- Business Education and Economic Education for Thieves (All Types)

- Strong Psychological/Mental Treatment and Civics Education for Murderers, Domestic Terrorists, Pedophiles, and Rapists (and sexual assaulters).

- Special Economic Education for Tax Evaders

- Lighter Psychological Treatment and Civics Education for Fraudsters (All Types), Smugglers (All Types), Blackmailers, Illegal Weapons Owners, Perverts, Con Artists, and Corruption Kings/Queens.

- Art Education and Civics Education for Vandalizers (All Types) 

- Civics Education for Extortionists, Trespassers and Peace Disturbers.

- Psychological Treatment and Civics Education for Domestic Abusers, Assailants, and Rioters.

- Psychological Treatment and Drivers Education for Reckless Driving.

- Alcohol Treatment and Drivers Education for Drunk Drivers.

- Psychological Treatment and Construction Education for Arsonists

- Every Treatment for the Worst Offenders. 

Also Faith Based Programs are also a must. 

6 - The length served for each crime will be as follows -

- Drug Users = 1 Year

- Drug Possessors = 1 Year 

- Theft = 5 Years

- Grand Theft = 15 Years 

- Murderers = 20 Years

- Tax Evaders = 5 Years

- Fraudsters = 10 Years

- Trespassers = 5 Years

- Rapists = 20 Years 

- Vandalizers = 10 Years

- Assailants = 15 Years   

- Reckless Drivers and Drunk Drivers = 5 Years 

- Peace Disturbers = 2 Weeks  to 1 Month

- Arson = 10 Years 

- Rioters = 5 Years 

- Corruption Kings/Queens = 15 Years

- Domestic Abusers = 1 Year.  

- Con Artists = 6 Months.

- Sexual Assault = 15 Years.  

- Illegal Weapons Owners = 5 Years.

- Smugglers = 10 Years

- Pedophiles = 5 Years.

- Blackmailers = 10 Years

- Extortionists = 15 to 20 Years.

- Domestic Terrorism = 30 Years

- The Worst Offenders aka the Unrepentant = 40 to 50 Years.  

As A Side Note, Any Soft-on-Crime Judge Should lose All Immunity and be the target of Recall. Accountability For Justices!!!

Anyway, that is my plan to reform the Criminal Justice System. I think my plan will not only make the Country safer, but also help rehabilitate criminals and turn them into honest citizens.

Anyway, that just about wraps it ups. So, Until Next Time, Punch Nazis, Kick Commies, Resist Modern Attitudes, and Stay Gold.  

A Wrestle Fest Presentation - What If Shawn Michaels Joined WCW in 1997?

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels is/was one of the greatest Wrestlers of all-time. His flamboyant style and cocky attitude made him a hit with the fans. He's a multi-time champion and has main-evented WrestleMania 5x.

Retired, Shawn now runs NXT and is helping future WWE Superstars be their very best.

One thing very few know about the now-retired Superstar is that he had 2 opportunities to jump ship to WCW in 1997, once in the Late-Spring and another in the Late-Fall. However, Vince McMahon refused both of Michaels' requests to be released.

But..what if McMahon Didn't. What if HBK Did jump ship to the competition. What would Shawn Michaels' career be like had he become a WCW Superstar? Well... let's find out. This is MY Personal take on the What-If Scenario of Shawn Michaels in World Championship Wrestling. 

Disclaimer/Note: The Majority of Angles and Feuds in WCW that happened in Our Reality, still happen in this Alternate One.,except now, Shawn Michaels is involved. Now that we cleared That up, let's get started. 

Chapter 1 - HBK in WCW  

In spring of 1997, a real-life backstage conflict between Shawn Michaels and Bret "Hit Man" Hart was reaching its height. Both men were going out on television and frequently making personal, true to heart remarks about one another. After a real life backstage fight with Hart in Late-June, Michaels briefly left the WWF and asked to be let out of his contract. Vince McMahon reluctantly agrees to let Michaels go to WCW "Where His Real Friend Are", but tacks on a "60-Day Zero Compete" Clause the moment he steps foot in WCW.   

Note: In the Real World, our Reality, McMahon refused Michaels' request.

Anyway, A few days later, Shawn Michaels had a chat with WCW President Eric Bischoff to ask him if he could join WCW? Bischoff reluctantly agreed to let him join WCW..but Only as a favor to his friends Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. He also tells Michaels that the moment he gets there, he'll be on a probation. A few days after, Michaels heads to Atlanta to officially sign with WCW. 

Note: In Our Reality, Eric Bischoff never wanted Shawn Michaels in WCW, due to all of the baggage he'd bring. But in this scenario, Bischoff reluctantly brings HBK in as a favor to Hall and Nash.

Back to the Alt-Reality, on the 2nd Nitro in July, Eric Bischoff makes an announcement that the nWo has just signed on a really great talent and that Wrestler will be revealed next week on Nitro. On screen, Bischoff gushes, behind the camera's it's almost the total the opposite. 

Anyway, This news gets the Wrestling World buzzing and Bischoff hypes up the mystery man. On the Final Nitro of July, the mystery talent is revealed to be Shawn Michaels...to almost everyone's shock. 

The first thing Shawn does is cut a small introductory promo. Next he has Buff Bagwell kicked out of the nWo (both figuratively and literately). 

Note: The only reason Bagwell was ever In the nWo as a main guy was because he was a Shawn Michaels expy. But now that they have the Real Deal, they don't need the wanna-be anymore. Don't worry, Buff gets a good run in the Mid-Card.

Anyway, Next Shawn addresses Hollywood Hulk Hogan and wants a shot at the Big Man's Gold (the WCW World Heavyweight Championship).  Hogan tells Michaels that "He'll get one when he's ready." Michaels tries to pick a fight with Hogan, but Nash talks him out of it.

