1 00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:06,506 [Cheering] 2 00:00:06,506 --> 00:00:08,467 Are you ready? 3 00:00:08,467 --> 00:00:09,843 [narrator] As the new millennium dawned... 4 00:00:09,843 --> 00:00:11,220 Oh! 5 00:00:11,220 --> 00:00:14,515 The once industry-dominating World Championship Wrestling... 6 00:00:14,515 --> 00:00:16,975 Bischoff! Damn it all! 7 00:00:16,975 --> 00:00:19,436 ...was struggling to keep pace with their rival, 8 00:00:19,436 --> 00:00:21,688 the World Wrestling Federation. 9 00:00:21,688 --> 00:00:25,859 You are lookin' at the next WWF champion, 10 00:00:25,859 --> 00:00:27,778 and that's the bottom line! 11 00:00:27,778 --> 00:00:31,823 In many ways WCW's fortunes and future 12 00:00:31,823 --> 00:00:34,284 hinged on one key event. 13 00:00:34,284 --> 00:00:36,036 Bash at the Beach 2000. 14 00:00:36,036 --> 00:00:39,581 Candidly, one of the biggest disasters of my entire career. 15 00:00:39,581 --> 00:00:43,293 Bash at the Beach was one of WCW's biggest annual 16 00:00:43,293 --> 00:00:46,546 pay per view events, and in the year 2000, 17 00:00:46,546 --> 00:00:49,716 it was the stage for an epic clash between two of 18 00:00:49,716 --> 00:00:53,595 wrestlings most controversial creative talents. 19 00:00:53,595 --> 00:00:57,307 And I promise you will never see that piece of shit again. 20 00:00:57,307 --> 00:01:00,686 I think Vince Russo is motivated by attention. 21 00:01:00,686 --> 00:01:02,020 I don't know why. 22 00:01:02,020 --> 00:01:03,313 I don't know if he didn't get enough 23 00:01:03,313 --> 00:01:04,815 when he was a little kid. 24 00:01:04,815 --> 00:01:08,527 Eric represented everything I despised 25 00:01:08,527 --> 00:01:10,571 in the wrestling business. 26 00:01:10,571 --> 00:01:13,615 And bro, I'll tell ya, you're never gonna out work me 27 00:01:13,615 --> 00:01:15,867 because I'm better than you. 28 00:01:15,867 --> 00:01:18,203 [Laughing] If he believes that, 29 00:01:18,203 --> 00:01:20,372 he's got a problem with reality. 30 00:01:20,372 --> 00:01:23,375 The incident at Bash of the Beach 2000 is one 31 00:01:23,375 --> 00:01:26,336 in which every participant has their own version of 32 00:01:26,336 --> 00:01:28,714 what actually took place that night. 33 00:01:28,714 --> 00:01:32,342 And I said, "Hulk, you're not walking out of here 34 00:01:32,342 --> 00:01:35,637 the WCW champion. That is not happening." 35 00:01:35,637 --> 00:01:36,638 What's Jeff doing? 36 00:01:36,638 --> 00:01:39,057 Now it was script's out the window, what's gonna happen? 37 00:01:39,057 --> 00:01:41,893 And it's like, nobody wants to watch wrestling and see that. 38 00:01:41,893 --> 00:01:43,812 It was one of the dumbest things I ever saw. 39 00:01:43,812 --> 00:01:48,942 And Hogan, you big bald son of a bitch, kiss my ass! 40 00:01:48,942 --> 00:01:50,527 That was never my plan. 41 00:01:52,404 --> 00:01:54,489 Hogan was pretty sensitive about being called bald, 42 00:01:54,489 --> 00:01:56,241 even though he doesn't have any hair. 43 00:01:56,241 --> 00:01:59,202 Did I know that Hulk Hogan was gonna take legal action? 44 00:01:59,202 --> 00:02:00,454 How could you not? 45 00:02:00,454 --> 00:02:02,372 There will come a time, there will come a place, 46 00:02:02,372 --> 00:02:04,708 when I will tell the entire story of what happened 47 00:02:04,708 --> 00:02:06,460 at Bash at the Beach. 48 00:02:06,460 --> 00:02:08,795 The legacy of Bash at the Beach, 49 00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:12,758 the single biggest black eye in WCW history. 50 00:02:12,758 --> 00:02:16,511 ♪ 51 00:02:16,511 --> 00:02:20,349 ♪ 52 00:02:23,644 --> 00:02:25,520 I despise the wrestling business, bro, 53 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,272 I despise the people in it. 54 00:02:27,272 --> 00:02:31,443 You cannot be a good person and 55 00:02:31,443 --> 00:02:33,278 exist in the wrestling business. 56 00:02:33,278 --> 00:02:36,990 You can't bro, because you enter a shark tank. 57 00:02:36,990 --> 00:02:40,744 And unless you become a shark, 58 00:02:40,744 --> 00:02:44,206 they will eat you alive. 59 00:02:44,206 --> 00:02:46,166 My name is Vince Russo. 60 00:02:46,166 --> 00:02:49,294 I was in the wrestling business since 1991. 61 00:02:49,294 --> 00:02:51,671 So, I'm going on 32 years now. 62 00:02:51,671 --> 00:02:53,465 [Cheering] 63 00:02:53,465 --> 00:02:57,052 You can boo all you want, that doesn't change 64 00:02:57,052 --> 00:03:00,180 the fact that I'm better than you! 65 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:04,768 What I'm looking for tonight is ratings, big ratings! 66 00:03:04,768 --> 00:03:09,689 And we're gonna deliver, you son of a bitch! 67 00:03:09,689 --> 00:03:12,818 Vince, we've gotta know, who is the WCW 68 00:03:12,818 --> 00:03:14,653 World's Heavyweight Champion? 69 00:03:14,653 --> 00:03:16,738 -Question? -Question. 70 00:03:16,738 --> 00:03:18,448 -There is no question, Mike. -There is no question? 71 00:03:18,448 --> 00:03:19,574 Who is here with the belt? 72 00:03:28,125 --> 00:03:30,210 Um... 73 00:03:30,210 --> 00:03:31,294 Harm. 74 00:03:31,294 --> 00:03:35,173 Yeah, I'd say, long-term harm. Yeah, yeah. 75 00:03:35,173 --> 00:03:38,468 In the 1990s, professional wrestling is bigger and 76 00:03:38,468 --> 00:03:40,929 hotter than it has ever been before, 77 00:03:40,929 --> 00:03:43,640 as industry leader Vince McMahon's World Wrestling 78 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:47,519 Federation faces a serious challenge to its popularity 79 00:03:47,519 --> 00:03:51,440 by an aggressive challenger- billionaire Ted Turner's 80 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,234 World Championship Wrestling. 81 00:03:54,234 --> 00:03:55,485 WWF would have been the dominant company 82 00:03:55,485 --> 00:04:00,574 from '84 through, I would say, '96? 83 00:04:00,574 --> 00:04:03,952 In '96 it flipped over and WCW was dominant. 84 00:04:03,952 --> 00:04:06,121 My name is Dave Meltzer and I'm the editor of the 85 00:04:06,121 --> 00:04:07,372 Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and 86 00:04:07,372 --> 00:04:10,083 I've been covering pro wrestling since the early 1970s. 87 00:04:10,083 --> 00:04:12,043 The flaw of Vince McMahon is the only thing 88 00:04:12,043 --> 00:04:14,045 so certain thing works. That's it. 89 00:04:14,045 --> 00:04:15,338 And there's a million things in wrestling that 90 00:04:15,338 --> 00:04:17,048 when done well can work. 91 00:04:17,048 --> 00:04:20,010 As both companies engage in a fierce ratings war pitting 92 00:04:20,010 --> 00:04:22,596 their Monday night shows against each other, 93 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:26,016 the rise of WCW is led by it's ambitious 94 00:04:26,016 --> 00:04:28,643 young president, Eric Bischoff. 95 00:04:28,643 --> 00:04:30,937 I decided the only way I was gonna be successful 96 00:04:30,937 --> 00:04:32,355 was to be different. 97 00:04:32,355 --> 00:04:36,151 I listed all of the things that made WWE successful, 98 00:04:36,151 --> 00:04:39,446 and I decided to do exactly the opposite of 99 00:04:39,446 --> 00:04:40,655 what they were doing. 100 00:04:40,655 --> 00:04:42,157 I'm Eric Bischoff. 101 00:04:42,157 --> 00:04:45,285 Former president of WCW. 102 00:04:45,285 --> 00:04:48,121 I'm the first one that created a weekly 103 00:04:48,121 --> 00:04:51,041 live television format for professional wrestling. 104 00:04:51,041 --> 00:04:53,668 I looked at the WWE and they were taped and I thought, 105 00:04:53,668 --> 00:04:55,462 you know, wrestling needs to be live. 106 00:04:55,462 --> 00:04:57,964 When it's live the audience has to watch it. 107 00:04:57,964 --> 00:05:00,717 WCW before Nitro was just a really bad 108 00:05:00,717 --> 00:05:03,053 cheap imitation of WWE. 109 00:05:03,053 --> 00:05:05,847 It was just silly, silly, childish stuff. 110 00:05:05,847 --> 00:05:09,100 -The Shock Master! -Alright! 111 00:05:09,100 --> 00:05:11,603 -The Shock Master. -[Laughing] 112 00:05:11,603 --> 00:05:14,981 They were ignoring men 18 to 39. 113 00:05:14,981 --> 00:05:17,442 So, I thought, okay, there's my opportunity. 114 00:05:17,442 --> 00:05:18,443 You know, I began wondering, 115 00:05:18,443 --> 00:05:22,113 how can I transition into more reality based product? 116 00:05:22,113 --> 00:05:24,533 Eric produced a different kind of a television show 117 00:05:24,533 --> 00:05:26,535 than had ever been done before. 118 00:05:26,535 --> 00:05:27,410 He was just ahead of the game and 119 00:05:27,410 --> 00:05:29,037 Vince was behind the times. 