Monday Night Wars Monday Night Wars is the common term describing the period of mainstream televised American professional wrestling from September 4 , 1995 , to March 26 , 2001 ( 5 years , 6 months , 3 weeks , 1 day or 2030 days ) . During this time , the World Wrestling Federation ' s " Monday Night Raw " went head - to - head with World Championship Wrestling ' s " Monday Nitro " in a battle for Nielsen ratings each week . In the United Kingdom and also in Ireland , it was known as the Friday Night Wars as both shows were aired at the same time on Sky Sports and TNT respectively , four days after airing in the United States . The ratings war was part of a larger overall struggle between the two companies , which included the use of cutthroat tactics and the legitimate defections of several wrestlers and writers between the two companies . Extreme Championship Wrestling , while not a party to the ratings battle , was also involved as a tertiary player . It ended with the sale of WCW by its parent company , AOL Time Warner , to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment , Inc . History . Before the Wars . 1980 – 1987 : Cable television . By the early 1980s , cable television was rising and one genre of programming responsible for this was professional wrestling , which was relatively cheap to produce and scored high ratings . When Atlanta TV station WTCG ( now WTBS ) became a superstation by the late 1970s , its Georgia Championship Wrestling ( GCW ) program reached a national audience . Though based in Atlanta , the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic " territory " of Georgia ( the American professional wrestling industry was a patchwork of self - contained , regional and sub - regional companies — there was no single , nationwide promotion at the time ) . GCW was affiliated with what had been the world ' s top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before , the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) . The company ' s TV show , hosted by Gordon Solie , was recorded in one of WTBS ' studios at 1050 Techwood Drive , in downtown Atlanta . Shows were taped before a small ( yet enthusiastic ) , live , in - studio audience , as were most professional wrestling TV shows of that era . They featured wrestling matches , plus melodramatic monologues and inter - character confrontations , similar to the programming offered by other territories , including the Northeast - based WWF . GCW ' s show , which aired on Saturday evenings , was complemented by a Sunday evening edition . Jack and Gerald Brisco had major stakes in the organization , while Ole Anderson was head booker and was basically in charge of operations . In 1983 , the WWF started its own cable show called " WWF All American Wrestling " , airing Sunday mornings on the USA Network . Later that year , the WWF debuted a second cable show , also on USA , called " Tuesday Night Titans " ( TNT ) , a talk show spoof hosted by Vince McMahon ( also the WWF owner ) and Lord Alfred Hayes . While still running steadily , both Briscos sold their entire stock in GCW ( including the TV deal ) to Vince McMahon , and on July 14 , 1984 ( otherwise known as " Black Saturday " ) , the WWF took over the GCW slot ( by this time , GCW ' s TV show was entitled " World Championship Wrestling " ) . With this move , McMahon controlled all nationally - televised wrestling in the United States . However , the WWF show on TBS was a ratings disaster as GCW fans , disliking the cartoonish characters and storylines of the WWF , simply turned off their television sets . Two weeks after Black Saturday , TBS debuted the show of a successor promotion to GCW created by holdout shareholders , Championship Wrestling from Georgia , albeit on early Saturday mornings . Moreover , despite originally promising to produce original programming for the TBS time slot in Atlanta , McMahon chose instead to provide only a clip show for TBS , featuring highlights from other WWF programming as well as matches from house show s at Madison Square Garden , Boston Garden , and other major arenas . This format would eventually be the cornerstone of the " WWF Prime Time Wrestling " ( PTW ) program . In May 1985 , McMahon sold the TBS time slot to another Southern - based and NWA - affiliated wrestling company , Jim Crockett Promotions ( JCP ) , under heavy pressure from Ted Turner . This set up a rivalry between McMahon and Turner that would continue for 16 years . That same year , " PTW " replaced TNT on USA Network , which expanded to two hours the format of the WWF ' s WTBS program . The most - remembered " Prime Time " format featured Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon introducing taped matches and analyzing them afterward , with Monsoon taking a neutral / babyface position and Heenan unashamedly cheering on the heel s . The chemistry between Monsoon and Heenan made this show popular with fans for many years despite the fact it was not considered one of the WWF ' s " primary " shows for most of its history , and many other wrestling programs attempted to copy this formula , with varying degrees of success . 1987 – 1993 : Scheduling conflicts and Monday Night Raw . During a span of five months between November 1987 and March 1988 , a bitter event - scheduling war broke out between Vince McMahon and Jim Crockett , Jr . , the owner of JCP . Throughout the 1980s , Crockett had steadily bought out other NWA - affiliated promotions in an attempt to make his organization a national one similar to the WWF . As a result , the term " NWA " became virtually synonymous with JCP . On Thanksgiving night 1987 , McMahon ' s WWF aired Survivor Series on pay - per - view ( PPV ) against the NWA ' s Starrcade , which Crockett marketed as the NWA ' s answer to WrestleMania , despite Starrcade premiering two years prior to WrestleMania . However , many cable companies could only offer one live PPV event at a time . The WWF then threatened that any cable company that chose not to carry Survivor Series would not carry any WWF PPV events sixty days before and twenty - one days after the show . Therefore , the WWF PPV was cleared 10 - 1 over Starrcade , as only three cable companies opted to remain loyal to their contract with Crockett . After this incident , the PPV industry warned McMahon not to schedule PPV events simultaneously with the NWA again . However , he was still not willing to fully cooperate with Crockett . On January 24 , 1988 , another scheduling conflict took place between the WWF and NWA : the NWA presented the Bunkhouse Stampede on PPV , while the WWF aired the Royal Rumble for free on the USA Network . Later that year , with the WWF ' s WrestleMania IV around the corner , Crockett decided to use McMahon ' s own tactics against him , developing his own PPV - caliber event and airing it for free on TBS opposite WrestleMania . The result was the " Clash of Champions " , which was later renamed " Clash of the Champions " . On March 27 , 1988 – the same night as WrestleMania IV – the first " Clash of Champions " aired . This show made Sting a star after he wrestled NWA World Champion Ric Flair to a 45 - minute draw . The NWA repeated the practice again the following year , with a " Clash " coinciding with the WWF ' s WrestleMania V . Although the main event of the " Clash " saw NWA World Champion Ricky Steamboat defeat Flair in a best - of - three - falls match that lasted for almost an hour , ratings and attendance for the event fell well below expectations compared to WrestleMania V . Thus , the practice of conflicting major events would cease for six years . By 1988 , Crockett ' s acquisition spree had severely drained his coffers . As a result , he was forced to sell his company to Ted Turner , whose TBS aired JCP television programs . Turner renamed the company World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) after the popular former GCW show ; it remained affiliated with the NWA until it seceded in 1993 . As 1993 began , " Prime Time Wrestling " was struggling in the ratings and was cancelled by USA . The show that succeeded it , " Monday Night Raw " , changed how wrestling on cable TV would be presented . The WWF decided that it should use its cable time as a showcase for original matches and storylines that would serve as the major build - up to the quarterly pay - per - view broadcasts . The original " Raw " broke new ground in televised professional wrestling . Traditionally , wrestling shows were taped on sound stages with small audiences or at large arena shows . The " Raw " formula was very different than that of its predecessor , " Prime Time Wrestling " : instead of taped matches , with studio voice - overs and taped chat , " Raw " was a show shot to a live audience , with storylines unfolding as they happened . The first episode featured Yokozuna defeating Koko B . Ware , The Steiner Brothers defeating The Executioners ; WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels defeating Max Moon ; and The Undertaker defeating Damien Demento . The show also featured an interview with Razor Ramon . " Raw " originated from The Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios , a small New York City theater , and aired live each week . The combination of an intimate venue and live action proved highly successful . However , the weekly live schedule became a financial drain on the WWF , and the company began taping shows ; sometimes up to a month ' s worth of shows were taped at a time . 1993 – 1994 : Eric Bischoff enters WCW . In the same year as the premiere of " Monday Night Raw " , WCW promoted former commentator and American Wrestling Association ( AWA ) announcer / sales associate Eric Bischoff to the position of Executive Vice President ( essentially the head of the organization ) . Bischoff ' s first year at the top of WCW was mostly a disaster . Bookers Ole Anderson and Dusty Rhodes concocted cartoonish , unbelievable , and poorly built - up storylines ( such as the " Lost in Cleveland " amnesia storyline involving Cactus Jack and the B - style " White Castle of Fear " and beach mini - movies used to build up the SuperBrawl III and Beach Blast PPV events respectively ) . The summer of 1993 saw Ric Flair return to WCW after his WWF tenure , but since Flair was constrained by a no - compete clause from his WWF contract , WCW gave him a talk show segment on its television shows called " A Flair for the Gold " . At Slamboree 1993 , WCW promised a Four Horsemen reunion , but former WWF superstar Paul Roma replaced Tully Blanchard , who failed a drug test prior to leaving the WWF , resulting in WCW rescinding their offer for Blanchard to join the company . Ole Anderson was part of the group as an advisor , but made only one appearance on " A Flair for the Gold " . In another infamous incident that took place during " A Flair For the Gold " on a live " Clash of the Champions " building up the Fall Brawl pay - per - view , WCW decided to introduce a " mystery partner " for the babyfaces , a masked man known as The Shockmaster . The Shockmaster ( Fred Ottman , previously known as Typhoon and Tugboat in the WWF ) was supposed to crash through a fake wall and intimidate the heels . Instead , he tripped through the wall , fell on live television , and briefly knocked off his helmet , rendering himself a joke character ( despite winning some matches ) . Also that same year , WCW began taping matches months in advance for syndicated programming like " WCW WorldWide " from the Disney / MGM Studios in what would become known as the " Disney Tapings " . Because the footage recorded would often be shown on television months later , the tapings often exposed bookings and storylines well in advance . WCW was usually forced to have wrestlers appear with title belts before they had won them in regards to the current storyline . This was regarded as a major breach of kayfabe at the time , and ultimately led to WCW ' s departure from the NWA in September 1993 . By the end of the year , WCW decided to once again base the promotion around Ric Flair . This was seen as more or less a necessity , as prospective top babyface Sid Vicious was involved in