WCW Monday Nitro

WCW's flagship show led to the famous Monday Night War. Featuring the nWo, Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Sting, and the Cruiserweights.

WCW Monday Nitro (1995-2001) is an American professional wrestling television program created by Eric Bischoff and Ted Turner for TNT. Its weekly two-hour live broadcast, scripted in name but built on athletic competition, follows a roster of larger-than-life performers including Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and Sting, alongside the cruiserweight division, as they chase championships and settle personal grudges across ever-shifting alliances. The engine of each show is the feud: a rival faction, most famously the nWo, invades the ring and disrupts the card, while performers trade promos, backstage schemes, and title defenses to keep viewers tuning in week after week. Across seven seasons, the program runs as one continuing serialized soap of betrayals and reunions rather than standalone episodes, and it is remembered as the flagship of the Monday Night War against rival programming. The tone is brash, theatrical, and loud, with a sense of spectacle and rivalry that rewards sustained attention. Fans of Monday Night Raw, WWE SmackDown, and the broader tradition of televised wrestling will find the same mix of showmanship, feud-driven drama, and athletic bravado here, set in late twentieth century American arenas and living rooms.

• Monday Night Rawlive sports entertainment, serialized rivalry storylines, network ratings battle
• WWE SmackDownweekly live broadcast, larger-than-life personalities, feud-driven drama
• Anchormanbehind-the-scenes corporate rivalry, television ratings war as backdrop

Created by

Eric Bischoff, Ted Turner

Release Date

1995-09-04

Episode runtime

45 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (38)

What is WCW Monday Nitro about?

A weekly live wrestling broadcast on TNT where rival factions and feuding stars battle for ratings and audience loyalty.

What is WCW Monday Nitro like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of WCW Monday Nitro as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is WCW Monday Nitro violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in WCW Monday Nitro as mild.

Which shows are like WCW Monday Nitro?

Shows with a similar feel include Monday Night Raw, WWE SmackDown, and Anchorman.

How long is WCW Monday Nitro?

WCW Monday Nitro: 7 seasons, 292 episodes.

Is WCW Monday Nitro still running?

No, WCW Monday Nitro has ended.