The Monday Night War: WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Eric Bischoff, Vince McMahonBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: World Wrestling
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Color; DVD; NTSC
Movie Reviews of The Monday Night War: WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
Movie Review: Great, but could have been longer
Summary: 5 Stars
I had long anticipated this DVD, and it didn't disappoint. It exceeded my expecations, as I was afraid it would be a one-sided perspective, which it was not. I have been a wrestling fan since I was 7 years old (I am 19 now) and was a major fan of WCW as well as WWF/E. Bottom line: Eric Bischoff is a genius, and he cannot be knocked. Without his wit and quick tounge, there is no way Nitro would have set the ratings records that it did. However, Bischoff made the mistake of putting some of the washed-up old timers over to the point of which younger stars, such as Jericho, Benoit, etc. became almost obscure. However, what the dvde forgets is that this is not what dealt WCW the most damage; the dvd fails to put an emphasis on Bischoff's spending habits, as well as the influx of celebrities into WCW. True, WWF had the Michaels-Austin-=Tyson escapade, but that was one time. During the Summer of 1998, I watched as Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone became involved in both matches and storylines, and by 1999, musicians such as the Misfits, KISS, and even Master P(!) are involved. This, in my mind, dealt even more damage to WCW than their failure to push non-veteren superstars (Other than Goldberg, of course). Meanwhile, the WWF was not only pushing new talents, but by Late 1999-early 2000 actually put more of an emphasis on athletics (which WCW had done in 1996-97 with Malenko, Mysterio, Benoit, etc.) with an incredible feud between Mick Foley and HHH, as well as Kurt Angle, the Hardys, the Dudleyz, and the superstars that had left WCW about that time (such as the Radicalz). I am probably one of the few fans that LIKES Bischoff; he adds flavor to RAW in 2004 (which, thanks to Chris Benoit, Kane's new character, and Edge's return; not to mention this now two year feud between shawn michaels and HHH that just never gets old), but the fact remains that he DID piss away everybody's $$$$ (If you don't already know, read "sex, lies, and headlocks" to find out how!). Nevertheless, getting rid of Bischoff was a mistake (He MADE Nitro), and by this point (late summer-early fall of 1999), the war was pretty much over, although it didn't "officially" end until March 26, 2001. Until seeing this DVD, I hardly knew anything about what was going on in WCW after January of '99, because I had simply lost interest, but was stunned by what I saw. At the time, J.R. was suffering from Bell's palsy, which led to one of his eyes becoming smaller than the other, and Ed Ferrara made fun of him in an attempt to boost ratings ("Pinata, Pinata"), which by the way, failed miserably. The fact that Ferrara would do theat is simply despicable. Jim Ross has given everything he has to the business since the 1970s and does not deserve anything but the respect of his peers; Ross and Mike Tenay are the greatest commentators that ever lived. I think Vince Russo (who I do not like AT ALL) also bid himself up beyond his capabilities and truly made a fool of himself at Bash at the Beach 2000 (you should look up a synopsis of this PPV on line to see the entirety of this tirade; it's pretty shocking; in the tirade he also says that Booker T had been in WCW for 14 years!!!!!...I don't even know if Booker was wrestling in 1986!) By 2000, you barely heard mention of WCW anymore (and the nWo was a pop culture phenomenom from '96-'98!!), whereas the WWF was, quite literally, everywhere (The Rock, Stone Cold and Mick Foley had become so popular that they were actually mainstream celebrities; Mick Foley became a New York times best seller two times over). Nevertheless, WCW had talents every bit as great as those in WWF, but most of these were lost to Vince during this period of time:Eddie Guerrero
Chris Benoit
Dean Malenko
Chris Jericho
Big Show
Perry Saturn
There were also those who made it to WWE later or never did:
Rey Mysterio
Booker T
Juventud Guerrero
Scott Steiner
Diamond Dallas Page (who I actually met on a flight from New York to Orlando in December of 1999; he's a helluva nice guy, and he told me just how REAL wrestling really is)
NOT ONE OF THESE TALENTS EVER GOT A MAJOR PUSH UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE (Booker T won the title 5 times between late '99 and '01 and was the last WCW champion and Steiner practically owned WCW in '00-'01). However, there is one more reason for the downfall of WCW which IS mentioned very briefly by Gene Okerlund in this dvd: WCW wrestlers could mess television tapings whenever they wanted; they could call in sick at any time. It is well documented that Goldberg, Hogan, Hall, Savage, and others took advantage of the provision at various times. Great DVD, but for more in depth coverage of the Raw-Nitro wars, and the wrestling business in general, read "Sex Lies and Headlocks". Nevertheless, the "Monday Night War" is a sure fire "do not miss".
Summary of The Monday Night War: WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
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