1 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:13,680 As the new millennium dawned, the once industry -dominating world championship 2 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:20,500 wrestling was struggling to keep pace with their rival, the World Wrestling 3 00:00:20,500 --> 00:00:21,500 Federation. 4 00:00:24,980 --> 00:00:31,600 In many ways, WCW's fortunes and future 5 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,660 hinged on one key event. 6 00:00:34,170 --> 00:00:35,350 Bash at the Beach 2000. 7 00:00:35,870 --> 00:00:39,110 Candidly, one of the biggest disasters of my entire career. 8 00:00:39,430 --> 00:00:43,990 Bash at the Beach was one of WCW's biggest annual pay -per -view events. 9 00:00:44,610 --> 00:00:49,850 And in the year 2000, it was the stage for an epic clash between two of 10 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:52,690 wrestling's most controversial creative talents. 11 00:00:53,110 --> 00:00:56,850 And I promise you will never see that piece of shit again! 12 00:00:57,210 --> 00:01:00,270 I think Vince Russo is motivated by attention. 13 00:01:00,550 --> 00:01:01,550 I don't know why. 14 00:01:02,030 --> 00:01:04,230 I didn't know if he didn't get enough when he was a little kid. 15 00:01:04,489 --> 00:01:09,970 Eric represented everything I despise in the wrestling business. 16 00:01:10,250 --> 00:01:14,850 And, bro, I'll tell you, you're never going to outwork me because I'm better 17 00:01:14,850 --> 00:01:15,850 than you. 18 00:01:16,130 --> 00:01:19,550 If he believes that, he's got a problem with reality. 19 00:01:20,090 --> 00:01:25,190 The incident at Bash at the Beach 2000 is one in which every participant has 20 00:01:25,190 --> 00:01:28,190 their own version of what actually took place that night. 21 00:01:28,470 --> 00:01:29,710 And I said, Hulk. 22 00:01:30,170 --> 00:01:33,710 You're not walking out of here the WCW champion. 23 00:01:33,990 --> 00:01:38,190 That is not happening. What's Jeff doing? Now the script's out the window. 24 00:01:38,230 --> 00:01:41,350 What's going to happen? And it's like, nobody wants to watch wrestling and see 25 00:01:41,350 --> 00:01:45,610 that. It was one of the dumbest things I ever saw. And Hogan, you big bald son 26 00:01:45,610 --> 00:01:48,150 of a bitch, kiss my ass! 27 00:01:48,870 --> 00:01:50,450 That was never my plan. 28 00:01:50,750 --> 00:01:54,210 Now I'm really pissed off. Hogan's pretty sensitive about being called 29 00:01:54,390 --> 00:01:55,510 even though he doesn't have any hair. 30 00:01:56,270 --> 00:01:59,850 Did I know that Hulk Hogan was going to take legal action? How could you not? 31 00:02:00,130 --> 00:02:03,650 There will come a time, there will come a place when I will tell the entire 32 00:02:03,650 --> 00:02:05,550 story of what happened at Bash at the Beach. 33 00:02:06,310 --> 00:02:12,410 The legacy of Bash at the Beach, the single biggest black eye in WCW history. 34 00:02:23,660 --> 00:02:28,640 I despise the wrestling business, bro. I despise the people in it. You cannot be 35 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:34,940 a good person and exist in the wrestling business. You can't, bro, because you 36 00:02:34,940 --> 00:02:36,580 enter a shark tank. 37 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:43,100 And unless you become a shark, they will eat you alive. 38 00:02:43,860 --> 00:02:50,080 My name is Vince Russo. I was in the wrestling business since 1991, so I'm 39 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:51,400 on 32 years now. 40 00:02:52,910 --> 00:02:59,710 You can boo all you want. That doesn't change the fact that I'm better than 41 00:02:59,930 --> 00:03:02,390 What I'm looking for tonight is ratings. 42 00:03:02,790 --> 00:03:03,970 Big ratings. 43 00:03:04,290 --> 00:03:06,970 And we're going to deliver, you son of a bitch. 44 00:03:09,450 --> 00:03:13,730 Vince, we've got to know, who is the WCW World's Heavyweight Champion? 45 00:03:14,510 --> 00:03:15,510 Question? 46 00:03:15,830 --> 00:03:18,970 Question? There is no question, Mike. There's no question. Who's here with the 47 00:03:18,970 --> 00:03:19,970 belt? 48 00:03:20,170 --> 00:03:22,310 Overall, do you think Vince Russo? 49 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,340 then more harm or good for wrestling? 50 00:03:28,180 --> 00:03:29,180 Harm. 51 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,380 Yeah, I would say long -term harm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 52 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,900 In the 1990s, professional wrestling is bigger and hotter than it has ever been 53 00:03:39,900 --> 00:03:45,260 before. As industry leader Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation 54 00:03:45,260 --> 00:03:49,000 serious challenge to its popularity by an aggressive challenger. 55 00:03:49,660 --> 00:03:52,300 Billionaire Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. 56 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,480 WWF would have been the dominant company from 84 through, I would say, 96. 57 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,120 And in 96 it flipped over and WCW was dominant. 58 00:04:03,980 --> 00:04:07,060 My name is Dave Meltzer and I'm the editor of the Wrestling Observer 59 00:04:07,060 --> 00:04:09,820 and I've been covering pro wrestling since the early 1970s. 60 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,660 The flaw of Vince McMahon is he only thinks a certain thing works. That's it. 61 00:04:13,740 --> 00:04:16,300 And there's a million things in wrestling that when done well can work. 62 00:04:16,860 --> 00:04:20,920 As both companies engage in a fierce ratings war, pitting their Monday night 63 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:26,000 shows against each other, the rise of WCW is led by its ambitious young 64 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,040 president, Eric Bischoff. 65 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,860 I decided the only way I was going to be successful was to be different. 66 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:38,040 I listed all of the things that made WWE successful, and I decided to do exactly 67 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,100 the opposite of what they were doing. 68 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,200 I'm Eric Bischoff, former president of WCW. 69 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:50,120 I'm the first one that created a weekly live television format for professional 70 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:52,640 wrestling. I looked at the WWE and they were taped. 71 00:04:52,900 --> 00:04:56,160 And I thought, you know, wrestling needs to be live. When it's live, the 72 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:57,660 audience has to watch it. 73 00:04:58,140 --> 00:05:02,360 WCW before Nitro was just a really bad, cheap imitation of WWE. 74 00:05:02,740 --> 00:05:05,540 It was just silly, silly, childish stuff. 75 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:12,460 They were ignoring 76 00:05:12,460 --> 00:05:14,220 men 18 to 39. 77 00:05:14,970 --> 00:05:16,770 So I thought, okay, there's my opportunity. 78 00:05:17,130 --> 00:05:21,630 I began wondering, how can I transition into more reality -based product? 79 00:05:22,070 --> 00:05:25,670 Eric produced a different kind of a television show than had ever been done 80 00:05:25,670 --> 00:05:28,470 before. He was just ahead of the game, and Vince was behind the times. 