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Monday Night Wars (WWE vs WCW)
- 3. 1990s -Two biggestcompanies Compete for Cable TV ratings WCW – Ted Turner Vs WWF – Vince McMahon • To compete directly with WWE's Monday Night Raw, the media mogul Ted Turner launches WCW Monday Nitro. • With the help of the new Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff, World Championship Wrestling rises • Cable TV on rise • 1985 Prime time wrestling -taped shows • Ted pressurizes McMahon to sell prime time slot on TBS to NWA. Basis of feud. • Scheduling conflicts on Pay Per View (PPV) between NWA and WWF • 1988 - Ted Turner buys NWA – renamed to WCW (World Championship Wrestling) 1995 to 2001
- 4. • The Problem: Initialyears of WWF and WCW – boring, taped, fake comedy • The Solution: January 1993 – WWFs Monday Night Raw Alternate live shows of Monday Night Raw Hulk Hogan Parted ways with WWF WWFs Monday Night Raw (1987-1993)
- 5. • 1993: ExecutiveVice President, was the main producer of show • Changed commentary team • Filming in Disneys MGM studio compared to previous poorly lighted arena. • Signed former WWF talent high-profile former such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in an attempt to copy WWF’s success • Brought 80s superstar Randy Savage on board (commentator in WWE) • Ted Turner’s trust on Erik (signed empty check book) • WCW became profitable 18 months Eric Bischoff enters WCW (1993-94)
- 6. Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994) •In 1994, the non-compete agreement with Ted Turner expired, to whom he had sold WCW in 1988, expired and he decided to start promoting with the NWA again • They held a tournament for the NWA's top prize • Began power plays and began contemplating a plan to secede ECW from the NWA in a controversial and public manner that would attract attention to ECW and insult the NWA organization
- 7. WCWs aggressive attacks • Sept. 1995- WCW Monday Nitro • Disclose the results of all RAW taped episodes WWFs retaliatory tactics • 1996 - Parodies of Ted Turner ("Billionaire Ted") • Hulk Hogan ("The Huckster") • Randy Savage ("The Nacho Man") • Gene Okerlund ("Scheme Gene")
- 9. WCW and theNew World Order (1996-97) • nWo was formed in July 7,1996 • Razor Ramon was employed by WCW but was portrayed as pro-WWF • Followed by Diesel and Hulk Hogan • Anarchy against WCW • Blurred the lines between reality, entertainment WWF struggles & Counter (1996-97) • Colorful wrestlers with themed gimmicks perceived as childish • Used "Pillman's Got a Gun" to shock fans • Monday Night Raw changed to a two-hour format
- 10. The Montreal Screwjob and WCW (1997) • Bret hart signed a contract with the WCW • Deceived to lose his final match in the WWF survivor series, to real-life rival Shawn Michaels • Shook WWF wrestlers' faith • Hart joined the WCW roster, Nitro boasted • WCW cruiserweight division included Hispanic, Latin American, and Asian fans with acrobatically- based wrestling • WCW'S highest buyrate (Hulk hogan vs. Sting) • Bret Hart’S debut as referee the title belt to Sting
- 11. WWF enters TheAttitude Era (1997-98) • "WWF Attitude" concept, Matches shortened in favor of story-building and an emphasis on shock factor • Mimicked Nitro's "Anything can happen" atmosphere • Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna formed D- Generation X (DX) • Ever-escalating acts of sabotage and violence beat Nitro in the ratings for the first time in 2 years • Raw Is War's ratings began to rise
- 12. WCW Struggles (1998-99) • WCWdivided the nWo into two factions rehashing of the original "Invasion" storyline, boring audiences • WCW bought Goldberg (ex-NFL player) vs Hulk Hogan and got high ratings but ultimately the "invincible" angle wore thin • Raw Is War dominated Nitro to the point where WCW was making "quick fixes" like hiring rapper • WCW strategy of hiring WWF wrestlers made it into a copy • Promotion strained financial and ratings failed to increase • WCW hired the reigning ECW World Heavyweight Champion which led to legal threats
- 13. WWF purchases WCWand ECW (2001) • Time Warner and AOL purchased Ted Turner's company in 1996 and 2000, respectively • WCW lost $62 million, due to guaranteed contracts, plummeting advertising revenues, dropping show attendance, and controversial booking • Fusient Media Ventures announced the purchase of WCW in 2001 for a mere $3m • TNT did allow a final Nitro show to air • On March 23, 2001, all of WCW's trademarks and archived video library were sold to Vince McMahon and WWE also purchased ECW's assets Raw wins Nitro win 143 (51.07%) 113 (40.35%) THE GAME OF RATING ENDS
- 14. Current Scenario ofWrestling (2016 onwards) • Current era of wrestling - New Era • Began in 2016 • Decision to split Raw and Smackdown – both owned by WWF • The era is very much in the modern age • Behind-the-scenes footage on YouTube • Make online bets about the outcome of matches • Tune into WWE-related podcasts • High fan engagement means a bright future for the WWE! • Current chairwoman and co-chief executive of WWF is Stephanie McMahon • All Elite Wrestling (AEW) – a competitor of WWE
- 15. Marketing Takeaways • Embracingthe change, but keeping the audience in mind (generation X) • Targeting requires the right segmentation • Change and innovation are equally important with the passage of time • Risky decisions are necessary when your business is at stake • Create the WoW Factor and Synergies (WWE and ECW) • Don’t just follow the competition • Challenge assumptions (Vince didn’t think Foley was worth it) • Build your brand (as Foley did by telling the story of mankind over a period of time) • Playing dirty might not always yield the most desirable results (WCW broadcasting results) • Having key resources is as important as knowing how to utilize the key resources (WCW could not make the most of Hart) • Plan for adversity (Hart did not expect to be conned by his own company WWE) • Always Have A Business Endgame In Mind • Channel Your Thirst For Validation
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