Connor McGrath
Welcome to the final part of our series, counting down the Top 25 Greatest WCW Superstars of All Time. Over the past few weeks, we’ve counted down the greatest names in the history of one of the great wrestling promotions of the ’90s. One of the qualities that made WCW great was, despite the fact that it was owned by a multibillion dollar corporation like Turner Broadcasting, that it always felt like the underdog. There were times when it had much, much more money at its disposal than its rival, The World Wrestling Federation but there was never a time when it really had that same level of leadership. The guys who ran WCW were, by and large from beginning to end, thoroughly incompetent. They all seemed to either not know what they were doing or didn’t care what they were doing and were just glad to have access to Ted Turner’s checkbook.
WCW was a promotion that succeeded for a decade and a half, almost in spite of itself. Outside of its short heyday in the late ’90s, it was always second fiddle in the world of North American wrestling. The Hydrox to WWF’s Oreos. Its stars were guys who Vince McMahon and his cohorts didn’t deem worthy of gracing pro wrestling’s biggest stage. WCW was filled with guys cast off from McMahonland or guys who Vinnie Mac would never even give a chance. For the better part of its run, WCW was populated by guys who were thought to be too small, too old, or just not charismatic enough to perform at WrestleMania. That rejection and second tier reputation motivated some of WCW’s greatest stars.
For many guys, World Championship Wrestling was their first and/or last chance to perform in a major spotlight in a North American wrestling ring. If they couldn’t succeed there, they’d never go anywhere else in the big time and would just have to resort to going overseas or going on the independent circuit to bleed for dollars. Starrcade, Halloween Havoc, and The Great American Bash became their WrestleMania and they busted ass and produced matches that were not only better but sometimes leagues beyond what WWF was producing at the time.
Writing this series made me realize that WCW was a lot like how the Oakland Athletics were portrayed in Moneyball. A lot of its roster had significant flaws that caused the powers that be to ignore them or cast them aside. Rey Mysterio was too small! Vader was too big and clumsy! DDP was too old! But those same guys had tremendous attributes that outweighed whatever negatives they had and they were able to become massive superstars in their own right.
Looking at this list, very, very few of the guys on it were considered “sure things” at the beginning of their careers in WCW. Maybe a third of them either entered the company in the prime of their career (Steamboat and The Outsiders come to mind) or were considered can’t miss, can’t fail prospects (Luger, Austin, The Steiners, and of course, Goldberg). But then again, a lot of WCW and Vince McMahon’s “can’t miss, can’t fail prospects” did indeed do both (Tom Magee, anyone?) but that might be another list for another time. Everybody else had some sort of question mark hanging over their career. Whether it was them being too small, too old, or sadly, not the right skin color that wrestling promoters wanted in their champions.
Hell, Hulk Hogan, in my mind, is the biggest professional wrestler of all time and there was some question of whether he could really be a draw in WCW. People forget that Vince McMahon seemed more upset about Hogan testifying against him in his federal steroid trial than leaving for WCW. Vince shrugged off Hogan’s departure because he thought Hogan’s days as a major box office draw were done. Luckily for the folks at Turner Broadcasting who opened up their checkbooks, Vince was very wrong.
WCW was a promotion that succeeded due to the will and desire of its talent. They didn’t work any less hard because they were working in front of 1000 people at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta instead of 20,000 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. More than anybody who was actually signing the checks, they wanted the company to succeed. In fact, the only reason I think the company lasted as long as it did was because those wrestlers and other backstage personnel (road agents, referees, etc) cared about putting out a quality product and creating compelling storylines and great matches. Today, we highlight the biggest and best of these names. But first, let’s see how we got here and countdown Numbers #25 through 6
#25. Rick Steiner
#24. Raven
#23. Eddie Guerrero
#22. Steve Austin
#21. Dean Malenko
#20. Ron Simmons
#19. Chris Jericho
#18. Rick Rude
#17. Randy Savage
#16. Dustin Rhodes
#15. Chris Benoit
#14. Scott Hall
#13. Arn Anderson
#12. Scott Steiner
#11. Booker T
#10. Lex Luger
#9. Rey Mysterio
#8. Kevin Nash
#7. Ricky Steamboat
#6. Diamond Dallas Page
And now with the undercard finished, let’s get underway. It’s time for our main event, bring out Michael Buffer to mispronounce everybody’s names…it’s time for the Top Five Greatest WCW Superstars of All Time…speaking of it being time, look who came in at #5
#5. Vader
(July 1990 to August 1995)
Titles: Three Time WCW World Champion, Former WCW United States Champion
Career Highlights: Main Evented Starrcade (1993), PWI Wrestler of the Year (1993), Wrestling Observer Wrestler of the Year (1993)
Lowlights: Spending the first half of his career wearing a dumb helmet, being in a series of embarrassing mini films with Sting in ’92-’93, having to pretend to be afraid of the Shockmaster, losing a strap match to Hulk Hogan by having Hogan throw Ric Flair into all four corners, being fired from WCW after getting into a locker room brawl with a flip flop clad Paul Orndorff, who got the better of Vader.