81 00:05:28,910 --> 00:05:34,410 Before launching Monday Nitro, Bischoff aimed to legitimize WCW by headhunting 82 00:05:34,410 --> 00:05:39,050 major talent, poaching Vince McMahon's biggest star to be the new face of his 83 00:05:39,050 --> 00:05:42,490 company. We're the number two wrestling company in the world. We're a fraction 84 00:05:42,490 --> 00:05:43,870 of the WWE's ratings. 85 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:49,560 And bringing in Hulk Hogan changed the perception of WCW. It was a seismic 86 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:53,220 shift. I mean, I remember Eric telling me, where Hogan goes, goes the money. 87 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:54,360 That was his thing. 88 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,020 And all of a sudden, my phone rings one day, and it's my buddy Diamond Dallas 89 00:05:58,020 --> 00:06:01,940 Page. And he said, Eric, you know, Scott Hall wants to leave WWE. 90 00:06:02,300 --> 00:06:05,980 He was raising Ramon there. So I do the deal with Scott Hall, and about a week 91 00:06:05,980 --> 00:06:08,340 after that, I get a call from Kevin Nash. 92 00:06:08,980 --> 00:06:09,980 Same thing. 93 00:06:10,460 --> 00:06:14,060 Bam. The light bulb went off in my head. There's my storyline. 94 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:15,860 There's my reality. 95 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:21,320 The NWO, the new world order. 96 00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:31,300 We left WWE in the dust, in 97 00:06:31,300 --> 00:06:31,999 the dust. 98 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,120 We weren't just beating them. We were beating them badly. 99 00:06:35,460 --> 00:06:41,200 But the WWF isn't down for the count as fans eventually begin gravitating to a 100 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:42,920 new generation of superstars. 101 00:06:43,420 --> 00:06:48,200 and a radical new approach to wrestling storylines introduced by a brash young 102 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:49,800 writer named Vince Russo. 103 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:56,200 Writing a wrestling show is not rocket science. And one of the things I said to 104 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:01,660 Vince when I first sat down with him, Vince, that wrestling handbook gets 105 00:07:01,660 --> 00:07:07,680 out the window. And I said, Vince, from now on, they think we're going to go 106 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:13,790 left. We're going to go right now. All of a sudden, week to week to week, they 107 00:07:13,790 --> 00:07:20,450 don't know what's going to happen. The idea of Crash TV is I am writing that TV 108 00:07:20,450 --> 00:07:26,890 like the viewer at home is sitting there with the remote in his hand, 109 00:07:27,050 --> 00:07:33,950 begging me to give him the opportunity to see what was going on on the other 110 00:07:33,950 --> 00:07:34,950 channel. 111 00:07:35,110 --> 00:07:37,590 So it would be short match. 112 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:44,900 Backstage segment, vignette, short match, fight in the locker room, 113 00:07:44,940 --> 00:07:51,780 boom, boom, boom, and you are not giving that viewer the opportunity to, ah, 114 00:07:51,900 --> 00:07:54,440 let's see what's on Nitro. That's Crash TV. 115 00:07:55,140 --> 00:08:00,720 Russo's concept of Crash TV plays a key part in turning the tide, and soon the 116 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:05,620 WWF is back on top, beating WCW every Monday night. 117 00:08:06,260 --> 00:08:11,880 towards probably the middle of 98, certainly in 99, that had reversed 118 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:13,200 WWE was on top. 119 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:15,080 And that was a magical period. 120 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:20,080 I don't want to dismiss Vince Russo's contributions, but they had Stone Cold 121 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:23,400 Steve Austin and The Rock at the same time. And that's like, you know, the 122 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:25,760 Yankees with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. 123 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,160 WCW, by the end of 99, they started losing money. They were the Titanic 124 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:32,160 to the iceberg. 125 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,340 My budgets were becoming slashed. 126 00:08:36,780 --> 00:08:40,799 Eventually, I got let go in 99 because I was fighting that. I was struggling. I 127 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:41,799 was fighting it. 128 00:08:41,900 --> 00:08:46,860 Turner executives relieved Bischoff of his creative duties while rumors emerged 129 00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:51,520 that Russo is overworked and frustrated in his role at the WWF. 130 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:58,380 Well, WWF added a second show, SmackDown, and did not give Vince Russo 131 00:08:58,420 --> 00:09:01,060 So they went from doing one show a week to two shows a week. 132 00:09:02,060 --> 00:09:04,840 I went into Vince's office. I said, Vince. 133 00:09:05,150 --> 00:09:12,010 I want to be able to move my family closer to my wife's family so my wife 134 00:09:12,010 --> 00:09:15,210 alone and she has help raising the kids. 135 00:09:15,450 --> 00:09:18,730 Because, Vince, I'm never home. 136 00:09:19,550 --> 00:09:24,290 And he turned around, bro, without missing a beat and said, you make enough 137 00:09:24,290 --> 00:09:27,810 money, you should be able to hire a nanny to take care of your kids. 138 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:35,860 You don't tell a proud Italian man who loves his family to hire a 139 00:09:35,860 --> 00:09:40,180 nanny to watch his kids. Bro, at that moment, it was over. 140 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,940 And they had me up to WCW that weekend. 141 00:09:44,260 --> 00:09:49,320 I was shocked when WCW brought him in as a match made in heaven. Or hell, 142 00:09:49,460 --> 00:09:51,080 depending on who you talk to. 143 00:09:52,020 --> 00:09:55,160 I know I'm going into this thing. 144 00:09:55,670 --> 00:09:58,230 with a target on my back. 145 00:09:58,490 --> 00:10:04,750 This is the first time I am going to be working with these veterans 146 00:10:04,750 --> 00:10:11,590 that have been at WCW for a long time. From day one, Hulk and Eric were like 147 00:10:11,590 --> 00:10:17,810 this. I can actually remember locking eyes with Hulk for the first time. And 148 00:10:17,810 --> 00:10:23,550 what I read from Hulk immediately was mistrust. 149 00:10:24,340 --> 00:10:27,780 Vince Russo was smart enough to know that you couldn't build around Hulk 150 00:10:27,780 --> 00:10:29,020 anymore if you wanted a future. 151 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,560 So, yes, I think he was trying to figure out a way to remove him because Hulk 152 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:37,180 Hogan had so much power because he was Hulk Hogan. And I've heard the critics 153 00:10:37,180 --> 00:10:40,620 ask the question, well, is Hulk Hogan getting older? 