Hide Article Text (OCR)
By Chris Woodward © TV Data Features Syndicate To many, the World Wrestling Federation is synonymous with professional wrestling much the same way Kleenex is synony mous with tissues. And it’s now truer than ever. The WWF has purchased World Champi onship Wrestling, making it the only national wrestling promotion in the country. In a strange twist of events, it took less than a week for Vince McMahon to seize control of the wrestling world, something he began working toward more than 18 years ago with the birth of Hulkamania and his na tional expansion of the WWF. As 2001 began, there were three national companies vying for the attention of fans. Ex treme Championship Wrestling was having troubles, and within months, owner Paul Heyman and many of his wrestlers were working for the WWF, which was clearly at the top of the game. Despite a slight ratings dip as it adjusted to the transition of being on TNN after decades as a staple of USA Net work, the WWF was doing fine. Time Warner, on the heels of its merger with AOL, had announced its intentions to sell WCW to Fusient Media Ventures, with the idea that former WCW President Eric Bischoff would assume control of the compa ny. However, this deal hinged on Time Warn er agreeing to continue broadcasting the WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Thunder shows on TNT and TBS. Time Warner, not wanting any further involvement with wrestling after losing $80 million with WCW last year, canceled all WCW programming. This meant that any company wanting to buy WCW would have to establish its own televi sion exposure. Fusient did not want to buy the company without a television deal in place, and when a last-ditch effort to work something out with Fox failed, Fusient retracted its bid. That's when Vince McMahon and the WWF went into action. Without the television time slots on the Turner networks, the undis closed price for WCW was lowered. The WWF purchased the company only days before its final TNT broadcast. It even used that final show to inform peo ple the WWF now owned WCW, and it set up a wrestling story line where McMahon's son Shane would run the new acquisition. It is expected that WCW, at least for as long as the WWF keeps it a separate entity, will air on TNN in either a late-night Friday or Saturday time slot. Vince McMahon has a stranglehold on the pro wrestling industry. Although there are a few regional promotions with local TV cover age, all nationally broadcast wrestling now is controlled by the WWF While rumors have surfaced that another national group may be forming, for the time being, McMahon is king of the ring The man who once proclaimed himself the “Walt Disney of wrestling has managed to turn North America into his own magic king dom. Chris Woodward is editor of the Wrestling Lariat newsletter and a contribu tor to numerous wrestling publications and Websites, including www. 1wrestling.com. Vince McMahon
Newspaper Details
Ironwood Daily Globe
Ironwood, Michigan, US
Fri, Apr 06, 2001
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Brandon C.
USA 15 Jun 2026
Other Publications Near Ironwood, Michigan
Daily Globe
Ironwood Daily Globe
Ironwood Gogebic Advocate
Interstate News Record
Ironwood Inter State News