120 00:05:29,037 --> 00:05:30,872 Before launching Monday Nitro, 121 00:05:30,872 --> 00:05:33,583 Bischoff aims to legitimize WCW 122 00:05:33,583 --> 00:05:35,418 by head hunting major talent, 123 00:05:35,418 --> 00:05:38,046 poaching Vince McMahon's biggest star 124 00:05:38,046 --> 00:05:39,923 to be the new face of his company. 125 00:05:39,923 --> 00:05:41,216 We're the number two wrestling company 126 00:05:41,216 --> 00:05:42,175 in the world. 127 00:05:42,175 --> 00:05:44,511 We're a fraction of the WWE's ratings. 128 00:05:44,511 --> 00:05:48,640 And bringing in Hulk Hogan changed the perception of WCW. 129 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:50,183 It was a seismic shift. 130 00:05:50,183 --> 00:05:51,643 I mean, I remember Eric telling me, 131 00:05:51,643 --> 00:05:54,354 "Where Hogan goes, goes the money." That was his saying. 132 00:05:54,354 --> 00:05:56,856 And all of a sudden my phone rings one day and 133 00:05:56,856 --> 00:05:59,109 it's my buddy Diamond Dallas Page, and he said, 134 00:05:59,109 --> 00:06:02,320 "Eric." You know, "Scott Hall wants to leave WWE." 135 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:03,989 He was Razor Ramon then. 136 00:06:03,989 --> 00:06:05,907 So I do the deal with Scott Hall and about a week 137 00:06:05,907 --> 00:06:08,952 after that I get a call from Kevin Nash. 138 00:06:08,952 --> 00:06:11,454 Same thing. Bam! 139 00:06:11,454 --> 00:06:13,164 The lightbulb went off in my head. 140 00:06:13,164 --> 00:06:16,167 There's my storyline. There's my reality. 141 00:06:16,167 --> 00:06:17,669 [Announcer] Here they come! 142 00:06:17,669 --> 00:06:19,504 They've got baseball bats in their hands. 143 00:06:19,504 --> 00:06:21,631 [Eric] The NWO, the New World Order. 144 00:06:21,631 --> 00:06:23,967 -Oh, oh, oh! -What is he doing? 145 00:06:23,967 --> 00:06:25,552 -Oh my God! -Is he the third man? 146 00:06:25,552 --> 00:06:26,845 He's the third man! 147 00:06:26,845 --> 00:06:28,847 What the hell is going on here? 148 00:06:28,847 --> 00:06:32,225 We left WWE in the dust. In the dust. 149 00:06:32,225 --> 00:06:33,518 We weren't just beating them, 150 00:06:33,518 --> 00:06:35,937 we were beating them badly. 151 00:06:35,937 --> 00:06:38,607 But the WWF isn't down for the count, 152 00:06:38,607 --> 00:06:41,359 as fans eventually begin gravitating to a new 153 00:06:41,359 --> 00:06:44,696 generation of superstars, and a radical new approach to 154 00:06:44,696 --> 00:06:48,116 wrestling storylines introduced by a brash 155 00:06:48,116 --> 00:06:51,202 young writer, named Vince Russo. 156 00:06:51,202 --> 00:06:54,456 Writing a wrestling show is not rocket science, 157 00:06:54,456 --> 00:06:57,083 and one of the things I said to Vince when I first 158 00:06:57,083 --> 00:07:00,420 sat down with him, "Vince, that wrestling handbook 159 00:07:00,420 --> 00:07:04,174 gets thrown out the window." And I said, 160 00:07:04,174 --> 00:07:08,678 "Vince, from now on they think we're gonna go left, 161 00:07:08,678 --> 00:07:10,555 we're gonna go right." 162 00:07:10,555 --> 00:07:13,683 Now all of a sudden week to week to week, 163 00:07:13,683 --> 00:07:16,353 they don't know what's going to happen. 164 00:07:16,353 --> 00:07:18,855 The idea of crash TV is 165 00:07:18,855 --> 00:07:22,025 I am writing that TV like the 166 00:07:22,025 --> 00:07:24,194 viewer at home 167 00:07:24,194 --> 00:07:27,530 is sitting there with the remote in his hand, 168 00:07:27,530 --> 00:07:32,452 begging me to give him the opportunity to see 169 00:07:32,452 --> 00:07:34,579 what was going on on the other channel. 170 00:07:34,579 --> 00:07:35,872 [Yelling] Look out! 171 00:07:35,872 --> 00:07:40,335 So it would be short match, backstage segment, 172 00:07:40,335 --> 00:07:44,172 vignette, short match, fight in the locker room, 173 00:07:44,172 --> 00:07:46,925 vignette, boom, boom, boom! 174 00:07:46,925 --> 00:07:51,596 And you are not giving that viewer the opportunity to, 175 00:07:51,596 --> 00:07:54,891 "Ah, let's see what's on Nitro." That's crash TV. 176 00:07:54,891 --> 00:07:59,229 Russo's concept of crash TV plays a key part in turning 177 00:07:59,229 --> 00:08:03,400 the tide, and soon the WWF is back on top, 178 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,528 beating WCW every Monday night. 179 00:08:06,528 --> 00:08:09,781 Towards probably the middle of '98, certainly in '99, 180 00:08:09,781 --> 00:08:13,493 that had reversed again. Now WWE was on top. 181 00:08:13,493 --> 00:08:15,620 And that was a magical period. 182 00:08:15,620 --> 00:08:17,831 I don't want to dismiss Vince Russo's, 183 00:08:17,831 --> 00:08:18,915 you know, contributions... 184 00:08:18,915 --> 00:08:20,834 but, they had Stone Cold Steve Austin 185 00:08:20,834 --> 00:08:22,419 and The Rock at the same time. 186 00:08:22,419 --> 00:08:23,962 And that's like, you know, the Yankees with 187 00:08:23,962 --> 00:08:26,840 Babe Ruth and, uh, Lou Gehrig. 188 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,301 WCW, by the end of '99 they started losing money. 189 00:08:30,301 --> 00:08:32,011 They were the Titanic heading to the iceberg. 190 00:08:32,011 --> 00:08:33,388 [Horn blaring] 191 00:08:33,388 --> 00:08:35,682 My budgets were becoming slashed. 192 00:08:35,682 --> 00:08:37,100 -Oh! -Oh! 193 00:08:37,100 --> 00:08:38,977 Eventually I got let go in '99, 194 00:08:38,977 --> 00:08:40,562 because I was fighting that, I was struggling, 195 00:08:40,562 --> 00:08:42,188 I was fighting it. 196 00:08:42,188 --> 00:08:44,190 Turner executives relieved Bischoff of his 197 00:08:44,190 --> 00:08:47,610 creative duties, while rumours emerge that Russo is 198 00:08:47,610 --> 00:08:52,282 overworked and frustrated in his role at the WWF. 199 00:08:52,282 --> 00:08:55,869 Well, WWF added a second show, Smack Down, 200 00:08:55,869 --> 00:08:58,371 and did not give Vince Russo a raise. 201 00:08:58,371 --> 00:09:00,248 So they went from doing one show a week 202 00:09:00,248 --> 00:09:02,292 to two shows a week. 203 00:09:02,292 --> 00:09:05,295 I went into Vince's office, I said, "Vince, 204 00:09:05,295 --> 00:09:09,090 I want to be able to move my family closer to my 205 00:09:09,090 --> 00:09:13,261 wife's family, so my wife isn't alone and 206 00:09:13,261 --> 00:09:15,638 she has help raising the kids. 207 00:09:15,638 --> 00:09:19,934 Because Vince, I'm never home." 208 00:09:19,934 --> 00:09:22,645 And he turned around, bro, without missing a beat, 209 00:09:22,645 --> 00:09:24,939 and said, "You make enough money. 210 00:09:24,939 --> 00:09:26,733 You should be able to hire a nanny 211 00:09:26,733 --> 00:09:28,818 to take care of your kids." 212 00:09:28,818 --> 00:09:33,740 You don't tell a proud Italian man who loves 213 00:09:33,740 --> 00:09:37,327 his family to hire a nanny to watch his kids. 214 00:09:37,327 --> 00:09:41,081 Bro, at that moment, it was over. 215 00:09:41,081 --> 00:09:44,709 And they had me up to WCW that weekend. 216 00:09:44,709 --> 00:09:47,504 I was shocked when WCW brought him in. 217 00:09:47,504 --> 00:09:49,047 It was a match made in heaven... 218 00:09:49,047 --> 00:09:52,509 or hell, depending on who you talk to. 219 00:09:52,509 --> 00:09:55,512 I know I'm going into this thing 220 00:09:55,512 --> 00:09:58,807 with a target on my back. 221 00:09:58,807 --> 00:10:01,476 This is the first time 222 00:10:01,476 --> 00:10:05,313 I am going to be working with these veterans 223 00:10:05,313 --> 00:10:08,942 that have been at WCW for a long time. 224 00:10:08,942 --> 00:10:13,113 From day one, Hulk and Eric were like this. 225 00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:16,449 I can actually remember locking eyes with Hulk 226 00:10:16,449 --> 00:10:17,867 for the first time. 227 00:10:17,867 --> 00:10:24,541 And what I read from Hulk immediately was mistrust. 228 00:10:24,541 --> 00:10:26,167 Vince Russo was smart enough to know that 229 00:10:26,167 --> 00:10:28,002 you couldn't build around Hulk Hogan anymore 230 00:10:28,002 --> 00:10:29,504 if you wanted a future. 231 00:10:29,504 --> 00:10:32,549 So, yes, I think he was trying to figure out a way to 232 00:10:32,549 --> 00:10:34,801 remove him, because Hulk Hogan had so much power, 233 00:10:34,801 --> 00:10:36,386 because he was Hulk Hogan. 234 00:10:36,386 --> 00:10:38,930 And I've heard the critics ask the question, 235 00:10:38,930 --> 00:10:42,141 "Well, is Hulk Hogan getting older?" Well yeah, 236 00:10:42,141 --> 00:10:44,394 Hulk Hogan's getting older, and so is every other 237 00:10:44,394 --> 00:10:46,062 damn wrestler in the back too. 238 00:10:46,062 --> 00:10:48,231 -Day by day. -[Cheering] 239 00:10:48,231 --> 00:10:50,733 So there was this narrative that Hulk Hogan couldn't 240 00:10:50,733 --> 00:10:53,444 wrestle in the ring anymore, or he had no value, 241 00:10:53,444 --> 00:10:55,864 he should retire, blah blah blah, blah, blah... 242 00:10:55,864 --> 00:10:58,700 where in reality, the business side of the 243 00:10:58,700 --> 00:11:01,077 wrestling business still thought 244 00:11:01,077 --> 00:11:03,121 very highly of Hulk Hogan. 