154 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:45,260 Well, yeah, Hulk Hogan's getting older. And so is every other damn wrestler in 155 00:10:45,260 --> 00:10:46,960 the back, too, day by day. 156 00:10:47,930 --> 00:10:51,710 So there was this narrative that Hulk Hogan couldn't wrestle in the ring 157 00:10:51,710 --> 00:10:56,290 anymore, he had no value, he should retire, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 158 00:10:56,290 --> 00:11:01,290 in reality, the business side of the wrestling business still thought very 159 00:11:01,290 --> 00:11:06,250 highly of Hulk Hogan. Taking the reins of WCW in October of 1999, 160 00:11:07,090 --> 00:11:12,310 Russo begins reshaping and reimagining the company's flagship show, Monday 161 00:11:12,310 --> 00:11:14,710 Nitro. Vince Russo believed, you know, the more... 162 00:11:14,940 --> 00:11:19,580 extreme and shocking you make it the more they will like it we are just gonna 163 00:11:19,580 --> 00:11:26,400 hump you like the dogs that we are sometimes that's right but you 164 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,260 also run into a thing where once you've done it it's you desensitize the 165 00:11:30,260 --> 00:11:35,560 audience and then there's nothing you can do what's the worst thing that he's 166 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:40,480 done like that he watched i i don't know i didn't watch this shit i couldn't 167 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:44,870 watch it I was there for three months. The ratings went up in those three 168 00:11:44,870 --> 00:11:47,370 months. How are the ratings doing? Are they improving? 169 00:11:48,070 --> 00:11:50,730 Well, he'll tell you that they were improving, but no, they weren't up. 170 00:11:51,430 --> 00:11:54,950 Artificially, it looked good, but every month, if you do the month rating, the 171 00:11:54,950 --> 00:11:57,230 October, the November, December, every month was down slightly. 172 00:11:57,710 --> 00:12:02,130 Next thing I know, management tells me we're going in a different direction. 173 00:12:02,790 --> 00:12:04,070 And I said, okay, fine. 174 00:12:04,510 --> 00:12:06,070 I'll go home, send me my money. 175 00:12:07,050 --> 00:12:12,550 Now that both Bischoff and Russo have failed to turn WCW ratings around, the 176 00:12:12,550 --> 00:12:13,990 network lands on a new idea. 177 00:12:14,390 --> 00:12:16,310 Both men working together. 178 00:12:17,330 --> 00:12:19,970 Brad Siegel is the head of TNT and PBS. 179 00:12:20,330 --> 00:12:26,230 Vince, I want you to meet somebody for lunch. I know immediately he's talking 180 00:12:26,230 --> 00:12:30,410 about Eric Bischoff. And now my job is to oversee Vince Russo. 181 00:12:30,670 --> 00:12:35,370 You know, between Vince and Eric, I never felt that there was a power 182 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,180 My name's Jeff Jarrett. Some call me Double J, some call me the Last Outlaw. 183 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:47,140 I just think philosophically, those two 184 00:12:47,140 --> 00:12:52,800 guys view creating and producing wrestling content entirely different. A 185 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,700 philosophical difference as opposed to a personality difference. 186 00:12:56,300 --> 00:13:03,140 I negotiated my contract with both Vince Russo and Eric. 187 00:13:03,730 --> 00:13:06,110 and I much more preferred dealing with Eric. 188 00:13:06,970 --> 00:13:09,790 Russo was the creative end of it, and he was different. 189 00:13:10,050 --> 00:13:13,330 Vince Russo sat down with, all right, well, he's the guy that's going to be in 190 00:13:13,330 --> 00:13:16,150 charge of creative, and he's looking at me, and he's like, just off the top of 191 00:13:16,150 --> 00:13:19,670 my head, first thing I think of, I was like, maybe making you Eric's 192 00:13:19,670 --> 00:13:20,670 illegitimate son. 193 00:13:20,710 --> 00:13:22,870 And I look at Eric, and Eric has the same look on his face. 194 00:13:23,090 --> 00:13:27,230 What the hell? Isn't Eric like 10 years older than me? How is he my illegitimate 195 00:13:27,230 --> 00:13:28,230 dad? 196 00:13:28,830 --> 00:13:31,950 I did go into it with an open mind, and initially it was kind of fun. 197 00:13:32,330 --> 00:13:37,530 But it became apparent to me that Vince Russo is void of any creative instincts 198 00:13:37,530 --> 00:13:44,290 or talents. You could not have put two of the most opposite people together 199 00:13:44,290 --> 00:13:46,210 and said, go. 200 00:13:53,230 --> 00:13:58,290 With WCW in trouble, the company's survival hinges on reversing its 201 00:13:58,290 --> 00:13:59,290 spiral. 202 00:13:59,610 --> 00:14:04,470 Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo devise a storyline designed to play off the real 203 00:14:04,470 --> 00:14:09,790 -life backstage drama and the tensions between Bischoff's veterans and Russo's 204 00:14:09,790 --> 00:14:11,370 desire to push younger talent. 205 00:14:11,910 --> 00:14:16,310 There's new sheriffs in town. The idea of the program was the Millionaires Club 206 00:14:16,310 --> 00:14:23,230 versus the Youngblood, where all these young guys that were held down, now 207 00:14:23,230 --> 00:14:25,450 they're going to get an opportunity to shine. 208 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:30,000 A little bit of a civil war, creatively speaking, between young and old. Because 209 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,980 that's, like, part of life, right? 210 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,340 Get that damn camera out of here! Despite their efforts, Bischoff and 211 00:14:36,340 --> 00:14:39,700 storyline fails to win over fans or improve the ratings. 212 00:14:40,020 --> 00:14:44,380 Hmm, man. That whole year of 2000 is kind of, like, blanked out of my mind 213 00:14:44,380 --> 00:14:45,380 because it was so bad. 214 00:14:46,300 --> 00:14:47,660 Oh, my God! 215 00:14:47,860 --> 00:14:52,140 It was destined for failure from the beginning. 216 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,560 Vince Russo, I was done with him creatively because I knew he was a 217 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:04,040 Eric wanted to be in charge. So I call Brad Siegel and I say, bro, put Eric in 218 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:05,780 charge of the show. 219 00:15:06,060 --> 00:15:10,660 Brad Siegel said to me, no, no, no, no, no, no, Vince, we want you to write the 220 00:15:10,660 --> 00:15:12,020 show. Okay, fine. 221 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:16,940 The next time I see Eric Bischoff, bash at the beach. 222 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:22,320 In the week leading up to the pay -per -view event, Russo prepares the show 223 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:25,260 a focus on who will emerge the next world champion. 224 00:15:26,060 --> 00:15:31,120 That week, I walked into our creative meeting, and I threw a question out 225 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,580 at the very beginning of the meeting. And the question was, if you could put 226 00:15:35,580 --> 00:15:40,560 WCW title on anyone in the company right now, who would it be? 227 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:46,500 And I went around the table, Booker T, Booker T, Booker T, and unanimously 228 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:51,900 everybody said Booker T. I said, well, then that's what we're going to do. 229 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:57,740 I had had the belt at this time a couple of months, and so my overarching 230 00:15:57,740 --> 00:16:04,340 creative was for the chosen one, Jeff Jarrett, to face multiple legends and be 231 00:16:04,340 --> 00:16:07,200 victorious until it was time to switch the title. 