Jim Ross recalls Vince McMahon's reaction to the debut of WCW Nitro

WCW Monday Nitro premiered on September 4, 1995 on TNT, broadcasting live from the Mall of America in Minnesota. The debut marked the beginning of the historic Monday Night War, the period of direct competition between WCW and WWE that transformed the wrestling industry. Nitro stood out from the start for offering a more unpredictable product, with surprise appearances like Luger's, and a format that challenged Raw's competition.

Nitro's initial success led WCW to surpass WWE in viewership for 83 consecutive weeks, driven by figures like Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair, and later, the arrival of the nWo. For WWE, this challenge represented unprecedented pressure that would ultimately lead to the Attitude Era and some of the most successful years in the company's history.

In a recent episode of his podcast Grilling JR, Jim Ross reflected on the impact of the premiere of WCW Monday Nitro, recalling both Vince McMahon's reaction and Lex Luger's unexpected appearance in the first episode. Regarding Vince McMahon's initial stance upon learning that WCW would launch a live weekly program to compete with Monday Night Raw, JR noted that the chairman was not very enthusiastic.

I don't think he was very enthusiastic. He knew it was inevitable. They were there to fight and compete, and we knew things like that were going to happen. We just didn't know when or exactly how.

Regarding Lex Luger's arrival on Nitro, Ross explained that it didn't surprise people within the business: "No one was surprised that Luger made that move, because his character was sometimes at risk, but he was a big star. It got attention, created notoriety, and that's what they wanted to achieve, and they did," he concluded.