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The Death of WCW
- Narrated by: Bryan Alvarez
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Sports & Outdoors, Combat Sports & Self-Defense
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Publisher's Summary
What went wrong with WCW?
In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television. Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro, flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. Sting, Bill Goldberg, and the New World Order were household names. Superstars like Dennis Rodman and KISS jumped on the WCW bandwagon. It seemed the company could do no wrong.
But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out. The company - having lost a whopping 95% of its audience - was sold for next to nothing to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW was laid to rest.
How could the company lose its audience so quickly? Who was responsible for shows so horrible that fans fled in horror? What the hell happened to cause the death of one of the largest wrestling companies in the world? The Death of World Championship Wrestling is the first book to take listeners through a detailed dissection of WCW's downfall.
What listeners say about The Death of WCW
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- driverjoe27
- 10-21-20
Read Guy Evans Nitro book if you want actual facts.
This book is 25% talking about wrestling matches, 70% trash talking and finger pointing, 4% sarcasm, and 1% “facts” most of which have nothing to do with WCW. Don’t waste you time or money.
8 people found this helpful
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- Eric Philleo
- 12-18-17
Like a rambling friend telling you WCW history
I'm split on this review, but I think my headline captures it. You can tell the author/narrator is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of WCW. The amount of detail you get (down to weekly ratings) is fascincating and at times, almost too in-depth.
However, your rambling friend sometimes goes on tangents, and for a few minutes, you're completely confused as to what he's on about, before just as suddenly being right back on course. I'm sure a lot of this is due to trying to fit in the "Lessons Not Learned" sections from the book. But there is no distinction as to when these end, and when he's back to the narrative unless you're paying careful attention.
Additionally, the author often repeats the same information over and over. Paraphrasing from memory: "Hard to believe Tank Abbott would join 3 Count someday". "This is strange booking considering he would soon join 3 Count'. And then finally getting there in the narrative... "You wouldn't believe who 3 Count revealed as their new member... Tank Abbott!"
It's like each section was written on it's own and then mashed together without editing to clear out all the redundant mentions.
Overall, if you're a fan of WCW or pro wrestling in general, I still think this is a worthwhile listen, you'll just have to put up with your friend's rambling at times.
5 people found this helpful
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- Arvoyea Moore
- 04-15-17
The full story of how you DO NOT do Pro Wrestling
Learn more about WCW, their struggle with WWF/WWE and how their rise and fall changed Pro Wrestling forever.
Narrated by co-author Bryan Alvarez from Wrestling Observer (famous for his MINUS FIVE STARS quote used in Botchamania), learn in detail how the habit of misusing young talent, collusion with the bookers, and blowing money away at things not wrestling resulted in their bankruptcy and being bought out by WWE. Also added are moments were in present day even WWE seems to have made the same mistakes, and a certain infamous promotion, TNA Impact Wrestling, died the same death by the same reasons and by the same integral people responsible for WCW's.
Dry at first, the wit and sarcasm Bryan is known for and has made many laughed during The Bryan and Vinny Show podcast comes into his narration when the company's decisions are at their worst and dumbest. Recommened to any interested in wrestling, even if one only simply watches the previously mentioned famous Internet video series Botchamania. Of course, a lot of WCW's most famous botches are featured in Botchamania for those who still don't believe in these stories.
4 people found this helpful
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- Jerome Chavez
- 09-17-19
This book is terrible just like the TV show...
