Monday Night Wars: Did It Happen On WWE Or WCW?
- by Joey Haverford
- – on
- in Sports
The Monday Night Wars are still talked about today as the most exciting time in wrestling history. WWE found competition in the form of the WCW. Eric Bischoff seized control of the company and took some huge risks by signing big names. WCW started the war by putting their television show Nitro on Monday nights directly against Monday Night Raw. Both companies endured many ups and downs trying to one up each other. Stars went back and forth with each promotion trying to outlast the other. History would show that WWE easily won the war at the end by purchasing WCW to put it out of business.
We will take a look at some of the things to go down on both shows. Characters, storylines, celebrity appearances, publicity stunts and everything in between will be listed. These things took place during the Monday Night Wars with either WWE or WCW putting it on screen. It will be your job to remember which of the two companies is responsible for each incident listed. Find out how you rank when it comes to the biggest fans of the WWE vs. WCW war. This is the ultimate wrestling quiz for fans of the Monday Night Wars. Try your luck now by doing it now!
Which company featured a top star changing promotions on the first night of the war?
The first night of Monday Night Wars started on Labor Day of 1995. One of the two major promotions shocked the wrestling world by having a wrestler appear. This wrestler in question was contracted to the opposing company and made the jump when his contract expired. A huge surprise would set the tone for the Monday Night Wars as this wrestler stood outside the ring watching the action to an uproar from commentary asking what he was doing there. Which promotion pulled off this moment to start things off?
Who had wrestlers invade the other promotion on a tank?
WWE and WCW would trade barbs with each other quite often during the Monday Night Wars. One of the promotions scored a win when getting the idea to invade the other. A couple of the wrestlers representing the company showed up to the competition’s show on an actual tank as if it were a real war. Many comedic lines were said until the other company closed the doors on them. Was it WWE or WCW that invaded the other with wrestlers on a tank?
Who had a wrestler throw the opposing company's title in a garbage can?
Another stunt done to disrespect the competitor featured a controversial moment involving a championship belt. The wrestling titles in the 90s were very important and treated with respect. This was until a wrestler jumped ship from one company to the other. A decision would come when this wrestler’s new boss requested they bring the title they never lost with them. The wrestler showed up in this promotion dropping their old company’s title in a garbage can. Was it WWE or WCW to do this?
Who had Mike Tyson on their program?
Celebrities were a major part of the wrestling industry in the 90s. WWE and WCW each tried to get mainstream names to come on their shows in hope of it attracting new viewers. Mike Tyson was a massive star back then thanks to his legendary boxing career and unpredictable personality. One of the wrestling promotions convinced him to join them for a storyline that brought them great success and attention. Was it WWE or WCW to get Tyson on their program?
Who gave away the results to the other promotion's taped shows?
A very shady tactic used during the Monday Night Wars featured one of the two companies revealing the results of the other show. One of the two shows would be taped sometimes. The competitor decided to get the results from those in attendance at the week old show and say them on air before the show started airing. It was done to ensure the viewers didn’t change the channel and was viewed as over the line. Did WWE or WCW do this?
Which company's head honcho challenged the other to a fight on their PPV?
Things would get extremely personal between Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff. The attitude of Bischoff saw him wanting to put WWE out of business. McMahon is never one for being outdone when it comes to ruthless business tactics. One of the two men running their respective companies decided to take it to another level by challenging the other to a real fight. This was done to get attention as a publicity stunt. Was it McMahon representing WWE or Bischoff representing WCW to challenge the other to a fight?
Which company featured a gun on their show?
Another publicity stunt saw one of the wrestling companies get rather desperate to bring in viewers. WWE or WCW decided to tease a storyline of a wrestler having a gun all show threatening to shoot the wrestler he feuded with. This took place in the home of the wrestler with the gun waiting to protect his family against his rival breaking into his own. The wrestling company was forced to apologize for implying gun violence on television the following week. Who did it?
Who had a loner character come down from the rafters mysteriously?
