Did Thunder Kill WCW?

Professional wrestling is one of the most enduring forms of entertainment, with athletes putting their bodies on the line to captivate audiences around the world. From the grandeur of the Roman Colosseum to the iconic Madison Square Garden, wrestling has always attracted global attention. However, it is television that played a pivotal role in making professional wrestling a mainstream phenomenon. Today, companies like WWE secure billion-dollar deals with platforms like Netflix and NBC to broadcast their events, while their primary competitor, AEW, enjoys significant backing from Warner Discovery.

WCW Thunder logo during the opening title sequence in 1999. ©WWE

But before wrestling became a multibillion-dollar television industry, we must look back to the 1990s, a time when the industry reached its peak. During this golden era, two wrestling powerhouses dominated the scene: Vince McMahon's WWE (formerly WWF) and Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which was led by Eric Bischoff.

WCW, with its flagship program WCW Monday Nitro, emerged as a fierce competitor to the WWE's Monday Night Raw, even managing to defeat WWE in the ratings for a remarkable 83 consecutive weeks. This "Monday Night Wars" rivalry was a defining moment in wrestling history, with both companies constantly trying to outdo each other in a battle for supremacy.

The Birth of WCW Thunder

In 1997, as WCW's Monday Nitro became a major success, Ted Turner, the billionaire media mogul and founder of Turner Broadcasting, sought to increase his wrestling programming. With Nitro already becoming one of the flagship shows on TNT, Turner wanted a second show to air on TBS, the sister channel to TNT. This new show, WCW Thunder, was meant to capitalize on the growing popularity of wrestling and provide another live wrestling event that could generate additional advertising revenue for TBS.

However, Eric Bischoff, the President of WCW, had reservations about the overexposure of the product. He warned that creating another live wrestling show could dilute the appeal of Nitro and ultimately hurt the brand. Despite these concerns, Bischoff was forced to go along with Turner’s vision, and Thunder debuted in January 1998.

From the outset, WCW Thunder faced significant challenges. While Turner’s backing provided the opportunity for a second wrestling show, the reality of its production costs became a considerable burden. The production of Thunder was estimated to cost between $12 million to $15 million annually, a significant sum that WCW was expected to cover out of its existing budget. To offset these costs, WCW increased the number of non-televised house shows—live events held in various cities to boost revenue.

Thunder's Early Success and Ultimate Struggles

At first, Thunder enjoyed some initial success, even competing with major sports programming like the NFL in certain markets. This success was partly driven by the signing of major WWE stars, such as Bret "The Hitman" Hart, who was brought in to elevate the show. However, despite these strong beginnings, Thunder’s long-term success proved elusive.

The core issue with Thunder was its identity: it was essentially a secondary show that aired the fallout from Nitro’s storyline developments, without the ability to develop its own narrative arcs or unique character moments. By 1999, WCW’s internal turmoil was starting to show. Creative decisions became inconsistent, and the company struggled to balance its talent roster, with many of the biggest stars—such as Hulk Hogan, Sting, and Ric Flair—appearing primarily on Nitro. Meanwhile, Thunder increasingly became a showcase for mid-card talent, and its audience began to dwindle.

The Fall of WCW Thunder

In 2000, things took a turn for the worse. Thunder had moved from its original Thursday night slot to Wednesdays in an attempt to counteract the rising popularity of WWE’s SmackDown, which was airing on UPN. The change, however, had little effect as Thunder continued to lose ground in the ratings.

One of the most infamous moments in WCW history took place on Thunder in April 2000, when actor and comedian David Arquette won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. This absurd storyline, which was part of the promotion for the film Ready to Rumble—in which Arquette starred—was widely criticized by fans and industry insiders. It highlighted just how far WCW had fallen in terms of creative direction. Arquette's championship victory was emblematic of the company’s desperation to regain attention but also a sign of its lack of direction.

Additionally, Thunder was home to one of the most bizarre gimmicks in wrestling history: the "Kiss Demon." This wrestler, dressed as a complete KISS parody, was a prime example of WCW’s excessive spending on outlandish ideas that added little to the quality of the product. The Kiss Demon, for example, was quickly squashed by Terry Funk in a match lasting mere minutes—an anti-climax that added to the growing sense of absurdity surrounding the show.

Was Thunder Responsible for WCW's Downfall?

So, did Thunder kill WCW? The short answer is no. While Thunder certainly played a role in WCW’s eventual decline, it was not the sole factor behind the company’s demise. One must consider the broader picture of WCW’s struggles during this period. With Nitro already running for three hours each week, combined with the supplementary shows like WCW Saturday Night, the company was stretched thin, producing a total of six hours of live television each week.

Thunder became an afterthought, a necessary pain that was created to appease Ted Turner, but it drained resources and stretched the company’s creative efforts to the breaking point. Without sufficient creative investment or a clear direction for the show, Thunder became less a feature and more a burden on WCW’s financial and creative health.

By the time WCW’s parent company, AOL-Time Warner, merged in 2001, the writing was on the wall. The new executives, many of whom had little interest in professional wrestling, viewed it as a lowbrow form of entertainment. WCW, once a powerful force in wrestling, was sold to WWE in 2001.

In a twist of irony, TBS would eventually welcome wrestling back to its network years later, when AEW Dynamite premiered, bringing professional wrestling back to the Turner family with a fresh, modern perspective.