Dont waste your time, money, or audible credit on a summary of a TV show that you can get for free on YouTube. You could also watch the entire run of the TV show on the WWE network which would be more entertaining than listening to this guy for 12hrs. This is just a rant on the authors opinion that WCW sucked and therefore failed. There are really no interviews or direct quotes from many of the wrestlers whom are still employed by either WWE or another TV show such as New Japan, TNA or AEW. The 1990s and early 2000s were the golden age of trash TV that's what made this show great. It also he makes it sound like its Hulk Hogan's fault the show went under. The "Hulkster" is like "Pikachu" is to Pokémon he's the face of wrestling and one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture people will love his wrestling performances whether or not they were 1 minute long or 1hr long people are only tuning in just to see him. Nobody cares about rookies unless they are dedicated wrestling fans. Lastly this book uses a lot of terminology that most people who are casual fans who only tune-in once a week or haven't watched wrestling since 1989 and the days of Tube TV wont understand. Such as "Heel-Turn", "Baby Face", or "K-Fabe" and doesn't explain any of it. Finally, WCW died because Ted Turner sold the program to Vince McMahon in 2001. The rest of this book id just a big 11hr rant and summary of every episode from 1988 - 2001. It also has 2 forwards each one he dedicates the book to different individuals in each forward which takes up the other one hour. I expected an ESPN 30-30 written well and explained more in depth story about how the history of Ted Turners entertainment wrestling contrasted with popular culture and trash television of the 1990's. but all I got was a "Super-Fan" critique and summary of every episode of the 13yr show. WCW was a great show. The author probably thought Wrestling, The Easter Bunny and Santa Clause were real until he was 35 and wrote this book after his mom finally told him those things happen to be fake. This book is really bad and hard to get through.
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-09-21
I wasted a credit on this
I gave this book a fair shake. It's hot garbage. Don't waste your time
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 07-09-20
Worst book ever
book fill with only rumors
Very boring
The narrator is t
Or sucks sometimes feel asleepWaist of money and time
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 10-06-17
The Best Wrestling Book I've Ever Listened To
As someone who lived through the Monday night wars as it's called and being such a huge fan of the WCW company instead of the WWF (as it was known at that time) this book is perfection in literally every way. It told me things that even I didn't know and I like to consider myself one of the biggest pro wrestling nerds on the planet. I'm not sure why it took me so long to finally get to this book as it's over a decade old but I'm very glad I finally did.
It's written brilliantly giving you constant information on a company that had so much history and things that could be said about it. It goes from the highs to the lows and lets you in on things that normally us fans (especially at the time this originally released) wouldn't be in on. All the backstage issues and business dealings that happened, how the snowball formed, and how eventually nothing could stop it from finally dying.
I'd recommend this book to any wrestling fan but it hits home even more to fans who grew up watching WCW as you'll know some of the things talked about all too well. I couldn't praise this enough. It's definitely in that must read/listen to catagory of books if you're a wrestling fan. It's a nostalgia ride hearing about some of the things talked about and you remember the good times you had when you watched the shows. That being said it also takes you down and makes you absolutely baffled at how the company even lasted as long as it did with the stuff that was happening backstage.
In conclusion there's nothing I can say that will do this credit. Many more before me have written reviews on this book. Some who know a lot more about literature than I. But as a wrestling fan this is simply the best book about professional wrestling I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. Thank you to Bryan Alvarez, Big Money Dave Meltzer, and R.D. Reynolds for this trip down the rabbit hole of the company that started my love for this sport.
I look forward to eventually reading The Death of TNA/GFW/iMPACT Wrestling whenever that day finally comes.
4 people found this helpful
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- darren crouch
- 12-29-20
great story/performance
the story was fantastic in an outlandish entertaining way, but was filled with a ton of misinformation and falsehoods from anonymous sources. Alvarez's performance was great and all but the true WCW book is Nitro by Guy Evans in which he actually interviewed high ranking executives that weren't anonymous and were actually there and knew what was going on behind the scenes. This book was nothing more than the creator of wrestlecrap.com (Reynolds) and Alvarez from figure weekly shitting on Eric Bischoff and those of his ilk that they dislike.
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- Brian Kinnaman
- 05-01-20
Horrible book
This book has that feeling that fan sitting on a couch watching WCW and talked to a couple of wrestlers then wrote a book. No information from key people. The narrator voice sounds like a radio jock. There are no details or back story of WCW. Buy the WCW Nitro book it’s much better, lot of details on the back story of WCW, Information from key people including those connected directly with CNN.
1 person found this helpful
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- Devin M.
- 03-04-20
Surrenders in audio book format
Nothing but a collection of dirt sheet stories many of which are not accurate. If I HAD to say something nice... At least the stories are in chronological order.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mr Dean Robertson
- 10-08-16
Fastest 14 and a half hours of my life.
Such a good listen that I wish it went on for another 14 and a half hours
4 people found this helpful
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- Laura
- 09-28-16
wish there were more books like this
loved it. finished it in a few days, great reading, really informative and very funny, if a little depressing for the the poor people who had to watch WCW at the end. would love more books from these guys (the TNA one hopefully won't be long).