Note: Backstage, Michaels was offered the WCW United States Championship, but he outright refused, claiming that the Mid-Card was "Beneath Him".

Well, do to McMahon's "60-Day Zero Compete" Clause, Shawn is unable to compete in-ring until a week before Fall Brawl. Regardless, Shawn Michaels was now a member of the WCW roster.

Note: Thanks to a legal technicality, The World Wrestling Federation holds the majority rights to Shawn Michaels' handle "The Heartbreak Kid", so Shawn is unable to use it in WCW.   

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Chapter 2 - Shawn's Rise

In August, Shawn comes face to face, for the first time, with Sting.

Shawn's first match in WCW is against Buff Bagwell on Nitro in September, a week before Fall Brawl. Michaels defeats Bagwell in an impressive showing.

Note: Michaels tights are reminiscent of the tights he wore in 1993/early 1994. 

Anyway, Michaels joins Kevin Nash, Syxx, and Konnan as part of Team nWo at Fall Brawl in the War Games Match.  

The next night, Shawn Michaels becomes the 3rd Outsider and by extension a Tag Champion under the "Outsider Rule" if the Outsiders ever become Champions again. 

At Halloween Havoc, Shawn Michaels teamed up with Kevin Nash to take on Chris Benoit and Steve "Mongo" McMichael.

Note: Mongo's opponent in the Actual Event, Alex Wright, fights Syxx in this Reality instead.. 

Shawn Michaels' star in WCW was on the rise and the fans loved him. Thought the rest of the year, Michaels asks Hogan for a Title shot, but Hogan constantly refuses, telling Shawn that he's not ready yet.

At World War 3 in November, Michaels outlasts 60 of WCWs finest to win a future World Heavyweight Title Shot. Hogan still doesn't believe Michaels is ready, which frustrates the Outsider. Michaels' frustrations with Hogan constantly denying him a title shot come to a boiling point when he costs Hogan his title against Sting at Starrcade '97.  

This event sets off an internal feud between Shawn Michaels and Hollywood Hulk Hogan.

Note: This is an on screen extension of their ego-driven feud backstage. Oh, and Michaels fought Lex Luger at the event...and won.

Dur to the controversy of the Sting/Hogan finish at Starrcade, J.J. Dillon, WCW's Commissioner orders a Rematch at  Superbrawl VIII. Michaels objects, saying that it should be Him and not Hogan. J.J. Dillon promises Michaels that he will get his shot one day.  

At Souled Out, Michaels defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and after the match called out Hulk Hogan. 

At Superbrawl VIII, Michaels costs Hogan the Championship and then the next night on Nitro, invokes his "World War 3 Victor" clause and demands a Championship opportunity. Sting gives it to him at Uncensored. 

During their Match at Uncensored in March, Michaels is robbed of his title win by Hollywood Hogan. The 2 brawl.

At Spring Stampede, Michaels took on and defeated Curt Hennig. After the match, Michaels tells Dillon and Bischoff that he gets the winner of the Savage/Sting Championship match.

Side Note: Unrelated, but because in This Reality Bret "Hit Man" Hart never went to WCW, his 2 Brothers-in-Law, The British Bulldog and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart never go there either, so in This Universe they are replaced by 2 graduates from the WCW Power Plant (remember that?), who's names are not important to this story.

Anyway, on the Nitro, Hogan defeats "Macho Man" Randy Savage for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, thanks to the nWo preventing Michaels from interfering. A few days later on Thunder, Hogan calls out Michaels' attitude lately and warns him to "stay in his place in the pecking order". He then refuses Michaels any kind of title shot because of this.

Kevin Nash defends Shawn Michaels. And this argument eventually leads to the nWo split. 

Note: In this reality the nWo Wolfpac is just The Wolfpac, without the nWo branding.

Anyway, the next night on Nitro, Shawn Michaels battles Hollywood Hogan for the Championship and wins. Shawn Michaels is now WCW Champion..thanks to major help from Hall, Nash, and Savage.

Note: Losing dirty was the only way Hogan was Ever gonna drop the belt to Michaels.Michaels himself refused to win that way, wanting to look very strong against Hogan. But, it was either this plan or a non-title match, so he had no choice. Hogan would get his rematch soon. 

At Slamboree, Michaels and Hogan have their rematch, with the bout ending in a No Contest.

The feud between The Michaels/Nash led Wolfpac and the Hogan led nWo intensifies. At the Great American Bash in June, Hogan regained his title against Michaels in a Steel Cage Match.

Note: Michaels refused to drop the belt to Hogan, but was bribed with a huge bonus in his paycheck, a bribe which Michaels took. Money Talks!

Michaels gets injured during that intense Cage Match with Hogan and had to take some time off, leaving Kevin Nash as sole Leader of the Wolfpac.

Michaels eventually returns sometime in August.

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Chapter 3 - Meanwhile, Back in the WWF 

And now we rewind back to 1997 to a Shawn Michaels-less WWF.

Note: With Shawn Michaels no longer in the WWF, Bret decides to renegotiate his contract and stay with the Company. 

Replacing Michaels as the Special Referee at SummerSlam is Vince McMahon, who wanted a clean match. During the Undertaker/Bret Hart Championship Match. McMahon's refereeing was mostly ignored by Bret, as the Hit Man just did what he wanted.

Tired of being made a fool out of again by The Hit Man, McMahon attempts to strike him with a chair that Bret brought into the ring, but ends up hitting The Undertaker instead. 

Note: The Match ends the same way it did in Our Reality.

Anyway, the next night on RAW, McMahon apologies to the Undertaker and airs out his frustrations with Bret Hart. McMahon reveals that he's held a grudge against The Hit Man ever since he humiliated him earlier in the Year. And that Bret making a "damn jackass" out of him by disregarding his refereeing was the last straw. 

