20 Greatest WCW Moments
Who’s the third man, brother?
In honor of World Championship Wrestling signing off 20 years ago, here’s a countdown of the 20 greatest moments 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. Seeing Double
Before the Raw/Nitro simulcast, Rick Rude was the only man to appear on both shows in the same night. Pissed off about the Montreal Screwjob, Rude followed Bret Hart to WCW, but only after filming a future episode of Raw. On Nov. 17, 1997, he joined the New World Order while sporting a mustache. Later that night, a bearded Ravishing One was part of DX on a taped Raw.
19. “I Respect You, Bookerman”
Nobody blurred the lines of fiction and reality like Brian Pillman. In late 1995, he developed his “Loose Cannon” persona while part of the Four Horsemen. At SuperBrawl VI, he broke kayfabe by easily giving up in a strap match with Kevin Sullivan, saying the immortal phrase “I respect you, bookerman,” acknowledging that Sullivan was the behind-the-scenes decision-maker who controlled the outcomes of the matches. Convincing Bischoff to legitimately fire him so he could raise hell in ECW and then come back even hotter, Pillman then landed a guaranteed contract with WWE.
18. Kicked Out
Sting being part of the Four Horsemen was like Donovan McNabb playing for the Redskins – should have never happened in the first place. After becoming the number-one contender to his ally Ric Flair’s World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 1989, Sting was given an ultimatum at Clash of the Champions X: give up the title shot or be kicked out of the Horsemen. The Stinger refused his chance at glory and got pummeled by Flair and the Andersons for his resistance.
17. Macho Man vs. La Parka
Randy Savage vs. La Parka seemed like your usual random match of contrasting styles that became synonymous with Nitro. But it was really a genius ploy by Diamond Dallas Page to not only trick the Macho Man, but to pin him cleanly and leave him laying without the NWO getting their hands on him. This is right up there with Eric Bischoff as the minister for greatest surprises in wrestling.
16. My Spot
Forget the admittedly hilarious parody. Has there ever been a better promo?
15. Steiners Break Up
The greatest tag team in WCW history split up at SuperBrawl VIII. After weeks of Scott being more self-centered on the mic and more selfish in the ring, he finally stabbed his older brother in the back, joined the New World Order and transformed into Big Poppa Pump. The actual heel turn was brilliant, as the “Dog-Faced Gremlin” crawled under Scott’s legs for their usual taunt, only for Scott to pummel his brother from behind.
14. Lawn Dart
This angle revolutionized pro wrestling, breaking the fourth wall to present “real” moments during a universally-accepted “show.” A six-man tag team match between the Four Horsemen and the team of Randy Savage, Lex Luger and Sting is interrupted by Jimmy Hart, pleading with everyone to come to the parking lot. That’s where Arn Anderson and Marcus Alexander Bagwell have been laid out with baseball bats by Hall and Nash. Scotty Riggs checks on his partner, only to get whacked with a light by Hall. Rey Mysterio jumps off the railing of a trailer into Nash’s arms, getting thrown like a lawn dart into the truck. Cameras focused on the aftermath of this attack for like 20 minutes, emphasizing the carnage and how the NWO tore up the format of the show. Plus, Mysterio (with his mask off) revealed that there were four NWO members.
13. Madusa
Lex Luger’s arrival brought unpredictability to Nitro and Madusa’s return cemented it. The former Alundra Blayze showed up as the WWF Women’s Champion, dumping the belt in the trash can. It was the third shot in the Monday Night War and the reason why Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart in Montreal.
12. Flair Betrays Sting Again
Will Sting ever learn? In 1995, Flair was feuding with former brethren Arn Anderson, who recruited Brian Pillman for assistance. Knowing the numbers game all too well, Flair begged a reluctant Sting to be his partner. He finally acquiesced thanks to a bunch of little Stingers pleading for his help, and a tag team match was set for Halloween Havoc. Unfortunately, the Nature Boy was attacked prior to the show, so Sting went it alone. Halfway through the match, Flair appeared with a bandage and hopped on the apron. Sting tagged him in, Flair bounced off the ropes and sucker punched his arch nemesis. The crowd was shocked as the Horsemen struck again!
11. Malenko Unmasks
At Slamboree 1998, a battle royal was held to name a number-one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. In addition to Billy Kidman and Marty Jannetty, there were a bunch of luchadors involved, including the unknown, yet victorious Ciclope. As Chris Jericho prepared to defend his title, Ciclope revealed himself as rival Dean Malenko. When that mask came off, the crowd roared!
