Entering 1994, WCW looked to be on its way out the door following years of losing money and coming off a horrific 1993 where they supposedly lost $23 million. Luckily for WCW fans, wrestlers, and other personnel, Ted Turner was a huge wrestling fan.
Although executives over at Turner wanted nothing to do with WCW and all the money their losing, Turner wanted it still on his networks. Even though he's a huge wrestling fan, Turner is still a business man and hates to lose millions of dollars and was about to pull the plug on his beloved wrestling.
Eric Bischoff, not wanting to go back to doing whatever he was doing before he got into wrestling such as selling meat door to door although he was briefly a model, convinced Turner to give him one more chance.
Turner gave Bischoff one more chance to turn WCW profitable or else he would close up shop. Bischoff basically said that WCW was not as credible with casual fans and media and convinced Turner executives to open up the bank vault and attract the biggest and most recognized wrestling stars in the world in an attempt to beat the WWF: Hulk Hogan.
Early in 1994, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair was given the top booking role for thanks for saving WCW's bacon at Starrcade '93. Also, Flair was the lone wrestler that Ted Turner asked his opinion on stuff.
WCW hired legendary announcer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan after he left the WWF as he joined his buddy "Mean" Gene Okerlund, who joined WCW late in 1993. Heenan made his WCW debut on the January 27, 1994 Clash of the Champions XXVI. There would be more big time hires throughout the year.
With some superstars coming from up north on their way down to WCW, a couple of big time veterans retired unfortunately a lot earlier than they should have. Both Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "Ravishing" Rick Rude suffered career-ending back injuries during the year and both were forced to retire and both were actually champions and had to relinquish their respective titles.
Before they retired, both men had a blaze of glory as their careers ended way too early. Steamboat had some battles in the Spring with WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair, briefly reigniting their thrilling feud from the past.
Both Steamboat and Flair were babyfaces during this time, well Flair was actually more of a tweener as he's transitioning into a heel. Flair defended the title against Steamboat at the inaugural Spring Stampede PPV on April 17, 1994 from Chicago, Illinois.
The match ended in a draw when Steamboat had Flair in a double Chicken Wing submission move but both men's shoulders were on the mat and both were counted down 1-2-3. This was yet another classic match between the two as it lasted over a half hour. These two always put on a clinic every time they were in the ring together.
The title was held up and the rematch for the vacant title would be held a couple of weeks later on WCW Saturday Night. In the rematch, Flair defeated Steamboat and won back the WCW World Title. Steamboat was "accidentally" given a low blow as many felt Flair did it on purpose.
Steamboat's last hurrah was beating "Stunning" Steve Austin for the United States Heavyweight Championship in a really classic match at Clash of the Champions XXVIII on August 24, 1994.
These two have had classic matches before for the TV Title and one last bash for the U.S. Title. Unfortunately the next month at Fall Brawl, Steamboat was forced to relinquish the title back to Austin due to his career-ending injury.
Also, Austin got screwed right back out of the U.S. the same night as they forced him to defend the title against "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and beat him to win the title in about 30 seconds. It was an embarrassing end to what could have been a promising career for Austin in WCW. He would have the last laugh unfortunately enough for WCW as he would put WCW out of business.
Now Rick Rude entered his last year as the reigning WCW International World Champion following the WCW-NWA split in what is a stupid title and stupid name for a title. Rude lost the title to Sting at Spring Stampede following botched interference from Vader and Harley Race.
Rude won the title back from Sting in Japan a few weeks later. However, Rude suffered his career-ending back injury in that match and was forced to retire immediately and forfeit the International Title. Sting defeated Vader in yet another great match between the two to win the vacant International Championship at Slamboree in May.
WCW thankfully and mercifully ended the two world heavyweight championship experiment. They decided to have a World Title Unification match between Ric Flair and Sting at Clash of the Champions XXVII on June 23, 1994 from Charleston, South Carolina with the winner to become the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion.
This episode of Clash of the Champions was important for that match but there was another reason and that was the first official appearance of Hulk Hogan in WCW. Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair convinced Ted Turner to sign Hogan to draw a bigger and wider audience and Turner agreed.
Bischoff and Flair did what they could to sign Hogan in the Spring of 1994 as they visited him at the taping of Hogan's show Thunder in Paradise while WCW was doing its syndicated TV taping at Disney/MGM Studios right next door to where Hogan was filming his show. The WWF had 30 days to match WCW's offer and when they didn't, Hogan was officially a member of WCW.
Hogan signed with WCW just before the event and weeks and months of rumors that they would sign him. Hogan appeared with his manager and friend Jimmy Hart, who joined Hogan in WCW after years in the WWF.
Hogan's best friend Ed Leslie, known as Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake in the WWF, also joined Hogan in WCW. Also coming to WCW from the WWF were Honky Tonk Man and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.
Hogan and Hart get a police escort in their limos to the arena at Clash of the Champions. Hogan did his first major interview as regular WCW fans booed him and did not accept him in their territory even though he said the "Hulkamaniacs" were out in full force. He wanted the winner of the world title unification match when Ric Flair interrupted him and said watch the greatest of all-time.