Bret confronts Vince and their on-screen feud begins. Meanwhile, The Undertaker starts a feud with Hunter Hearst Helmsley on the same night. A week later, he hires the New Age Outlaws as his personal posse, in addition to Bodyguard Chyna and "Personal Assistant" Ravishing Rick Rude. This Reality's D-Generation X is formed. Triple H and The Outlaws would soon become buddies.

Note: Without Shawn Michaels, D-Generation X takes a different path. Triple H is the Leader of D-X from the get-go and the New Age Outlaws join the Group much earlier. Plus, Triple H handles the rest of Shawn Michaels' feuds for the rest of the Year.

At One Night Only, Triple H becomes European Champion with help from D-X.

Note: In Our Reality, Triple H battled Dude Love at this event, but for this Alt-Reality, Dude Love faces "Road Dawg" Jesse James instead.  

At Bad Blood,Vince McMahon tries to interfere with Bret Hart's match against The Patriot, but fails thanks to the Hart Foundation. Also at the event, The Undertaker and Triple H match ended in a no contest.

At Hell in a Cell, Vince McMahon once again tries to interfere with Bret's match, but is humiliated once again by the Hit Man. The Hell in the Cell Match plays out the same as in this reality, except it's Triple H in the place of Shawn Michaels.

At The Survivor Series, the Montreal Screwjob happens and Triple H becomes WWF Champion for the 1st time.  

Note: Unlike with the Screwjob in Our Reality, this version of the incident is all part of the ongoing Hart/McMahon feud. In fact, Bret even knew about it and agreed to it. Because, remember in This Alt-Universe, Hart decides to stay with the WWF.

After Survivor Series, Bret's feud with Vince McMahon continues. Vince sics Commissioner Slaughter after him. The 2 fight at In Your House in December.

Note: With Bret Hart staying with the WWF, The British Bulldog and Jim "Anvil" Niedhart also remain with the company. Plus, Owen Hart does Not become the "Black Hart" 

At In Your House: D - Generation X, 3 matches were changed. The first is that The Tag Team Title Match is now a 4-Team battle, with The Godwinns and Owen and the Bulldog joining in. Instead of fighting Triple H, Sgt. Slaughter fights Bret Hart, who loses, thanks to Owen Hart's interference. And, of course, Triple H battled Ken Shamrock in the WWF Title Match.

Note: In Our Reality, the Tag Title match was only between The New Age Outlaws and the Legion of Doom aka The Road Warriors. And Triple H battled Slaughter.

Fast Forward to the Royal Rumble and here a bunch of changes happen. The British Bulldog is in the Royal Rumble, replacing Tom Brandi. Next, Bret Hart fights Vince McMahon's hand picked fighter, Tiger Ali Singh at the event, replacing the Mini Wrestlers on the card, which is moved to the next night on RAW.

The feud between Hart and McMahon ends with the Hit Man winning. And of course,there's Triple H v. Undertaker in a casket match. 

As part of a stipulation from his match with Tiger Ali Singh at the Royal Rumble, Bret Hart is granted a WWF Title Shot against Triple H on the first RAW in February. Thanks to the Hart Foundation's interference and keeping D-X at bay, Bret defeats Triple H and becomes WWF Champ for the 6th Time.  

BTW, had Bret lost his match at the Rumble, he would've been forced to retire.

At No Way Out of Texas, The Main Event remains the same. The 8-man tag is still "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie vs. Triple H, Savio Vega, and The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) (with Chyna)

An 8th match is also added with The British Bulldog and Jim "Anvil" Neidhart battling Jose Estrada Jr. and Miguel Perez of Los Boricuas.

The Build for WrestleMania XIV is different in this Alt-Reality too, with Bret Hart, as the Champion renewing his rivalry with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Mike Tyson is thrown into the mix, whom Bret doesn't dislikes as a person and whom Stone Cold just hates for invading the Wrestling World.

At WrestleMania XIV Instead of Bradshaw and Chainz being in the Team Battle Royal, we have The Bulldog and Anvil instead. And in the Main Event, Bret Hart and Steve Austin have their WrestleMania rematch, with Mike Tyson as the special enforcer.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeats Bret Hart in a clean finish and becomes the WWF Champion. Bret shows some post-match sportsmanship by handing the belt over to Austin and then applauding him as he leaves the ring.

At a Post-WrestleMania press event, Bret decides to take a hiatus from Wrestling to rest and be with his family. He then officially passes the torch to Austin, as the new face of the Company.  

Note: After WM XIV things go on as it was in This Reality, except The British Bulldog is still working for the Company and is an occasional Tag Partner for Owen Hart. Speaking of, Owen lives, thanks to his family being there with him within the Company. Also, for obvious reasons, No Commissioner Shawn Michaels. Someone else (no idea who) will be taking his place. 

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Chapter 4 - Shawn's Fall

When Shawn Michaels signed with WCW, he not only brought his talent and charisma with him, but also his personal baggage too. Michaels had a terrible backstage attitude, thanks to his ego. Plus, he still had his drug problem, which got worse. 

In fact, Michaels was almost suspended multiple times and even almost fired. And If it wasn't for Kevin Nash sticking his neck out, Michaels would've been history. He was told to seek help for his Drug Problems, but he just didn't. 

Anyway, Michaels returns from injury at Road Wild to do color commentary for the nWo invitational Battle Royal. The next night on Nitro, Michaels battles his buddy Scott Hall in his first match back. Earlier, He tried to reason with Hall and get him to join the Wolfpac, but Hall just attacks instead. Michaels defeats Hall. Nash comes in and powerbombs Hall.

Fast forward to Fall Brawl '98 and Michaels is part of Team Wolfpac in the War Games Match, along with Kevin Nash and Sting. 

