alternatehistory.com

*A note before we begin*
Hey, before we begin, I wanted to keep this simple. This is a side story, not connecting to my other story. This is another dream project. Before I joined this year I knew about the site as far back as 2015 after reading WCW Beyond from a banned author (Hope I don't get in trouble). This was something I worked on for the last few years along with the CFL-USA story. I felt like this would be a good side story when I get stuck in my main story. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy something, something, pro-wrestling and Disney related. Also, the counter for screwups is also carrying over to this story. It does help that people here correct me on some stuff.

WCW Reborn:
How Disney saved World Championship Wrestling.


Prologue:

To say that WCW was a shell of itself was an understatement. Ted Turner pride and joy was in ruined and there was nothing he could do about it. The AOL-Time Warner merger forced him to sit on the sidelines now while his company thinks of selling his “wrastlin” company to a new owner. But to be honest, they didn’t want to deal with a company that rarely made a profit for Turner over the last several years before 2001. To Jamie Kellner, the man who ran the company now, WCW was a dead brand and needed to be thrown away like yesterdays trash.

But to say that no one cared about the product was the wrong thing to say. Wrestlers like Ric Flair wishes it would continue and Eric Bischoff wanted to save it. But they knew they couldn’t do it with AOL-Time Warner on their back. With mandates and limits of what they can do. The WCW Creative Team would have scrap plans to help WCW. Things like a new WCW Women Division and planned storylines would be axed by Jamie Kellner due to wanting more family-oriented programming. By WCW Sin in January 2001, Kellner would get his way and look into selling the company and remove WCW programming from Turner networks permanently.
Chapter One: One Man, One Company.
Eric Bischoff was let go around late 2000 by WCW Creative Control. Eric would later find out that AOL had plans to sell the company. With the knowledge, he would work with Fusient Media Group to buy the company. Bischoff knew that Kellner would try to find other sellers to buy WCW, so he had to act fast and find a TV deal. While a deal with NBC was on the table. Eric went into discussion with the Walt Disney Company. CEO Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney and the rest of the board were unimpressed by Eric proposal to bring WCW to Disney Television.

“I remember talking to them, they all thought I was nuts about doing it. Michael and Roy were confused by it but understood better the rest of the board.” - Eric Bischoff in an interview for WCW.com (2005)

Eric would be right about another buyer for WCW. World Wrestling Federation Chairman Vince McMahon knew it would be a matter of time before his rival company would collapse. He wanted to own the company that in turn almost put his brand out of business years ago. His plans for WCW wasn’t really positive. He wanted to do an invasion angle where his WWF would be on top of the world.

Eric knew that he was running out of time. WCW only had one more PPV and he needed more time to convince Disney of his plans. Roy and the rest of the board knew how he acted in WCW and his ego. However, Roy knew there something with him. He really cared about the company and wanted to save it from being bought from another egomaniac in McMahon. As for Michael, he wanted Disney to branch out to new things. Starting with sports and now with pro wrestling. He felt that he could help make a profit for WCW and for Disney again.

WCW last PPV under Truner/AOL-Time Waner, Greed, was a mixed bag but ratings were better due to events surrounding the company. Eisner was also watching, despite the lackluster quality of the product, compared to what it was in the late 1990s. He saw protentional with wrestlers like Diamond Dallas Page and especially the new United States Champions Booker T. Roy E. Disney and especially Michael Eisner saw that there was hope once more for the dying company. They phoned Bischoff and made a deal with him to purchase the company.

The next night on Monday Nitro, Eric would make a surprise announcement that next week episode of Nitro for Spring Break 2001 would be a special one for all fans. Fans were left to ponder on the wrestling boards on the internet about what is going on. Some feared that the WWF would take over and Eric sold out once again. Others stayed hopeful and believe that he could save the company again. One thing for sure, it will be a hell of a show no matter what.

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