Nitro

The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner's WCW

By: Guy Evans

Narrated by: Guy Evans

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 Evans

way better than the death of wcw

Guy Evans took the time to interview key executives that were actually there and knew what was going on behind the scenes at the corporate level. Bryan Alvarez and RD Reynolds' the death of wcw as entertaining as it is was based off of 3rd hand information and an axe to grind with Eric Bischoff. If you are looking for the definitive WCW book this is the book for you.

A Fresh Perspective

A must listen for any wrestling fan no matter your era...Incredibly insightful and revealing book

Must buy if you watched WCW

As a person who grew up in the Monday night war era, this was an in depth review of that time and what led to the eventual sale of WCW. I enjoyed all aspects of this book and it’s details into things I never knew about the company. Definitely worth your time

Nostalgic Wrestling Fan

I was a WWE fan during the attitude era, so I didn’t have much knowledge of the WCW history. This book taught me a lot of what teenage me would have considered the enemy. It was thought provoking and interesting. Like learning about your enemies side of the story after he was vanquished. Good stuff. The narrator did a fine job.

Great story & performance

This was a great audobook about WCW so indepth very entertaining worth the listen

Greatest wrestling book ever

Guy Evans went above and beyond than any other wrestling book has ever done. In my opinion this is the greatest wrestling book ever. 2nd place would be Bret Harts. amazingly detailed he interview so many random ex employees and wrestlers. amazing amazing amazing.

Awesome Book

The best wrestling book I have read or listened too! I appreciate the level of research done to give the reader what actually happened in WCW!

Amazing

Most wrestling Bios are interesting and chock full of great stories, but they are biased. They are one perspective. This book is not one perspective on how Nitro failed, but all perspectives. It’s amazingly comprehensive and interesting.

Nitro is on the air!

Fantastic book! Never listened to a book on audio. This was really great. Loved it!

Comprehensive Look at a sad story

I watched WCW from a very young age, and was 17 when it shut down. It was always sad to see the company dissappear, and this book does evoke those same feelings. Still, it is so superbly written, that the conclusion is more than satisfying. I reccomend this book to any and all wrestling fans!