232 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:08,379 to Booker T. 233 00:16:08,380 --> 00:16:14,920 A lot of significance, 234 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:20,580 a lot of upside, and I saw Vince Russo's vision and bought into it. So the main 235 00:16:20,580 --> 00:16:27,380 event of the evening was Jeff Jarrett versus Booker T for the WCW title with 236 00:16:27,380 --> 00:16:28,540 Booker T going over. 237 00:16:28,940 --> 00:16:32,920 He's one of those guys where you knew he was really good. Wrestling had not been 238 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:37,060 kind to African -American wrestlers. Give somebody else a chance, at least 239 00:16:37,060 --> 00:16:41,120 something new. To add more intrigue to the event, Russo makes the decision to 240 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:46,460 give Jeff Jarrett one last win before losing the belt to Booker T. A win over 241 00:16:46,460 --> 00:16:52,240 Hollywood Hulk Hogan. When I wrote the very first version of the show, it was 242 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:57,720 Jarrett against Hogan. And I wrote Hulk Hogan very strong. 243 00:16:58,300 --> 00:17:02,820 However, he was not going to win the WCW title. Why? 244 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:10,160 Because you just had an entire room agree on Booker T. Vince Russo had his 245 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,000 of what he wanted to do at Bash at the Beach. 246 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,140 Hulk Hogan and I were on a completely different page. 247 00:17:15,380 --> 00:17:18,579 What Vince Russo wanted to do didn't freaking matter. 248 00:17:18,980 --> 00:17:25,020 Hulk Hogan had 100 % creative control over his storyline and how his character 249 00:17:25,020 --> 00:17:26,960 was presented on television. 250 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:28,660 Back in 1994, 251 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:34,120 Bischoff had lured Hogan to WCW by offering him one of the most generous 252 00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:35,720 contracts in wrestling history. 253 00:17:36,060 --> 00:17:38,660 I think the technical wording was he had control of his finishes. 254 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:40,580 It's like if he didn't want to lose, he didn't have to lose. 255 00:17:40,980 --> 00:17:46,000 It's easy to sit here and say unprecedented, but to that date, someone 256 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:51,140 ownership but to have complete creative control, that is a conflict of interest. 257 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,340 When a talent has creative control, it sort of comes down to the simplicity. 258 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,680 Are they worried about their bottom line or are they worried about the company's 259 00:17:58,680 --> 00:17:59,579 bottom line? 260 00:17:59,580 --> 00:18:00,820 It's radically different. 261 00:18:01,580 --> 00:18:06,480 So I wrote the first script where Hulk Hogan looks very strong, but he does not 262 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:07,780 win the WCW title. 263 00:18:08,140 --> 00:18:11,000 Hulk Hogan poo -pooed that first script. 264 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:17,520 So now I rewrite the script and I really make Hulk Hogan look like King Kong. 265 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:23,660 Not only does he wind up killing Jeff Jarrett, he winds up killing Scott 266 00:18:23,660 --> 00:18:30,480 Steiner. He literally winds up wiping everybody, but he does not leave with 267 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:31,480 title. 268 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:38,260 Hulk says he's good with the second version. So now I walk into Bash at the 269 00:18:38,260 --> 00:18:44,360 Beach that Sunday thinking everything's fine and Hulk is going to do what the 270 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:45,360 second script says. 271 00:18:47,430 --> 00:18:52,730 Eric Bischoff comes up to me and says, you better go in the trailer and talk to 272 00:18:52,730 --> 00:18:55,270 Hulk Hogan because he's not going to do this. 273 00:18:55,930 --> 00:18:56,990 Who's in the trailer? 274 00:18:57,350 --> 00:19:00,330 Me, Hulk Hogan, and Eric Bischoff. 275 00:19:01,310 --> 00:19:06,510 So if you want to break that down, it is clearly two against one. 276 00:19:07,210 --> 00:19:09,990 Did Vince Russo and I discuss it several times? 277 00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:11,250 Yes, we did. 278 00:19:11,390 --> 00:19:14,970 It was my job to oversee him. It was my call, not Vince Russo's call. 279 00:19:15,170 --> 00:19:16,610 He didn't get to vote. 280 00:19:17,110 --> 00:19:22,870 He thought he did, but he didn't. Eric informs me that they came up with a 281 00:19:22,870 --> 00:19:29,610 scenario, and that scenario is Hulk winning the title. He wants to 282 00:19:29,610 --> 00:19:31,370 win the WCW title. 283 00:19:31,790 --> 00:19:36,770 Eric's idea is to blur the line between reality and fiction with a story angle 284 00:19:36,770 --> 00:19:42,210 where Hulk flexes his creative control claws to win the belt as Jeff Jarrett 285 00:19:42,210 --> 00:19:43,690 throws the match in disgust. 286 00:19:43,970 --> 00:19:48,760 Hulk. Angry at Jarrett's refusal to fight is then scripted to storm out of 287 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:55,740 ring. The idea was for Hulk to leave in a state of frustration and anger 288 00:19:55,740 --> 00:19:57,940 as a result of the finish of the match. 289 00:19:58,140 --> 00:20:04,380 The important element of it was that once WCW realized that Hulk Hogan wasn't 290 00:20:04,380 --> 00:20:09,820 coming back and he wasn't giving the belt back, that would force WCW to then 291 00:20:09,820 --> 00:20:13,180 vacate that title and create a tournament. 292 00:20:13,770 --> 00:20:19,110 for a new world heavyweight champion. And finally, at Halloween Havoc, which 293 00:20:19,110 --> 00:20:23,770 our big October pay -per -view, the two finalists in that tournament, before it 294 00:20:23,770 --> 00:20:29,550 physically took place, Hogan was going to make a surprise appearance and say, 295 00:20:29,550 --> 00:20:34,870 -uh -uh, I still have the belt, and if you want this, you've got to beat me. 296 00:20:34,990 --> 00:20:35,990 Boom. 297 00:20:36,370 --> 00:20:37,370 There's your story. 298 00:20:37,990 --> 00:20:38,990 I was pissed. 299 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,760 Bro, you're pulling this bullshit the day of a show. 300 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:46,040 I rewrote the show twice. This show is starting in an hour. 301 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:50,640 It got to the point where I said, look, we're going to get on the phone with 302 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,360 Brad Siegel, and we're going to lay it out, and we'll let Brad choose. 303 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:55,780 And Brad said, go with Eric's idea. 304 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:57,019 That's it. 305 00:20:57,020 --> 00:20:59,320 Now you've got the president of the network, who's the tiebreaker. 306 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:01,300 It was over and done. 307 00:21:01,900 --> 00:21:03,260 Eric wanted to be in charge. 308 00:21:03,460 --> 00:21:06,240 He wanted things to go back to the way they were. 309 00:21:06,500 --> 00:21:07,800 Bro, I'm not an idiot. 310 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:12,500 So Hulk lays out this elaborate story. 311 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:17,540 And I know the story ends with him winning the title. While he's laying out 312 00:21:17,540 --> 00:21:19,980 story, this ear is listening. 313 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:26,060 This side of my brain is figuring out another story. 314 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:29,760 Because he's not walking out with the title. 