20 Greatest WCW Rivalries
Damn, Ric Flair carried this company on his broken, sequined back.
In honor of World Championship Wrestling signing off 20 years ago, here’s a countdown of the 20 greatest rivalries in WCW. For the purposes of this list, WCW began on Nov. 21, 1988, when Ted Turner purchased Jim Crockett Promotions and launched WCW.
20. Billy Kidman vs. Juventud Guerrera
Believe it or not, Juventud Guerrera and Billy Kidman have wrestled each other more times on Nitro than any other combination. From August through November of 1998, they traded the Cruiserweight Championship back and forth three times. They usually stole the show, too.
19. Larry Zbyszko vs. Scott Hall
An unsung hero in the fight against the New World Order, Larry Zbyszko refused to leave the broadcast booth when the rebels would take it over. The color commentator would trade verbal barbs with Scott Hall throughout 1997, as the crowds chanted “Larry! Larry!” Finally, the Living Legend came out of retirement at Starrcade, beating Eric Bischoff with the help of Bret Hart and then losing to Hall at Souled Out 1998 after being betrayed by fellow broadcaster Dusty Rhodes.
18. Jim Cornette vs. Paul E. Dangerously
Just a few weeks before Ted Turner purchased WCW, Paul E. Dangerously and the original Midnight Express invaded the TV studio, blindsiding Bobby Eaton, Stan Lane and Jim Cornette. Dangerously busted Cornette open with his trusty cellphone in a red hot angle that instantly had the wrestling world buzzing. Although the match between the two teams never panned out after Dennis Condrey no-showed the Chi-Town Rumble, Cornette and Dangerously continued their verbal jousting up to the Great American Bash, where the future Smoky Mountain Wrestling owner beat ECW’s mad scientist in a tuxedo match.
17. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero
Before the SmackDown Six, opening WrestleMania 21 and the custody of Dominik, these legendary best friends had a thrilling feud over the Cruiserweight Championship. You already know about Halloween Havoc 1997, considered one of the greatest matches of all time. But did you know they had less than a month to build the stakes for that classic? Eddie Guerrero vowed to rip Rey Mysterio’s mask off, which was sacrilege in lucha libre. The future Latino Heat wasn’t successful in his endeavor, but he did win the title back less than a month later.
16. Booker T vs. Scott Steiner
WCW’s last great feud elevated two staples of the tag team division into main event players. Booker T won the TV Title from Scott Steiner at Uncensored 1999 and Steiner returned the favor a month later, beating Booker in the finals of the U.S. Championship tournament at Spring Stampede. In the fall of 2000, Big Poppa Pump set his sights on the World Heavyweight Championship, unsuccessfully challenging Booker T at Halloween Havoc before beating him a straight jacket cage match at Mayhem. Steiner would hold the gold until WCW’s last night, when his frequent foe closed the book on his reign and the company.
15. Vader vs. Cactus Jack
This could have cracked the top 10, but the powers that be never capitalized on the chemistry of these heavyweights. After Cactus Jack put his hands on Vader’s manager Harley Race, the mastodon made it his mission to inflict as much punishment as possible on the soon-to-be Hardcore Legend. Throughout the spring of 1993, they had some hellacious battles in which Cactus Jack built his reputation one potato at a time, not to mention the sickening thuds of being powerbombed on the floor. A silly amnesia storyline derailed their momentum, but they blew off the feud at Halloween Havoc in epic fashion. And this is all before Jack lost his ear in Germany!
14. Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger
Here’s a guy who owes his legendary run to the Nature Boy. Not only did Lex Luger get the rub from being part of the Four Horsemen, but he also headlined Great American Bash ’88, Starrcade ’88, WrestleWar ’90 and Capital Combat with Ric Flair. Unfortunately for the “Total Package,” he could just never get the job done.
13. Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant
And here’s a guy who owes his career to the Hulkster. After meeting at a charity basketball game, Hulk Hogan recommended Paul Wight to Eric Bischoff. In the summer of 1995, Wight was introduced to the wrestling world as The Giant, laughably the son of Andre the Giant. The centerpiece of the Dungeon of Doom, The Giant’s goal was to rip the World Heavyweight Championship off of Hogan and eradicate Hulkamania once and for all. He came pretty close, too, defeating Hogan at Halloween Havoc…after falling off a roof! They’d have several more battles over the next three years, especially after Giant left the New World Order.
12. Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage
Does it get any more one-sided? Even though these were arguably the two biggest stars in WCW and the fans went wild every time they clashed, Randy Savage never got a win over Hogan. Furthermore, Hogan actually took the World Heavyweight Championship from Macho…twice!
11. Ric Flair vs. Eric Bischoff
Art imitated life in 1998, as Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff brought their real-life animosity to TV. Although Flair was contractually obligated to be at every Nitro and Thunder, he figured he could miss a Thunder taping on April 9 in order to attend his son Reid’s AAU national freestyle championships. WCW called him two days prior to the taping, saying he needed to be there to announce the formation of a new Horsemen group. He refused and Bischoff responded with a lawsuit.
In September, the Nature Boy returned to Nitro for a Horsemen reunion, drawing one of the loudest pops you’ll ever hear. Bischoff interrupted the proceedings and over the next few months, there was a fake heart attack, alleged poisoning, Barry Windham coming out of the mothballs to betray Flair, an awful finish to their Starrcade match and then Flair got his revenge the next night by beating Bischoff for the presidency.
10. Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan
Well, this is the biggest example of art imitating life. As Chris Benoit began a feud with Kevin Sullivan stemming from tension between the Four Horsemen and Dungeon of Doom, Sullivan booked a storyline in which Benoit was having an affair with Sullivan’s wife Nancy (known as Woman on-screen). The more time they spent together to build on-screen chemistry, the more they actually fell for each other. Ultimately, they ended up together, which was a tragic mistake in the long run. But all this hatred between Benoit and Sullivan fueled some brutal battles, including a groundbreaking falls count anywhere match at Great American Bash 1996.
9. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Randy Savage
When Diamond Dallas Page rejected The Outsiders’ offer to join the NWO, he became a main eventer overnight. But his subsequent feud with Randy Savage cemented his place as a bonafide star. Macho Man had just joined the NWO, and to illustrate his loyalty, he attacked DDP. This led to a series of showstealers throughout the spring, in which even Elizabeth and Kimberly Page got involved. At Spring Stampede 1997, Page dropped Savage with the Diamond Cutter and scored the biggest victory of his career.
8. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko
“No. 4: Armbar!” Chris Jericho found himself in 1998, ruling the Cruiserweight division while roasting his challengers and desecrating their traditions. Dean Malenko was his next target, claiming to know more holds than the “Man of a Thousand Holds.” When Malenko finally got a title shot, he thought he had won, but Jericho was really Lenny Lane in disguise. Three days later, Malenko met the real Jericho, and tapped out to the Liontamer. Dejected by the loss, Malenko went home and didn’t come back until Slamboree, when he won a number-one contender’s battle royal disguised as luchador Ciclope. When that mask came off, the crowd roared! Malenko beat Jericho for the belt, but the decision was nullified the next night. Surprisingly, Malenko never got a decisive win over Jericho, but the feud was the peak of both men’s WCW runs.
7. Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat
Forget Star Wars and Lord of the Rings – this is the greatest trilogy. Family-man Ricky Steamboat facing womanizing showboat Ric Flair, two superior athletes in their prime, redefining excellence in pro wrestling. Steamboat won the first match at Chi-Town Rumble, claiming his only World Heavyweight Championship. He retained at their second battle at Clash of the Champions and then lost it back to Flair at WrestleWar. All three are masterpieces and mandatory viewing.
6. Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk
Middle-aged and crazy, Terry Funk burst into the spotlight immediately after Ric Flair won back the World Heavyweight Championship from Ricky Steamboat. Serving as a judge if the match went the time limit, Funk was on hand to congratulate the Nature Boy and then be the first to challenge him. Flair denied the request, citing that Funk had been out of the game for a while and other contenders were owed a shot. Obviously, that didn’t sit well with the Funker, who sucker punched Flair, put the boots to him and then piledrove him onto a table. This ignited a red hot feud through the rest of 1989, which included Funk trying to suffocate Flair with a plastic bag, an electrified Thunderdome cage match and their classic I Quit match.
5. Sting vs. Vader
The big man vs. little man playbook was written by these two. Vader steamrolled Sting in their first encounter at Great American Bash 1992, winning the World Heavyweight Championship. In their rematch at Starrcade, Sting absorbed a similar amount of punishment, but picked his spots this time, learning how to capitalize on the mastodon’s mistakes and eventually defeating him in the King of Cable tournament finals. The feud intensified at SuperBrawl III, where Vader beat Sting in a grueling leather strap match. Ultimately, the Stinger prevailed, overcoming Vader at Slamboree 1994 to win the International World Heavyweight Championship.
4. Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair
WCW deserves credit for finally giving fans the dream match we’d been waiting a decade for. At Bash at the Beach 1994, Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair to win the World Heavyweight Championship in his first match in the company. It was the most-purchased pay-per-view in company history to that point, and WCW felt like the big leagues for the first time. Naturally, Hogan and Flair would face each other many more times, switching the babyface/heel dynamic and even doing a double turn at Uncensored 1999. Real-life buddies, they make for perfect opponents. After all, they were the best of the ‘80s and arguably the ‘90s.
3. Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair
Before the NWO ran roughshod, Randy Savage and Ric Flair had the hottest thing going in WCW. It actually brought the Nature Boy out of his first retirement. At Uncensored 1995, Savage was wrestling Avalanche when Flair, dressed as a woman, jumped the guard railing and attacked Savage on the floor. Seeking retribution, Savage got Flair reinstated to compete in a tag team match at Slamboree. Flair ate the pin, but that was quickly forgotten after he locked Savage’s father Angelo Poffo in the figure four. They traded wins at Great American Bash and Bash at the Beach, took some time away from each other and then re-heated the feud at Starrcade, when Flair screwed Savage out of the World Heavyweight Championship.
The reign was short-lived, as Savage reclaimed the gold on Nitro a month later. They were booked in a steel cage at SuperBrawl VI to settle the score, but that only fueled the fire when Elizabeth betrayed her ex-husband and helped Flair win back the title. Over the next few months, Liz would brag about spending alimony with the Four Horsemen, prompting an incensed Macho Man to unleash his frustration on a weekly basis. Electric on the mic and phenomenal in the ring, Flair and Savage were always must-see TV.
2. Sting vs. NWO
After his allegiance to WCW was doubted, Sting – the most loyal man in the company – emerged at Fall Brawl 1996 to destroy all four members of the NWO. He asked his supposed best friend Luger “is that good enough for ya?” before leaving the ring. The next night on Nitro, Sting aired his grievances with everyone, including Luger, who doubted him, and declared himself a free agent. Gone for the next month, Sting was later seen in the rafters. Cloaked in black with long, greasy hair and ghostly white face paint (ala The Crow), he watched on as the NWO ran roughshod on WCW. Finally at Uncensored 1997, he rappelled to the ring and cleaned house on the treacherous group with his trusty baseball bat. Fans would have to wait eight more months for Sting to wrestle again, but when he did, it drew the biggest buy rate in WCW history.
Of course, that match was a debacle, but that’s for another list.
1. Ric Flair vs. Sting
They were selected as the final match on Nitro because nobody embodied WCW more than Ric Flair and Sting.
Ever since Turner took over Jim Crockett Promotions, it felt like they were always fighting each other. Even before Turner, Sting and Flair were chosen to headline the first Clash of the Champions, Crockett’s successful attempt at stealing eyeballs and dollar signs from WrestleMania IV. And that’s really what made Sting into a star – he went the distance with the Nature Boy, displaying his strength, stamina and heart on such a grand stage. They’d team up a year later, as Sting became a member of the Four Horsemen, but two alpha males rarely coexist. And when they do, it’s not for long.
When Sting beat Flair in the finals of Starrcade 1989, he earned a title shot against his teammate. The Horsemen demanded that he give up the shot, and when Sting refused, he was sucker punched by Flair and left for dead. Their showdown was delayed due to injury, but when Sting was finally healed, he beat Flair for his first World Heavyweight Championship at Great American Bash 1990. They’d meet again in a horrendous match at Starrcade, where Flair was revealed as the mysterious Black Scorpion. Flair regained the gold at a house show a month later and that would be the last time they clashed before Naitch went to WWE.
Of course, that was just the end of the first chapter. In 1994, they met again in WCW in a unification match at Clash of the Champions XXVII. Sherri Martel hoodwinked Sting, costing him the gold. A year later, Flair was feuding with former brethren Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman, and begged Sting to be his partner. When Sting finally acquiesced thanks to a bunch of little Stingers pleading for his help, Flair revealed it was all a ruse. The Horsemen struck again, pummeling Sting and making him regret his good nature.
They’d go on to have many more matches on Nitro, always stealing the show and reminding fans why they fell in love with wrasslin’ in the first place.
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