During the latest edition of his “ARN” podcast, Arn Anderson commented on the backstage atmosphere at the last WCW Nitro, what Shane McMahon said to him, and more. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On his mindset at the last WCW Nitro and what Shane McMahon told him when he arrived: “Not being an idiot all the time, I have some moments of clarity where I understand exactly what’s going on. Everything was speculation about who was gonna buy the company. There were all kind of rumors that there was a last-minute pitch coming from different investors. But when I saw Bruce [Prichard], [Gerald] Brisco, and Shane [McMahon] – when they walked in the door, it became crystal clear. I knew that when I wrestled for Vince, working a 90-day notice was about as good as you could possibly do in those days. I had left the right way, I knew that. I also had a very good relationship with Bruce and Shane. When we got there and saw those guys, Shane walked right up to me smiling big, shook his hand, good to see, and he said, ‘See you soon.’ That kind of gave me confirmation that I was gonna survive this in some capacity. That’s all he said.”
On the backstage atmosphere in WCW at Nitro: “Everybody had a different opinion. Again, a lot of top guys that were on contract with that company, weren’t there because they had been sent home. Some guys that hadn’t been in the business very long were not very confident they were gonna be absorbed. There were guys that were veterans that weren’t confident they were gonna be absorbed. It was more doubt and people assessing their self-worth. I didn’t see anybody cocky that they were gonna be taken aboard and pushed to the top. I just remember there were a lot of private conversations and it had this really weird aura. I don’t think anybody really believed it was gonna be the last show until those guys walked in. Then it became very real.”
On Ric Flair vs. Sting being the main event of the show: “I think it was an excellent call. Sting was the guy that never left. He was the most loyal employee they ever had. I think Ric was one of the faces of wrestling worldwide. To have that match was a very good call. I know those guys enjoyed it, and it wasn’t lost on them that it may be the last time they ever worked together. You could tell it was emotional. A lot of guys were watching that match that understood it was the end of an era and the end of a company that had been around for a long time. There was this sad cloud floating over everything.”
(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