315 00:21:30,990 --> 00:21:35,290 Pay -per -view showtime starts at 8 o 'clock, 7, 7 .30, somewhere in that 316 00:21:35,290 --> 00:21:40,030 window. Vince comes to me and says, bro, in his great New Yorker accent, this is 317 00:21:40,030 --> 00:21:41,030 what we're doing. 318 00:21:41,070 --> 00:21:43,850 Jeff, Hulk doesn't want to do the job for you. 319 00:21:44,230 --> 00:21:48,930 F Hulk, laid out for him, let him leave with his freaking belt. 320 00:21:49,170 --> 00:21:51,290 We wanted everybody to believe it. 321 00:21:51,510 --> 00:21:58,510 Jeff was not in on it. We wanted everybody in the back to believe this. 322 00:21:58,610 --> 00:22:00,070 That was the goal. 323 00:22:00,460 --> 00:22:05,220 Vince was pretty clear, go to the ring, we'll get the bell to start the match. 324 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:10,460 Just make it very clear you're taking a dive. You're laying down for him. 325 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:12,500 And I was dumbfounded. 326 00:22:12,780 --> 00:22:17,600 And I said, Vince, this story is not well thought out. It doesn't make any 327 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:24,580 logical sense for Babyface to capture gold this way. It's a real bad 328 00:22:24,580 --> 00:22:25,580 taste. 329 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,540 that if a champion's going to be a champion, don't you really want to beat 330 00:22:29,540 --> 00:22:32,140 somebody? And this was the opposite of that. 331 00:22:32,580 --> 00:22:37,120 There's a million other options. I felt the audience would say, this is the best 332 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:38,500 you guys could come up with. 333 00:22:39,740 --> 00:22:43,160 I told Vince this, everybody loses in this scenario. 334 00:22:43,540 --> 00:22:44,620 Everybody loses. 335 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:56,720 As Bash at the Beach 2000 begins, a storyline is in place for current WCW 336 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,760 champion Jeff Jarrett to take a dive for Hulk Hogan. 337 00:23:00,060 --> 00:23:04,460 Everyone is ready to put the plan in motion until Jarrett begins having 338 00:23:04,460 --> 00:23:05,460 thoughts. 339 00:23:05,780 --> 00:23:12,340 When it came down to match time, I had a real overwhelming sense of, 340 00:23:12,700 --> 00:23:18,380 do I really want to do this? Do I really want to be a part of this mess? 341 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:20,060 Do I really? 342 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,720 want to walk the aisle and be a part of this finish. 343 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:31,880 Those thoughts went through my mind because my father, my grandmother, my 344 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,660 outlook on the industry, that you really only have one boss, and that's the 345 00:23:35,660 --> 00:23:36,660 fans. 346 00:23:37,220 --> 00:23:43,780 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the year 2000 WCW 347 00:23:43,780 --> 00:23:48,900 Bash at the Beach and the main event of the evening. 348 00:23:50,090 --> 00:23:52,730 When they hit my music, I stayed in the back. 349 00:23:52,970 --> 00:23:56,490 Where's Jared? I mean, his music's been playing for well over a minute. There's 350 00:23:56,490 --> 00:24:00,770 no sign of him. What's going on here? This is not like the Chosen One to stand 351 00:24:00,770 --> 00:24:02,130 us up on a pay -per -view. 352 00:24:03,210 --> 00:24:07,770 So my music played quite a while. I think it looped two or three times. 353 00:24:08,530 --> 00:24:12,890 And I stayed over in a little tunnel and really just thought through it. I could 354 00:24:12,890 --> 00:24:17,290 take matters into my own hands and say, I'm not doing the dive. 355 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:23,980 I could, you know, jump him and make him punch me around and make him give me a 356 00:24:23,980 --> 00:24:24,559 big boot. 357 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:25,880 What are my real options? 358 00:24:26,260 --> 00:24:29,800 What is going to protect my family and my career, Beth? 359 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:31,920 So much at stake here. 360 00:24:32,980 --> 00:24:38,260 I can't say that I was legitimately angry. I can say thoroughly disgusted. 361 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:43,220 And when I finally said, let's get this over with, that was where my head was 362 00:24:43,220 --> 00:24:44,220 at. 363 00:24:46,830 --> 00:24:52,270 By the time I headed down the aisle way, everything in my mind was, Hogan, you 364 00:24:52,270 --> 00:24:54,210 want your creative control so bad? 365 00:24:54,530 --> 00:24:55,530 Take it. 366 00:24:55,810 --> 00:24:57,670 You know something, Jeff Jarrett? 367 00:24:58,150 --> 00:25:05,070 You are the chosen one because I have chosen you to powerbomb your 368 00:25:05,070 --> 00:25:09,610 ass through this match. So come on down and get your ass kicked, Jarrett. 369 00:25:09,910 --> 00:25:16,260 Looking across the ring and looking at Hulk and knowing that he 370 00:25:16,260 --> 00:25:17,580 orchestrated all of this. 371 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:20,900 I never, ever looked at it in the same way. 372 00:25:25,820 --> 00:25:26,820 What's Jeff doing? 373 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:28,360 What's Jeff doing? 374 00:25:33,980 --> 00:25:36,400 Russo, I think, told Jared to lie down. What's going on? 375 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,220 Russo is holding the belts up like, do you want the belt? Pin the man. 376 00:25:43,220 --> 00:25:48,640 down. And Hogan is the shot. What in the world? Jeff Jarrett. How does the crowd 377 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:50,440 react when Jarrett lays down? 378 00:25:50,700 --> 00:25:54,980 There's confusion, like they really don't know what's going on. 379 00:25:55,340 --> 00:26:00,200 The essence of professional wrestling through the generations has been the 380 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:05,440 ability to blur the lines between what's nonfiction and what's fiction. 381 00:26:05,660 --> 00:26:09,280 But the old promoter adage, you confuse them, you lose them. 382 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,440 We confused them, and we lost. 383 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,640 This can't be Jeff Jarrett, a man that grew up in this sport. 384 00:26:16,340 --> 00:26:18,280 What is going on? 385 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:20,660 They just threw the world title to Hulk. 386 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:22,460 What the hell? 387 00:26:23,380 --> 00:26:29,660 I'll be honest with you. All I want to make sure is this plan carries out the 388 00:26:29,660 --> 00:26:33,720 exact same way I laid it out in the trailer. 389 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:38,380 Jeff laid down Hulk Hogan. You're going home with your belt. 390 00:26:38,810 --> 00:26:41,750 This is all part of the story. 391 00:26:42,310 --> 00:26:43,310 Wow. 392 00:26:45,250 --> 00:26:49,250 That's why this company's in the damn shape it's in, because of bullshit like 393 00:26:49,250 --> 00:26:50,610 this. Wow. 394 00:26:52,150 --> 00:26:56,050 Referee counted one, two, three, and I rolled out to the ring and went straight 395 00:26:56,050 --> 00:26:57,050 to the back. 396 00:26:59,270 --> 00:27:02,550 My God, this is real life. One, two, three. 397 00:27:04,570 --> 00:27:07,450 Ladies and gentlemen, that is not something they go over. 398 00:27:07,900 --> 00:27:11,600 With us at the production meeting. Now, there are swerves and there are swerves. 