245 00:11:03,121 --> 00:11:07,167 Taking the reins of WCW in October of 1999, 246 00:11:07,167 --> 00:11:10,086 Russo begins reshaping and reimagining the 247 00:11:10,086 --> 00:11:13,381 company's flagship show, Monday Nitro. 248 00:11:13,381 --> 00:11:14,424 Vince Russo believed, you know, 249 00:11:14,424 --> 00:11:17,302 the more extreme and shocking you make it 250 00:11:17,302 --> 00:11:18,845 the more they will like it. 251 00:11:18,845 --> 00:11:20,930 We are just gonna hump you 252 00:11:20,930 --> 00:11:24,434 like the dogs that we are. 253 00:11:24,434 --> 00:11:27,604 Sometimes that's right, but you also run into a thing 254 00:11:27,604 --> 00:11:29,397 where once you've done it, it's... 255 00:11:29,397 --> 00:11:31,149 you desensitize the audience. 256 00:11:31,149 --> 00:11:32,567 And then there's nothing you can do. 257 00:11:32,567 --> 00:11:33,776 [Cheering] Yeah! 258 00:11:37,947 --> 00:11:39,866 I don't know, I didn't watch his shit. 259 00:11:39,866 --> 00:11:41,242 I couldn't watch it. 260 00:11:41,242 --> 00:11:43,036 [Vince] I was there for three months. 261 00:11:43,036 --> 00:11:45,455 The ratings went up in those three months. 262 00:11:48,458 --> 00:11:49,792 Well, he'll tell you they were improving. 263 00:11:49,792 --> 00:11:50,960 But no, they weren't up. 264 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,338 Artificially it looked good, but every month, 265 00:11:53,338 --> 00:11:55,840 if you'd do the month rating, the October, the November, 266 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:56,966 the December, every month it was down. 267 00:11:56,966 --> 00:11:58,092 Slightly. 268 00:11:58,092 --> 00:12:00,428 [Vince] Next thing I know, management tells me, 269 00:12:00,428 --> 00:12:02,972 "We're going in a different direction." 270 00:12:02,972 --> 00:12:05,350 Then I said, "Okay, fine, just, I'll go home. 271 00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:07,310 Send me my money." 272 00:12:07,310 --> 00:12:09,938 Now that both Bischoff and Russo have failed to turn 273 00:12:09,938 --> 00:12:12,231 WCW's ratings around, 274 00:12:12,231 --> 00:12:14,692 the network lands on a new idea- 275 00:12:14,692 --> 00:12:17,528 both men working together. 276 00:12:17,528 --> 00:12:20,365 Brad Siegel is the head of TNT and TBS. 277 00:12:20,365 --> 00:12:23,326 "Vince, I want you to meet somebody for lunch." 278 00:12:23,326 --> 00:12:27,789 I know immediately he's talking about Eric Bischoff. 279 00:12:27,789 --> 00:12:30,917 And now my job is to oversee Vince Russo. 280 00:12:30,917 --> 00:12:32,543 You know, between Vince and Eric, 281 00:12:32,543 --> 00:12:36,422 I never felt that there was a power struggle. 282 00:12:36,422 --> 00:12:37,966 My name is Jeff Jarrett. 283 00:12:37,966 --> 00:12:40,760 Some call me JJ , some call me The Last Outlaw. 284 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,887 1, 2! New champion! 285 00:12:42,887 --> 00:12:44,430 [Bell ringing] 286 00:12:44,430 --> 00:12:49,560 I just think philosophically those two guys view creating 287 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:52,605 and producing wrestling content entirely different. 288 00:12:52,605 --> 00:12:54,691 A philosophical difference as opposed to 289 00:12:54,691 --> 00:12:56,901 a personality difference. 290 00:12:56,901 --> 00:12:59,070 Is Lance Storm officially in WCW now? 291 00:12:59,070 --> 00:13:00,279 Yes! 292 00:13:00,279 --> 00:13:03,783 I negotiated my contract with both Vince Russo and Eric, 293 00:13:03,783 --> 00:13:06,494 and I much more preferred dealing with Eric. 294 00:13:06,494 --> 00:13:08,496 Russo was the creative end of it and 295 00:13:08,496 --> 00:13:10,039 he was, um, different. 296 00:13:10,039 --> 00:13:12,208 Vince Russo sat down with, alright well, 297 00:13:12,208 --> 00:13:14,043 he's the guy that's going to be in charge of creative. 298 00:13:14,043 --> 00:13:15,294 He's looking at me and he's like, 299 00:13:15,294 --> 00:13:17,130 "Just off the top of my head, the first thing I think of is, 300 00:13:17,130 --> 00:13:20,758 like, maybe making you Eric's illegitimate son." 301 00:13:20,758 --> 00:13:22,176 And I look at Eric and Eric has the same look 302 00:13:22,176 --> 00:13:23,928 on his face, what the hell? 303 00:13:23,928 --> 00:13:26,014 Like isn't Eric like ten years older than me? 304 00:13:26,014 --> 00:13:29,183 How is he my illegitimate dad? 305 00:13:29,183 --> 00:13:30,727 [Eric] I did go into it with an open mind. 306 00:13:30,727 --> 00:13:32,311 And, initially it was kind of fun, 307 00:13:32,311 --> 00:13:34,272 but it became apparent to me that 308 00:13:34,272 --> 00:13:36,607 Vince Russo is void of any 309 00:13:36,607 --> 00:13:38,818 creative instincts or talents. 310 00:13:38,818 --> 00:13:42,071 [Vince] You could not have put two of 311 00:13:42,071 --> 00:13:45,116 the most opposite people together 312 00:13:45,116 --> 00:13:47,035 and said, "Go." 313 00:13:47,035 --> 00:13:48,953 ♪ 314 00:13:54,167 --> 00:13:57,128 With WCW in trouble, the company's survival 315 00:13:57,128 --> 00:14:00,173 hinges on reversing its downward spiral. 316 00:14:00,173 --> 00:14:03,009 Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo devise a storyline 317 00:14:03,009 --> 00:14:06,304 designed to play off the real life backstage drama, 318 00:14:06,304 --> 00:14:09,432 and the tensions between Bischoff's veterans and 319 00:14:09,432 --> 00:14:12,477 Russo's desire to push younger talent. 320 00:14:12,477 --> 00:14:14,145 There's new sheriffs in town. 321 00:14:14,145 --> 00:14:16,481 The idea of the program was The Millionaire's Club 322 00:14:16,481 --> 00:14:18,816 versus the Young Blood, 323 00:14:18,816 --> 00:14:22,695 where all these young guys that were held down, 324 00:14:22,695 --> 00:14:26,074 now they're going to get an opportunity to shine. 325 00:14:26,074 --> 00:14:28,451 Little bit of a civil war, creatively speaking. 326 00:14:28,451 --> 00:14:30,745 Between young and old, because that's, like, 327 00:14:30,745 --> 00:14:32,413 part of life, right? 328 00:14:32,413 --> 00:14:34,207 Get that damn camera out of here! 329 00:14:34,207 --> 00:14:36,709 Bischoff and Russo's storyline fails to 330 00:14:36,709 --> 00:14:39,962 win over fans or improve the ratings. 331 00:14:39,962 --> 00:14:41,714 Hmm... man. 332 00:14:41,714 --> 00:14:43,841 That whole year of 2000 has kind of like blanked out of 333 00:14:43,841 --> 00:14:45,885 my mind because it was so bad. 334 00:14:45,885 --> 00:14:48,096 [Cheering] Oh! Good God! 335 00:14:48,096 --> 00:14:52,642 It was destined for failure from the beginning. 336 00:14:52,642 --> 00:14:55,395 Vince Russo, I was done with him creatively because 337 00:14:55,395 --> 00:14:57,688 I knew he was a bullshitter. 338 00:14:57,688 --> 00:14:59,649 Eric wanted to be in charge. 339 00:14:59,649 --> 00:15:01,818 So I call Brad Siegal and I say, 340 00:15:01,818 --> 00:15:06,155 "Bro, put Eric in charge of the show." 341 00:15:06,155 --> 00:15:09,450 Brad Siegal said to me, "No, no, no, no, no, Vince, 342 00:15:09,450 --> 00:15:11,285 we want you to write the show." 343 00:15:11,285 --> 00:15:12,787 Okay, fine. 344 00:15:12,787 --> 00:15:15,623 The next time I see Eric Bischoff... 345 00:15:15,623 --> 00:15:18,126 Bash at the Beach. 346 00:15:18,126 --> 00:15:20,294 In the week leading up to the pay per view event, 347 00:15:20,294 --> 00:15:23,506 Russo prepares the show with a focus on 348 00:15:23,506 --> 00:15:26,426 who will emerge the next World Champion. 349 00:15:26,426 --> 00:15:30,096 That week I walked into our creative meeting and I threw 350 00:15:30,096 --> 00:15:32,473 a question out there at the very beginning of the 351 00:15:32,473 --> 00:15:34,517 meeting, and the question was, 352 00:15:34,517 --> 00:15:38,521 "If you could put the WCW title on anyone in the 353 00:15:38,521 --> 00:15:41,065 company right now, who would it be?" 354 00:15:41,065 --> 00:15:43,234 And I went around the table. 355 00:15:43,234 --> 00:15:45,361 "Booker T, Booker T, Booker T." 356 00:15:45,361 --> 00:15:49,323 And unanimously everybody said Booker T. 357 00:15:49,323 --> 00:15:52,118 I said, "Well, then that's what we're gonna do." 358 00:15:52,118 --> 00:15:53,286 [Cheering] 359 00:15:53,286 --> 00:15:56,330 I had had the belt at this time, uh, a couple of months. 