Double A's Top 30 Favorite WCW Singles Wrestlers of the 90s

[Mickey Massuco]

Gimme an update brother.

 

[AA484]

14. Diamond Dallas Page

DDP is a guy that eventually evolved into a quality in-ring guy. What he did wasn't complicated, wasn't super-technical, and wasn't something that was gonna get him number 1 in the DVDVR 500. But damned if he wasn't convincing in his roles, particularly in big matches against guys like Savage, Goldberg, Hogan, Bret, Sting, and even mid-card stuff against Benoit and Raven. He was pretty over and I'm of the opinion that a hot crowd can increase the quality of a more basically worked match so DDP gets a big plus in that area.

 

[snuffbox]

I've been fortunate to see a lot of good stuff since, including Rey vs Batista in a bah gawd steel cage, but the best match I've ever seen live is still DDP vs Eddie Guerrero at a house show in 1996.

 

[Valeyard]

It's taken me years to appreciate DDP properly.

 

[AA484]

13. Barry Windham

Windham never really quite made it over the top, be it for lack of motivation, injuries, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or whatever. Even still, he experienced a career revival when he returned to WCW in mid-1990 and had some great in-ring work during the next couple of years until he faded out once again. Windham was multi-faceted and could work with a variety of different styles but I always preferred him working heel and being a nasty bastard, particularly during his early 90s run.

 

[Mickey Massuco]

It's taken me years to appreciate DDP properly.

same.

I’m a huge Windham guy, always felt more like an 80s guy but his early 90s stuff was good enough to warrant this placement.

 

[AA484]

same.

I’m a huge Windham guy, always felt more like an 80s guy but his early 90s stuff was good enough to warrant this placement.

Well, I said mid-1990 as he had basically faded out again by the mid-90s due to injuries.

Fake edit: Not sure why the quote above is different from your post unless you edited it.

Here are some recommendations for singles matches during this time period:

vs. Furnas (Clash 6/13/90)
vs. Pillman (Pro 4/6/91)
vs. Pillman (SuperBrawl 5/16/91)
vs. Luger (Bash 7/14/91)
vs. Mr. Hughes (Sat. Night 9/21/91)
vs. Austin (Sat. Night 5/9/92)
vs. Arn (Sat. Night 6/6/92)
vs. Austin (Worldwide 6/13/92)
vs. Rude (Sat. Night 11/7/92)
vs. Steamboat (Sat. Night 1/9/93)
vs. Scorpio (Sat. Night 1/23/93)
vs. Regal (Worldwide 4/18/93)
vs. Scorpio (Clash 6/16/93)

 

[Mickey Massuco]

Yeah I edited my post when I noticed my mistake and wow the quotes have edited posts now?

 

[AA484]

12. Steven Regal

Regal was the man. Maybe the best facial expressions in wrestling history. His looks of disgust and disdain towards opponents he felt were beneath him (basically everyone) were legendary. He had a great blend of technical brawling where everything he did looked snug and stiff all at the same time. Of course his Finlay matches were particularly noteworthy but he had many great matches with a wide variety of opponents, up and down the card, including a great series of matches with Flair on the WCW C-Show in 1994. Although he was pretty heavily depushed around the nWo period, his work in the middle part of the decade is more than enough to land him here.

 

[Valeyard]

His new years resolution of "waking up an hour earlier so I can hate you more," is an automatic legend-maker.

 

[AA484]

11. Arn Anderson

One of my all-time favorite ass-kickers. His spinebuster and DDT were fun spots that the crowd always went nuts for. His facial expressions, ranging from confident smirks to frustration and bewilderment, were great. Arn was also someone that knew how to get over working a body part and not have the crowd lose interest. He didn't just work an arm or a leg over, he killed that arm or leg and was able to keep the crowd where others may have lost them. Although outside the scope of this list, Arn is one of the few guys to excel in both a tag and singles setting -- and he routinely went in and out of those roles over his career, making his success in both spectrums all the more amazing.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Nobody ever had a better spinebuster.

 

[snuffbox]

One of the best tag team workers of all time. Maybe the best. And speaking of facial expressions, his selling of Steamboat as Dustin Rhodes's myster partner at the Nov 91 Clash is some top shelf stuff.

And probably the best TV champion of all time. Only competition is the man one spot behind him on this list.

 

[Mickey Massuco]

Going back to Luger and failed pushes, I was just watching KOTR 1993 and was surprised to see him in the first round of this tourney. When people talk about this show, nothing about him is ever mentioned (and with good reason). Then I heard them call him the Narcissist and was like god DAMN

This guy went from being a heel JTTS to Hulk Hogan replica in about two weeks, and then they punked him at the last minute less than two months later when people expected him to win the title. That kind of mish-mash booking kills a wrestler's drawing potential. But I was pretty shocked to see how quickly this all happened, that's like a modern timeline as far as character changes go. No wonder why it failed.

 

[snuffbox]

Almost 30 years and the internet later, some people still, somehow, blame the worker for booking/writing ineptitude.