Note: In this Universe, Lex Luger battles Goldberg for the championship at Fall Brawl 98, leaving Shawn Michaels to replace him in the War Games match. Also, The Giant replaces Bret Hart on Team nWo Hollywood, for obvious reasons. Plus, the Bulldog/Anvil v. Dancing Fools match never happens, so that frees up a spot on the card. Again, for obvious reasons.. 

In the War Games Match itself, Michaels suffers 2 major injuries to his back when it get slammed hard onto the Ultimate Warrior's trap door 3x. 

Note: In this Reality, Since the British Bulldog never came to WCW, he never gets injured by that damn trap door, so it's Michaels instead. 

Thanks to this major injury, Michaels was forced to take the rest of the year off. 

Michaels eventually returns at Souled Out '99, where he assaults Hogan. The next night on Nitro, He rages against Hogan being Champion in '99, who He deems to be an very outdated concept at this point, as it's 1999 and WCW Needs fresh Champions that will rep the new Millennium, not "Old-Ass Has-Beens from The 80s".

He then rages against the reformation of the nWo, who He claims is just lazy creative to keep relying on them. Michaels then goes on a tangent against The Jan. 4th edition of Nitro, where he Blasts Eric Bischoff (who he called eric pissoff) for Both the Fingerpoke of Doom And allowing Half of the Television Audience to "Permanently Switch to RAW" and become "Fans of the Federation"

Michaels then harshly warns Bischoff to get New Ideas and Fresh Top Contenders... or else WCW will remain being "The WWF's Bitch". 

The frustrated Superstar then quits the nWo and is confronted by Kevin Nash. They have a talk and Michaels superkicks the Big Man. He leaves the ring before the nWo could get him. Bischoff harshly responds to Michaels' tirade later in the night. 

At Superbrawl IX in Feb. Michaels, who wasn't scheduled to be on the show, appeared and helped, his buddies, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash win a Hair v. Mask Match against Rey Mysterio and Konnan.

At Uncensored, Michaels and Nash teamed up to take on Konnan and Rey Mysterio.

Note: In This Alt-Reality, instead of fighting Kevin Nash at this Event, Goldberg fights Lex Luger.

In Late March '99, Nash and Michaels win the WCW Tag Championships on Nitro. They lose them to Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit on the Thunder before Slamberee. 

At The Great American Bash, Michaels, who didn't have a match that night, helped Kevin Nash retain his WCW Championship against "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

At Bash at the Beach, Shawn Michaels took part in a Handicap Tag Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship with WCW Champion Kevin Nash and Sting as his partners against Sid Vicious, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

Note: In Our Reality the match was Randy Savage and Sid Vicious (with Team Madness) v. Kevin Nash and Sting. I added Shawn Michaels to the match to give him something to do.  

At Road Wild, Michaels had no match that night, so he just did color commentary. After the Main Event, he assaults Hulk Hogan after he wins the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, re-igniting their rivalry (for a short time).  

At Fall Brawl, Michaels is part of a Triangle / Triple Threat Match for the WCW Championship against Hogan and Sting. He fails to win the belt again.

Note: Another Match change for This Alt-Universe. In Our Reality, the match was a Singles Match with Hogan and Sting.

At Halloween Havoc, Michaels battled and defeated Lex Luger.

At Mayhem, Michaels once again becomes WCW Champion, after the title was previously vacated the previous month. He won a Tournament defeating Chris Benoit in the Finals.

After Mayhem, Michaels forms a rivalry with Goldberg.

In Early December, Michaels wins the Tag Titles again, this time with Goldberg. This was a result of random booking when the 2 are paired off against Creative Control on Thunder. They lose the belts to The Outsiders a week later on Nitro, when Michaels betrays Goldberg and rejoins his buddies.

And thanks to the "Outsider Rule", Shawn is technically still a Tag Champion, except this time with either Hall or Nash, depending on who he teams with for Title Matches.    

At Starrcade '99, Michaels defended his Title against Goldberg in a No DQ Match for the WCW Championship. Michaels retained thanks to Kevin Nash. However, Goldberg managed to badly injure Michaels during the Match, which forced him to vacate the Gold a week later. 

This would be Michaels last run as WCW Champion.  

In Late December, Michaels, Hall, Nash, and Jeff Jarrett formed the short lived, Neo-Wolfpac

Note: The Neo-Wolfpac is This Reality's version of nWo 2000.  

In Early January, Michaels took time off due to his injury by Goldberg at Starrcade being more severe than originally thought. 

In Early February of 2000, while Michaels was at home taking care of his injuries, he got a Fed-Ex pack which contained a Letter of Termination and a $10,000 severance check.

Shawn Michaels was fired from WCW. The reasons for his termination were his Horrible Backstage Attitude, his Constant Injuries, And his Constant Drug Use.

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Chapter 5 - Recovery and Salvation.  

After his termination from WCW, Shawn Michaels continued his ways. Sometime in 2000, thanks to his drug overdosing, Michaels was hospitalized...and nearly died.  

After 2000, Michaels Life is as it was in This Reality.  

Shawn Michaels developed a pattern of "heavy" substance abuse in 1987, which eventually alienated some of his closest friends, and explains his reputation for being difficult to work with during the 1990s. He contemplated suicide in the late 1980s, and suggested that psychological intervention was "probably sorely needed" by the late 1990s, though Michaels blatantly ignored that advice in this Alt-Reality.

However, in 2002, with some heavy convincing from his wife Rebecca (former nitro girl,whisper), Michaels abandoned his drink-and-drugs lifestyle, out of fear that he would negatively influence their then 2-year-old son.

Michaels became a born-again Christian in April 2002. He was raised a Catholic, but became a non-denominational Christian because of his wife's beliefs. 

