In the weeks leading up to its premiere, Eric Bischoff encouraged viewers of WCW Monday Nitro (1995) to watch the film by staging the long-awaited WCW Starrcade 1997 (1997) contract signing between Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Sting (Steve Borden) during the commercial breaks. Assault on Devil's Island actually did pretty well on its first showing, drawing a 4.2 rating when it premiered, soundly beating the WWF's Survivor Series Flashback special, which drew a 2.8 against the first hour of the movie. Bischoff crowed about the rating on Broad Street Bullies (1997), claiming TNT executives had promised to make a 23-episode television series, if the film drew over a 4.0 rating which it did. But, they didn't make a series, though they did make a sequel, Shadow Warriors II: Hunt for the Death Merchant (1999), airing on TNT two years later.
Hulk Hogan and Carl Weathers had previously worked together in Rocky III - Das Auge des Tigers (1982), though they never shared any scenes together in that film.