Essential Matches: Vs Sting (Great American Bash 1992), Vs Cactus Jack (Halloween Havoc 1993), Vs Sting Vs The Guardian Angel (Fall Brawl 1994)
WCW did not have a great record with big men in the early ’90s. Their attempts to turn El Gigante into the Andre The Giant of the ’90s went about as well as Michael Richards’ performance at the Laugh Factory. They turned One Man Gang, one of the most agile and underrated super heavyweights of all time, into a raving lunatic. Though I suppose it’s better than having the decidedly Caucasian gang pretend he was from “Deepest, Darkest Africa” and having him boogie to the ring…And there was also PN News, who I apologize for bringing up in a “Best of WCW” column.
WCW did their damndest at the beginning to inadvertently try and make Vader look like a fool. They had him wear one of the most ridiculous helmets in wrestling history (ahead of Hulk Hogan’s “fist helmet” that he wore for about a week for no reason but below MANTAUR) to try and make him look like his namesake, Darth as much as possible without getting sued by Lucasfilms. Thankfully, common sense prevailed and Vader didn’t end up as fodder for an episode of WWE’s Are You Serious? fifteen years down the line. Instead, he became easily the greatest big man of the past twenty five years.
Vader’s star wasn’t made in WCW (that would be in Japan, where he “retired” the immortal Antonio Inoki) but it was where his star was showcased to the North American wrestling audience. He was a new kind of big man. For years, it was impressive just for a big guy to make it to the top rope at all but Vader could do moves guys half his size couldn’t do. Not only was Vader one of the biggest wrestlers in the world in ’92-’93 (literally and figuratively) but he was also one of the best. His series’s with Sting and Cactus Jack produced some of the most epic matches in WCW history. His match with Ric Flair at Starrcade ’93 was one of if not the biggest match in the history of the promotion to that point. It had a WrestleMania level buildup and it was the first time in years that what was supposed to be WCW’s biggest show of the year actually felt important. It had the feel of an big time prize fight.
It could be argued that Vader was the last truly great big man. It might be impossible in the day and age where WWE produces eight hours of TV a week (plus a three hour PPV every month) to build up that mystique. It’s hard to make somebody a special attraction when you see them three times a week. Even Vader’s gimmick became diluted eventually. After losing to Flair at Starrcade, he was never quite the same. He revived his feud with Sting then had a feud with Hulk Hogan that seemed impossible to screw up on paper but somehow WCW managed to do it and had a lame babyface turn before leaving for an even more disappointing run in WWF.
As mediocre as the beginning and of his run were, the middle of Vader’s stint in WCW was fantastic. Except #4 on our list (and maybe #3 during certain parts of his run), nobody was put over as strongly as Vader was in ’92 and ’93. He was an absolute monster, mauling every babyface on the roster and looking like an absolute beast. He literally destroyed guys (with unfortunate consequences in a few cases) and anybody who was able to mount any sort of offense against the immovable object looked like a million bucks. I think Vader was an underrated figure in bringing WCW from a second-tier promotion to a company that could compete with WWF. For one year, Vader wasn’t just the biggest star in WCW but the biggest star in wrestling.
#4. Goldberg
(September 1997 to January 2001)
Titles: WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Two Time WCW United States Champion, Former WCW Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart), Fifth WCW Triple Crown Champion
Highlights: Main Evented Starrcade twice (’98-’99), PWI Rookie of the Year (1998), main evented the two highest rated episodes of Monday Nitro of all time (7/6/98 against Hollywood Hogan, 8/24/98, with Kevin Nash against Hollywood Hogan and The Giant), started off his career with “173 match” winning streak.
