Former WCW Champion Explains Why They Wouldn’t Join WWE

WWE Hall of Famer Stevie Ray shared insights into his decision to decline an offer from WWE after WCW’s closure in 2001.

In a candid 2019 interview on Ryback’s podcast Conversations with the Big Guy, Stevie Ray, well-known as one half of the Harlem Heat tag team with his brother Booker T, discussed how he chose a different path following WCW’s final days. Instead of joining WWE, like many of his former peers, he explored opportunities overseas.

When I stopped WCW, I went overseas for three-and-a-half years. I was going back and forth over there, and I didn’t want to go to WWF.

Ray’s decision took many fans by surprise, especially given that so many of the company’s stars transitioned to WWE after the acquisition. His commitment to his own path and principles was clear during WCW’s last broadcast.

As a matter of fact, the last WCW Nitro I didn’t even attend and they sent me a ticket.

For Stevie Ray, this decision wasn’t just about career moves but stemmed from a fiercely competitive mindset developed during the infamous Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWF.

I was always in the mindset that this is the competition to me. This is NFL vs AFL or National League vs American League in baseball. WCW vs WWF.

In the podcast, he made his feelings unmistakably clear, adding:

To be honest with you bro, I didn’t want to go out like a bitch.

Ray’s words underscore the loyalty and competitive spirit many wrestlers of his era held towards their companies. Unlike his brother Booker T, who joined WWE and achieved great success, Stevie Ray chose to walk his own path, remaining true to his values and his vision for his career.

According To Kevin Sullivan Why Was The Ultimate Warrior Brought Into WCW?

Kevin Sullivan discussed the reason The Ultimate Warrior was brought into WCW in 1998 and said that it wasn’t due to a need for him to come in for storyline purposes or to boost business as the business was doing very well already, but that Hulk Hogan wanted to bring Warrior in to get his win back from WrestleMania VI.

H/t to ITRWrestling.com