Nitro
The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner's WCW
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Nitro
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Narrated by:
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Guy Evans
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Written by:
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Guy Evans
About this listen
In April 1999, Entertainment Weekly asked its readers what many were surely wondering to themselves: How did wrestling get so big?
As a consequence of the heated ratings competition between World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the spectacle had taken over Monday nights on prime-time cable television. But in a departure from the family-friendly programming produced by the last industry boom - the 1980s wave, which made household names of Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and Andre the Giant - the new era of wrestling combined stunning athleticism with a raunchy sex appeal, engrossing story lines, and novel production techniques that reflected a changing society and its shifting values.
Once again, wrestling was a ubiquitous phenomenon - only this time, it seemed as though the fad would never end. With both WCW and WWF expanding into other forms of entertainment - movies, video games, music, and the like - the potential for growth appeared to be limitless.
But with uncertainty surrounding its corporate future, and increasingly uninspired programming eroding its audience, WCW stood on the verge of collapse. Three years into a five-year plan devised by its charismatic leader - a former Blue Ribbon Foods salesman named Eric Bischoff - the company whose unexpected ascension initiated the entire boom was operating on borrowed time.
For by the end of the five-year plan, WCW ceased to exist.
But Nitro is a story about much more than WCW and the Monday Night Wars. It is a story of an era, a time in which the media and cultural landscape precipitated - and later supported - pro wrestling's mainstream popularity. It is a story of how a company made in the image of an intuitively brilliant risk-taker betrayed its original promise. It is a story of how a handful of men, each struggling with their own limitations, facilitated a public obsession that changed television forever.
*Features interviews and comments from 120+ WCW/TBS employees*
©2018 Guy Evans (P)2020 Guy EvansWhat listeners say about Nitro
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gregg Anderson
- 2024-03-15
The best WCW book bar none.
There was so much I did not know about the WCW until I listened to this book. Guy Evans does an amazing job to give us a "Front Office" type view of the biggest wrestling showh of the 1990s. It's refreshing as it's not just telling us the same We restler stories about jokes in the locker room and drug abuse but rather taking a serious scholarly look at how this show (and company) worked, what made it thrive, and eventually what killed it (The answer is more complex than you think. The author provides narration here and it's serviceable albeit a slight bit too slow but otherwise clear and entertaining enough. If you're a fan of 90s wrestling this is a must read/listen. I wish the Author could have his Eric Bischoff biography done in an audio format as well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 2020-07-13
great for any wrestling fan during this era
almost an in depth view very interesting yo hear how it all went down. could've called it Eric Bischoff the ticking time bomb.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex Strowbridgr
- 2023-07-15
Loved this book
There will always be an argument over what eneded WCW. This book gives you the answer, TBS execs and the Time Warner merger.
Add all the other issues that contributed, but hearing all the stuff going on in the offices and behind the scenes. Great read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew Gasperski
- 2020-08-05
WCW Nitro Book
This book truly gives you another angle of what went down in WCW without WWE umbrella effecting the story.
I really enjoyed this while biking and plan to re listen!
Get it now!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J
- 2024-01-11
Excellent History
If you have a fond memory of the Monday Night War and the attitude era this is a must listen. Lots of behind the scenes perspectives and excellently narrated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C Anderson
- 2025-05-14
Quintessential listening for pro wrestling history
Guy Evans research and methods are on full display in this fundamental research into the history of the WCW Nitro program. Whether a new fan or a seasoned fan you will come to understand the situation and reasons that WCW Nitro lost it's moment in the sun.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-05-17
The best WCW book bar none
I loved many things including the reaserch, the narration, the pacing of the story as well as all the details and interviews done to make this one of the best books I have read on wrestling.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nicolas
- 2021-02-19
HORRIBLE NARATIVE
THIS WAS READER I HAVE EVER HEARD, AS THE BOOK JUMPS FROM COMPLETE DIFFERENT TOPICS IN SECONDS, SKIPPING WHOLE POINTS OF A TOPIC
THIS IS 1 BIG JUMBLED UP MESS!! NEVER STAYING ON POINT AND NOT UNDERSTANDING HOW 1 TOPIC RELATES TO ANOTHER!! HORRIBLE SUMMARY OF WCW DAYS! AWFUL VOICE! GIGANTIC WASTE OF MONEY
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1 person found this helpful