3 people found this helpful
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- matt
- 09-24-16
Brilliantly told
Even none wrestling fans will be drawn into Alvarez' storytelling. This is the factual story of how ego, delusion, greed and stupidity collided to burn a multi million dollar business, and left long lasting ramifications on the wrestling entertainment business that are still felt today .
It's also a stark reminder to us all that even when the sky is clear of clouds , the rain is never far away , so you'd better pack an umbrella.
7 people found this helpful
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- Jayce
- 04-02-18
A comprehensive history of WCW
Where does The Death of WCW rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
With The Death of WCW Alvarez and Reynolds deliver an outstanding, comprehensive year-by-year account of the rise and fall of one of wrestling's most unique, exciting and often downright weird promotions. Attention is paid to the events that happen in the ring, as well as the backroom politics of WCW and the cutthroat business side of pro-wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Bryan Alvarez?
Alvarez is a competent narrator. However, his pronunciation of "W" often sounds like he is underwater. In an industry filled with companies that often use acronyms containing multiple W's (WWWF, WWF, WCW), this, at times, makes it feel like the book is being read to the listener by an Atlantean.
Any additional comments?
A fascinating read/listen for both veteran fans, as well as the uninitiated.
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- Ben M Spalding
- 10-19-17
Brilliant and insightful
If you want to understand the pure brilliance alongside the utter stupidity of the wrestling business, then this is the book for you.
Honestly think this should be used in business school as a demonstration of the product lifecycle and how not to manage change and how to engage your employees and listen to your customers. Basically bar a 2-year period do nothing WCW did!!!!
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- Superfluous
- 12-17-21
Fascinating, and a great listen for wrestling fans
The narrator does a great job - very easy to listen to, and makes the already great source material even more enjoyable.
If you're a wrestling fan now, of remember the days of WCW, then this is a hell of a listen - there's a massive amount of information in here, and while I knew about some of things mentioned, the sheer scope of how terribly things were run is astonishing. Haven't been able to stop listening since I got it - whenever I pick it up for 5 minutes I listen for half an hour!
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- NK
- 10-29-21
Don't bother
without doubt one of the most boring books I've had the misfortune of picking. if you want a running commentary of match's in the 90's together with the words of the wrestlers verbatim then this is for you. major snoozefest.
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- Adrian
- 10-15-20
I Can't Believe This Is Real
I've always wanted to listen to this and now that I finally have, I was not disappointed. The story of the rise and fall of WCW is amazing, the mistakes they made sound like there is no way it could have actually happened and yet, it did.
This book is shocking, hilarious and embarrassing at times. I really hope they make a documentary series on this.
I highly recommend this book
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- Fizzgow
- 10-07-16
very good
A very good Insight for wrestling fans on how truly terrible the WCW became .
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- theryanwatkins
- 04-27-22
awesome listen
a great history and review of how we self destructed. well narrated and very detailed
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- Boris
- 06-09-21
superb story telling
Bryan is great. you can actually visualize how bad every segment was. nice little bonus ending as well
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- Danijel M.
- 03-01-20
loved it
a true retelling of the rise and fall of WCW this is a must read for all fans of the Monday night wars
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- Attila
- 01-01-18
Not research or a study. Just a podcaters opinion.
I got this thinking I was getting a comprehensive study on how the business lost millions and needed to sell itself for next to nothing to its rival. Was disappointed to find its just a fan boys ranting. Think comic book guy from Simpsons and this is what the author sounds like. No research, no interviews, just rumors he dug up from the internet and a snark "worse wrestling show ever" followed by an attempt at wit or humor, not sure what the author was aiming for. He constantly says things were ironic however misuses the correct meaning of he word. Was very surprised that could pass the editors. Obviously self published. In my honest opinion avoid, maybe one day a proper study will be carried out on WCW's business practises, this is not it.
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- Brad
- 02-18-17
Great~!
Definitive story on how the company rose, declined and failed. Brilliantly read by the narrator.
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- scott116hunt
- 09-26-16
fantastic read - couldnt press stop.
If you have any interest in Pro Wrestling history this book is a must. The book expertly documents this rise and fall and even for a non pro wrestling fan the laughs at how comically inept it gets are worth it.
Couldnt recommend it more.