Lowlights: Having one of the best matches of his year (Vs DDP at Halloween Havoc ’98) go unseen by millions of fans after WCW ran out of satellite time for the PPV, getting arrested after getting falsely accused of stalking Miss Elizabeth during Fingerpoke of Doom episode of Monday Nitro (1/4/99), causing Bret Hart’s career ending injury at Starrcade ’99 (and two days later, injuring himself after punching through a limo window without the use of a prop), accidentally causing Vince Russo to win the WCW World Championship after throwing him through a cage (WCW Monday Nitro, 9/25/00)
Essential Matches: Vs Raven (WCW Monday Nitro, 4/20/98), Vs Diamond Dallas Page (Halloween Havoc ’98), Vs Scott Steiner (Fall Brawl ’00)
I don’t know if there’s any wrestler that got hotter in a shorter period of time than Bill Goldberg. When he debuted in September ’97, he was an NFL washout who seemed destined to reach his peak as a midcard heel tough guy. Six months later, he was one of the fastest rising stars in company history. Six months after that, he was arguably the biggest star in professional wrestling during arguably the biggest year in wrestling history. There was something intangible about the guy that made the fans go crazy for him. He wasn’t the best of workers (although he was a very capable power wrestler at times), he wasn’t a great promo guy (he didn’t really need to be) but he just gave off the vibe of a total asskicker. Everything about his look screamed “Badass”.
For fifteen months, he ran roughshod over the WCW roster, demolishing everybody put in front of him from small timers like “Jumpin'” Joey Maggs and Mark Starr to the biggest names in wrestling. Even after Goldberg’s streak was ended, he was still WCW’s biggest star even though the insidious and insipid powers that be often relegated him to the role of special attraction while the increasingly stale ex-WWF stars headlined the cards. No matter how bad WCW attempted to mismanage Goldberg’s career (“Let’s turn him heel!” “Let’s make him do the undefeated streak angle again!), he remained incredibly popular. I have very little doubt in my mind that if WCW had let Goldberg really carry the ball into the ’00s, they would be in business today. The fans liked him that much. He combined the old school “no frills, shit kicker” sensibility of The Road Warriors, Arn Anderson, etc. that long time fans of WCW (and its predecessor Jim Crockett Promotions) admired with a late ’90s attitude.
Goldberg’s run in WCW wasn’t lengthy (which I suspect is why he didn’t crack the Top Three) but he made an incredible impact in his three years in the company. Goldberg was at the same level as Steve Austin and The Rock in the late ’90s and bigger than Hulk Hogan, the three biggest names in wrestling history. Only reason why Goldberg is not on the same level as those guys is because he didn’t want to be. He was contended to just come in, kick ass, make a name (and millions of dollars) and get out. Sure, he could have made some more money but he also avoided embarrassment and injuries. We will never see him as a sad old man wobbling around the ring like a lot of guys on the list. Hell, even if he does appear at WrestleMania this year for “one last comeback match” as he’s rumored to, he’s still cut up for a guy in his mid forties.
Despite his brutish appearance, Goldberg has to have one of the most astute minds in the history of pro wrestling. His run coincided with wrestling’s boom period in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Once it subsided, Goldberg got out and has yet to return. He’s popped up a few times as a talking on WWE DVDs but other than that, seems happier being a reality TV host and doing the occasional B movie. Some cynics might criticize Goldberg for a lack of passion for the business but not every guy can be an Arn Anderson who dedicates his life to the sport. Some guys are just happy to make money and go home. Very few men made more money in the history of this business than Goldberg. And considering how many of his peers are now wrestling at the great Monday Nitro in the sky, one can hardly criticize him for minimizing his time in the industry. He came, he saw, he conquered, he starred in Santa’s Slay. Hail Goldberg!
#3. Hollywood Hulk Hogan
(June 1994 to July 2000)
Titles: Six Time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
WCW Career Highlights: Main evented Starrcade three times (’94, ’96-’97), PWI Wrestler of the Year (1994), PWI Comeback of the Year (1994), Main evented the most successful PPV in company history (Starrcade ’97 with Sting)
WCW Career Lowlights: Wrestling Observer Worst Wrestler of the Year (1997), Three Time Winner of Wrestling Observer Worst Feud of the Year (1995, Vs Dungeon of Doom. 1998, Vs Ultimate Warrior. 2000, Vs Billy Kidman), having to sell for Jay Leno at Road Wild ’98, one of the main players in the Fingerpoke of Doom, being verbally humiliated by Vince Russo in Hogan’s last appearance for the company at Bash at the Beach ’00.