His later ring attire, when he eventually rejoined the WWE, often incorporated cross symbols and he made a praying gesture on his knees during ring entrances. He was in the audience for a televised service of John Hagee's Cornerstone Church in his hometown of San Antonio, where he is also a Bible teacher.

In 2008, he appeared on a Trinity Broadcasting Network program with Sting.  

Michaels returned to the WWE in June on 2002. He was due to return to wrestle in the next year but had to take more than a year off to recover from his drug or painkiller issues, and returned to action later after attending a bible study and undergoing a successful rehabilitation treatment.  

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And There You have it My Personal What--If Scenario/Reality id Shawn Michaels jumped ship to WCW in 1997.

Interesting scenario huh? And to think this Almost happened not once, but twice in 1997. My next big Wrestling What-If will be on Bret Hart.  

Anyway, I'm gonna haul ass and get to work on another project. So Until Next Time, Punch Nazis, Kick Commies, Resist Modern Attitudes and Stay Gold. 

Retro Game Rumors

Time to bring you some awesome Retro Game Rumors. Now some of these aren't completely fact checked,so they might be just pure speculation. Regardless,you will find these interesting. So let's get on with the show.

Mighty Morphin' 32X Rangers

In 1995,Banpresto made plans for a Sega 32X version of 'Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie'. However,they quit production when they saw what an abysmal failure the 32X was.

The game was supposed to be a graphically enhanced version of it's Sega Genesis Counterpart,with better sounding music. Banpresto had no plans to make a Sega Saturn version of this game.
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Simon Belmont...Ninja Turtle?

There are rumors that Konami was gonna put Simon Belmont(from the Castlevania games)in the Japanese Version of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2'. There was also rumored that the famous Vampire Killer was gonna be in the Japanese version of 'TMNT 1' as well.

Konami has denied this.
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Lost Wrestlers

Diesel and Adam Bomb wese Supposed to be characters in 'WWE Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game'. But Acclaim scrapped them due to lack of space and time.

On a similar note,Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Savio Vega were supposed to be hidden characters in 'WWE In Your House'. Unfortunately,they never made it in. The game contains no hidden characters.
-----------------------------------------
Red Ring Z2

The Red Ring was stated to make a return in 'Zelda II: The Adventure of Link'. However,there are no extra dungeons or caves for the Ring to be found. There is a possibility that the Ring could've been planned for one of the existing Palaces or Caves.

The LoZ1 Red Ring was in Ganon's Underground Maze within Death Mountain,so maybe the Z2 Red Ring was to be placed in that game's Death Mountain? There are plenty of empty caves in that area,so it's very possible.

Anyway, The reason for the Red Ring's absence is likely due to the inclusion if the 'Shield' spell,which,like the Zelda 1 Red Ring,give the player a 50% Defense increase. 
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Reverse Sex Discrimination and Stuff

Originally,"Double J" Jeff Jarret was considered to be part of the roster for 'WWF Raw'. However,because they didn't wanna seem too sexist,Acclaim decided to ditch Jarret in favor of a Female Wrestler. They chose Luna Vachon. Why her? Why not Alundra Blayze (aka Madusa). And Why not Include Jeff Jarret as a hidden wrestler (like they did with Kwang in the 32x version).

Anyway, Speaking of the 'WWF Raw' roster. Initially,there were gonna be different ones for each console version (kinda like what they did for 'WWF Super Wrestlemania' and 'WWF Royal Rumble'). However,Acclaim decided that it would be best to have both the SNES and Genesis versions have the exact same roster.

I don't know who would've been on which roster,sorry.

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Kouryuu Sentai Power Rangers

There are rumors speculating around that The Sega Genesis version of 'Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers' was originally a Zyuranger game.

The Green Ranger's attitude seem to reflect this. Tommy was never that badass,but Burai(his zyuranger counterpart) was.

For those who don't know Kouryuu Sentai Zyuranger is the show that Saban adapted for Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
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Sheng Long

There were rumors of a hidden character in 'Street Fighter II' and 'Street Fighter II Champion Edition'.

To intensify the rumors,EGM created a mock-up for their April '92 edition. Of course this was an April Fools prank on EGM's part,but many people believed it was true...including Capcom USA. When Capcom USA told Capcom Japan about this,they were amused and clarified that there were absolutely No hidden characters in those games.

EGM themselves didn't admit that it was a gag until their December '92 issue.

Sheng Long,the hidden character,was to have all of Ryu's moves,as well as a Blazing Shoryuken. he was also stronger and faster.

Another rumor going around is that EGM's April Fool's Gag inspired Capcom Japan to create Akuma,the dark shoto that debut in 'Super Street Fighter II Turbo' as a hidden character.
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Spring Beauty in Orange

Capcom Japan originally intended for Chun-Li's default costume color to be Orange instead of Blue. The proof is in her 'Street Fighter II' portrait,where her costume is orange. However this was fixed in 'Street Fighter II Champion Edition'.

In future games(starting with super street fighter II),Chun-Li gains more alternate colors to her outfit. One of which is Orange.
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Final Fantasy 7's Extra Materia

Square-Enix considered adding even more Materia to the game (besides the golem materia,that is).

Those Materia were: The Super Nova (magic),Tritoch (summon),Holy(magic),Meteor(magic),Wind (magic),and Water (magic).

However this was during 'Final Fantasy 7's' planning stages and(like the golem summon)were Never implemented physically in the game(both the prototypes and the final). I don't have the reasons why.

The Super Nova Materia allowed you to cast Super Nova. This was given to Safer Sephiroth (the 2nd form of sephiroth) as an attack in the Final game.

The Tritoch Summon,The Legendary Monster from 'Final Fantasy 6' was also planned to be in this game. It would've pretty much acted the same way it did in 6.

Holy and Meteor were intended to be usable Magic Materia. But in the final game they were non-usable spells cast by Aerith and Sephiroth respectively.