399 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:13,640 We've all been swerved. 400 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:18,960 And we went forward exactly the way Hulk wanted to go forward. The audience 401 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:21,020 believed that Hulk Hogan was pissed. 402 00:27:21,420 --> 00:27:25,100 And he took the belt and he left the building. It went according to plan. 403 00:27:25,740 --> 00:27:27,280 We jump in the limo. 404 00:27:28,260 --> 00:27:31,480 We leave the arena with the belt. We go to the airport. 405 00:27:33,900 --> 00:27:36,180 We're on the plane. We're high -fiving. 406 00:27:36,780 --> 00:27:41,320 Cracking a beer, laughing, everything went the way we wanted it to go. As 407 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:44,140 Bischoff and Hogan leave the arena, the show continues. 408 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:49,740 But what happens next will be debated by fans and insiders for decades to come 409 00:27:49,740 --> 00:27:53,380 as Russo takes matters into his own hands. 410 00:27:53,940 --> 00:27:56,340 Well, here's Mr. Russo. What the hell is next? 411 00:27:56,840 --> 00:28:01,460 Thirty minutes later, the plane lands, and all of a sudden, Hogan's phone is 412 00:28:01,460 --> 00:28:02,540 blowing up. 413 00:28:06,700 --> 00:28:07,700 So is mine. 414 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:12,220 Russo went out and cut the scathing promo and buried Hulk. 415 00:28:13,260 --> 00:28:18,980 This was like a big, great swerve that somehow turned real when Russo does the 416 00:28:18,980 --> 00:28:21,160 promo later and things end up getting worse. 417 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:26,360 There's only one way for me to do this, and that's for me to tell it like it is. 418 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:30,180 You know, bro, again, these are the things people hate me for. 419 00:28:37,900 --> 00:28:42,680 As agreed upon before the show even started, and after Jeff Jarrett takes a 420 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:47,740 dive, Hulk leaves the building with the belt, enraging and confusing the 421 00:28:47,740 --> 00:28:50,520 audience. Now, to the surprise of everyone, 422 00:28:51,260 --> 00:28:53,660 Vince Russo makes his way out to the ring. 423 00:28:53,940 --> 00:28:56,440 Well, here's Mr. Russo. What the hell is next? 424 00:28:56,900 --> 00:28:57,739 Now what? 425 00:28:57,740 --> 00:29:02,500 I don't know. Maybe Russo can explain to the world what we have seen. 426 00:29:02,910 --> 00:29:08,690 My entire life, every promo I've ever cut, there's only one way for me to do 427 00:29:08,690 --> 00:29:14,170 this, and that's for me to tell it like it is. I don't know what I'm going to 428 00:29:14,170 --> 00:29:17,250 say. I am in the moment. 429 00:29:17,710 --> 00:29:20,330 That's real, and that's what people believe. 430 00:29:21,110 --> 00:29:25,430 Here's where the story is. Here's where my character is. Go. 431 00:29:25,750 --> 00:29:29,950 Let me tell you people what happened out here in this ring tonight. 432 00:29:30,330 --> 00:29:31,670 All day long. 433 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:57,020 Because of Russo's crazy booking style, we're all like, is this the plan? 434 00:29:57,220 --> 00:30:01,180 Are they working us? If this was the plan, it's... stupid and if it's not the 435 00:30:01,180 --> 00:30:04,780 plan it's even stupider we're all just in there going what the hell is going on 436 00:30:04,780 --> 00:30:10,480 hey let me tell you who doesn't give a shit about this company that god Goddamn 437 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:12,460 politician Hulk Hogan! 438 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:18,500 Hogan got his belt and he went the hell home, and I promise everybody else I'll 439 00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:22,860 go in the goddamn grave. You will never see that piece of shit again! 440 00:30:23,340 --> 00:30:28,580 Adding to the confusion of the moment, Russo shocks the crowd by announcing a 441 00:30:28,580 --> 00:30:29,580 new main event. 442 00:30:29,860 --> 00:30:34,000 Hulk Hogan now has the WCW belt. 443 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,260 That belt don't mean shit! 444 00:30:36,780 --> 00:30:42,820 Jeff Jarrett is still the official WCW champion and he will defend that title. 445 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:49,520 Good night in this ring against Booker T, who for 14 years 446 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:55,660 has been busting his ass in WCW and can't get a goddamn break because of the 447 00:30:55,660 --> 00:30:59,340 Hulk Hogan. There were real emotions. 448 00:31:00,530 --> 00:31:05,750 Being fueled during that promo because I had it up to here with the wrestling 449 00:31:05,750 --> 00:31:09,770 shit. I really did, bro. I was over and I was done with it. 450 00:31:11,570 --> 00:31:16,490 And Hogan, you big bald son of a bitch, kissed my ass. 451 00:31:21,710 --> 00:31:25,650 That was not on the format. That was not in the production meeting. That was 452 00:31:25,650 --> 00:31:27,330 nowhere to be found anywhere until this. 453 00:31:27,630 --> 00:31:33,050 We do have Booker T now against Jeff Jarrett for the WCW title. That was just 454 00:31:33,050 --> 00:31:34,410 Book. That's added to the night. 455 00:31:35,770 --> 00:31:40,910 My plan for the main event. Booker T beats Jeff Jarrett and becomes the WCW 456 00:31:40,910 --> 00:31:41,990 World Heavyweight Champion. 457 00:31:42,290 --> 00:31:43,550 Booker, no! It's me, Jeff! 458 00:31:46,430 --> 00:31:48,070 So, Hogan, congratulations. 459 00:31:48,650 --> 00:31:52,510 Enjoy the title. That's the fake title. The real title is going to be 460 00:31:52,510 --> 00:31:56,990 represented in the match with Jarrett. Booker goes over. We've got a new champ! 461 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:00,360 Oh, my God. Booker T's the world champion. 462 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:02,600 Booker T's the champ. 463 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:07,160 Oh, my God, bro. I knew Hulk was going to be. 464 00:32:08,500 --> 00:32:10,600 Everybody is believing this. 465 00:32:11,050 --> 00:32:17,950 One thousand percent. And all I'm reading is Vince Russo finally put 466 00:32:17,950 --> 00:32:23,170 Hulk Hogan in his place. Vince Russo finally told Hulk Hogan what should have 467 00:32:23,170 --> 00:32:29,470 been said to him years ago. I'm reading this and I'm saying he is going to have 468 00:32:29,470 --> 00:32:32,790 a severe problem with it. 469 00:32:33,710 --> 00:32:39,590 When Hulk gets really, really angry, he gets very quiet. 470 00:32:40,110 --> 00:32:43,710 Like, when he stops talking, that's when you need to start worrying. 471 00:32:43,910 --> 00:32:47,870 And he got real quiet after that. Like, real quiet. 472 00:32:48,550 --> 00:32:53,170 Russo claims he pitched this entire storyline to Hulk and Eric in the 473 00:32:53,350 --> 00:32:54,590 and that they agreed. 474 00:32:54,970 --> 00:33:01,490 Every single thing on that show was what was discussed in that trailer. 475 00:33:02,060 --> 00:33:08,000 Everything from Jarrett laying down to them leaving to me cutting the promo to 476 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:14,160 Booker T winning the title at the end. It was exactly the way I laid it out to 477 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:15,160 Hogan in the trailer. 