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| Sex, Lies And WCW Videotapes |
Charlie Benson |
Why WWE needs to be making more of WCW's video library
It’s long been said that in war, history is written by the winners. The sources of truth – be they people, land or documents – can be twisted and spun until they represent only what suits the victor, and it’s only then that the memory of those who physically witnessed events becomes invaluable. Not surprisingly, the same applies to pro wrestling. Indeed, since achieving his stated aim of conquering the global visage of ‘sports entertainment’, Vince McMahon has, in his role as victor, steadily moved to erase the name and legacy of World Championship Wrestling – his greatest rival, nonetheless – from the hearts and minds of professional wrestling fans.
Fact is, WWE is the undisputed owner of virtually the entire video chronicle of North American wrestling and can do with that legacy as they see fit. Disturbingly – but not surprisingly – its choice has been, almost without exception, to do absolutely nothing. The WCW tape library is the latest battle in a war that now exists largely in Vince McMahon’s mind. Sadly, he’s never quite grasped the fact that the most bitter and vindictive of all his multitude of feuds reached a conclusion long ago, leaving him victorious. And yes, that’s the reason Vince has latched onto any and every opportunity presented to vigorously drive home a very specific message: namely, that WCW sucks.
McMahon’s argument is clear: why waste your time with Billionaire Ted and his historical wrasslin’ show when the modern and obviously superior WWE Superstars are yours to behold? In Vince’s mind, you wouldn’t, which is why WCW’s video legacy is only occasionally deployed as a nostalgic tool. Heaven forbid the WWE Universe might develop sentimental yearnings for an inferior brand from yesteryear! And even more unsurprisingly, the various WCW related profiles and retrospectives that have seen the light of day have mostly represented transparent attempts to re-write history. Take, for instance, Shawn Michaels claiming that “ratings were never discussed” during the Monday Night War documentary, or that bastion of credibility Hulk Hogan claiming the real reason the nWo succeeded was because of the character building skills he’d acquired during his WWF tenure during nWo: Back In Black…
Of course, these (and many other) utterly absurd claims are rendered redundant by the phenomenal failure of both the WWE version of the New World Order and, subsequently, the handling of Bill Goldberg’s WWE tenure. Despite owning every second of the WCW video library, not one WWE employee apparently saw fit to study the various methods used to propel both the nWo and Goldberg to (albeit fleeting) superstardom.
For the rest of this feature, check out issue 52 of FSM - available at WH Smith and all good retailers. (For US readers we are now carried at Borders and Barnes & Noble, so check for local availability or click here to subscribe.)
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