The Wind and Water Materias are self-explanatory.
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Final Fantasy 7's Extra Wespons

Square-Enix also planned on giving Characters more weapons.

There was A Powerful Staff for Aerith(ancient's wrath),2 Swords for Cloud (Excalibur and Jupiter blade),another Claw Weapon for Tifa(name unknown),A Glave for Cid (name unknown),and a Plasma Cannon(name unknown)for Barret.

Square-Enix also planned on creating a Masamune Sword for Cloud. And The Ancient Wrath was intended to be Aerith's Real Ultimate Weapon.

Like with the Materia,None of these weapons exist and were just concepts thought up for the Final Game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Silver Chocobo of Final Fantasy 7

Square-Enix wanted to add yet another type of Chocobo for the players to breed. The Silver Chocobo.

This Chocobo would've been capable of traveling underwater. However,in the 11th hour they decided Not to have the player get this Chocobo.

A Silver Chocobo Is in the Game,though. It's one of the Racing Chocobo's.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Extra Lv. 4 Limit Breaks

Square-Enix originally planned for each FF7 Hero/Heroine to have 2 Level 4 limit breaks. With Vincent and Cait Sith being the exceptions.

This never happened due to Time and Money limitations.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Sephiroth Clone Get!

There is a rumor going around in the FF7 community that Square-Enix intended you to recruit The Sephiroth Clone. As you know the Sephiroth Clone killed Aerith and taunted our Heroes though out the game.

For whatever reason,the clone would join your party for a while. This is just a rumor and Square-Enix has never confirmed this.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Aerith Revival Project

Ah,the most Famous of the FF7 Rumors. According to the rumor,Square-Enix added a special 'Aerith Ressurection' side-quest to the PC version of 'Final Fantasy 7'.

This was created due to some of the fan-backlash about Aerith's death. Since it was too late to implement it in the Playstation version, Square-Enix included it in the PC version of the game.

Of course,this Rumor has long since been proven false.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Zack's Revival

In addition to the Aerith Sidequest,Square also created a Zack resurrection Sidequest for 'Final Fantasy 7 PC'.

But,like with the whole 'Aerith Ressurection' thing,This has been proven false as well.
---------------------------------------------------------------
FF1Q2

It was rumored that Square-Enix wanted to add in a Second Quest after you beat the main game in 'Final Fantasy 1'. In the 2nd Quest,you would have all of the Levels you obtained during the previous one. The Airship would be available as well.

However,due to lack of cart space,this wasn't possible for them to do. This rumor has been proven false by many.
------------------------------------------------------------
Final Final Fantasy

Square-Enix intended to end the Main Final Fantasy Series at 8.

However,their fans pushed them to do more....and so they did. Today,The Main Final Fantasy Series is up to 15.
-------------------------------------------------------
MMVGBC

Capcom Japan was planning on creating a Game Boy Color port of Mega Man V GB/Rockman World 5. However,at the 11th Hour decided not to go through with the idea.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bakusa/Boxer the Goblin

In Final Fantasy 7, There was an old rumor that there was a 3rd optional party member for you to recruit. On disk 2, there would be an opportunity to meet and recruit a friendly Goblin named Boxer. And Boxer would be faster and much more agile than most of your characters.

As his name suggests, Boxer/Bakusa is a Boxing Goblin who fights using boxing moves. His Limit Breaks include Goblin Punch, Goblin Upper, and TKO, which has a 70% chance of 1-Hit KOing an Enemy or Boss. 

You could even buy special Gloves for him in shops, once he becomes available. As to where to find him, Boxer/Bakusa could be found on one of the Islands, where he will appear as an enemy, but by using a special item, you'll be able to recruit him (similar how you get Chocobo's in this game).

Of course, this Rumor has been proven false.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Cubone's Mama is....Kangaskhan????

Rumor has it that Game Freak originally intended for the Baby Kangaskhan(the cute little creature that's in kangaskhan's pouch) to be the Pre-Evolution of Cubone. And that Khangaskahn would be an Alternate evolution for the Pokemon.

Nintendo and Gamefreak have denied this rumor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mixed-Up Pokemon Families

Rumor has it that The Final Evolutions of the Butterfree line and the Venomoth line were switched. It makes some sense,since Venonat (venomoth's pre-evolution) and Butterfree look similar. Same goes for Caterpie (butterfree's 1st stage evo) and Venonat.

Nintendo and Gamefreak have denied this as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Super Ninja Guiden IV

Tecmo wanted to create a sequel to Ninja Guiden III for the Super NES. But for some reason they scrapped the idea and gave us 'Ninja Guiden Trilogy' instead.

On a related Note: Konami was gonna create a Super NES Metal Gear title. But decided not to at the 11th hour.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
MMX72D

Capcom Japan originally wanted Mega Man X7 for the PS2 to be a 2D game. But due to the demand of Sony,Capcom Japan made Mega Man X7 a 3D Game with 2D sections.
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That's gonna do it for this Rumor-Mill. I'll be sure to find more soon. And when I do,I'll share them with you guys.

Until Next Time, Punch Nazis, Kick Commies, Resist Modern Attitudes and Stay Gold. 

The Lost WCW PPV - The Big Bang!

 The following is taken from WWE.com.

Wrestling has been part of my life for since as long as I can remember. So for a blast of nostalgia,Here's an article from WWE.com,all about the Last Days and the Lost PPV of WCW. I re-posted it here,because No One goes to WWE.com. 

Anyway,here we go.

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If you grabbed the second to last issue of WCW Magazine, released weeks before the final episode of Nitro, you would have seen a glimpse of what could have been. According to an advertisement on the back cover, the creation of a new WCW was already in the works. On May 6, 2001, the world would witness the relaunch of World Championship Wrestling with The Big Bang, live on pay-per-view.

