The "Monday Night Wars" refers to the intense competition between two professional wrestling promotions, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), during the late 1990s. This rivalry began when WCW launched its weekly show, Monday Nitro, in 1995, directly competing with WWF's Monday Night Raw. The wars led to innovative programming, high-profile storylines, and the introduction of popular wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. Ultimately, the competition peaked in 1998 but declined by the early 2000s, resulting in WCW's acquisition by WWF in 2001, marking the end of this era.