Shannon Moore Recalls WWE Buying WCW & the Final Nitro, How He Transitioned to WWE

During a recent interview with Insight with Chris Van Vliet, former WWE Superstar Shannon Moore discussed the transition of WWE acquiring WCW in 2001, Shane McMahon appearing at the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro in March of that year, transitioning to WWE, and more. Below are some highlights from Insight:

Shannon Moore on the Day WWE Bought WCW

“That day that I walked in and it had this sign on the wall, and it said WWE one way, and it said WCW the other way.”

On If That Day Was the Final WCW Monday Nitro

“Yeah, and that day I walked out was in complete shock, had no clue, and immediately my first thought was, okay, I’m done. I don’t have a job. There’s no way. I’ve already been told I was too small. They’re probably not going to pick me up.”

On the Shock of Seeing Shane McMahon Backstage

“Yeah, man. Whenever we were in catering, and that was the first meeting that happened. When they walked out, it was real, and it was like, okay, this is interesting, and this is sad because me and a lot of my buddies, we’re gonna lose our jobs today. I don’t know what to do at that point.”

On When His WCW Contract Got Picked Up by WWE

“So, at that point, I got a phone call from Johnny Ace. Johnny was like, ‘Shannon, your contract’s gonna roll over. Don’t worry, you’re gonna have to fly down. You’re gonna have to meet with JR.’ I think it was in Atlanta that I was gonna have to go down and meet with JR. Funny thing about that, I thought I was gonna lose my job again because I ended up missing my flight for that meeting, and they had to reschedule my flight.”

On Whether He Had Any Initial Direction After Joining WWE

“None at first. Then I remember I called JR. Blue Meanie and Jasmin St. Clair; they contacted me, and at that point they were going to do a European tour, and they’re like, ‘Hey, man, do you want to do this tour with us?’ I can’t remember who it was that actually called to try to book me on that tour. I was like, ‘Dude, I would love to. I’ve been sitting at home. I need to be in the ring, and I need to be working.’ So I called JR, I’m like, ‘Hey, I got this European tour that I want to do. Would it be possible if I go on this tour, just so I can keep the ring rust off?’ At first, he thought about it, and then he’s like, ‘You know what? Let me call you back.’

“I was like, okay, that’s cool. So I waited around, and then he called me back. He’s like, ‘Hey, sorry to inform you, but we’re gonna send you to Cincinnati for probably about a month.’ The way he painted the picture was that he didn’t say anything about a developmental program. He just said we’re moving the guys from Memphis to Cincinnati, and we just want you to go up there, just get in the ring with those guys, and just kind of hang out there, park it there for a minute, and then in about a month we’ll reevaluate and see what we’re going to do with you.”

After WWE acquired WCW in 2001, Moore would transition to WWE developmental territory HWA. He’d later make his WWE TV debut in 2002 as part of the SmackDown brand.