a legitimate altercation with fellow wrestler Arn Anderson in which Vicious attacked Anderson with a pair of scissors ( both wrestlers involved were injured in the end ) four weeks before Starrcade while on tour in England , and was fired . In fact , before the Sid / Arn incident , several weeks of syndicated programming had been taped with Vicious as WCW World Heavyweight Champion . He had been scheduled to defeat Big Van Vader for the title at Starrcade 1993 , and the taped footage would have begun airing in early 1994 , but the program was scrapped after Sid ' s attack on the popular veteran Anderson . Flair won the title at Starrcade and was once again made booker . In 1994 , Bischoff declared open war on McMahon ' s WWF and aggressively recruited high - profile former WWF wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage . Using Turner ' s monetary resources , Bischoff placed his faith in the established stars with proven track records . Because of their high profiles , however , Hogan and Savage were able to demand and get several concessions not usually allowed to wrestlers at the time , such as multi - year , multimillion - dollar guaranteed contracts and significant creative control over their characters . This would later become a problem during subsequent years of competition with the WWF , as other wrestlers were able to make similar demands , and contract values soared out of control . Hogan , in particular , was able to gain considerable influence through a friendship with Bischoff . Another thing Bischoff may have failed to consider was the fact that many WCW fans ( especially those who had followed the company since its NWA days ) watched it as an alternative to the product of WWF in the early 1990s that focused on in - ring action as opposed to cartoonish characters and storylines . As such , these fans viewed Bischoff ' s signing of former WWF talent as an attempt to copy its success instead of remaining true to the idea of WCW being an alternative to the WWF . Nevertheless , WCW ' s first major pay - per - view event since Hogan ' s hiring , Bash at the Beach , saw the former WWF mainstay cleanly defeat Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . The two had worked for the WWF at the same time from 1991 to 1992 , and a feud was teased between them , but the big - money match originally planned for WrestleMania VIII was changed to Flair / Savage and Hogan / Sid . When WCW delivered the match , the PPV drew a high buy rate by WCW standards due to mainstream intrigue and hype . Despite being a critical and financial success , the glory would not last long as the Hogan / Flair feud was only a one - off match and the hoped - for long - term effects on PPV buy rates and ratings did not materialize . 1994 : Extreme Championship Wrestling . Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) had its origins in 1991 as the Tri - State Wrestling Alliance , owned by Joel Goodhart . In 1992 , Goodhart sold his share of the company to his partner , Tod Gordon , who renamed the promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling . When Eastern Championship Wrestling was founded , it was a member of the NWA , and " Hot Stuff " Eddie Gilbert was its head booker . After a falling - out with Gordon , Gilbert was replaced in September 1993 by Paul Heyman ( known on television as Paul E . Dangerously ) , who had just left WCW and was looking for a new challenge . In contrast to professional wrestling of the time , which was marketed more towards families , Eastern Championship Wrestling was geared more toward adults and fans who craved a more athletic and violent wrestling product . Its eventual successor , Extreme Championship Wrestling , aimed its product at males between 18 to 35 , breaking a few taboos in professional wrestling such as blading . Heyman saw ECW as the professional wrestling equivalent to the grunge music movement of the early 1990s , and focused on taking the company in a new direction . In 1994 , Jim Crockett ' s non - compete agreement with Ted Turner , to whom he had sold WCW in 1988 , expired and he decided to start promoting with the NWA again . Crockett went to Gordon and asked him to hold a tournament for the NWA ' s top prize , the NWA World Heavyweight Championship , in ECW ' s home city of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania on August 27 , 1994 . NWA President Dennis Coralluzzo alleged that Crockett and Gordon were attempting to monopolize the title ( akin to Crockett ' s actions in the 1980s ) , and stated Crockett did not have the NWA board ' s approval , which resulted in Coralluzzo personally overseeing the tournament . Gordon took offense at Coralluzzo for his power plays and began contemplating a plan to secede ECW from the NWA in a controversial and public manner that would attract attention to ECW and insult the NWA organization . Gordon and Heyman planned to have Shane Douglas , who was scheduled to face 2 Cold Scorpio in the tournament finals , throw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship upon winning it as an act of defiance . Heyman pitched the plan to Douglas , noting that the only negative would be that NWA traditionalists would just see them as traitors to tradition . Additionally , there was animosity between Douglas and Coralluzzo , who had publicly criticized Douglas and advised NWA - affiliated bookers not to schedule him for shows , as he believed Douglas was a " bad risk " and had the tendency to not appear at shows he was scheduled to wrestle at . Douglas ultimately decided to go through with Gordon and Heyman ' s plan , inspired by his father ' s motto ] of " doing right by the people that do right by you . " He threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship , stating that he did not want to be champion of a " dead promotion . " He then raised the Eastern Championship Wrestling title and declared it to be a World Heavyweight Championship , calling it the only real world title left in professional wrestling . When recalling this event years later , Paul Heyman stated the following :