 

[AA484]

AA's Top 10 Favorite Tag Teams of the 90s Interlude

10. Doom

9. Nasty Boys

8. Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydaxyBG8-yE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fCp7Se8TwU

7. Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xz8jff

6. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7nwt4

5. Rick & Scott Steiner
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xz8t8g

4. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1ghVYRKgs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpamDTv92fI

3. Brian Pillman & Steve Austin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpamDTv92fI

2. Rock & Roll Express
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xz8y31

1. Midnight Express
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3au6it

I know that the top two teams were really only around for 1990 and that was it, but man -- the matches they had with themselves and others (Southern Boys, Pillman/Zenk, Doom, Steiners) was quite simply the best tag work of the decade, followed closely by 1993 and the next two teams on the list.

 

[Mickey Massuco]

Surprised at Doom being so low, also The Outsiders didn’t exactly have great matches but it still feels like their presence and impact deserves a spot.

also Shane Douglas being ranked above the Steiners and Doom in anything other than who is a bigger nerd, oh man

 

[AA484]

Surprised at Doom being so low, also The Outsiders didn’t exactly have great matches but it still feels like their presence and impact deserves a spot.

also Shane Douglas being ranked above the Steiners and Doom in anything other than who is a bigger nerd, oh man

Remember this list is focused solely on the in-ring aspects.

 

[AA484]

10. Dustin Rhodes

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Dustin's initial WCW push was undeserved and was basically due to him being Dusty's son. Maybe I am making that up but I am pretty sure I remember reading that it was a feeling at the time. At any rate, "fuck that" is all I have to say about that. Dustin was pretty popular with the WCW crowd right off the bat, and not because he was Dusty's son. He just had a great energy that made you want to get behind him and he knew how to keep a crowd interested. Not only that, but his work was great, too. He could brawl and bleed (my god, he could bleed) and took some pretty insane bumps for a guy his size, but he could also slow it down and work a good, straight wrestling match. AA's number 10 favorite WCW singles worker of the 90s is Dustin Rhodes.

Recommended matches:

vs. Steve Austin, 10/27/91, Halloween Havoc
vs. Arn Anderson, 1/4/92, Saturday Night
vs. Rick Rude, 5/30/92, Worldwide
vs. Cactus Jack (Falls Count Anywhere), 9/6/92, Main Event
vs. Vader, 11/21/92, Saturday Night
vs. Bunkhouse Buck (Bunkhouse Match), 4/17/94, Spring Stampede
vs. Bunkhouse Buck (Bullrope Match), 5/22/94, Slamboree
Part 1 (Starts at 24:56)
Part 2
vs. Arn Anderson, 10/23/94, Halloween Havoc (cannot find a vid for this one)
vs. Vader, 11/16/94, Clash of the Champions
vs. Blacktop Bully (King of the Road), 3/16/95, Uncensored (sadly, cannot find a video for this one, either)

 

[Mickey Massuco]

Some of the best worked punches in the history of the sport.

 

[snuffbox]

Doom was a fuckin' awesome tag team.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

You have the Nasty Boys, and no Harlem Heat? Die in a fire.

 

[snuffbox]

The Nasty Boys had awesome matches with the Steiners (Havoc 90 is a forgotten classic), Cactus/Payne, and Cactus/Sullivan. Harlem Heat never had a match on par with any of those.

 

[muzzington]

 

[AA484]

You have the Nasty Boys, and no Harlem Heat? Die in a fire.

Quick! Name a good Harlem Heat match off the top of your head! Meanwhile, Snuffy named three good Nasties matches in the time it took you to read that sentence.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I don't necessarily feel compelled to say who's better, based off of their best matches. Harlem Heat had a lower ceiling, but a higher floor, in my opinion. Because, you're right, I can't think of a great Harlem Heat match, off the top of my head. You know what else I can't do? Think of a shitty Harlem Heat match.

 

[King Kamala]

Exactly, @Mr. S£im Citrus . I doubt anyone had more ** matches than Harlem Heat.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Triggered by the Luger (Narcissist) JTTS comment that has no baring in reality. That Tatanka draw sucked from what I can recall. Luger was mixed in with Mr. Perfect upon his debut, had an angle where he was knocking fools out (including World Champ Bret Hart the morning of WM 9) and more than likely was unbeaten on TV (maybe a random DQ I have long since forgotten) at this point (hence the draw with fellow undefeated dude Tatanka). Was he over? Not really. I'm not even sure he was motivated, but he was at least booked to be a guy in the mix.

I think I may have never recovered from seeing Kane and Cole in 1993 and found Harlem Heat hard to enjoy overall. Booker T began to stand out of course, but the Nasties definitely had a more up tempo, chaotic style. I am almost positive Heat jobbed on TV to the Cole Twins in their early days after both teams pulled the switcheroo.

 

[snuffbox]

That Dustin Rhodes-Vader Clash match listed above is another forgotten classic, imo.

Brody, why are you lamenting Luger's WWF run in a thread about his WCW career, specifically his work in 1990-91?

 

[King Kamala]

Someone 20 posts back called The Narcissist a JTTS. I internally cried foul too but knew @BruiserBrody would set them straight. It was a mediocre character but I don’t think Luger did any jobs (at least on TV) during that era.