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The failure of WCW was in spending too much money to lure superstars away from the WWE and then providing those stars with too much power in their contracts. Another contributing factor to the demise of WCW were the seemingly endless court proceedings brought about by WWE. The WWE was having a difficult time competing with the growing popularity of WCW and used the legal system to cripple the WCW financially. WCW finally conceded and accepted defeat when it became financially impossible for them to survive.

The WWE has learned to negotiate manageable contracts that refuse to provide wrestlers with with any control over promotions. WCW gained its brief dominance over the WWE thanks in large part by not only offering big money contracts but those contracts also had air-time and promotional stipulations attached to them. The deals made with the likes of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan changed the landscape of WCW. This was no longer a promotion looking for success. It became apparent that it wanted to take on and eliminate WWE in a head-to-head competition fueled by the animosity of its newly acquired superstars. The wrestlers had the power to force this collision and the promotion was there to simply sign checks and go along for the ride. When the ride got bumpy the wrestlers bailed and promotion collapsed.

WCW also failed miserably to promote and utilize its wealth of new talent. The most prized talent they gave up on was Triple H. Triple H promptly went about the business of becoming a huge megastar and franchise commodity for the WWE. When the storyline using their old superstars began to lose momentum they had no alternative resources to regain control. WCW had either let their young stars walk away or provided them with little to no exposure that would have allowed them to become respectable commodities.

The true test of what the WWE has learned from the this rivalry and subsequent end to the WCW has yet to be determined. The WWE will need to be challenged by another promotion before that question can be answered. For now the WWE reigns supreme and has been cautious and more intelligent in dealing with its wrestlers. Another competitive situation could change that policy but in the end the WWE realizes that in this game survival matters most.

Learn more about this author, Daniel Reinard.
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