Ranking Celebrities In WCW
Robocop wasn’t as bad as you remember.
In honor of World Championship Wrestling signing off 20 years ago, here’s a countdown of the 20 greatest celebrities 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. Chucky
Yes, Jon Gruden would have been a great fit in WCW during the ‘90s, but alas, this was the sinister doll. Interrupting a Rick Steiner promo in October of 1998, Chucky appeared on the big screen to roast Rick, pledge support to his brother Scott and promote Bride of Chucky. This led to nothing and was never mentioned again.
19. KISS
The greatest rock and roll band in all the land performed live on Nitro in August of 1999. However, the concert was merely an opportunity to unveil the band’s official wrestler: The Demon. Intended to be the alter-ego of KISS frontman Gene Simmons, The Demon (initially portrayed by Brian Adams and then Dale Torborg) donned face paint and a hairstyle similar to the band member. Wrestling fans shit all over it, as the segment was one of the lowest rated in Nitro history.
18. Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq didn’t do much in WCW, but he didn’t need to. In 1994, he was only two years into his legendary NBA career and already voted into the All-Star game. With Bash at the Beach taking place in Orlando, it made perfect sense to have the Magic’s big man support Hulk Hogan in his first match in the company.
17. Megadeth
The legendary metal band welcomed Goldberg back to WCW with a live performance of his new theme song “Crush ‘Em.” Obviously, nothing could top his original entrance theme, but this song worked for the late ‘90s. And the band was well received by the live crowd, which is less likely than Goldberg dethroning Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37.
16. Robocop
This has been labeled WrestleCrap, but at least it was memorable. And if you were tasked with finding something for Robocop to do without desecrating the sport by putting him in the ring, could you come up with something better than ripping the door of a cage and freeing Sting?
15. The Misfits
Iconic punk rock band The Misfits aligned with Vampiro in late 1999 to promote their latest album Famous Monsters and basically give the middling wrestler something to do. After all, their creepy, gothic appearances complemented each other and Vampiro had previously teamed with a band (more on that below). Bassist and vocalist Jerry Only had the balls to meet “Dr. Death” Steve Williams in a steel cage!
14. Beetlejuice
In the fall of 2000, the most hilarious of Howard Stern’s “Wack Pack” made a cameo on Nitro. Dressed like Superman, Beetlejuice called Jeff Jarrett “Slapnuts,” and received a guitar shot in response. Beet got revenge during Jarrett’s San Francisco’s 49ers match with Booker T, preventing Double J from winning the World Heavyweight Title. However, the show went off the air with Beetlejuice trapped in the Steiner Recliner.
13. Mr. T
Although he was no longer relevant in pop culture, Mr. T returned to Hulk Hogan’s side in 1994. He cheered on the Hulkster at Bash at the Beach, refereed Hogan’s steel cage match with Ric Flair at Halloween Havoc and then somehow beat Kevin Sullivan at Starrcade.
12. Master P
Master P was one of the biggest entertainers in the world at the end of the ‘90s. The founder of No Limit Records signed with WCW to get his cousin Swoll back into pro wrestling. As a result, he formed the No Limit Soldiers (Konnan, Rey Mysterio, Brad Armstrong, Chase Tatum, Swoll and 4×4), who waged war with the West Texas Rednecks. Master P’s tenure was short-lived, but at least he helped inspire “Rap Is Crap.”
11. Reggie White
Fresh off a Super Bowl victory with the Green Bay Packers, Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White battled fellow gridiron great Steve “Mongo” McMichael at Slaboree 1997. Unfortunately, the match went 15 minutes and the “Minister of Defense” could barely throw a closeline. While the match didn’t deliver, Eric Bischoff ultimately got what he wanted – free publicity during morning drive from sports show hosts across the country.
10. Will Sasso
Perhaps the highlight of Bret Hart’s WCW run, The Hitman snapped on comedian Will Sasso during a Mad TV taping and locked him in the sharpshooter. Sasso sought revenge, showing up on Nitro and screwing Hart out of the U.S. Championship. Unbelievably, this led to a one-on-one match in which Sasso took his licks and tapped out yet again.
9. James Brown
Nobody believed that Ernest “The Cat” Miller would actually bring James Brown to SuperBrawl 2000. After all, Miller was known for lavish claims and surely WCW would promote the appearance of such a gigantic star. Yet, to the surprise of the crowd, the Godfather of Soul emerged to dance alongside his biggest fan.
