The wrestling war between WWE and WCW featured both companies going back and forth with shots at each other. Both companies were guilty of ripping each other off with concepts inspired by the competition. However, WWE has been a bit more vocal in making fun of WCW in their productions looking back at the battles without admitting that they did take a few ideas from their rivals.

RELATED: 5 WWE vs WCW Dream Matches That Were Great (& 5 That Flopped)

Vince McMahon’s pride would never see him coming clean that he was inspired by the competition, but there were some obvious memories. The best ones worked out in the long term to still exist today while others just were dropped after one attempt. Find out which moments stand out as examples of WWE clearly copying something that WCW did first.

10 Spin The Wheel, Make A Deal

Raw Roulette

The concept of “Spin the Wheel, Make A Deal” for WCW placed match stipulations on a wheel that would decide the match. WWE recently copied this for NXT, but it was done as a tribute for using the Halloween Havoc name.

RELATED: The 10 Best WCW Matches Of Future WWE Stars

The more blatant instance of a ripoff came in the early 2000s when Raw Roulette became an occasional concept. Eric Bischoff would use the same concept for WWE shows in Las Vegas with the match stipulations being decided by the spin of a wheel all night.

9 Light Heavyweight Division

Taka Michinoku in WWE

WCW’s cruiserweight division was outstanding and helped it stand out compared to WWE’s product. Breakout stars like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and Rey Mysterio delivered great matches unlike anyone else in wrestling at the time.

WWE hoped to find the same appeal when introducing the light heavyweight division. Various international stars joined the company with WWE hoping to find the same formula. Unfortunately, they never had the groundbreaking talent or commitment to make their division work the same.

8 Part-Time Legend Roles

Goldberg as Universal Champion

There was a lot of criticism towards WCW by WWE when they started relying on legendary wrestlers in part-time roles. Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, and a few other big names rarely worked house shows and had a relaxed television schedule.

WWE took that to the next level in recent times by using the WCW blueprint. The legends drew big ratings and buy rates for WCW, and WWE started to do this in the 2010s. Names like Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and The Undertaker received even more relaxed part-time roles for quick fixes to weak numbers.

7 Monthly PPVs

WWE In Your House set

The concept of a PPV every single month seems normal now, but it was a huge risk for WCW in the ‘90s. WWE had a blueprint of four big PPVs before WCW started to push their model forward. The entire timeline saw WWE copying WCW when seeing the monthly concept thrived for the competition.

WCW proved that a hot product would get the fans to pay $30 each month if the card and the build delivered. WWE found huge success when copying them as Steve Austin started to rise around the same time. The company made massive profits with the monthly PPV formula.

6 Guaranteed Contracts

Marc Mero and Sable

Eric Bischoff had one massive advantage over Vince McMahon when competing against each other in the Monday Night Wars. Ted Turner bankrolling and not caring about the money allowed Bischoff to offer guaranteed contracts as a game changer.

WCW provided the long-term stability of knowing the talents could make the money even if management changed plans. McMahon was forced to change his business model by offering guaranteed contracts to risky talents like Brian Pillman and Marc Mero before making it a standard.

5 Evolution Becoming Modern Four Horsemen

Evolution in WWE

The success of The Four Horsemen saw Ric Flair setting the blueprint for leading a heel faction with The Four Horsemen. Flair did a great job as a top champion and had a perfect faction booked around him. Triple H was a huge fan of Flair and the Horsemen to inspire his future.

RELATED: 10 Wrestlers Who Had Different Gimmicks In WWE & WCW

Evolution was Triple H’s brainchild and was clearly inspired by the Horsemen. Flair was the instant addition as Triple H’s manager and mentor. The change was that they wanted to add younger wrestlers like Randy Orton and Batista to form an updated version of the legendary faction.

4 Secondary Weekly Show

Triple H and The Undertaker on the first Smackdown

WCW wasn’t afraid of taking chances during their rise in the ‘90s. Eric Bischoff wanted to keep the money coming in and wanted to expand the product to another night. The concept of Thunder saw a secondary weekly show on Thursdays to compliment Nitro.

WWE was always hesitant about having a second major show after Raw until they saw the project of Thunder doing well. The concept of SmackDown saw WWE airing a test show before getting it approved to become part of the weekly schedule that still exists to this day.

3 Breaking Kayfabe

The Kliq in WWE

One of the more unique things that WCW experimented with was the idea of breaking the script. Eric Bischoff often referenced WWE and Vince McMahon directly in promos. Kevin Nash would joke about backstage stories that usually would be banned from making air.

WWE was adamant against breaking kayfabe for years until the Attitude Era took off and WCW wasn’t suffering from taking the risk. Various storylines referenced real-life tension or stories that became a part of the product like Matt Hardy vs Edge or Triple H referencing the punishment he suffered after the Kliq’s Curtain Call.

2 Ryback as New Goldberg

Ryback

The popularity of Goldberg in the late ‘90s showed how a great undefeated streak can work to make a new star. Goldberg became the hottest star in WCW during their time with the most stacked roster after just seven months of his debut.

WWE tried to copy this formula many years later with Ryback’s undefeated streak. The look and presentation of Ryback was similar to Goldberg in a way that worked against WWE. Fans started heckling Ryback with “Goldberg” chants and completely ruined his push.

1 Heel Authority Figure

Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon

Eric Bischoff was the first major heel authority figure to find success at the highest level. The great run of Bischoff saw him playing a huge role in the New World Order. Bischoff joining the heel faction saw him referencing his real-life power and stacking the odds in their advantage.

Vince McMahon never wanted to be a huge part of the on-air product in a character role. A combination of The Montreal Screwjob and Bischoff’s success in WCW saw Vince moving forward as a heel. Steve Austin and McMahon had one of the best rivalries, with the "anti-hero vs authority figure" becoming one of the defining themes of the Attitude Era.

NEXT: 5 WWE Legends Who Got Squashed (& 5 WCW Legends Who Got Squashed)