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Even before 1998 was over, WWF's "Raw Is War" had squeaked past WCW's "Nitro" to become wrestling's top-rated show. By the spring of '99 it was besting "Nitro" by two whole rating points. And by February of this year the lead had ballooned to four points. It was even uglier on Thursday night, where WWF debuted "SmackDown!" on UPN last year. So badly was the WCW getting beat that it surrendered the night and moved its TBS "Thunder" show to Wednesday. On the eve of the recent "Wrestlemania," UPN's "SmackDown!" drew a monstrous 8.2 rating.

Turner execs would be thrilled to consistently land just one-half of those viewers. But they've got a long way to go. WCW has brought in two wrestling pros who may just restore the company's glory days. The good news is that Eric Bischoff is the man who took WCW to the top a few years back, while Vince Russo is often credited with helping turn WWF into a powerhouse. The bad news? Bischoff was also the free-spending captain of the WCW when it struck a ratings iceberg last year. (He's also the guy who let Austin walk.) And Russo was hired once last fall to save the WCW, but couldn't pull off a turnaround before impatient Turner execs showed him the door after just three months.

Turner's camp hopes that what's-cool-now mindset will work to its favor. WCW's new Bischoff/Russo look was unveiled on April 10 and won enthusiastic support from online wrestling fans, who cheered the makeover and applauded the brewing rivalry between young "New Blood" wrestlers and the established "Millionaires Club" stars. Early returns show ratings have rebounded toward respectability, too. But they're still not within shouting distance of the WWF's offerings.

The seeds for the new WCW were planted last September 10, when Bischoff left the crumbling company and retreated to his home in Wyoming. A former ring announcer turned ringmaster, Bischoff had become besieged and burnt out as the Smyrna, Ga., based company was getting lapped by WWF. At the same time, Russo was a WWF stalwart -- a league magazine editor who'd become one of McMahon's trusted lieutenants. He shocked the wrestling world when he moved to rival WCW, along with WWF scriptwriting partner Ed Ferrera.

How could fans tell in-your-face WWF alums had entered their midst? WCW's cheerleaders, the Nitro Girls, were soon featured in hair-pulling cat fights, and "Monday Nitro" suddenly came with a TV-14 rating. But simply unloading raunch didn't work for WCW, since it still lacked compelling stars and strong story lines. Besides, WCW fans skew older, with an average age of 34. So the mere chance of seeing a busty blond prance around the ring probably wasn't reason enough for grown men to commit to watch TV for hours on end, compared to WWF, which draws far more teens.

In January, with the ratings still drifting south, WCW executive vice president Bill Busch moved in and demoted Russo. That touched off a backstage revolt among up-and-coming wrestlers like Chris Benoit, who worry that the company is heading backwards. Less than 24 hours after winning the WCW heavyweight belt, Benoit threatened to bolt to the WWF. His title was stripped soon after, and he quickly jumped ship.

Still, the WCW's revolving door, and back-stabbing, continued. In March, Turner announced Bischoff was back as V.P. of operations, with Russo at his side as chief of creative, and suddenly Busch was the odd man out. Rather than work again with the flamboyant Bischoff, he resigned. Now Turner Entertainment president Brad Siegel is vowing that he, Bischoff and Russo will restore order, and big ratings, to the WCW. They're going to need some luck on their side.

Case in point: During a March WCW telecast, as announcers tried desperately to manufacture some excitement, a crowd of fans gathered into the ringside camera shot, with one wiseguy holding up a sign for all TV viewers to see. It read: "I Wish I Was at Raw."
salon.com | April 25, 2000

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