360 00:15:56,330 --> 00:16:00,418 And so my overarching creative was for 361 00:16:00,418 --> 00:16:01,961 "The Chosen One" Jeff Jarrett 362 00:16:01,961 --> 00:16:05,214 to face multiple legends and be victorious, 363 00:16:05,214 --> 00:16:08,759 until it was time to switch the title to Booker T. 364 00:16:08,759 --> 00:16:10,052 I'm gonna tell you like this here, 365 00:16:10,052 --> 00:16:12,972 we gon' turn this mother out! 366 00:16:12,972 --> 00:16:14,599 Now can you dig it? 367 00:16:14,599 --> 00:16:16,893 A lot of significance, a lot of upside, 368 00:16:16,893 --> 00:16:19,604 and I saw Vince Russo's vision and bought into it. 369 00:16:19,604 --> 00:16:23,441 So, the main event of the evening was Jeff Jarrett 370 00:16:23,441 --> 00:16:26,819 versus Booker T for the WCW title 371 00:16:26,819 --> 00:16:28,863 with Booker T going over. 372 00:16:28,863 --> 00:16:31,991 He's one of those guys where you knew he was really good. 373 00:16:31,991 --> 00:16:35,494 Wrestling had not been kind to African American wrestlers. 374 00:16:35,494 --> 00:16:37,622 Give somebody else a chance, at least it's something new. 375 00:16:37,622 --> 00:16:39,582 To add more intrigue to the event, 376 00:16:39,582 --> 00:16:41,918 Russo makes the decision to give Jeff Jarrett 377 00:16:41,918 --> 00:16:45,338 one last win before losing the belt to Booker T. 378 00:16:45,338 --> 00:16:48,090 A win over Hollywood Hulk Hogan. 379 00:16:48,090 --> 00:16:51,844 When I wrote the very first version of the show, 380 00:16:51,844 --> 00:16:54,430 it was Jarrett against Hogan, 381 00:16:54,430 --> 00:16:58,184 and I wrote Hulk Hogan very strong. 382 00:16:58,184 --> 00:17:02,480 However, he was not going to win the WCW title. 383 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:03,814 Why? 384 00:17:03,814 --> 00:17:06,567 Because you just had an entire room 385 00:17:06,567 --> 00:17:08,694 agree on Booker T. 386 00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:10,988 Vince Russo had his idea, what he wanted to do 387 00:17:10,988 --> 00:17:12,532 at Bash at the Beach. 388 00:17:12,532 --> 00:17:15,534 Hulk Hogan and I were on a completely different page. 389 00:17:15,534 --> 00:17:19,038 What Vince Russo wanted to do didn't freakin' matter. 390 00:17:19,038 --> 00:17:23,751 Hulk Hogan had 100% creative control over his storyline 391 00:17:23,751 --> 00:17:27,630 and how his character was presented on television. 392 00:17:27,630 --> 00:17:31,801 Back in 1994, Bischoff had lured Hogan to WCW 393 00:17:31,801 --> 00:17:34,679 by offering him one of the most generous contracts 394 00:17:34,679 --> 00:17:36,430 in wrestling history. 395 00:17:36,430 --> 00:17:37,556 I think the technical wording was 396 00:17:37,556 --> 00:17:39,058 he had control of his finishes. 397 00:17:39,058 --> 00:17:39,976 It was like, if he didn't want to lose, 398 00:17:39,976 --> 00:17:41,227 he didn't have to lose. 399 00:17:41,227 --> 00:17:43,771 It's easy to sit here and say, "Unprecedented", 400 00:17:43,771 --> 00:17:46,899 but to that date, someone with no ownership, 401 00:17:46,899 --> 00:17:49,694 but to have complete creative control, 402 00:17:49,694 --> 00:17:51,654 that is a conflict of interest. 403 00:17:51,654 --> 00:17:53,406 When a talent has creative control, 404 00:17:53,406 --> 00:17:55,783 it sort of comes down to the simplicity. 405 00:17:55,783 --> 00:17:57,451 Are they worried about their bottom line? 406 00:17:57,451 --> 00:17:59,495 Or are they worried about the company's bottom line? 407 00:17:59,495 --> 00:18:01,872 It's radically different. 408 00:18:01,872 --> 00:18:04,292 So I wrote the first script where Hulk Hogan looks 409 00:18:04,292 --> 00:18:08,254 very strong, but he does not win the WCW title. 410 00:18:08,254 --> 00:18:11,507 Hulk Hogan poo poo'd that first script. 411 00:18:11,507 --> 00:18:15,344 So now I re-write the script, and I really make 412 00:18:15,344 --> 00:18:18,472 Hulk Hogan look like King Kong. 413 00:18:18,472 --> 00:18:21,892 Not only does he wind up killing Jeff Jarrett, 414 00:18:21,892 --> 00:18:25,438 he winds up killing Scott Steiner. 415 00:18:25,438 --> 00:18:28,608 He literally winds up wiping everybody, 416 00:18:28,608 --> 00:18:31,694 but he does not leave with the title. 417 00:18:31,694 --> 00:18:35,406 Hulk says he's good with the second version. 418 00:18:35,406 --> 00:18:40,453 So now I walk into Bash at the Beach that Sunday 419 00:18:40,453 --> 00:18:43,998 thinking everything's fine, and Hulk is gonna do 420 00:18:43,998 --> 00:18:45,916 what the second script says. 421 00:18:45,916 --> 00:18:47,835 ♪ 422 00:18:47,835 --> 00:18:50,296 Eric Bischoff comes up to me and says, 423 00:18:50,296 --> 00:18:53,841 "You better go in the trailer and talk to Hulk Hogan 424 00:18:53,841 --> 00:18:57,553 because he's not gonna do this." Who's in the trailer? 425 00:18:57,553 --> 00:19:01,265 Me, Hulk Hogan, and Eric Bischoff. 426 00:19:01,265 --> 00:19:04,268 So if you wanna break that down, 427 00:19:04,268 --> 00:19:07,355 it is clearly two against one. 428 00:19:07,355 --> 00:19:10,191 Did Vince Russo and I discuss it several times? 429 00:19:10,191 --> 00:19:11,734 Yes, we did. 430 00:19:11,734 --> 00:19:13,444 It was my job to oversee him. 431 00:19:13,444 --> 00:19:15,196 It was my call, not Vince Russo's call. 432 00:19:15,196 --> 00:19:17,073 He didn't get to vote. 433 00:19:17,073 --> 00:19:18,949 He thought he did, but he didn't. 434 00:19:18,949 --> 00:19:24,205 Eric informs me that they came up with a scenario, 435 00:19:24,205 --> 00:19:28,751 and that scenario is Hulk winning the title. 436 00:19:28,751 --> 00:19:31,962 He wants to win the WCW title. 437 00:19:31,962 --> 00:19:34,632 Eric's idea is to blur the line between reality and 438 00:19:34,632 --> 00:19:37,218 fiction, with a story angle where Hulk flexes 439 00:19:37,218 --> 00:19:40,304 his creative control clause to win the belt. 440 00:19:40,304 --> 00:19:43,474 As Jeff Jarrett throws the match in disgust, 441 00:19:43,474 --> 00:19:46,769 Hulk, angry at Jarrett's refusal to fight, 442 00:19:46,769 --> 00:19:50,022 is then scripted to storm out of the ring. 443 00:19:50,022 --> 00:19:54,360 The idea was for Hulk to leave in a state of 444 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,987 frustration and anger as a result of the 445 00:19:56,987 --> 00:19:58,614 finish of the match. 446 00:19:58,614 --> 00:20:02,368 The important element of it was that once the WCW 447 00:20:02,368 --> 00:20:05,121 realized that Hulk Hogan wasn't coming back and 448 00:20:05,121 --> 00:20:06,956 he wasn't giving the belt back, 449 00:20:06,956 --> 00:20:11,836 that would force WCW to then vacate that title, 450 00:20:11,836 --> 00:20:14,338 and create a tournament for a new 451 00:20:14,338 --> 00:20:16,382 World Heavyweight Champion. 452 00:20:16,382 --> 00:20:18,634 And finally at Halloween Havoc, 453 00:20:18,634 --> 00:20:20,720 which was our big October pay per view, 454 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,264 the two finalists in that tournament, 455 00:20:23,264 --> 00:20:25,474 before it physically took place, 456 00:20:25,474 --> 00:20:28,227 Hogan was gonna make a surprise appearance 457 00:20:28,227 --> 00:20:33,232 and say, "Ah-ah-ah, I still have the belt, 458 00:20:33,232 --> 00:20:35,192 and if you want this you've gotta beat me." 459 00:20:35,192 --> 00:20:37,903 Boom. There's your story. 460 00:20:37,903 --> 00:20:39,321 [Vince] I was pissed. 461 00:20:39,321 --> 00:20:42,032 Bro, you're pulling this bullshit the day of a show. 462 00:20:42,032 --> 00:20:44,285 I re-wrote the show twice. 463 00:20:44,285 --> 00:20:46,370 This show is starting in an hour. 464 00:20:46,370 --> 00:20:49,582 It got to the point where I said, "Look, 465 00:20:49,582 --> 00:20:51,667 we're gonna get on the phone with Brad Siegel and 466 00:20:51,667 --> 00:20:53,878 we're gonna lay it out, and we'll let Brad choose." 467 00:20:53,878 --> 00:20:57,089 And Brad said, "Go with Eric's idea." That's it. 468 00:20:57,089 --> 00:20:58,549 Now you've got the president of the network 469 00:20:58,549 --> 00:21:00,384 who's the tie breaker. 470 00:21:00,384 --> 00:21:02,011 It was over and done. 471 00:21:02,011 --> 00:21:03,637 [Vince] Eric wanted to be in charge. 472 00:21:03,637 --> 00:21:06,557 He wanted things to go back to the way they were. 473 00:21:06,557 --> 00:21:09,769 Bro, I'm not an idiot. 474 00:21:09,769 --> 00:21:13,022 So, Hulk lays out this elaborate story, 475 00:21:13,022 --> 00:21:15,649 and I know the story ends with him winning the title. 476 00:21:15,649 --> 00:21:20,988 While he's laying out the story, this ear is listening, 477 00:21:20,988 --> 00:21:23,699 this side of my brain is 478 00:21:23,699 --> 00:21:26,577 figuring out another story. 