Essential Matches: Vs Ric Flair (Bash at the Beach ’94), Vs Sting (WCW Monday Nitro, 11/20/95), with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash Vs Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage (Bash at the Beach ’96), with Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sting Vs Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, and Sting (Fall Brawl ’96), Vs Billy Kidman (Slamboree ’00)
Hollywood Hulk Hogan has the distinction of being unquestionably one of the biggest wrestlers in the company’s history and being unquestionably one of the most hated wrestlers in the company’s history. Hulk Hogan stood for everything that hardcore WCW fans stood against in the late ’80s and early ’90s; he was a showboat, a lot of sizzle with not a lot of steak. He cut goofy promos with little basis in reality. His style of wrestling was not grounded in reality at all. Yeah, only the most dour pro wrestling fan WOULDN’T admit that pro wrestling is a bit cheesy but if Ricky Steamboat was Brie than The Hulkster was pure Velveeta.
However, for every fan that Hogan turned away, he brought in two more. I very much doubt that WCW would have ever became the #1 wrestling promotion in the world if it weren’t for the Hulkster. And for all he did to hurt the company (tried to turn it into the WWF circa 1987, held down younger talent, etc), he did as much if not more to bring it to a level popularity it never even came close to attaining before. And even the most adamant Hogan haters had to admit turning him heel was a stroke of genius. If WCW fans were never going to accept Hulk Hogan as their #1 guy then he would give them a reason to hate him.
Just when it seemed like Hulkamania was going to be a thing of the ’80s, he found a way to reinvent himself and become a mega star all over again in the ’90s. Hogan was brilliant as a baddie and smartly placed himself against WCW stalwarts like Lex Luger, Sting, Ric Flair, and Diamond Dallas Page. Sure he revived some of his WWF feuds but where he made his money was by going against homegrown WCW talent. When he (the hero of WWF in the late ’80s and early ’90s) finally locked horns with Sting (WCW’s hero during the same period) at Starrcade ’97, it made for WCW’s biggest PPV of all time and arguably one of the biggest pro wrestling PPVs ever period.
No wrestling fan can deny that Hogan had (and has) immense charisma and a mysterious mainstream appeal. Sure, the decision to sign Hulk Hogan and give him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted may have directly or indirectly led to WCW’s demise. If they had never signed Hogan, they might still be around today but if WCW had never signed Hogan, I’m 99% sure that they never would have became the biggest promotion in wrestling like they were for over two years. To a lot of casual fans, Hulk Hogan is professional wrestling. Just the fact that they signed him immediately transformed them from a second tier promotion to the first genuine competition to the World Wrestling Federation in ten years. When he was able to reinvent himself into a new character, WCW had the once seemingly invincible WWF on the ropes. Hogan’s run began and ended somewhat poorly but it had one hell of a stretch in the middle.
#2. Ric Flair
(November 1988 to July 1991. February 1993 to March 2001)
Titles: Seven Time WCW World Champion, Two Time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, Former WCW United States Champion, First WCW Triple Crown Champion
WCW Career Highlights: Main Evented Five Starrcades (’88 through ’90, ’93, ’95), PWI Match of the Year, (1989 Vs Ricky Steamboat), Co-Winner of PWI Feud of the Year 1988 through 1990 (’88 and ’90 with Lex Luger, ’89 with Terry Funk), PWI Wrestler of the Year (1989). Wrestling Observer Match of the Year ( 1988 with Sting, Clash of the Champions 1) and 1989 (with Ricky Steamboat, Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin’ Cajun), Two Time Wrestling Observer Wrestler of the Year (1989 and 1990). Six Matches Rated Five Stars by Wrestling Observer. Main eventing the last episode of Monday Nitro against Sting
WCW Lowlights: Wrestling Observer Worst Feud of the Year (1990, Vs The Junkyard Dog), Wrestling Observer Worst Match of the Year (1996, with Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Meng, The Barbarian, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta and The Ultimate Solution Vs The Mega Powers, Uncensored ’96), Losing to WCW booker Vince Russo on a June ’00 episode of WCW Monday Nitro and getting his head shaven, launching a failed attack on Hulk Hogan while in drag at the first Uncensored PPV, guest appearance on Baywatch, getting face shoved into a donkey’s ass by longtime enemy Dusty Rhodes on the second to last episode of Monday Nitro in March of ’01.