8. Insane Clown Posse
Before siding with The Misfits, Vampiro recruited another musical act: Insane Clown Posse. Fresh off a run with The Oddities in WWE, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope actually competed in WCW, even challenging for the Tag Team Titles. In a rare celebrity occurrence, the controversial rappers became quite popular with the fans and ended up starting their own promotion, Juggalo Championship Wrestling.
7. Michael Buffer
“Let’s get ready to rumble!” By all accounts, legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer thought he was beyond pro wrestling. That doesn’t detract from his tremendous, lengthy ring introductions that gave WCW pay-per-view main events some extra oomph.
6. Jay Leno
In 1998, Jay Leno reigned as the king of late night while the NWO reigned supreme in pro wrestling. According to Eric Bischoff, an executive producer at The Tonight Show reached out to WCW about working together. Once Bischoff confirmed that Leno would actually wrestle, he and Hogan commandeered the talk show set NWO-style and Bischoff hosted his own talk show during Nitro.
A tag team match was set for Road Wild, in which Hogan and Bischoff would face Leno and Diamond Dallas Page. Although Hogan and DDP handled most of the match, Leno did tag in and work Hogan’s arm at one point, and even closelined Bischoff. After a Diamond Cutter from Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks, Leno pinned Bischoff. The spectacle drew 365,000 buys, one of the most-purchased pay-per-views in WCW history.
5. Steve “Mongo” McMichael
Brought into WCW to kick off Nitro with some mainstream appeal, Steve “Mongo” McMichael was clearly just happy to be there. He didn’t know what the moves were called, but that wasn’t his job, anyway. Amused by the action and wild characters, the NFL great took it all in with unbridled enthusiasm and his trusty chihuahua Pepe in his lap. Less than a year in, he joined the Four Horsemen and cracked everybody up with his attempts in the ring. That’s Our Mongo!
4. David Arquette
Vince Russo’s crowning achievement in WCW. Appearing on Thunder in April of 2000 to promote the company’s “hit” movie Ready to Rumble, David Arquette somehow ended up teaming with DDP to face Jarrett and Bischoff. It gets better – whoever got the pin would be crowned World Heavyweight Champion. Arquette, star of the Scream series and then-husband to Courtney Cox, pinned Bischoff.
Russo’s goal was to get people talking, and that decision sure did. Arquette would quickly lose the title at Slamboree and gave the money he made during his WCW tenure to the families of Brian Pillman, Owen Hart and Darren Drozdov. The celebrity returned to the ring nearly 20 years later, even performing in death matches on the indie scene.
3. Karl Malone
One of the greatest basketball players ever, Karl Malone joined forces with DDP to take on Hogan and Dennis Rodman at Bash at the Beach 1998. Adding fuel to the fire, Malone and Rodman recently played against each other in the NBA Finals and even got into a planned scuffle. “The Mailman” was decent in the ring, throwing his foes around with bodyslams. Hogan and Rodman might have gotten the pin, but WCW was the biggest winner as the event received 580,000 buys, the second most in company history.
2. Kevin Greene
The late, great Kevin Greene was a natural in the ring. Still in his prime, the Pro Football Hall of Famer had the athleticism, charisma and intensity that few crossover stars do. Before starting with the Carolina Panthers, Greene teamed with McMichael to face Ric Flair and Arn Anderson at Great American Bash 1996. McMichael shocked the world by betraying his teammate, and Greene got revenge one year later in a one-on-one match. At Bash at the Beach 1998, Greene unsuccessfully challenged The Giant, although the match was better than anyone expected.
Greene’s finest hour was Slamboree 1997, as he teamed with Flair and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper to defeat Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx. It’s one of the greatest matches in WCW history, and the NFL star held his own amongst those all-time greats.
1. Dennis Rodman
While Mike Tyson brought eyeballs to WWE in 1998, Dennis Rodman did the same for WCW later that year.
Already a quasi-member of the NWO after teaming with Hogan against Lex Luger and Giant at Bash at the Beach 1997, “Rodzilla” was fully initiated the next year by missing practice between Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals to appear on Nitro. The sports world couldn’t believe Rodman’s commitment to pro wrestling, especially that it didn’t interfere with his performance on the court. Game 4 was his best of the series, as documented in The Last Dance.
Rodman would go on to team with Hogan to beat DDP and Malone a month later and returned in 1999 to face Randy Savage with much less fanfare. By then, WCW’s momentum had cooled off and Rodman was no longer part of the Chicago Bulls. But make no mistake, the controversial NBA star was pivotal in creating buzz for the NWO, the company and pro wrestling in general during the boom period of the late ‘90s.
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