478 00:33:15,180 --> 00:33:16,760 That was never my plan. 479 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:19,960 I guarantee you it wasn't Hulk Hogan's plan. 480 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:24,780 And by the way, Hulk Hogan had creative control. And we certainly didn't know 481 00:33:24,780 --> 00:33:26,820 that Booker T was going to walk out. 482 00:33:27,290 --> 00:33:31,550 as a world champion. Because Hulk Hogan had that world title and was going to 483 00:33:31,550 --> 00:33:35,050 bring it back in October at Halloween Havoc. That was the plan. 484 00:33:35,350 --> 00:33:37,790 Oh my God, that was part of the plan. 485 00:33:38,030 --> 00:33:39,890 This is a key point. 486 00:33:40,190 --> 00:33:47,190 The reason you have to leave the building is because if I go out there 487 00:33:47,190 --> 00:33:50,810 scathing promo on you and you're still in the building, you're going to have to 488 00:33:50,810 --> 00:33:51,629 come kill me. 489 00:33:51,630 --> 00:33:54,830 Russo may believe it, but that's where the pathological part of being a 490 00:33:54,830 --> 00:33:56,350 pathological liar comes in. 491 00:33:56,750 --> 00:33:58,630 None of that was discussed in advance. 492 00:33:59,470 --> 00:34:04,670 None of that was approved by me. None of it was approved by Hulk Hogan. It was 493 00:34:04,670 --> 00:34:09,330 just the most unprofessional thing that I'd ever seen in 30 years of television. 494 00:34:10,949 --> 00:34:17,350 The next morning, a furious Hogan calls into a local Tampa radio show, airing 495 00:34:17,350 --> 00:34:20,190 his grievances for real at Vince Russo. 496 00:34:20,710 --> 00:34:25,750 The reason Vince McMahon is home laughing his ass off is because of a 497 00:34:25,750 --> 00:34:31,270 -off like Vince Russo. That idiot went out there and told the people that he 498 00:34:31,270 --> 00:34:33,770 responsible for me and Jared not having a match. 499 00:34:33,989 --> 00:34:35,909 He is a very stupid man. 500 00:34:36,110 --> 00:34:39,409 But now I'm really pissed off. I don't know how I'm going to get even with this 501 00:34:39,409 --> 00:34:40,208 Russo guy. 502 00:34:40,210 --> 00:34:45,130 They can pass that stupid -ass belt to Booker T, but I'm the real world WCW 503 00:34:45,130 --> 00:34:48,050 champion. Did you know Hulk was going to pursue legal action? 504 00:34:48,969 --> 00:34:51,489 Did I know that Hulk Hogan was going to take legal action? 505 00:34:52,050 --> 00:34:53,190 How could you not? 506 00:34:53,469 --> 00:34:54,590 How could you not? 507 00:35:01,910 --> 00:35:06,350 Infuriated by the events of Bash at the Beach, Hulk Hogan takes legal action 508 00:35:06,350 --> 00:35:13,130 against Vince Russo and WCW. Because Hulk Hogan tonight wants to play his 509 00:35:13,130 --> 00:35:15,270 creative control card. 510 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:20,480 Hogan files lawsuits for defamation and breach of contract, asserting that 511 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:25,840 Russo's off -script tirade was part of the match outcome and violated his 512 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:27,100 creative control clause. 513 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:32,920 I believe Hogan felt double -crossed, and whether Russo actually double 514 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:35,960 him or he just got carried away and said shit he shouldn't have, I have no idea. 515 00:35:36,100 --> 00:35:42,020 But it's like, okay, you don't file lawsuits if it was just part of a 516 00:35:42,650 --> 00:35:47,330 It gets to a judge, and the judge basically says, let me get this 517 00:35:47,330 --> 00:35:48,530 is a wrestling show. 518 00:35:48,750 --> 00:35:55,350 Vince Russo is in a wrestling ring. He is cutting a promo on a wrestling 519 00:35:55,350 --> 00:35:56,350 character. 520 00:35:57,070 --> 00:35:59,950 Where is the defamation of character? 521 00:36:00,490 --> 00:36:04,330 Mike, Hulk, you're really suing over there? Shut up. I would not have been a 522 00:36:04,330 --> 00:36:05,330 good witness for that. 523 00:36:05,790 --> 00:36:06,790 Strange times. 524 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:15,580 I am cutting my promo on Hulk Hogan, not Harry Bollea. This is a 525 00:36:15,580 --> 00:36:18,460 story. Vince Russo is a character. 526 00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:20,580 Hulk Hogan is a character. 527 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:27,100 If Vince Russo takes the position that because he was performing as a character 528 00:36:27,100 --> 00:36:32,940 that took creative liberties with another professional, that that somehow 529 00:36:32,940 --> 00:36:37,480 it legal and okay, is a reflection of the man's... 530 00:36:39,060 --> 00:36:43,060 He's got more than a problem with facts and truth. He's got a problem with 531 00:36:43,060 --> 00:36:49,060 reality. And the first judge threw it out. They appealed it, and it went to a 532 00:36:49,060 --> 00:36:49,979 second judge. 533 00:36:49,980 --> 00:36:53,340 First of all, I don't think that it went to multiple courts to begin with. 534 00:36:53,780 --> 00:36:57,060 It's not like they took it to the Supreme Court for crying out loud. 535 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:03,340 The sworn depositions reveal a key piece of information, that two days prior to 536 00:37:03,340 --> 00:37:07,140 Bash at the Beach, a fax was sent to the WCW head office. 537 00:37:07,790 --> 00:37:14,650 I found out after the WCW office is closed, Hulk Hogan's 538 00:37:14,650 --> 00:37:21,610 attorney faxes a letter to the WCW office saying Hulk 539 00:37:21,610 --> 00:37:25,210 Hogan is not approving that script. 540 00:37:25,470 --> 00:37:27,810 I have no idea of this. 541 00:37:28,510 --> 00:37:33,650 Here's why that doesn't hold up. It was never a discussion or a debate between 542 00:37:33,650 --> 00:37:39,150 Hulk. and me and Russo as to whether or not we were going to do something other 543 00:37:39,150 --> 00:37:40,870 than what Hulk and I had laid out. 544 00:37:41,110 --> 00:37:46,970 It wasn't up for debate. Therefore, why would there be this after -hours facts 545 00:37:46,970 --> 00:37:47,970 excuse? 546 00:37:48,630 --> 00:37:52,190 I mean, I'm trying to decide between two dishonest people discussing something 547 00:37:52,190 --> 00:37:54,710 from 20 years ago to do with the facts. 548 00:37:54,950 --> 00:37:59,170 Yeah, I don't remember facts, but, you know, I never heard the facts story. 549 00:37:59,170 --> 00:38:00,170 just say that. 550 00:38:06,350 --> 00:38:11,970 The facts exposes Hulk Hogan's real intentions to maximize the full strength 551 00:38:11,970 --> 00:38:16,270 his creative control and refuse any storyline Russo proposed. 552 00:38:16,750 --> 00:38:21,150 Russo triumphs in the courtroom as an appeals court affirms that fictional 553 00:38:21,150 --> 00:38:26,690 characters cannot be defamed. However, it's Hogan who emerges victorious in his 554 00:38:26,690 --> 00:38:28,350 battle against WCW. 555 00:38:28,650 --> 00:38:34,680 Hulk made the decision the night of Bash at the Beach that I probably will not 556 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:41,220 get renewed, so how can I get another paycheck from AOL Time Warner? And 557 00:38:41,220 --> 00:38:42,220 through litigation. 558 00:38:42,260 --> 00:38:46,060 I'm trying to get out of our contract with these guys. And Brad Siegel's real 559 00:38:46,060 --> 00:38:49,520 snug about not letting me out of the contract, but that's all I've got to 560 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:52,880 Well, Hulk Hogan was the key to building the company, and he obviously had the 561 00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:56,700 biggest name. But nothing is forever, and he'd been there too long, and he 562 00:38:56,700 --> 00:38:57,700 became the face of failure. 