Essential Matches: Vs Lex Luger (Starrcade ‘88) ,Vs Ricky Steamboat (any of them but if I had to pick one…let’s go with WrestleWar ’89), Vs Terry Funk (Clash of the Champions IX, November ’89), with Barry Windham, Sid Vicious, and Larry Zbyszko Vs Sting, Brian Pillman, and The Steiner Brothers (WrestleWar ’91), Vs Vader (Starrcade ’93)’
A lot of people might argue that considering this list is purely focusing on WCW then Ric Flair shouldn’t be near the top of the list. Surely, he’d be #1 on the list if it were Jim Crockett Promotions but some would say Flair was often marginalized and shoved to the side during WCW’s run. It’s true that Jim Herd tried to turn Flair into a gladiator and then fired him and then Eric Bischoff threatened to starve his family after filing a lawsuit against Naitch. But on that sad day in March ’01 when WCW closed its doors, Ric Flair was wrestling in the last match, long after the all of the eggheads who ran the company into the ground were gone. Despite being a two time World Champ in the WWF, Flair was synonymous with WCW. And whether the fans loved them or loved to hate him, he was THE MAN in WCW.
It didn’t matter how they tried to humiliate Flair or make him look dumb, Flair always rose above the material. A lesser wrestler would have crumbled but not Flair. Flair always maintained a modicum of dignity and looked like a champ. It didn’t matter if you shaved his head, made him dress like a woman, put him in a mental hospital, Ric Flair would always be the man. And Flair was the man because of his incredible skill and his longevity. Flair barely aged between November of ’88 and March of ’01. He lost a half step and gained a few wrinkles (the serious aging wouldn’t start for another few divorces) but was still putting out quality matches until the end of WCW”s run (heck, he dragged a *** match out of his son David Flair).
And his matches in the beginning and middle of WCW were some of the greatest in wrestling history. We talked about his matches with Ricky Steamboat in Part Two but Ric Flair produced equally incredible series of matches with a solid half dozen other wrestlers. Hell, the list of wrestlers that Ric Flair DIDN’T have a good match. Hell, Ric Flair even dragged good matches out of people who weren’t even wrestlers. The simple fact is WCW was a lot better when Flair was prominently involved than when we wasn’t. No matter who they put on top instead of him; Lex Luger, Sting, Vader, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett, etc…the WCW fans wanted to see that silver haired Ric Flair out there struttin’. Yeah, Flair was old and his act was slightly outdated but he was also a hell of a wrestler and that outdated schtick was incredibly entertaining.
Ric Flair, in all of his glory in the ring and all of his failings outside of it, represents what professional wrestling. He lives his gimmick and that gimmick has cost him family, friends, and millions of dollars but it’s also earned him a wealth of memories and conquests. If you asked him whether it was all worth it, I think he would undoubtedly say WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Ric Flair is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time and “the man” in professional wrestling. But in WCW, well, he’s only #2.
#1. Sting
(November 1988 to March 2001)
Titles: Six Time WCW World Champion, Two Time WCW International World Champion, Two Time WCW United States Champion, Three Time WCW Tag Team Champion (with Lex Luger, The Giant, and Kevin Nash),
WCW Career Highlights: Main Evented Starrcade three times (’89-’90, ’97), PWI Wrestler of the Year (1990), Four Time PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (’91-’92, ’94, ’97), #1 in the PWI 500 (1992) , PWI Match of the Year (1991, with Lex Luger Vs The Steiner Brothers at Super Brawl), Wrestling Observer Match of the Year (1988, Vs Ric Flair, Clash of the Champions I), Two Matches Rated Five Stars by Wrestling Observer (War Games ’91 and ’92), Headlining the most successful WCW PPV of all time (Starrcade ’97, with Hollywood Hogan), main eventing the last episode of WCW Monday Nitro against Ric Flair.
WCW Lowlights: Buddying up with RoboCop (Capital Combat ’90) and The Shockmaster (Fall Brawl ’93), starring in a series of embarrassingly dopey mini movies in ’92 and ’93, Wolfpac Sting (the entire run), getting mauled by dogs at Great American Bash ’99, being attacked by fake Stings on two separate occasions, ten years apart (Halloween Havoc ’90 and ’00), getting duped approximately once every six months by Ric Flair.