Flair and Sting faced off in the main event with another former WWF star making her debut in WCW following leaving the WWF in Sherri Martel, named "Sensuous" Sherri. Sherri had come to WCW looking for someone to manage but did not say who. She appeared at The Clash wearing face paint identical to Sting so it appeared she was in Sting's corner. She would even be cheering for Sting during the match.
It was another epic Sting-Flair match where Sting gorilla press slammed Flair, Flair going upside down, and Sting "no selling" Flair's knife-edge chops. Sherri attempted to interfere but it backfired as it cost Sting the match as Flair won the match and unify the two World Heavyweight Championships.
Flair and Sherri hugged and embraced following the match to reveal she was on Flair's side all along and screwed Sting out of the title. As Sting was about to go after her, Flair attacked Sting and Flair and Sherri double-teamed Sting until Hulk Hogan ran into the ring to chase them off. Hogan challenged Flair to a title match.
Thankfully, WCW had one World Heavyweight Championship and even more thankfully, they kept the Big Gold Belt to represent the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, replacing the belt they used for the last several years.
Unfortunately, Hogan's presence in WCW meant Sting took a backseat to Hogan as he was no longer the top babyface in the company along with Flair being the top heel so Sting, the Franchise of WCW, was really stuck in "Wrestling puragtory."
There weren't any great heels outside of Flair and Vader at the time for Sting to have a legitimate feud. Sting was injured and couldn't compete at Bash at the Beach and if so, he was facing Lord Steven Regal. Sting barely even had a role at August's Clash of the Champions.
To write Sting off TV, they had Sherri claw his eyes out with her long fingernails to emasculate Sting. On the July 9, 1994 episode of WCW Saturday Night, there was a special fan voting that matched up Sting vs. Flair for a title rematch on the first-ever live edition of WCW Saturday Night.
Sting had Flair beaten with the Scorpion Death Lock when Sherri, dressed like a man came from the stands to "gouge" Sting's eyes out. Hulk Hogan came down to save Sting as he attacked both Flair and Sherri by giving her an atomic drop on her ass.
Even Vader took a back seat in 1994. Even though he was a dominant heel, he wasn't the number one heel as that went to Ric Flair so he could job to Hogan.Then after Flair was taken off television, Hogan put his best friend Brutus "The Barber", "The Butcher", "The Baker", The Candlestick Maker, The Man with No Names, the Man with 1,000,000 Names, whatever in the main event with him.
Vader took on Sting and The Boss Man, who was now this weird Guardian Angel character due to the WWF making WCW stop the Boss Man character, in a Triangle match at Fall Brawl. After Guardian Boss Man was eliminated, it was another classic matchup between Vader and Sting, with Vader winning. Vader ended the year beating Jim Duggan at Starrcade to win the United States Heavyweight Championship.
One person who wasn't a fan of Hogan dating back to their days in the WWF was then-WCW commentator Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Ventura found out that Hogan went behind his back to Vince McMahon about Ventura's attempt to Unionize the wrestlers as that among other things left to Ventura being released from the WWF in 1990.
Ventura was good friends with Hogan until that occurred. In the summer of 1994, Ventura was let go from WCW for reportedly falling asleep during the Disney TV Tapings. It is also assumed they let Jesse go because of them bringing Hogan in.
One good thing is fans everywhere got to see the Hogan vs. Flair match on television as it was long overdue for years dating back to when Hogan ruled the WWF and Flair ruled NWA/WCW. We were teased a possible dream match between the two in the WWF whenever Flair joined the WWF, but it never materialized. There were matches as house shows between the two but never on TV and PPV.
Their long-awaited match would finally take place at Bash at the Beach on July 17, 1994 from Orlando, Florida. Hogan made his in-ring debut in WCW at the event as he was accompanied by Jimmy Hart and then-Orlando Magic All-Star Center Shaquille O'Neal in his corner. Hogan's presence in WCW just like in the WWF would draw major celebrities at WCW events as we would see in the future.
Hogan did his usual poses and ripping off the shirt and "no-selling" Flair's attacks by "Hulking Up." Hogan defeated Flair with the typical big boot and leg drop to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his first match in the company and became the second wrestler behind Flair to win both the WWF and WCW World Heavyweight Championships.
Love or hate Hogan, he was an instant draw and success. The 1994 Bash at the Beach PPV drew 14,000 fans, at the time, the most for a PPV in WCW history, breaking the 1988 Great American Bash's then-record of 13,000. The PPV numbers were also a major success as it drew a 1.02 buy rate earning over $2.5 million, compared to 0.5 for $1.18 million for the previous year's Beach Blast PPV, which only drew 8,600 at the gate.
The next month at Clash of the Champions, Hogan took on Flair for a rematch for the World Title. WCW capitalized on a recent national story involving Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding at the 1994 Winter Olympics where Harding had a guy hit Kerrigan in the knee with a lead pipe to get her off the U.S.Figure Skating team. To this day, references are still made about Harding and her despicable act.