479 00:21:26,577 --> 00:21:27,912 Because he's, I'm not, 480 00:21:27,912 --> 00:21:31,373 he's not walking out with the title. 481 00:21:31,373 --> 00:21:33,459 [Jeff] Pay per view show time starts at 8 o'clock. 482 00:21:33,459 --> 00:21:35,628 7, 7:30, somewhere in that window. 483 00:21:35,628 --> 00:21:38,589 Vince comes to me and says, "Bro"- In his great 484 00:21:38,589 --> 00:21:41,175 New Yorker accent- "This is what we're doin'." 485 00:21:41,175 --> 00:21:44,178 "Jeff, Hulk doesn't want to do the job for you. 486 00:21:44,178 --> 00:21:47,056 'F' Hulk. Lay down for him. 487 00:21:47,056 --> 00:21:49,308 Let him leave with his freaking belt.' 488 00:21:49,308 --> 00:21:51,727 We wanted everybody to believe it. 489 00:21:51,727 --> 00:21:53,562 Jeff was not in on it. 490 00:21:53,562 --> 00:21:58,734 We wanted everybody in the back to believe this, 491 00:21:58,734 --> 00:22:00,444 that was the goal. 492 00:22:00,444 --> 00:22:03,489 Vince was pretty clear, "Go to the ring, 493 00:22:03,489 --> 00:22:05,783 we'll get the bell to start the match. 494 00:22:05,783 --> 00:22:08,702 Just make it very clear you're taking a dive. 495 00:22:08,702 --> 00:22:12,998 You're laying down for him." And I was dumbfounded. 496 00:22:12,998 --> 00:22:16,418 And I said, "Vince, this story is not well thought out. 497 00:22:16,418 --> 00:22:20,673 It doesn't make any logical sense and- 498 00:22:20,673 --> 00:22:23,592 for a babyface to capture gold this way." 499 00:22:23,592 --> 00:22:27,346 There's a real bad taste that if a champion 500 00:22:27,346 --> 00:22:28,514 is gonna be a champion, 501 00:22:28,514 --> 00:22:30,432 don't you really wanna beat somebody? 502 00:22:30,432 --> 00:22:32,726 And this was the opposite of that. 503 00:22:32,726 --> 00:22:34,937 And there's a million other options, I felt, 504 00:22:34,937 --> 00:22:37,648 that the audience would say, "This is the best you guys 505 00:22:37,648 --> 00:22:41,443 could come up with?" I told Vince this. 506 00:22:41,443 --> 00:22:44,905 Everybody loses in this scenario, everybody loses. 507 00:22:44,905 --> 00:22:47,199 ♪ 508 00:22:52,037 --> 00:22:54,373 As Bash at the Beach 2000 begins, 509 00:22:54,373 --> 00:22:57,459 a storyline is in place for current WCW champion 510 00:22:57,459 --> 00:23:00,713 Jeff Jarrett to take a dive for Hulk Hogan. 511 00:23:00,713 --> 00:23:02,798 Everyone is ready to put the plan in motion, 512 00:23:02,798 --> 00:23:06,343 until Jarrett begins having second thoughts. 513 00:23:06,343 --> 00:23:07,970 When it came down to match time, 514 00:23:07,970 --> 00:23:13,434 I had a real overwhelming sense of, 515 00:23:13,434 --> 00:23:15,311 "Do I really wanna do this? 516 00:23:15,311 --> 00:23:19,023 Do I really wanna be a part of this mess? 517 00:23:19,023 --> 00:23:22,860 Do I really wanna walk the aisle and 518 00:23:22,860 --> 00:23:25,279 be a part of this finish?" 519 00:23:25,279 --> 00:23:27,531 Those thoughts went through my mind. 520 00:23:27,531 --> 00:23:31,452 Because my father, my grandmother, 521 00:23:31,452 --> 00:23:34,663 my outlook on the industry, that you really only have 522 00:23:34,663 --> 00:23:36,373 one boss and that's the fans. 523 00:23:36,373 --> 00:23:37,666 [Cheering] 524 00:23:37,666 --> 00:23:39,710 Ladies and gentlemen, 525 00:23:39,710 --> 00:23:42,630 welcome to the year 2000 526 00:23:42,630 --> 00:23:46,634 WCW Bash at the Beach, 527 00:23:46,634 --> 00:23:50,471 and the main event of the evening... 528 00:23:50,471 --> 00:23:53,223 When they hit my music, I stayed in the back. 529 00:23:53,223 --> 00:23:54,516 Where's Jarrett? I mean, 530 00:23:54,516 --> 00:23:56,268 his music has been playing for well over a minute, 531 00:23:56,268 --> 00:23:58,771 there's no sign of him. What's going on here? 532 00:23:58,771 --> 00:24:00,522 This is not like The Chosen One 533 00:24:00,522 --> 00:24:03,692 to stand us up on a pay per view. 534 00:24:03,692 --> 00:24:05,819 So my music played quite a while, 535 00:24:05,819 --> 00:24:08,906 I think it looped two or three times. 536 00:24:08,906 --> 00:24:11,033 And I stayed over in the little tunnel and 537 00:24:11,033 --> 00:24:12,785 really just thought through it. 538 00:24:12,785 --> 00:24:15,996 I could take matters into my own hands and say, 539 00:24:15,996 --> 00:24:19,208 "I'm not doing the dive." I could, you know, 540 00:24:19,208 --> 00:24:22,378 jump in and make him punch me around, 541 00:24:22,378 --> 00:24:24,880 and make him give me a big boot. 542 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:26,799 What are my real options? 543 00:24:26,799 --> 00:24:30,427 What is gonna protect my family and my career best? 544 00:24:30,427 --> 00:24:33,013 So much at stake here. 545 00:24:33,013 --> 00:24:35,849 I can't say that I was legitimately angry. 546 00:24:35,849 --> 00:24:38,769 I can say, thoroughly disgusted. 547 00:24:38,769 --> 00:24:42,022 And when I finally said, "Let's get this over with," 548 00:24:42,022 --> 00:24:44,191 that was where my head was at. 549 00:24:44,191 --> 00:24:47,069 -Here he is. -[Cheering] 550 00:24:47,069 --> 00:24:49,780 By the time I headed down the aisle way, 551 00:24:49,780 --> 00:24:51,949 everything in my mind was, "Hogan, 552 00:24:51,949 --> 00:24:56,245 you want your creative control so bad, take it." 553 00:24:56,245 --> 00:24:58,580 You know somethin', Jeff Jarrett? 554 00:24:58,580 --> 00:25:01,417 You are The Chosen One, 555 00:25:01,417 --> 00:25:04,086 because I have chosen you to 556 00:25:04,086 --> 00:25:06,672 power bomb your ass through this mat, 557 00:25:06,672 --> 00:25:10,259 so come on down and get your ass kicked, Jarrett. 558 00:25:10,259 --> 00:25:14,638 Looking across the ring, and looking at Hulk, 559 00:25:14,638 --> 00:25:18,350 and knowing that he orchestrated all of this... 560 00:25:18,350 --> 00:25:21,186 I never, ever looked at him the same way. 561 00:25:21,186 --> 00:25:26,024 [Cheering] 562 00:25:26,024 --> 00:25:28,610 What's Jeff doing? What's Jeff doing? 563 00:25:28,610 --> 00:25:31,739 [Fans cheering and shouting] 564 00:25:31,739 --> 00:25:33,824 Russo's talking to him, what's he saying? 565 00:25:33,824 --> 00:25:38,829 Russo I think told Jarrett to lay down, what is going on? 566 00:25:38,829 --> 00:25:41,457 Look it, Russo is holding the belt up like, 567 00:25:41,457 --> 00:25:43,709 "Do you want the belt?" Pin the man, Jarrett's down! 568 00:25:43,709 --> 00:25:45,502 I don't, and Hogan is as shocked as we are. 569 00:25:45,502 --> 00:25:47,546 What in the world? Jeff Jarrett! 570 00:25:50,966 --> 00:25:52,342 There's confusion. 571 00:25:52,342 --> 00:25:55,512 Like, they really don't know what's going on. 572 00:25:55,512 --> 00:25:58,557 The essence of professional wrestling through the 573 00:25:58,557 --> 00:26:02,936 generations has been the ability to blur the lines 574 00:26:02,936 --> 00:26:05,939 between what's not fiction and what's fiction. 575 00:26:05,939 --> 00:26:08,025 But the old promoter adage, 576 00:26:08,025 --> 00:26:09,777 "You confuse them, you lose them." 577 00:26:09,777 --> 00:26:12,988 We confused 'em, and we lost 'em. 578 00:26:12,988 --> 00:26:14,490 This can't be Jeff Jarrett, 579 00:26:14,490 --> 00:26:16,742 a man that grew up in this sport! 580 00:26:16,742 --> 00:26:18,952 Is there- what is going on? 581 00:26:18,952 --> 00:26:21,705 He just threw the world title to Hogan. 582 00:26:21,705 --> 00:26:23,749 What the hell? Now Russo. 583 00:26:23,749 --> 00:26:25,167 I'll be honest with ya. 584 00:26:25,167 --> 00:26:29,880 All I wanna make sure is this plan carries out the 585 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:34,176 exact same way I laid it out in the trailer. 586 00:26:34,176 --> 00:26:36,678 Jeff laid down, Hulk Hogan, 587 00:26:36,678 --> 00:26:38,639 you're going home with your belt. 588 00:26:38,639 --> 00:26:42,184 This is all part of the story. 589 00:26:42,184 --> 00:26:44,061 Is this your deal, Russo? 590 00:26:44,061 --> 00:26:45,687 [Commentary] Wow... 591 00:26:45,687 --> 00:26:47,815 That's why this company is in the damn shape it's in 592 00:26:47,815 --> 00:26:49,817 because of bullshit like this. 593 00:26:49,817 --> 00:26:52,236 [Cheering] 594 00:26:52,236 --> 00:26:54,279 Referee counted 1,2,3. 595 00:26:54,279 --> 00:26:56,990 And I rolled out to the ring and went straight to the back. 596 00:26:56,990 --> 00:26:59,451 [Cheering] 597 00:26:59,451 --> 00:27:02,496 My God, this is real life. 1,2,3. 598 00:27:02,496 --> 00:27:04,790 [Bell Tolling] 599 00:27:04,790 --> 00:27:06,667 Ladies and gentlemen, that is not something 600 00:27:06,667 --> 00:27:09,670 they go over with us at the production meeting. 