The Natural Born Thrillers was one of WCW’s popping fresh stables in the final year. Comprised of Sean O’Haire, Mark Jindrak, Mike Sanders, Chuck Palumbo, Reno, Shawn Stasiak, and Johnny Stamboli, they looked like a young group of heavyweights who could probably carry WCW forward in the years to come.
WCW Didn’t Really Lay The Groundwork
That is if WCW hadn’t already ruined its own future so effectively. When I discussed Dustin Rhodes as a World champion, that was starting at the early end of the 90s. The youngsters in that generation didn’t all have the larger than life appearance as The Natural Born Thrillers but they had the talent and charisma in spades over the young lions.
Also, this was WCW’s next generation. Paul Orndorff worked with these guys in the Power Plant and they were green coming in. The only ones who had been on TV regularly were Sanders, Palumbo, and Stasiak. When I saw Stasiak as part of The Natural Born Thrillers, I thought “This dude had a whole WWE career. He was on national TV.” But here was Meat, mixing it up with others.
When Hogan joined WCW, that wasn’t the end for the company but progress was going to be slowed down as the years passed. It’s one of those interesting situations where you look back, then further back, and connect the dots. The best example of this is WWE.
WCW’s competitor up north had different periods that fit the times and the company’s initiative. There was Hulkamania when things were hot, the odd period afterward, the New Generation which was WWE’s clumsy period, the Attitude Era where the company experienced nuclear popularity, and so on. The point is WWE had defined periods with talent at the top at different times. Some talent bridged the periods but the faces at the top were often different.
1993 and 1994 Killed The Future
In WCW, the booking to start doing something similar and establishing its own generations between 1991 and 1993 began. The company relied on Sting and a number of heels as fresh, young talent filtered in. This was a critical time in WCW laying the groundwork for its future and establishing stars who would hold things down until 1995 or 1996.
WCW needed confidence in Sting, Vader, and Rude and to protect them. The confidence wasn’t totally there to say “Nah, we’re good” to bringing back Flair or signing Hogan. Would it have sent WCW and wrestling in the U.S in a different direction? Definitely!
We probably wouldn’t have the nWo, Austin 3:16, Crow Sting, the Nation of Domination, Mongo in the Horsemen, The Rock as he would become during the Attitude Era, and some of ECW’s awesome color commentary moments. All of this could’ve been wiped starting after Flair was finishing his WWE contract.
It’s one hell of a tradeoff that wouldn’t guarantee WCW’s survival but would force the company to think of its future talent. Then again, that’s all depending on who is CEO of the promotion.
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