One of the most fascinating characters for either promotion during the Monday Night Wars featured a loner hanging out in the rafters. This mysterious wrestler would watch the action from afar making his intentions a mystery. A long story saw him become the most popular face in the promotion despite not wrestling an actual match for a full year. Fans ate it up as it was a master class in the art of the long term story. Which promotion featured this character hanging out in the rafters?
Who had Spring Break themed shows?
WWE and WCW each used different themes to help add a hook to bring people into watching the shows. One of the two decided to cash in on the popularity of Spring Break. They took their shows to Florida and had live television shows outdoors with a pool surrounding the ring. Many young college age adults would attend adding a loud environment as they celebrated their time away from school. Was it WWE or WCW to have Spring Break related shows?
Who allowed ECW to invade their show?
ECW was the third promotion of the 90s. It provided an alternative to fans not entertained by WWE and WCW. ECW used the popularity of hardcore matches and embraced a few aspects of entertainment that worked in movies and music at the time. One of the two mainstream promotions decided to do business with ECW by bringing the hardcore wrestlers on their show to cross-promote. It added some excitement seeing new stars from a different promotion on the show. Was it WWE or ECW to work with ECW?
Who had a character based off Kiss?
Kiss is considered one of the greatest music bands of all time. Fans still support them and their music is viewed as timeline. One of the wrestling promotions decided to pay them a massive amount of money to perform on their show. This investment saw the promotion decide to create a character known as The Kiss Demon. An iconic band performing music to introduce a new character sounds good on paper but flopped badly. Which company did this happen to?
Which company had female wrestlers posing for Playboy?
Another opportunity used by a wrestling promotion saw the women’s wrestlers in this company pose for Playboy magazine. It would receive huge attention when a female celebrity decided to bare it all for the popular magazine spreads. Multiple wrestlers from this company received the spot as Playboy cover girls. The ladies featured in the magazine got mainstream attention leading to WWE pushing them in a major way. Was it WWE or WCW to have a deal that led to their female performers posing for Playboy?
Which promotion first used the Insane Clown Posse?
The Insane Clown Posse achieved huge popularity in the 90s for their rap music and creating the juggalo culture. Both members of ICP had a genuine passion for the wrestling business. WWE and WCW benefited from Insane Clown Posse joining their promotions as regular acts at different points. The clowns actually wrestled on a handful of occasions as they wanted to take bumps and contribute like the other wrestlers. Can you remember if WWE or WCW was the first promotion to bring them in?
Who had Jay Leno wrestle on their show?
Another use of a celebrity saw mainstream talk show host Jay Leno wrestle a match on live PPV. Leno was brought in to participate in a tag team match. The wrestling promotion received coverage on the highly watched Tonight Show. A memorable moment featured Leno putting one of the top stars of the industry in a wrist lock. Many wrestlers and experts hated this moment claiming it exposed the business. Was it WWE or WCW to book Leno to wrestle a match?
Which promotion had a garbage man character?
There were many wacky characters done in both promotions in the 90s. Wrestling took a while to evolve with the Monday Night Wars making the creative directions changed. An early Monday Night Wars character featured a wrestler portraying a garbage man. There was zero depth to his character and it added nothing to help him. The wrestler in question literally was just a garbage man that wanted to fight. Which wrestling promotion thought of this ridiculous idea for a wrestling character?
Who had characters based off Mortal Kombat?
Another bad idea in the 90s saw one of the wrestling companies try to make up characters similar to popular video game franchise Mortal Kombat. Kids loved Mortal Kombat at the time but it wouldn’t translate to the wrestling ring. This wrestling promotion thought of characters like Wrath, Glacier and Mortis meant to draw parallels to the Mortal Kombat characters. All of these characters failed as it was a bad idea. Did WWE or WCW try to introduce characters like the video game series?
Which promotion had an unscripted shootfighting/boxing tournament?
