Tony Schiavone Recalls Infamous Fingerpoke Of Doom

There are many different moments one could point to in WCW's waning years that would qualify as a nail in the promotion's coffin, but few garner as much attention as the "Fingerpoke of Doom." The incident took place during a January 1999 episode of "WCW Nitro," with Hulk Hogan poking Kevin Nash in the chest, Nash dramatically falling to the mat, and Hogan pinning him – a theatrical conclusion meant to reunite the original NWO.

As one of WCW's perennial commentators, Tony Schiavone had a front-row seat for the debacle. He shared his disdain for the segment on an episode of his podcast, "What Happened When."

"It was stupid. I mean, it really, really was, right?" Schiavone said. He acknowledged that the poke itself wasn't being portrayed as something worthy of a pin, and that Nash and Hogan were conspiring together as villains. Still, Schiavone wasn't a fan of the decision.

Earlier on that same night, Schiavone called out the fact that Mick Foley was set to win WWE's world championship on a pre-taped episode of "WWE Raw" airing at the same time as "Nitro." Meant to be a jab at the competition, the remark resulted in scores of viewers switching channels.

According to Schiavone, though, it was the main event finish that was the biggest problem for WCW. The commentator stated that, though he disliked it, Eric Bischoff would occasionally have commentary spoil WWE matches, so it wasn't anything terribly new. Additionally, Schiavone said that WCW's viewership returned to "Nitro" after briefly tuning into "WWE Raw" that same night.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Happened When" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.