601 00:27:09,670 --> 00:27:12,422 No, there are swerves and there are swerves. 602 00:27:12,422 --> 00:27:14,842 We've all been swerved. 603 00:27:14,842 --> 00:27:17,261 And we went forward exactly the way Hulk 604 00:27:17,261 --> 00:27:18,554 wanted to go forward. 605 00:27:18,554 --> 00:27:21,723 The audience believed that Hulk Hogan was pissed, 606 00:27:21,723 --> 00:27:24,226 and he took the belt and he left the building. 607 00:27:24,226 --> 00:27:25,978 It went according to plan. 608 00:27:25,978 --> 00:27:28,230 We jump in the limo, 609 00:27:28,230 --> 00:27:30,941 we leave the arena with the belt, 610 00:27:30,941 --> 00:27:33,986 we go to the airport. 611 00:27:33,986 --> 00:27:35,487 We're on the plane, 612 00:27:35,487 --> 00:27:39,324 we're high five-ing, cracking a beer, laughing. 613 00:27:39,324 --> 00:27:41,285 Everything went the way we wanted it to go. 614 00:27:41,285 --> 00:27:43,370 As Bischoff and Hogan leave the arena 615 00:27:43,370 --> 00:27:45,038 the show continues, 616 00:27:45,038 --> 00:27:47,875 but what happens next will be debated by wrestling fans and 617 00:27:47,875 --> 00:27:51,837 insiders for decades to come, as Vince Russo 618 00:27:51,837 --> 00:27:54,172 takes matters into his own hands. 619 00:27:54,172 --> 00:27:55,632 Well, here's Mr. Russo now. 620 00:27:55,632 --> 00:27:57,134 What the hell is next? 621 00:27:57,134 --> 00:27:59,636 30 minutes later the plane lands, 622 00:27:59,636 --> 00:28:02,764 and all of a sudden Hogan's phone is blowing up. 623 00:28:02,764 --> 00:28:06,268 ♪ 624 00:28:06,268 --> 00:28:08,020 And so is mine. 625 00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:08,979 Russo went out and 626 00:28:08,979 --> 00:28:13,525 cut this scathing promo and buried Hulk. 627 00:28:13,525 --> 00:28:15,861 This was like their big, great swerve, 628 00:28:15,861 --> 00:28:19,323 that somehow turned real when Russo does the promo 629 00:28:19,323 --> 00:28:21,825 later and things end up getting worse. 630 00:28:21,825 --> 00:28:23,744 There's only one way for me to do this and 631 00:28:23,744 --> 00:28:26,622 that's for me to tell it like it is. 632 00:28:26,622 --> 00:28:27,915 You know, bro, again, 633 00:28:27,915 --> 00:28:30,375 these are the things people hate me for. 634 00:28:30,375 --> 00:28:32,711 ♪ 635 00:28:38,133 --> 00:28:40,677 As agreed upon before the show even started, 636 00:28:40,677 --> 00:28:42,638 after Jeff Jarrett takes a dive, 637 00:28:42,638 --> 00:28:45,182 Hulk leaves the building with the belt, 638 00:28:45,182 --> 00:28:48,685 enraging and confusing the WCW audience. 639 00:28:48,685 --> 00:28:51,396 Now, to the surprise of everyone, 640 00:28:51,396 --> 00:28:54,107 Vince Russo makes his way out to the ring. 641 00:28:54,107 --> 00:28:55,609 Well, here's Mr. Russo now. 642 00:28:55,609 --> 00:28:57,694 -What the hell is next? -Now what? 643 00:28:57,694 --> 00:28:58,946 I don't know. 644 00:28:58,946 --> 00:29:03,116 Maybe Russo can explain to the world what we have seen. 645 00:29:03,116 --> 00:29:06,954 My entire life, every promo I've ever cut... 646 00:29:06,954 --> 00:29:09,247 There's only one way for me to do this and 647 00:29:09,247 --> 00:29:12,084 that's for me to tell it like it is. 648 00:29:12,084 --> 00:29:14,920 I don't know what I'm going to say. 649 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,923 I am in the moment. 650 00:29:17,923 --> 00:29:21,301 That's real, and that's what people believe. 651 00:29:21,301 --> 00:29:22,886 Here's where the story is. 652 00:29:22,886 --> 00:29:24,972 Here's where my character is. 653 00:29:24,972 --> 00:29:26,098 Go. 654 00:29:26,098 --> 00:29:28,892 Let me tell you people what happened out here 655 00:29:28,892 --> 00:29:30,560 in this ring tonight. 656 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,189 All day long I'm playing politics with Hulk Hogan, 657 00:29:34,189 --> 00:29:36,733 because Hulk Hogan, tonight, 658 00:29:36,733 --> 00:29:42,114 wants to play his creative control card. 659 00:29:42,114 --> 00:29:46,743 And to Hulk Hogan that meant that tonight 660 00:29:46,743 --> 00:29:51,039 in the middle of this ring, when he knew it was bullshit, 661 00:29:51,039 --> 00:29:53,458 he beats Jeff Jarrett. 662 00:29:53,458 --> 00:29:55,168 Because of Russo's crazy booking style 663 00:29:55,168 --> 00:29:57,254 we're all like, "Is this the plan? 664 00:29:57,254 --> 00:29:58,630 Are they working us? 665 00:29:58,630 --> 00:30:00,590 If this was the plan, it's stupid, 666 00:30:00,590 --> 00:30:02,509 and if it's not the plan, it's even stupider." 667 00:30:02,509 --> 00:30:03,427 We're all just sitting there going, 668 00:30:03,427 --> 00:30:05,303 "What the hell is going on?" 669 00:30:05,303 --> 00:30:07,973 And let me tell you who doesn't give a shit about 670 00:30:07,973 --> 00:30:12,978 this company, that goddamn politician Hulk Hogan. 671 00:30:12,978 --> 00:30:16,273 Hogan got his belt and he went the hell home, 672 00:30:16,273 --> 00:30:19,735 and I promise everybody or else I'll go in the goddamn 673 00:30:19,735 --> 00:30:24,322 grave, you will never see that piece of shit again. 674 00:30:24,322 --> 00:30:26,074 Adding to the confusion of the moment, 675 00:30:26,074 --> 00:30:30,078 Russo shocks the crowd by announcing a new main event. 676 00:30:30,078 --> 00:30:34,416 Hulk Hogan now has the WCW belt. 677 00:30:34,416 --> 00:30:37,044 That belt don't mean shit! 678 00:30:37,044 --> 00:30:41,006 Jeff Jarrett is still the official WCW champion and 679 00:30:41,006 --> 00:30:45,218 he will defend that title tonight in this ring 680 00:30:45,218 --> 00:30:47,929 against Booker T, 681 00:30:47,929 --> 00:30:51,767 who for 14 years has been busting his ass 682 00:30:51,767 --> 00:30:55,020 in WCW and can't get a goddamn break, 683 00:30:55,020 --> 00:30:57,147 because of the Hulk Hogan. 684 00:30:57,147 --> 00:31:00,192 There were real emotions 685 00:31:00,192 --> 00:31:03,612 being fuelled during that promo 686 00:31:03,612 --> 00:31:06,448 because I had it up to here with the wrestling shit. 687 00:31:06,448 --> 00:31:07,741 I really did, bro. 688 00:31:07,741 --> 00:31:09,910 I was over and I was done with it. 689 00:31:09,910 --> 00:31:12,287 [Cheering] 690 00:31:12,287 --> 00:31:15,165 And Hogan, you big bald son of a bitch, 691 00:31:15,165 --> 00:31:17,209 kiss my ass. 692 00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:19,961 [Cheering] 693 00:31:19,961 --> 00:31:22,130 ♪ 694 00:31:22,130 --> 00:31:23,757 That was... that was not on the formats, 695 00:31:23,757 --> 00:31:25,467 that was not in the production meeting, 696 00:31:25,467 --> 00:31:27,761 that was nowhere to be found anywhere until this. 697 00:31:27,761 --> 00:31:30,722 We do have Booker T now against Jeff Jarrett 698 00:31:30,722 --> 00:31:32,641 for the WCW title. 699 00:31:32,641 --> 00:31:35,852 That was just booked, that's added to tonight. 700 00:31:35,852 --> 00:31:39,564 My plan for the main event, Booker T beats Jeff Jarrett 701 00:31:39,564 --> 00:31:42,359 and becomes the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. 702 00:31:42,359 --> 00:31:43,944 Booker doesn't see Jarrett. 703 00:31:43,944 --> 00:31:47,280 [Shouting and cheering] 704 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:49,991 So, Hogan, congratulations enjoy the title, 705 00:31:49,991 --> 00:31:51,118 that's the fake title. 706 00:31:51,118 --> 00:31:53,203 The real title is gonna be represented 707 00:31:53,203 --> 00:31:54,871 in the match with Jarrett. 708 00:31:54,871 --> 00:31:56,289 Booker goes over. 709 00:31:56,289 --> 00:31:58,667 We've got a new champion! Oh my God! 710 00:31:58,667 --> 00:32:01,419 Booker T is the world champion! 711 00:32:01,419 --> 00:32:03,130 Booker T is the champ! 712 00:32:03,130 --> 00:32:08,677 Oh my God, bro, I knew Hulk was going to be pissed. 713 00:32:08,677 --> 00:32:13,765 Everybody is believing this 1000%, 714 00:32:13,765 --> 00:32:16,226 and all I'm reading is, 715 00:32:16,226 --> 00:32:19,563 "Vince Russo finally put Hulk Hogan in his place. 716 00:32:19,563 --> 00:32:22,482 Vince Russo finally told Hulk Hogan 717 00:32:22,482 --> 00:32:24,943 what should have been said to him years ago." 718 00:32:24,943 --> 00:32:27,195 I'm reading this and I'm saying, 719 00:32:27,195 --> 00:32:29,781 "He is going to have 720 00:32:29,781 --> 00:32:33,994 a severe problem with it." 721 00:32:33,994 --> 00:32:37,956 [Eric] When Hulk gets really, really angry... 722 00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:40,250 he gets very quiet. 723 00:32:40,250 --> 00:32:42,085 Like, when he stops talking, 724 00:32:42,085 --> 00:32:44,588 that's when you need to start worrying. 725 00:32:44,588 --> 00:32:49,009 And he got real quiet after that, like, real quiet. 