Anyway, Hogan came out early at the event for an interview with Gene Okerlund. As Hogan made his way out from the back, a masked man wearing all black emerged from the back and hit Hogan in the back of his knee with a lead pipe, injuring Hogan as he was taken to the hospital. Arn Anderson was the original wrestler to be the masked attacker.
Hogan came back from the hospital later that night to fight Flair or else would have to forfeit the title to him. Hogan fought valiantly, but was counted out as his "injured" knee was too much to overcome as he lost the match but not the title since it can't change hands on a count out. The masked man again came back out to help Flair beat down on Hogan until being helped by Sting.
Sting's role in the company further diminished as he was subject to sitting in the front row at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, wearing a suit for October's Halloween Havoc PPV where Hogan took on Flair in a Steel Cage match main event.
Hogan's buddy Mr. T would be the special guest referee. The winner of the match would be the champion while the loser would be forced to "retire." Hogan won and Flair was forced to retire from professional wrestling as he would not be seen on TV for the rest of 1994.
Hogan was celebrating the victory after the match in his usual posing style when the masked man again emerged and tried to attack Hogan from behind. This time, however, Hogan was ready and beat up the masked man. Hogan managed to unmask the man only to reveal it was his best friend Ed Leslie to the shock and disgust of everyone, including Hogan.
All of a sudden, Kevin Sullivan and the debuting John Tenta, who was known as Earthquake in the WWF and would be known as Avalanche in WCW, all attacked Hogan. Leslie, Sullivan, and Avalanche all attacked Hogan until he was saved by Sting.
The trio formed the group "The Three Faces of Fear" in an attempt to end Hulkamania. Sullivan came up with the idea to form the group and get Leslie, who was known now as "The Butcher" for "butchering" he and Hogan's friendship in a real stupid angle.
Sullivan did this because his stupid ass storyline brother Dave Sullivan, who was so stupid he called himself "Evad", Dave backwards. Dave was actually the lame ass Equalizer from the previous year and once Kevin Sullivan returned to WCW early in the year, they put him in an angle with Kevin to be his brother.
Dave was a huge Hulk Hogan fan and Kevin was furious of this and turned on his brother and vowed to end Hulkamania once and for all. Kevin enlisted the services of The Butcher to turn on his best friend as well as Avalanche.
Popular beliefs were that Curt Hennig was originally supposed to come to WCW and be the masked man, but could not come to a deal with WCW and was collecting an insurance policy for his back injury.
Ric Flair was also considered but that fell through so Hogan using his powers decided to let his buddy Ed Leslie be the one so he could be in the main event even though he's not main event material as Hogan was simply looking out for his best friend.
Sting teamed with Hogan and Hogan's "#1 fan" Dave Sullivan to take on The Three Faces of Fear at November's Clash of the Champions event and helped Sting in his feud with them. There would be another wrestler from Hogan's past in the WWF who joined WCW and who would help Hogan in his battles.
In December 1994, it was announced that WCW signed "Macho Man" Randy Savage from the WWF. Savage left the WWF in November when his contract expired and he had no desire to renew as the WWF had no plans for him to be a wrestler and just wanted him to be a commentator.
Savage had not wrestled since March's WrestleMania XX and wrestled sparingly and was doing more commentary since 1993, but Savage wanted to be a wrestler. Since there was no plans for him to be a wrestler in the WWF and with Turner throwing out crazy money for him to come in, Savage decided it was time to leave the WWF and head to WCW.
Savage would work with his friend and enemy Hulk Hogan down in WCW, but decided to be professional and work with Hogan. Savage blamed Hogan for Savage and Miss Elizabeth's divorce in 1992 and had hard feelings but put them aside for the good of the business.
Savage made his debut on an episode of WCW Saturday Night in December and said he would confront Hogan at that month's PPV Starrcade. He acknowledged the problems he and Hogan had and said he would either shake his hand or slap him in the face,
Hogan defeated The Butcher in the main event at Starrcade to retain the title. After the match, The Three Faces of Fear looked to gang up on Hogan and out came Savage as he looked like he aligned himself with them to take out Hogan.
However, Savage attacked them and helped Hogan beat them up and chase them out of the ring. After they cleared the ring, Savage and Hogan stood in the ring with many wondering what would happen. Savage extended his hand and Hogan shook it as the two embraced and "The Mega Powers" reunited. Hogan was confronted by new U.S. Champion Vader, who challenged Hogan to a World Title match backstage at the end of the event.
WCW was starting to look a lot like "WWF South" as I called it with all the signings they made over the year. Regardless, WCW was doing so poorly and losing tons of money from 1990-1993 so Eric Bischoff convinced Ted Turner and the Turner executives to open up the wallet and sign these well known superstars to mega contracts to get credibility with fans outside of the Southeast to expand to new territories.
WWF South ended up actually working out for WCW in 1994. WCW apparently broke even in 1994 after losing tons of money from 1990-1993, including a whopping $23 million the previous year in 1993. This was the first time WCW did not lose money in its time. Business was good and so was the product in 1989, but they were still in the post-Turner purchase phase and were junk from 1990-1993.
Things were looking bright for WCW. Bischoff got Ted Turner to keep WCW going and rewarded him for making the decision. The best for WCW in terms of profit and success was yet to come.
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