10. Black History
Wrestling fans born after 2000 are probably puzzled at how the guy who yells “Damn!” became the first black world champion. Here’s a history lesson: Ron Simmons was a beast. A defensive nose guard at Florida State University, he earned Consensus All-America honors in 1979 and 1980, and helped the Seminoles go 39-8 in his years at the school. His jersey was the third time a number has been retired in school history and he’s been inducted in both the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. In 1992, he got a shot at Vader and struck gold, surprising everyone by slaying the monster.
9. Hulk Hogan Signs
June 11, 1994 is when WCW was split into two eras: Before Hogan and After Hogan. Signing the most famous professional wrestler was a huge feather in Eric Bischoff’s cap and instantly raised the company’s stock. However, it also led to many of his friends (and WWE cast offs) oversaturating WCW, stunting the growth of up-and-comers like Steve Austin and derailing the momentum of flag bearers like Vader. That didn’t matter in the short term, as Hogan’s first match in WCW – finally facing Flair on pay-per-view – was a record breaker.
8. Outsiders Attack
At Great American Bash 1996, Bischoff wanted answers from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, even if he wouldn’t say their names. Did they work for WWE? No, but they were still here to invade. When Bischoff promised to name their opponents for Bash at the Beach the next night on Nitro, Hall got pissed, punched him in the gut and Nash powerbombed WCW’s top executive through the stage. Bischoff had never been touched before, and fans both in the arena and at home were going bezerk.
7. “Fire Me!”
After sitting home for months due to a legal battle with Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair returned to WCW in the heart of Flair Country (Greenville, SC) to one of the loudest ovations in wrestling history. Arn Anderson promised a Four Horsemen reunion, and after praising Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, J.J. Dillon and That’s Our Mongo – all dressed to the nines as Horsemen are expected to do – he introduced the Nature Boy. Tears were in Naitch’s eyes as he strutted down the ramp and embraced his buddy in the ring. Blending reality into storyline as only Flair can do, he gave an impassioned promo that was interrupted by Bischoff. That’s when Flair went nuts, screaming “Fire me, I’m already fired!”
6. Funk Piledrives Flair
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 in an unprecedented spot, piledrove him onto a table. Thus, igniting the hottest feud of 1989.
5. Sting Decides
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.
4. Luger Jumps Ship
The opening salvo in the Monday Night War. After wrestling at a WWF house show the previous night, Lex Luger returned to WCW for the inaugural episode of Nitro, immediately creating the show’s aura of unpredictability. You just had to watch Nitro because you never know what could happen! Walking out into the Mall of America, Luger’s appearance was subdued, but by the end of the night, he was challenging Hulk Hogan for their first match together.
3. Scott Hall Invades
Answer: Steve Doll vs. The Mauler. Question: What match did Scott Hall interrupt when he changed pro wrestling forever? Decked out in denim and emerging from the crowd, Hall simply took the mic and promised that WCW was getting the war it always wanted. The WWF was finally invading (or so it seemed) and business was about to explode.
2. Goldberg Dethrones Hogan
Similar to Mick Foley winning the WWE Championship being the greatest moment in Raw history, Goldberg dethroning Hollywood Hulk Hogan is the greatest moment in Nitro history. Over 40,000 fans packed the Georgia Dome (30,000 tickets were sold before the match was announced) to witness the former Bulldogs defensive tackle beat the top dog of WCW and win his first World Heavyweight Championship. I still get goosebumps listened to the roar of the crowd as Goldberg hoists Hogan up for the Jackhammer as Heenan captures the moment “you’re career is on the line!” People still argue that WCW should have never given away this match on free TV, and judging by the company being out of business less than three years later, those people are right.
1. The Third Man
The most shocking heel turn in wrestling history.
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash issued a challenge to three of WCW’s best. Although they got pissed when they had to wait for the names, they refused to reveal their partner until Bash at the Beach 1996. And even when the match began, the third man was nowhere to be found.
Lex Luger was taken out on a stretcher early on, leaving it two on two. Then, when everybody was down, Hulk Hogan emerged after months away. Even though Bobby Heenan infamously asked whose side he was on, everybody knew the ultimate hero was there to save WCW from disaster. Except he didn’t.
He pushed the ref out of the way, dropped the leg on Randy Savage and gave Hall and Nash the thumbs up. After all those years of saying your prayers, eating your vitamins and obeying the big man upstairs, Hogan had gone to the dark side. Fans pelted the ring with trash as he explained himself to “Mean” Gene Okerlund. Synonymous with WWE even two years into his WCW run, it made perfect sense for Hogan to be part of this New World Order.
Hulkamania had taken wrestling mainstream during the ‘80s and now Hollywood Hogan was about to do the same in the ‘90s, brother.
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