726 00:32:49,009 --> 00:32:51,803 Russo claims he pitched this entire storyline to Hulk and 727 00:32:51,803 --> 00:32:55,265 Eric in the trailer, and that they agreed. 728 00:32:55,265 --> 00:32:59,186 Every single thing on that show was 729 00:32:59,186 --> 00:33:01,938 what was discussed in that trailer. 730 00:33:01,938 --> 00:33:03,148 Everything. 731 00:33:03,148 --> 00:33:05,692 From Jarrett laying down, to them leaving, 732 00:33:05,692 --> 00:33:07,777 to me cutting the promo, 733 00:33:07,777 --> 00:33:10,488 to Booker T winning the title at the end. 734 00:33:10,488 --> 00:33:14,075 It was exactly the way I laid it out to 735 00:33:14,075 --> 00:33:15,535 Hogan in the trailer. 736 00:33:15,535 --> 00:33:17,454 That was never my plan. 737 00:33:17,454 --> 00:33:20,373 I guarantee you it wasn't Hulk Hogan's plan. 738 00:33:20,373 --> 00:33:23,335 And, by the way, Hulk Hogan had creative control, 739 00:33:23,335 --> 00:33:26,296 and we certainly didn't know that Booker T was gonna 740 00:33:26,296 --> 00:33:28,757 walk out as the world champion. 741 00:33:28,757 --> 00:33:31,426 Because Hulk Hogan had that world title and was going to 742 00:33:31,426 --> 00:33:34,221 bring it back in October at Halloween Havoc. 743 00:33:34,221 --> 00:33:35,680 That was the plan. 744 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:38,183 Oh my God, that was part of the plan! 745 00:33:38,183 --> 00:33:40,519 This is a key point. 746 00:33:40,519 --> 00:33:45,607 The reason you have to leave the building is because 747 00:33:45,607 --> 00:33:48,610 if I go out there and cut a scathing promo on you, 748 00:33:48,610 --> 00:33:50,278 and you're still in the building, 749 00:33:50,278 --> 00:33:51,905 you're gonna have to come kill me. 750 00:33:51,905 --> 00:33:53,031 Russo may believe it, 751 00:33:53,031 --> 00:33:54,449 but that's where the pathological part of 752 00:33:54,449 --> 00:33:56,701 being a pathological liar comes in. 753 00:33:56,701 --> 00:33:59,663 None of that was discussed in advance. 754 00:33:59,663 --> 00:34:01,915 None of that was approved by me. 755 00:34:01,915 --> 00:34:04,334 None of it was approved by Hulk Hogan. 756 00:34:04,334 --> 00:34:06,878 It was just the most unprofessional thing that 757 00:34:06,878 --> 00:34:10,674 I'd ever seen in 30 years of television. 758 00:34:10,674 --> 00:34:13,843 The next morning an incensed Hogan calls in to a 759 00:34:13,843 --> 00:34:17,180 local Tampa radio show to rage at Russo. 760 00:34:17,180 --> 00:34:20,308 His anger isn't for show, it's for real. 761 00:34:48,086 --> 00:34:49,337 Ha! 762 00:34:49,337 --> 00:34:52,299 Did I know that Hulk Hogan was gonna take legal action? 763 00:34:52,299 --> 00:34:54,884 How could you not? How could you not? 764 00:34:54,884 --> 00:34:57,721 ♪ 765 00:35:01,808 --> 00:35:04,561 Infuriated by the events at Bash of the Beach, 766 00:35:04,561 --> 00:35:09,065 Hulk Hogan takes legal action against Vince Russo and WCW. 767 00:35:09,065 --> 00:35:12,861 Because Hulk Hogan tonight wants to play 768 00:35:12,861 --> 00:35:16,031 his creative control card. 769 00:35:16,031 --> 00:35:18,366 Hogan files lawsuits for defamation and 770 00:35:18,366 --> 00:35:20,660 breach of contract, asserting that 771 00:35:20,660 --> 00:35:23,038 Russo's off-script tirade was a part of 772 00:35:23,038 --> 00:35:24,789 the match outcome, 773 00:35:24,789 --> 00:35:27,792 and violated his creative control clause. 774 00:35:27,792 --> 00:35:30,086 I believe Hogan felt double crossed, 775 00:35:30,086 --> 00:35:33,048 and whether Russo actually double crossed him, 776 00:35:33,048 --> 00:35:34,549 or he just got carried away and said shit 777 00:35:34,549 --> 00:35:36,134 he shouldn't have, I have no idea. 778 00:35:36,134 --> 00:35:40,138 But it's like, okay, you don't file lawsuits 779 00:35:40,138 --> 00:35:42,474 if this is just part of a storyline. 780 00:35:42,474 --> 00:35:46,227 It gets to a judge and the judge basically says, 781 00:35:46,227 --> 00:35:48,938 "Let me get this straight. This is a wrestling show. 782 00:35:48,938 --> 00:35:52,067 Vince Russo is in a wrestling ring." 783 00:35:52,067 --> 00:35:57,072 "He is cutting a promo on a wrestling character, 784 00:35:57,072 --> 00:36:00,492 where is the defamation of character?" 785 00:36:00,492 --> 00:36:02,285 Like, Hulk, you're really suing him for this? 786 00:36:02,285 --> 00:36:03,286 Shut up. 787 00:36:03,286 --> 00:36:05,538 I would not have been a good witness for that. 788 00:36:05,538 --> 00:36:07,248 [Sighing] Strange times. 789 00:36:07,248 --> 00:36:09,084 [Laughing] 790 00:36:09,084 --> 00:36:12,670 I am cutting my promo on Hulk Hogan, 791 00:36:12,670 --> 00:36:16,716 not Terry Bollea. This is a story. 792 00:36:16,716 --> 00:36:21,679 Vince Russo is a character, Hulk Hogan is a character. 793 00:36:21,679 --> 00:36:25,392 If Vince Russo takes the position that because he was 794 00:36:25,392 --> 00:36:30,021 performing it as a character that took creative liberties 795 00:36:30,021 --> 00:36:33,316 with another professional, that that somehow makes it 796 00:36:33,316 --> 00:36:39,489 legal and okay, is a reflection of the man's ignorance. 797 00:36:39,489 --> 00:36:41,991 He's got more than a problem with facts and truth, 798 00:36:41,991 --> 00:36:44,452 he's got a problem with reality. 799 00:36:44,452 --> 00:36:47,330 And the first judge threw it out. 800 00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:50,291 They appealed it, and it went to a second judge. 801 00:36:50,291 --> 00:36:51,418 First of all, I don't think that it went to 802 00:36:51,418 --> 00:36:53,628 multiple courts to begin with. 803 00:36:53,628 --> 00:36:56,089 It's not like they took it to the Supreme Court 804 00:36:56,089 --> 00:36:57,882 for crying out loud. 805 00:36:57,882 --> 00:37:01,886 The sworn depositions reveal a key piece of information- 806 00:37:01,886 --> 00:37:04,597 That two days prior to Bash at the Beach, 807 00:37:04,597 --> 00:37:08,143 a fax was sent to the WCW head office. 808 00:37:08,143 --> 00:37:13,189 I found out after the WCW office is closed, 809 00:37:13,189 --> 00:37:15,942 Hulk Hogan's attorney 810 00:37:15,942 --> 00:37:20,613 faxes a letter to the WCW office 811 00:37:20,613 --> 00:37:25,743 saying, "Hulk Hogan is not approving that script." 812 00:37:25,743 --> 00:37:29,038 I have no idea of this. 813 00:37:29,038 --> 00:37:30,832 Here's why that doesn't hold up. 814 00:37:30,832 --> 00:37:33,543 It was never a discussion or a debate 815 00:37:33,543 --> 00:37:36,129 between Hulk and me and Russo, 816 00:37:36,129 --> 00:37:38,381 as to whether or not we were going to do 817 00:37:38,381 --> 00:37:41,217 something other than what Hulk and I had laid out. 818 00:37:41,217 --> 00:37:44,679 It wasn't up for debate, therefore why would... 819 00:37:44,679 --> 00:37:48,600 why would there be this after hours fax excuse? 820 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,311 I mean, I'm trying to decide between two dishonest people, 821 00:37:51,311 --> 00:37:53,646 discussing something from twenty years ago, 822 00:37:53,646 --> 00:37:55,398 to do with a fax. 823 00:37:55,398 --> 00:37:57,275 Yeah, I don't remember a fax, but, you know, 824 00:37:57,275 --> 00:38:00,153 I never heard the fax story. I'll just say that. 825 00:38:00,153 --> 00:38:03,490 ♪ 826 00:38:03,490 --> 00:38:06,701 ♪ 827 00:38:06,701 --> 00:38:09,913 The fax exposes Hulk Hogan's real intentions 828 00:38:09,913 --> 00:38:13,583 to maximize the full strength of his creative control, 829 00:38:13,583 --> 00:38:17,128 and refuse any storyline Russo proposed. 830 00:38:17,128 --> 00:38:19,088 Russo triumphs in the courtroom, 831 00:38:19,088 --> 00:38:21,966 as an appeals court affirms that fictional characters 832 00:38:21,966 --> 00:38:23,885 cannot be defamed. 833 00:38:23,885 --> 00:38:26,513 However, it's Hogan who emerges victorious 834 00:38:26,513 --> 00:38:29,098 in his battle against WCW. 835 00:38:29,098 --> 00:38:32,352 Hulk made the decision the night of Bash at the Beach 836 00:38:32,352 --> 00:38:35,730 that, "I probably will not get renewed, 837 00:38:35,730 --> 00:38:39,651 so how can I get another paycheque from 838 00:38:39,651 --> 00:38:41,986 AOL Time Warner?" And that's through litigation. 839 00:38:50,078 --> 00:38:52,247 Well, Hulk Hogan was a key to building the company, 840 00:38:52,247 --> 00:38:53,915 and he obviously had the biggest name, 841 00:38:53,915 --> 00:38:56,543 but nothing is forever, and he'd been there too long and 842 00:38:56,543 --> 00:38:57,961 he became the face of failure. 