''For the video game, see WCW/nWo Thunder.

WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 16, 1998 until March 21, 2001. The huge popularity of WCW in 1996 and 1997 allowed for the creation of a new show, which became WCW Thunder. Thunder was taped on Tuesday nights and then aired on Thursday, a change for WCW as then-WCW President Eric Bischoff was very keen on its primary show WCW Monday Nitro being aired live every week (as opposed to rival WWF Raw is War, which, at the time, was live every other week).

With a rapidly growing roster, including the recent acquiring of Bret Hart, TNT and The Turner Executives found the need to create a new show at its highest. WCW was reluctant and thought that it would hurt their popularity, but where forced to give in. TV commercials for Thunder featured top ring talents such as Hulk Hogan saying "I'll show you some thunder, brother!" and The Giant with "This forecast definitely calls for pain!" However, neither Hogan nor Giant would frequently appear on what was considered by fans to be a second rate show. Furthermore, unlike TNT's Monday Nitro, TBS often featured commercials briefing the events of the latest edition of Thunder during its other programs.

Thunder switched from Thursday evenings to Wednesday evenings in the summer of 1999 when WWF SmackDown! debuted on UPN. By now the tables had turned and WCW was trailing behind the WWF in the ratings. WWF copy WCW Thunder and debuted SmackDown! with the same overall looks and feel. Like Thunder, the primary color of SmackDown! was blue (i.e. the color of production graphics and ring designs), while the primary color of the Monday night shows, Raw and Nitro, was red. Thunder remained on Wednesday nights until the purchase of WCW by the WWF in March 2001. In fact, the deal was announced the day after the last Thunder broadcast.

World Championship Wrestling shows | 1990s TV shows in the United States | 2000s TV shows in the United States | TBS network shows