Take a trip back to "Where the Big Boys Play." Launched by media mogul Ted Turner in 1988, World Championship Wrestling went from a predominantly southern attraction to the most popular sports-entertainment company on the planet in less than a decade. Driven by captivating characters like the unbeatable Goldberg, the dynamic Sting and the so-bad-they're-cool New World Order, WCW and its flagship program, Monday Nitro, dominated Raw in television ratings for 84 consecutive weeks between May of 1996 and March '98 before being acquired by WWE in 2001. Here, WWE.com recounts the events that built WCW into an empire and the missteps that made it fall. Let's get ready to rumble! At Bash at the Beach, Hall & Nash dominate Sting, Lex Luger and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, which brings out Hulk Hogan. Looking like he's out to defend his WCW brothers, Hogan shocks the world when he assaults Savage and reveals himself to be in collusion with Hall and Nash. As distraught fans launch trash ! into the ring, The Hulkster embraces The Outsiders, effectively launching The New World Order. Less than a month after debuting in WCW, high-flying sensation Rey Mysterio defeats Dean Malenko to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The Little Big Man will go on to win the title a total of seven times during his career while sparking major interest in the lucha libre style of competition. As Nitro continues to top Raw in the weekly tug-of-war for viewers, WCW launches a second brand known as Thunder
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