WCW Thunder

Infobox Television
show_name = WCW Thunder


creator = Ted Turner
caption = "WCW Thunder" logo
format = Professional wrestling
picture_format = 480i (SDTV)
camera = Multicamera setup
runtime = approximately 2 hours per episode
starring = See World Championship Wrestling alumni
country = United States
network = TBS
first_aired = January 8, 1998
last_aired = March 21, 2001
num_episodes = 146
opentheme = "Here Comes the Pain" by Slayer
website =
imdb_id = 251469
tv_com_id = 4826|

"WCW Thunder" was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 until March 21, 2001.

History

Creation

The popularity of WCW in 1996 and 1997 allowed for the creation of a new show, which became "WCW Thunder". "Thunder" was taped on Tuesday nights and then aired on Thursday, a change for WCW as then-WCW President Eric Bischoff was very keen on its primary show "WCW Monday Nitro" being aired live every week (as opposed to rival "WWF Raw is War", which, at the time, was live every other week).

With a rapidly growing roster, including the recent acquisition of Bret Hart, TNT and the Turner executives found the need to create a new show at its highest. WCW was reluctant and thought that it would hurt their popularity, but were forced to give in.

The first match to take place on "Thunder" featured former World Class Championship Wrestling star Chris Adams against "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Adams pinned Randy Savage after a chairshot from Lex Luger. The match decision was reversed by James J. Dillon.

Advertisements

TV commercials for "Thunder" featured top ring talents such as Hulk Hogan saying "I'll show you some thunder, brother!" and The Giant with "This forecast definitely calls for pain!" However, neither Hogan nor Giant would frequently appear on what was considered by fans to be a second rate show. Goldberg was originally brought in to be the top wrestler on "Thunder". Furthermore, unlike TNT's "Monday Nitro", TBS often featured commercials briefing the events of the latest edition of "Thunder" during its other programs.

2000-2001

"Thunder" switched from Thursday evenings to Wednesday evenings on September 29, 1999 when "WWF SmackDown!" debuted on UPN. By that time, the tables had turned and WCW was trailing behind the WWF in the ratings. WCW began taping both "Nitro" & "Thunder" (a live Nitro and after tape "Thunder" on the same event) on Mondays from October 9, 2000 until March 19, 2001.

"Thunder" remained on Wednesday nights until the purchase of WCW by WWF on March 23, 2001. In fact, the deal was announced two days after the last "Thunder" broadcast. The last ever match to take place on "Thunder" was Scott Steiner and Jeff Jarrett versus Dustin Rhodes. Steiner and Jarrett won the match.

Commentators

At the beginning, "Thunder" was broadcast by Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Lee Marshall. In Fall 1998, Mike Tenay from "Nitro" replaced Lee Marshall. During the April 1, 1999 broadcast of "Thunder", Schiavone and Tenay had a worked argument, and starting with the following week, Tenay was moved to play-by-play, with Larry Zbyszko replacing Bobby Heenan on color commentary. In December 1999, Scott Hudson replaced Zbyszko and Schiavone returned as the second color man, the role that Tenay had in previous years.

Color scheme

"Thunder" utilized a primarily blue color scheme for its production graphics and ring designs, a design which was later emulated by "SmackDown!", as compared to the primarily red designs of the Monday night shows, "RAW" and "Nitro". This is still used for both WWE programs as a visual distinguisher.