563 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:03,100 So at that point, he was getting paid so much, but he couldn't draw ratings to a 564 00:39:03,100 --> 00:39:06,680 great degree anymore, and people weren't going to go and pay to see Hulk Hogan 565 00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:08,600 matches that they'd seen for all those years. 566 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:10,620 There was really nothing left to do with him. 567 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:16,220 And then you have scumbags like Dave Meltzer, who is nothing more than a 568 00:39:16,220 --> 00:39:19,700 idiot. Even though he calls himself a journalist, Dave Meltzer to this day 569 00:39:19,700 --> 00:39:20,658 Hulk Hogan. 570 00:39:20,660 --> 00:39:25,160 What Hulk Hogan was trying to achieve that night remains clouded in 571 00:39:26,060 --> 00:39:29,720 You know, I've asked myself that through the years. What was Hogan's vision? 572 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:31,280 What was the upside? 573 00:39:31,500 --> 00:39:32,640 What was the ultimate plan? 574 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:36,900 Was it to create so much controversy or to get eyeballs on the product? 575 00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:43,660 Was it to be his version of a Montreal screwjob or his version of a publicity 576 00:39:43,660 --> 00:39:48,860 stunt? I don't know. We certainly know the results of it, but I have no idea 577 00:39:48,860 --> 00:39:50,520 what his vision was. 578 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:52,740 And Turner settled. 579 00:39:54,560 --> 00:40:00,100 This is fun because I sat with Hulk and his attorney, Henry Holmes, the day that 580 00:40:00,100 --> 00:40:03,620 they settled that. They took me out to dinner and told me what happened. They 581 00:40:03,620 --> 00:40:09,980 never gave me the amount that was confidential, but I know it was well, 582 00:40:10,140 --> 00:40:12,200 well into seven figures. 583 00:40:13,260 --> 00:40:17,400 Some folks play chess while others are playing checkers. The night it bashed at 584 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:22,300 the beach, Hulk decided to start playing chess, and he had the patience, and he 585 00:40:22,300 --> 00:40:23,300 cashed out. 586 00:40:33,740 --> 00:40:39,240 The facts of what actually went down at Bash at the Beach 2000 will forever be 587 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:44,140 murky. But what was clear to fans that night was that the chaos and confusion 588 00:40:44,140 --> 00:40:49,000 only underscored the disorder and disintegration at the heart of the 589 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:53,420 It was the reality the night this happened. And it's the reality, as I sit 590 00:40:53,420 --> 00:40:57,360 today saying this, in a business that gave him everything. 591 00:40:57,640 --> 00:40:59,100 And that's what he gave back. 592 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:06,680 It's about the most self -centered, egotistical, power play move that only 593 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:08,340 benefited Hulk. 594 00:41:08,780 --> 00:41:10,280 And that's the reality. 595 00:41:11,240 --> 00:41:13,360 But I mean, as far as a... 596 00:41:13,670 --> 00:41:17,890 storyline based on what they were doing at the time. It was something that would 597 00:41:17,890 --> 00:41:20,430 get people talking and could have built to something. 598 00:41:20,730 --> 00:41:22,510 So I did like Booker T being champion. 599 00:41:22,730 --> 00:41:25,590 I thought that was cool. You know, it's not same old, same old Hulk Hogan 600 00:41:25,590 --> 00:41:29,950 champion, right? So I guess I did like that. I do remember that, you know, 601 00:41:29,950 --> 00:41:31,910 thinking, ah, you know, at least it's something new. 602 00:41:32,850 --> 00:41:36,490 Hey, let me tell you who doesn't give a shit about this company. 603 00:41:36,890 --> 00:41:43,050 That goddamn politician, Hulk Hogan. It was destined for failure. 604 00:41:43,610 --> 00:41:44,610 from the beginning. 605 00:41:45,130 --> 00:41:49,630 At the end of it all, I don't think the bash at the beach was the nail in the 606 00:41:49,630 --> 00:41:55,630 coffin for WCW. You see what it says right here? This is my ass, if you will. 607 00:41:55,970 --> 00:41:58,830 You know what I mean? It was like the gig was already up. It was just kind of 608 00:41:58,830 --> 00:41:59,830 flattering company. 609 00:42:00,290 --> 00:42:04,830 WCW was a star that became a supernova and then burned itself out. 610 00:42:05,630 --> 00:42:11,370 In its dying days, WCW is snapped up by its longtime arch rival Vince McMahon 611 00:42:11,370 --> 00:42:12,750 and the WWF. 612 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:18,060 despite having an attractive offer on the table from a venture capital firm 613 00:42:18,060 --> 00:42:20,380 spearheaded by Eric Bischoff. 614 00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:24,240 The deal for us to purchase WCW is for $67 million. 615 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:30,080 We buy all the assets and we get placement on Monday nights and Thursday 616 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:31,900 That was our deal. 617 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:37,120 And I got a phone call. They said, Eric, it's done. I thought he meant the deal 618 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:37,879 was done. 619 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:42,680 Like, we own a wrestling company. I'm about ready to jump up and start 620 00:42:43,190 --> 00:42:44,190 I said, you may have done. 621 00:42:44,330 --> 00:42:45,590 He goes, no, Eric, you don't get it. 622 00:42:45,910 --> 00:42:46,910 It's over. 623 00:42:47,250 --> 00:42:48,250 There's no deal. 624 00:42:49,170 --> 00:42:50,470 Turner took it off the table. 625 00:42:50,770 --> 00:42:53,050 It took a minute for that to sink in. 626 00:42:54,050 --> 00:42:57,670 It was a fire sale at the end. Time Warner wanted to get rid of wrestling. 627 00:42:57,670 --> 00:43:02,830 was like $2 .5 million for the actual WCW, and I think there's $1 .7 million 628 00:43:02,830 --> 00:43:04,250 more for the tape library. 629 00:43:04,550 --> 00:43:08,650 It was definitely the equivalent of buying Manhattan for $25. 630 00:43:09,390 --> 00:43:10,390 That's right. 631 00:43:10,610 --> 00:43:11,610 I owe. 632 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:13,680 WCW. 633 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:16,200 I have zero regrets, man. 634 00:43:16,420 --> 00:43:17,620 I have zero regrets. 635 00:43:17,900 --> 00:43:22,680 You know, regret to me is a negative thing. It's like baggage. I try not to 636 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:24,460 carry any baggage with me at all. 637 00:43:25,420 --> 00:43:28,060 I have said this about Vince Russo. 638 00:43:28,260 --> 00:43:34,880 Vince is a guy who's very passionate, like a lot of us, and does what he 639 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:39,460 the viewer wants to watch. 640 00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:44,700 And he's had successes and he's had failures, like all of us. 641 00:43:46,180 --> 00:43:52,040 Do you know how little this shit matters? It is a form of entertainment 642 00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:58,820 at the end of the day. I don't hate any of these people, 643 00:43:58,940 --> 00:44:05,180 bro. This was a job. People ask me all the time today, Vince, what is your 644 00:44:05,180 --> 00:44:09,000 advice to get into the wrestling business? And I tell them, don't.