The ad didn’t reveal much, but Eric Bischoff had been putting the pieces in place for months. A new commentary team had been chosen. Negotiations with TV networks like FX were ongoing. Creative plans were being pitched for top-tier, contracted competitors like Goldberg. A president and CEO were in place and they had fresh ideas for how to right the ship.

The Monday Night War wasn’t over. In fact, a new battle was about to begin, and The Big Bang marked the opening shot.

As far as the WCW locker room knew, Bischoff and his business partners only needed to cross some t’s and dot some i’s and they would own WCW. But then, the deal swerved as abruptly as the pay-per-view endings that became synonymous with WCW’s final days. What went wrong? The answer was clear from the very beginning.   

“Toward the end of 1998, around August, it started to become very apparent to me that the Time Warner conglomerate [which owned Turner Broadcasting Systems] really didn’t want WCW to survive,” Eric Bischoff told WWE.com. “It was obvious to me because of the things they were doing to us — reallocating budgets that had already been allocated and cutting budgets that had already been approved six months or a year in advance.”

Bischoff left WCW in fall 1999, but when he returned, it was clear that WCW was on borrowed time under the pending merger between Time Warner and America Online Inc.

“[WCW] wasn’t going to survive it,” Bischoff said. “I said as much to [then-president of Turner Entertainment] Brad Siegel. I simply told him, ‘You don’t really want to fix it, so why don’t you sell it while there is still something left to sell?’ ”

Siegel and Bischoff disagreed for months, which Bischoff believed was a product of Turner Entertainment’s psychology that Ted Turner didn’t sell things; he acquired them. Siegel changed course in late 2000, though, and allowed Bischoff to shop WCW, which he called the “Wall St. dog and pony show.”

This was Bischoff’s first experience raising significant funds for a multi-million-dollar sale, but he found interested partners in Brian Bedol and Steve Greenberg of Fusient Media Ventures. Bedol and Greenberg founded the Classic Sports Network in 1995, then sold it to ESPN two years later for $175 million. They knew plenty about how to brand a sports property to great success. Bischoff raised $67 million with Fusient Media Ventures to purchase WCW in late 2000, but Turner Broadcasting Systems had one major catch: TBS retained a minority interest and long-term programming rights.

“Brad Siegel was not going to sell the company unless Eric Bischoff took 10 years on TBS as part of their contract,” WCW Superstar Diamond Dallas Page said.

Bischoff admitted he looked into some other networks, but nothing came to fruition.

“I had talked to a variety of networks at that time who expressed interest in WCW, one of them being FX,” he said. “I had multiple conversations with Peter Liguori, who was running FX at the time. It never progressed to the point of making an offer, but we got very close.”

But major changes needed to be made to the brand with the pending marriage between WCW and Fusient. The couple even had a honeymoon spot picked out. No longer under the Turner umbrella, aside from the TV shows continuing to appear on Turner networks, the Atlanta-based promotion was heading west.

“The plan was that WCW would move to Las Vegas and do weekly tapings out of the Hard Rock Cafe, which was building a 3,000-square-foot arena at that time,” John Laurinaitis, formerly of WCW Creative and Production, revealed. “Part of the company would be based out of Los Angeles.”

WCW once packed the Georgia Dome for an episode of Nitro, but December’s Starrcade pay-per-view didn’t top 7,000 in attendance. That played a major part in a move to Vegas.

“We weren’t able to fill arenas like we had,” Bischoff said. “Elvis Presley once said, ‘The most interesting part of any show is the audience.’ Take the main event of WrestleMania and put it in front of 75 people and it will dramatically affect the way everyone watching feels about it. That was very true with WCW. We knew we were having a problem.”

The creative needed to take a 180-degree turn, too. From competitors lying down for pinfalls at Bash at the Beach to a match where Buff Bagwell’s mom was up for grabs, 2000 featured some of the wackiest stories in sports-entertainment history.

“We were going to shut it down for a period of time, then relaunch,” Bischoff said. “We needed a clean piece of paper to draw on. We couldn’t reach into the trash, pick out the crumbled and trampled creative — that had been WCW for the last year-and-a-half — and try to make people feel good about that again. In order for the relaunch to feel like one, it had to go away. The thinking was, let’s get people talking about the new WCW and what it was going to look like and feel like.”

While Bedol and Greenberg continued to work on the legal side of the deal, Bischoff visited confused and panicking employees at WCW’s office and focused on the future of WCW, which included the first pay-per-view under Fusient, WCW Big Bang on May 6.

“We had to plan six months in advance — minimum — with a lot of the creative,” he said. “The branding and the location of the event — the big ticket items, if you will— had to be planned six months out. Big Bang pay-per-view ads were probably pretty generic because I doubt we had it figured out at the time.”

At the same time, over in Philadelphia, Extreme Championship Wrestling was coming to its end. The Voice of ECW, Joey Styles, refused to abandon the ship, but with no ECW Hardcore TV tapings scheduled after the Guilty as Charged pay-per-view on Jan. 7, 2001, Styles began to talk with Bischoff.

“Eric sent me to meet with Brian Bedol in Manhattan to talk about what I would do for WCW,” he said. “I would be the lead announcer and I would work in digital media. I did not agree to do this with Eric until it was obvious that ECW was finished.”

Styles and Bischoff even talked about who would join him at the commentary desk.

“I suggested Don Callis, who was my color commentator for ECW pay-per-views, to Eric,” Styles said. “He and I were a very good team. I heard rumors that my other announcer was going to be Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, who at the time was not with WWE.”

With his friend in the process of saving WCW, DDP had mixed emotions because he secretly hoped to go to WWE.

“It was really important to me, because I only had a couple of years left in my career, period,” he said. “And I wanted to end my career in WWE. But my buddy was buying the company, WCW. I can’t turn around and screw him.”

