The Best Wrestlers of WCW

In the mid to late 1990s, for a brief time, WCW was the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. Surpassing WWE in the Monday Night Ratings War, Ted Turner's company drew in consistently high viewership numbers from 1995 to 1998, cultivating a massive fan base in the process.

While WCW's reign over WWE was all too brief, the three years when WCW was on top of the world ushered in a supremely entertaining era for pro wrestling. