WCW Nitro is 30 years old today!

[The Reverend]

I remember the huge hype about Nitro when it first aired (I'm guessing they must have shown clips on other WCW programming?) It was a massive deal, especially as WWF in '95 was a bit crap. 

I remember reading about it in Powerslam, especially the first episode and the wow factor of having it in a shopping mall! Mind blown!! 

Me and mate shortly afterwards were too eager to watch it, so the Powerslam classifieds were consulted, and a cheque went off to a tape trader (Rob Butcher? Glen Radford) and shortly after we received a tape of the first 4 episodes (which were a bit fuzzy in quality I recall). 

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

As ever the WWE Vault is on the ball and has put up a 20 minute video of rarely seen stuff from Nitro, first clip out the gate is Hogan, Sting and Mongo riding bikes through NYC for a Nitro presser also featuring Macho Man, Easy E and a TNT rep

 

[Carbomb]

16 hours ago, Weezenal said:

 Wrestling with the Shadows

 

 

It's why Bret went to the WCW

[theironshake]

12 hours ago, Chico Torres said:

The amount of WCW shows on German channel DSF was great but I was glad to see WCW with English commentary again for the first time in about a year. I think Worldwide stopped being shown on ITV sometime in 1995 and by the end it had been reduced to just a segment as part of some Pat Sharp show (Sharps Funday?).

The first few weeks skipped shows here and there and when they moved to 2 hours we still only had an edited 1 hour show for a while until we started getting everything. Which brings to mind another memory that when they switched over from the first hour to the second and changed commentary teams they would also do all the fireworks regardless of whether it was in the middle of a Hard Work Bobby Walker vs Prince Iaukea match, the pyro had to happen.

As a side note, TNT teletext had a good wrestling section. Anyone else find out about Hogans heel turn on there?

Yes me. I used to go home at lunch time and wanted to know who the third man was! So went on the awesome tnt Teletext page. The headline was 'IT WAS HOGAN' I had mates who were wrestling fans and they didn't believe me. 

[thevestofdeanambrose]

The WCW channel on YouTube has been running constant random episodes of Nitro all week.

 

[Handsome Tex Hardcastle]

I first realised there was a war on when I went round to one of my friends houses to play videogames and they had a WCW game as opposed to a WWF one. I always enjoyed WCW, but at the time I thought it was a rather niche area of wrestling that was enjoyed mostly by die-hards and people living in a specific area of the USA. This guy wasn't a big time wrestling fan, and to see a WCW product in someone else's home made me realise that its impact was much bigger than I previously thought. The fact that the game was an all time classic didnt do any harm either (WCW Vrs The World). 

The one thing I always remember about Nitro is how it looked and felt at the time. There was a warm, fuzzy haze that you could actually see. A soft, dreamlike glow that seemed like it resulted from the energy in the arena. While WWF often looked like a crisp and clear sports broadcast, WCW had certain atmospheric "imperfections" that were no doubt the result of a very deliberate production set up. The way the smoke caught the coloured lights, the pyrotechnics and the softer cameras. It gave Nitro a very unique aura that sticks in the memory perhaps moreso than any specific moment. 

[Browser Brady]

I always wondered how much of a surprise it was really that Lex showed up for the first episode..

 

I could have sworn it was in Powerslam the month before about his contract with the WWF was nearly up and he was thinking of going back to WCW.

 

It was clear his push in the wwf was done with his Summerslam 95 run in that barely got acknowledged on the air. 
 

[Abe_Knuckleball_Schwartz]

1 hour ago, Browser Brady said:

I always wondered how much of a surprise it was really that Lex showed up for the first episode..

 

I could have sworn it was in Powerslam the month before about his contract with the WWF was nearly up and he was thinking of going back to WCW.

 

It was clear his push in the wwf was done with his Summerslam 95 run in that barely got acknowledged on the air. 
 

You are right, it was mentioned that Lex was negotiating with WCW. However, it was reported maybe in the next issue that talks had all but ended due to Lex’s asking price, something which Eric Bischoff has also mentioned, because he wasn’t keen on bringing him back. I think that is why it was a surprise to see him appear on Nitro.

One thing I have always wondered was what would have happened if the WWF had turned Luger heel instead of the Bulldog about 2 weeks before Summerslam (TV air date at least) Would he have stayed? Or perhaps it could have been a greater shock seeing Luger appear on Nitro, considering he was seemingly elevated back into the main event picture of the WWF and in turn throwing WWF’s plans up in the air