The master plan was taking shape. WCW would get a second chance, a new life. After all, Bischoff owned WCW. Didn’t he?
 
After taxiing on the runway for months, the relaunch was ready to take off. On Jan. 11, 2001, Bischoff, his business partners and Siegel hosted a conference call to announce the deal. On the 45-minute call, Siegel assured media that Turner never planned on selling WCW, but the offers poured in, including talks with WWE that he wouldn’t address. Bedol said he wouldn’t be satisfied if WCW remained the No. 2 wrestling brand in America. Bischoff believed the future looked bright for a new WCW and employees were relieved to hear the deal was done.

Variety even reported that Fusient had plans to sit down with WWE in the hopes of creating cross-company pay-per-view events, featuring the likes of Goldberg and Sting against Mick Foley and The Rock.

“It was very positive at that time because WCW wasn’t doing as well as we had hoped,” Laurinaitis remembered. “Thinking that if we move the company and a new set of owners came in and Eric was at the helm, that might spark another run like The nWo did.”

Here’s the catch. The same day as the Fusient conference call, another business deal went down. AOL announced it was purchasing Time Warner on Feb. 11, 2000, but the deal would not be completed until Jan. 11, 2001. With new owners coming in, everything would be looked at closely, especially a division that was struggling to regain footing. Analysts estimated that WCW lost between $60 and $80 million in 2000 while WWE ran away in the ratings.

While AOL Time Warner examined their assets, Fusient did the same with their impending purchase while Bischoff prepared for The Big Bang. Though the deal was announced on Jan. 11, the amount paperwork and due diligence in a transaction this massive took weeks to complete. Fusient originally predicted that the deal would be completed 45 to 60 days after the announcement. By March, though, the sale was still not official.

Meanwhile, every Monday on Nitro, WCW World Champion Scott Steiner rolled through the competition. DDP was set to his next big challenge at WCW Greed on March 18. Two days before the pay-per-view, though, Jamie Kellner — new chairman and CEO for Turner Broadcasting — and Turner Entertainment President Brad Siegel decided WCW’s fate.

“I thought that once Eric got to that spot [the deal announced but not signed], he had it done,” DDP said. “It was like when you think your daughter is getting married, you pay for everything, and you lay the whole thing out, then the groom doesn’t show up.”

On March 20, 2001, WCW’s Big Bang went bust.

“Jamie Kellner and other higher ups at the company wanted to make TNT the drama network and they wanted TBS to focus on comedy and sports,” Styles said.

With WCW not fitting into either plan, Kellner and Siegel agreed to cancel Nitro and Thunder.

Bischoff got the call from a business partner at Fusient while on the beach. The deal was off and the signed letter of intent was voided because without the TV timeslot, the company was worth a small fraction of the original price.

“Once Jamie Kellner articulated what everyone was saying behind closed doors, which was, ‘we don’t want anything to do with wrestling in any way, shape or form,’ the deal with Turner had absolutely zero value to us,” Bischoff said.

At the time, TBS spokesman Jim Weiss said in The New York Times, “Basically we’ve decided that professional wrestling, in its current incarnation is not consistent with the upscale brands we’ve built at TNT and TBS. Therefore we will not be carrying it.”

It was heartbreakingly ironic that the TV timeslot killed the sale, because Bischoff never really wanted it in the deal anyway.

“Eric was really excited about taking over WCW, but I know he did not want to keep the show on Turner,” DDP said. “I remember, Eric at that time saying, ‘get them to give us three months and I will get another network to pay for the show.’ What network wants to buy a show that’s been cancelled?”

Eric Bischoff calls in to WCW Nitro to reveal his plan for the final night of the brand and to extend an invitation.

Two days later, World Champion Scott Steiner beat Page at WCW Greed on pay-per-view, while announcers continued to look at the future of WCW and the promising young talent like Kwee Wee and Jason Jett. The next night, though, Bischoff called into Nitro.

“Many of you may know that for the past six months, I’ve been working with a group of people whose goal it was — and is — to acquire World Championship Wrestling and to grow it once again to become a competitive, dominant wrestling organization worldwide,” Bischoff said with a defeated tone. “But recently we’ve hit a couple of roadblocks that may be, in fact, brick walls.”

He scheduled a “night of champions” for the following week’s Nitro in Panama City, Fla., and invited all former World Champions to appear, hinting that it could be the final night of wrestling on a Turner network. Now that the TV timeslot, supposedly a sticking point in WWE’s previous talks with Turner, was gone, WWE resumed negotiations. That Friday, WWE announced it had purchased WCW from AOL Time Warner for an undisclosed sum, but estimates had it around seven-figures.

Shane McMahon and WWE brass headed to Florida, for the final Nitro, which Mr. McMahon opened by announcing that he officially owned WCW. The Monday Night War was officially over.

When Bischoff looks back 15 years later, though, he can’t help but think WWE’s purchase was the healthiest move for the future of sports-entertainment.

“Had Fusient been successful in buying WCW, ultimately there would have been no one on that side of the equation, including me, that would have had the commitment to the business that Vince McMahon has had throughout the years,” Bischoff said.

May 6 ultimately came and nothing happened. The creation of a new WCW was forming in WWE, and the “big bang” didn’t occur until May 28, when WCW Superstar Lance Storm ran into a WWE ring and kicked WWE Superstar Perry Saturn in the face. Three weeks later, DDP joined him on Raw, as well as an influx of WCW Superstars as part of an Invasion.

As for Big Bang, Bischoff thinks it was a success.

“I did such a great job at creating anticipation, that people are still anticipating, to this day, the pay-per-view that never happened.”

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That was a cool read,huh? Hope you enjoyed this little Nostalgia trip thanks to WWE.com.

Until Next Time, Punch Nazis, Kick Commies, Resist Modern Attitudes, and Stay Gold.