843 00:38:57,961 --> 00:39:01,047 So, at that point he was getting paid so much, 844 00:39:01,047 --> 00:39:04,092 but he couldn't draw ratings to a great degree anymore, 845 00:39:04,092 --> 00:39:06,678 and people weren't going to go and pay to see Hulk Hogan 846 00:39:06,678 --> 00:39:09,013 matches that they'd seen for all those years. 847 00:39:09,013 --> 00:39:10,974 There was really nothing left to do with him. 848 00:39:10,974 --> 00:39:14,185 [Eric] And then you have scumbags like Dave Meltzer, 849 00:39:14,185 --> 00:39:17,063 who is nothing more than a useful idiot. 850 00:39:17,063 --> 00:39:18,731 Even though he calls himself a journalist, 851 00:39:18,731 --> 00:39:21,234 Dave Meltzer to this day hates Hulk Hogan. 852 00:39:21,234 --> 00:39:23,903 What Hulk Hogan was trying to achieve that night 853 00:39:23,903 --> 00:39:26,197 remains clouded in uncertainty. 854 00:39:26,197 --> 00:39:28,157 You know, I've asked myself that through the years. 855 00:39:28,157 --> 00:39:30,076 What was Hogan's vision? 856 00:39:30,076 --> 00:39:32,745 What was the upside? What was the ultimate plan? 857 00:39:32,745 --> 00:39:35,415 Was it to create so much controversy, 858 00:39:35,415 --> 00:39:37,458 or to get eyeballs on the product? 859 00:39:37,458 --> 00:39:40,670 Was it to be his version of a Montreal Screw Job, 860 00:39:40,670 --> 00:39:42,964 or his version of a... 861 00:39:42,964 --> 00:39:45,967 of a publicity stunt? I don't know. 862 00:39:45,967 --> 00:39:47,802 We certainly know the results of it, 863 00:39:47,802 --> 00:39:51,806 but I have no idea what his vision was. 864 00:39:51,806 --> 00:39:53,600 And Turner settled. I mean- 865 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:56,227 [Laughing] This is, this is fun. 866 00:39:56,227 --> 00:39:59,272 Because I sat with Hulk and his attorney Henry Holmes 867 00:39:59,272 --> 00:40:00,982 they day that they settled that. 868 00:40:00,982 --> 00:40:03,568 They took me out to dinner and told me what happened. 869 00:40:03,568 --> 00:40:05,153 They never gave me the amount, 870 00:40:05,153 --> 00:40:09,407 that was confidential, but I know it was 871 00:40:09,407 --> 00:40:13,578 well, well into seven figures. 872 00:40:13,578 --> 00:40:16,664 Some folks play chess while others are playing checkers. 873 00:40:16,664 --> 00:40:18,374 The night at Bash at the Beach, 874 00:40:18,374 --> 00:40:20,752 Hulk decided to start playing chess, 875 00:40:20,752 --> 00:40:23,254 and he had the patience, and he cashed out. 876 00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:25,882 ♪ 877 00:40:30,053 --> 00:40:31,095 What's Jeff doing? 878 00:40:31,095 --> 00:40:34,098 Russo I think told Jarrett to lay down, what's going on? 879 00:40:34,098 --> 00:40:36,851 The facts of what actually went down at 880 00:40:36,851 --> 00:40:40,480 Bash at the Beach 2000 will forever be murky. 881 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:42,398 But what was clear to fans that night 882 00:40:42,398 --> 00:40:45,234 was that the chaos and confusion only 883 00:40:45,234 --> 00:40:47,987 underscored the disorder and disintegration 884 00:40:47,987 --> 00:40:50,031 at the heart of the company. 885 00:40:50,031 --> 00:40:51,908 It was the reality the night this happened, 886 00:40:51,908 --> 00:40:54,702 and it's the reality as I sit here today saying this. 887 00:40:54,702 --> 00:40:57,997 In a business that gave him everything, 888 00:40:57,997 --> 00:41:00,249 and that's what he gave back. 889 00:41:00,249 --> 00:41:04,462 It's about the most self-centred, egotistical, 890 00:41:04,462 --> 00:41:09,342 power playing move, that only benefitted Hulk. 891 00:41:09,342 --> 00:41:11,636 And that's the reality. 892 00:41:11,636 --> 00:41:15,139 But I mean as far as a storyline based on 893 00:41:15,139 --> 00:41:17,100 what they were doing at the time, 894 00:41:17,100 --> 00:41:19,143 it was something that would get people talking, 895 00:41:19,143 --> 00:41:20,937 and could've built to something. 896 00:41:20,937 --> 00:41:22,689 So I did like Booker T being champion, 897 00:41:22,689 --> 00:41:24,065 I thought that was cool. You know, 898 00:41:24,065 --> 00:41:26,442 it's not same old same old Hulk Hogan champion, right? 899 00:41:26,442 --> 00:41:29,028 So, I guess I did like that. 900 00:41:29,028 --> 00:41:30,405 I do remember that. You know thinking, "Ah." 901 00:41:30,405 --> 00:41:32,407 You know, "At least it's something new." 902 00:41:32,407 --> 00:41:33,574 [Cheering] 903 00:41:33,574 --> 00:41:35,743 And let me tell you who doesn't give a shit about 904 00:41:35,743 --> 00:41:40,581 this company, that goddamn politician Hulk Hogan. 905 00:41:40,581 --> 00:41:45,461 It was destined for failure from the beginning. 906 00:41:45,461 --> 00:41:47,088 At the end of it all, 907 00:41:47,088 --> 00:41:48,548 I don't think that Bash on the Beach 908 00:41:48,548 --> 00:41:51,592 was the nail in the coffin for WCW. 909 00:41:51,592 --> 00:41:53,428 You see what is says right here? 910 00:41:53,428 --> 00:41:56,139 This is my ass, if you will. 911 00:41:56,139 --> 00:41:57,140 You know what I mean? It was like 912 00:41:57,140 --> 00:41:58,182 the gig was already up. 913 00:41:58,182 --> 00:41:59,851 It was just kind of a floundering company. 914 00:41:59,851 --> 00:42:03,688 WCW was a star that became a supernova, 915 00:42:03,688 --> 00:42:06,190 and then burned itself out. 916 00:42:06,190 --> 00:42:09,986 In its dying days, WCW is snapped up by its longtime 917 00:42:09,986 --> 00:42:13,406 arch-rival Vince McMahon and the WWF, 918 00:42:13,406 --> 00:42:16,784 despite having an attractive offer on the table from 919 00:42:16,784 --> 00:42:18,286 a venture capital firm, 920 00:42:18,286 --> 00:42:21,205 spearheaded by Eric Bischoff. 921 00:42:21,205 --> 00:42:24,709 The deal for us to purchase WCW was for $67 million, 922 00:42:24,709 --> 00:42:28,337 we buy all the assets, and we get placement 923 00:42:28,337 --> 00:42:30,715 on Monday nights and Thursday nights. 924 00:42:30,715 --> 00:42:32,425 That was our deal. 925 00:42:32,425 --> 00:42:34,177 And I get a phone call. 926 00:42:34,177 --> 00:42:36,012 They said, "Eric, it's done." 927 00:42:36,012 --> 00:42:38,139 I thought he meant the deal was done. 928 00:42:38,139 --> 00:42:40,808 Like, "Pew!" We own a wrestling company. 929 00:42:40,808 --> 00:42:43,227 I'm about ready to jump up and start dancing. 930 00:42:43,227 --> 00:42:44,479 I said, "You mean it's done?" 931 00:42:44,479 --> 00:42:45,813 He goes, "No, Eric, you don't get it. 932 00:42:45,813 --> 00:42:49,108 It's over, there's no deal. 933 00:42:49,108 --> 00:42:51,277 Turner took it off the table." 934 00:42:51,277 --> 00:42:54,280 It took a minute for that to sink in. 935 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,157 It was a fire sale at the end. 936 00:42:56,157 --> 00:42:57,784 Time Warner wanted to get rid of wrestling. 937 00:42:57,784 --> 00:43:01,287 I think it was like $2.5 million for the actual WCW, 938 00:43:01,287 --> 00:43:03,873 and I think it was $1.7 million more for, um, 939 00:43:03,873 --> 00:43:04,999 the tape library. 940 00:43:04,999 --> 00:43:07,043 It was definitely the equivalent of, um, 941 00:43:07,043 --> 00:43:09,504 you know, buying Manhattan for $25. 942 00:43:09,504 --> 00:43:10,797 That's right. 943 00:43:10,797 --> 00:43:14,926 I own WCW. 944 00:43:14,926 --> 00:43:16,719 [Eric] I have zero regrets, man. 945 00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:18,221 I have zero regrets. 946 00:43:18,221 --> 00:43:20,139 You know, regret to me is a negative thing, 947 00:43:20,139 --> 00:43:21,933 it's like baggage. 948 00:43:21,933 --> 00:43:25,436 I try not to carry any baggage with me at all. 949 00:43:25,436 --> 00:43:28,606 [Jeff] I've said this about Vince Russo. 950 00:43:28,606 --> 00:43:32,777 Vince is a guy who's very passionate, like a lot of us, 951 00:43:32,777 --> 00:43:35,571 and does what he thinks 952 00:43:35,571 --> 00:43:38,783 the viewer wants... 953 00:43:38,783 --> 00:43:41,077 to watch. 954 00:43:41,077 --> 00:43:44,080 And he's had successes and he's had failures, 955 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:46,582 like all of us. 956 00:43:46,582 --> 00:43:49,460 Do you know how little this shit matters? 957 00:43:49,460 --> 00:43:53,297 It is a form of entertainment. 958 00:43:53,297 --> 00:43:55,591 At the end of the day 959 00:43:55,591 --> 00:43:59,512 I don't hate any of these people, bro. 960 00:43:59,512 --> 00:44:01,973 This was a job. 961 00:44:01,973 --> 00:44:04,225 People ask me all the time today, 962 00:44:04,225 --> 00:44:05,643 "Vince, what is your advice 963 00:44:05,643 --> 00:44:07,186 to get into the wrestling business"? 964 00:44:07,186 --> 00:44:09,564 And I tell them, "Don't."