WCW’s Craziest Booking Fails Ever

• The Yeti was yet another heel joining this anti-Hogan faction.
• Why WCW thought a literal Mummy was a good idea is anyone’s guess.
• The Yeti debuted and gave a bear hug to Hulk Hogan.

The whole Dungeon of Doom was over-the-top in itself, but things really got weird and bizarre when Hulk Hogan battled The Giant at Halloween Havoc. Hogan was disqualified when Jimmy Hart hit the referee (later revealed to have been a plan as Hart had put in the contract for the match that the title could change hands via DQ), but after the match a mysterious mummy (yes, a mummy with bandages) came down to the ring… and for some abominable reason, he was called “The Yeti”... or “The Yetayyy” if you’re Tony Schiavone.

The Yeti proceeded to help The Giant put Hogan in a double bear hug, though it looked as though the pair were just gently caressing The Hulkster in one of the weirdest visuals ever. The whole thing got even weirder when Lex Luger turned heel too and joined The Dungeon of Doom. This whole thing was so bizarre, and it is baffling that WCW thought this was a good way to close out a PPV.

WCW Reboot In 2000

• With ratings crumbling, WCW decided to “reboot” the whole company.
• Every title was vacated and recrowned.
• This was an absolutely insane decision for a struggling promotion.

Things were going downhill for WWE in the year 2000, so those in creative control decided to go to extreme lengths to save things… by rebooting the whole company. Every title was stripped, damaging the prestige of titles and reigns, before recrowning a whole new selection of champions and creating storylines out of thin air.

Booking a whole “reboot” needed to be carefully planned and executed well, but it felt very much like a panicked call and one which predictably led to even more damage for WCW.

The Fingerpoke Of Doom

• This is one of WCW’s most infamous booking decisions.
• Many attribute this bizarre booking call as the beginning of WCW’s fall.
• Kevin Nash lost the WCW World Championship via a fingerpoke to Hulk Hogan.

On the same night WCW spoiled the results of Mick Foley’s WWE Title victory and sent over half a million viewers over to Monday Night RAW, WCW also pulled one of the most bizarre booking decisions in history. The promised world title main event between Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash ended with the infamous “Fingerpoke of Doom”.

This saw Hogan poke Nash, who dramatically fell, allowing Hogan to pin him instantly. Despite feuding for feuds, this was a ruse to bring the warring factions of the NWO together. This was an awfully executed angle and a bizarre call for WCW to put this up against Foley’s historic title win.

David Arquette Wins The WCW World Heavyweight Title

• A Hollywood actor won WCW’s biggest prize.
• An attempt to draw in more wrestling fans turned into a complete joke.
• The image of Arquette with the gold remains one of the most embarrassing.

WCW booked some questionable world title changes, but one of the most bizarre was when Hollywood star and Ready To Rumble actor David Arquette was brought into the company to win the biggest prize in wrestling.

WCW was going down a wild path in this era, and Arquette’s title victory was the latest in a sea of unhinged title changes. Arquette didn’t hold the gold for long, but it made a mockery of a championship with such a rich and deep lineage.

Oklahoma Wins The Cruiserweight Championship

• Oklahoma was a bizarre WCW gimmick played by Ed Ferrara.
• This character made fun of Jim Ross’ Bell's palsy.
• Oklahoma beat women's wrestler Madusa for the gold.

WWE made some very tasteless booking calls over the years, but none worse was the Jim Ross parody “Oklahoma” played by Ed Ferrara, which made offensive jokes, remarks, and mockery of Ross and his medical issues.

To make matters worse, this wasn’t just a one-off, with the act actually beating Madusa to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship — a title that had otherwise remained one of the better aspects of the company.

Goldberg’s Undefeated Streak Ends Via Taser

• Goldberg’s undefeated streak was iconic during the Monday Night Wars.
• Kevin Nash challenged Goldberg for the WCW World Championship.
• The Outsiders cheated with a taser to beat Goldberg.

Goldberg was propelled to the top of WCW during an iconic undefeated streak, making him one of the biggest icons the company ever had. Ending his streak should’ve been a historic moment. Well, it was certainly historic, but for all the wrong reasons.

Instead of establishing a brand new star by beating Goldberg, WCW had Kevin Nash and Scott Hall work together with the use of a taser gun to shock Goldberg, cheating their way to ending his undefeated streak. Bizarre? Yes. Terrible? Also yes.

Ric Flair’s Fake Heart Attack

• WCW faked a Flair heart attack during a Nitro promo
• Flair sold the attack fairly well, leading to some fans wondering if it was real.
• This was a controversial way to get fans to buy a pay-per-view.

Ric Flair was cutting an impassioned promo on WCW Nitro when he began clutching his arm and chest, falling to the ground and seemingly having a heart attack. He was helped to the back as fans watched on, confused and worried… only it was all a work.

There is no world in which a fake heart attack should be used to sell a professional wrestling PPV (oh yeah, Flair pulled the same trick in his retirement match over two decades later too!).

Vince Russo Books Himself As WCW Champion

• Russo was WWE’s lead booker before joining WCW.
• He decided he would win the WCW World Heavyweight Title.
• Vince Russo beat Booker T in a steel cage match.

If David Arquette as WCW World Heavyweight Champion wasn’t bad enough, lead booker Vince Russo decided to also make himself champion. Russo won the title in an overbooked steel cage match with Booker T… but proceeded to have them vacate the title through storyline injury.

The decision to have him win the gold was baffling, especially since it led to absolutely nothing worthwhile and served as no benefit to a single name on the WCW roster.