One of the wrestling promotions decided to put real competition in the ring known as the Brawl for All. A combination of boxing and shoot fighting would have the wrestlers in this company legitimately trying to knock each other out. The legitimate aspect of it set precedent in the world of scripted entertainment. Wrestlers would get hurt and the man who won wasn’t the person the company wanted. It is viewed as one of the worst concepts in wrestling history. Did WWE or WCW introduce the Brawl for All?
Which company did Jesse Ventura appear on as Governor of Minnesota?
Wrestling scored a huge victory when former wrestler and announcer Jesse Ventura won the race for Governor of Minnesota in 1998. Ventura spent time working for both WWE and WCW before he started his career in politics. One of the two companies was able to convince him to return for a spot as the special guest referee for a big match. Ventura added interest as an actual politician returning to his roots of professional wrestling. Was it WWE or WCW to bring back Ventura when he was the Governor?
Who had Dennis Rodman on their show?
A celebrity of a different background was NBA superstar Dennis Rodman. The controversial persona of Rodman off the court matched the greatness he would deliver during the games. Rodman decided he wanted to wrestle while playing for the iconic Chicago Bulls dynasty led by Michael Jordan. This led to Rodman sometimes skipping practice in the NBA Playoffs to show up to wrestling shows. Rodman wrestled multiple matches bringing great attention to his company. Was it WWE or WCW to bring Rodman to the ring?
Which promotion made Jerry Lynn wrestle under a mask?
Jerry Lynn is one of the most underrated wrestlers of the 90s. Most fans remember his time in ECW during the Monday Night Wars. It is easy to forget that he spent time wrestling for both WWE and WCW at different points. One of the two major promotions wanted him to wear a mask and pretend to be a luchador for some reason. Lynn tried his best wrestling as the Mr. JL character but it was a huge bust. Did it happen in WWE or WCW?
Who employed AJ Styles at the end of the Monday Night Wars?
Another forgettable star to compete in the Monday Night Wars is current WWE Champion AJ Styles. The wrestling career of Styles started towards the end of the Monday Night Wars when one of the two promotions hired him. AJ showed early flashes of his athleticism. Flash forward all these years later and he is considered the best in the world now working for WWE. Can you remember if WWE or WCW hired a young AJ Styles during the tail end of the Monday Night Wars?
Who had a wrestler come out in a beer truck to destroy his enemies?
A highly entertaining segment that brought in major ratings featured a wrestler driving a massive beer truck to the ring. This wrestler took a hose and sprayed his enemies in the ring with beer completely making fools out of them. Fans erupted in joy as if they witnessed the greatest match of all time. It is considered one of the most pivotal moments in the Monday Night Wars and is still discussed today. Did this take place on WWE or WCW television?
Which promotion did Rick Rude defect to?
Rick Rude didn’t wrestle for either company during the Monday Night Wars, but he does hold historic fun fact. Due to one of the shows being taped, Rude appeared both Monday Night Raw and Nitro within minutes of each other. The company with the live show hired him one week after he taped a segment with his former promotion. It created chaos and blew the minds of wrestling fans at the time. Was it WWE or WCW to hire Rude to pull off this memorable moment?
Which company had a triple cage match?
There have been many match stipulations introduced through the years. Both WWE and WCW tried to create new ideas to push the envelope. One of the two companies introduced a triple cage. The contraption featured three individual cages being stacked on top of one another. It was viewed a huge mess that just confused fans more than it did create interest. That is why we no longer see the triple cage gimmick today. Did WWE or WCW learn the lesson the hard way by trying the triple cage?
Which promotion featured a wrestler getting thrown off a bridge?
WWE or WCW decided to test the limits of having a personal feud. Two iconic wrestlers were having one of their first feuds leading to a fight on a bridge. This battle ended with the heel throwing the face off the bridge into a river. Obviously, camera tricks were done to pull this off, but it was at a time when more fans believed what they saw on television. It created quite a bit of chatter to help both men. Did WWE or WCW feature a wrestler getting thrown off a bridge?