Essential Matches: Vs Ric Flair (Great American Bash ’90), with Lex Luger Vs The Steiner Brothers (SuperBrawl), with Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Nikita Koloff, and Dustin Rhodes Vs The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson, Steve Austin, Rick Rude, Larry Zbyszko and Bobby Eaton) (WrestleWar ’92), Vs Vader (SuperBrawl III), Vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Monday Nitro, 4/26/99 episode)
Of all of the top three wrestlers on this list, Sting is easily the least important in terms of professional wrestling history. But in terms of importance to WCW in the ’90s, there was (?) little controversy in naming Sting “The Greatest WCW Superstar of All Time”. Sting was the only wrestler to stick with WCW from Day One in late 1988 till the doors shut on March 26th, 2001. He was there for at all. He wrestled for the company in front of crowds of 200 people and 40,000. He was there when WCW was WWF’s corny red-headed little stepbrother and was right at the forefront when WCW became the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. Good, bad, and ugly, Sting was there, standing front and center with his classic, action movie star smile.
During the entire twelve and a half year run of the company, Sting was never out of the top three in terms of most popular wrestlers in WCW and was #1 for a great deal of that time. Even his brief, ill fated heel turn in late ’99, the fans (what were left of them) gleefully cheered Sting and thought he was in the right for cracking Hulk Hogan over the dome with a bat after all Hogan had done to him over the years. Like any WCW wrestler, Sting had to put up with a great deal of humiliating moments in his career. He was got locked into a cage by the Four Horsemen and saved by Robocop, he had to hang out with Vader in a White Castle of Doom (and Spin The Wheel, and Make The Deal with Jake Roberts), he got “mauled by dogs” sicked on him by Rick Steiner, he got attacked by impostor Stings on at least three separate occasions, he starred in WCW’s comic book. At the end of the day, Sting rose above all of it. Sting never seemed to be too damaged by the goofier moments because he wore a perma smile that seemed to scream “Yeah, I know this is goofy too, people. Just bear with it for a moment and I’ll start kicking ass in a second.”
And Sting did kick ass. While he was never the best worker in the company, he displayed a level of intensity throughout his run that made his matches compelling even after his body and personal problems started affecting his in ring work in the last few years of his company. Early on, “educated” wrestling fans thought Sting was just another musclehead that Ric Flair was able to drag a good match out but over the years, The Stinger proved to have a number of great matches with a wide variety of opponents. His series with the monster Vader produced some of the finest power matches in North American wrestling history and their rivalry nearly surpassed The Stinger’s storied rivalry with Flair.
Sting was also an integral part of the biggest (but far from the best) match in WCW history—his battle against Hollywood Hulk Hogan at Starrcade ’97. It was the match that WCW fans had been craving for three and a half years. Sting, the face of WCW for almost ten years, had been exiled (in storyline) from WCW and transformed himself from bleached blonde fun loving super hero to a moody loner. For over a year, he hung in the rafters as nWo (a group of ringers lured away by big money from the much hated rival, World Wrestling Federation) took control over the company. Finally, Sting returned from exhile to take on the biggest and baddest of the carpet beggars, the biggest name in professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan…
And the match was exactly what you’d expect as a match between a guy who hadn’t wrestled for a year and a hobbled egomaniac like Hogan and the booking of match helped lead to the eventual demise of the company but the moments leading up to it were incredible. Few guys were better at telling a story in pro wrestling in the ’90s than Sting. Sting is one of the rare guys I’d pay to watch wrestle on PPV. You just wanted to see these guy kick some tail and get his revenge. And given how many times the ever gullible Sting was double crossed, he got his revenge on dozens of occasions.
Sting was able to combine the larger than life, cartoon superhero elements of his character that were so popular in ’80s pro wrestling while maintaining a level of realism that guys like Hulk Hogan or The Ultimate Warrior never really achieved. He was outrageous but never unrelatable and that quality is what made him such a great superstar in a hard hitting, humble promotion like WCW.
And that concludes our Countdown of the 25 Greatest WCW Superstars of All Time, I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had compiling/writing this. Don’t forget to check out my Wrestling On Fire recaps every Monday afternoonish right here on Culture Crossfire. I hope to be back with some more special articles sooner rather than later. Please feel free to share comments, nudie photos and feedback. Direct all hate mail to Andrew Lutzke! It’s been a lot of fun but before we leave, let’s not forget the REAL #1 Greatest WCW Superstar of All Time!
LA PARKA~!
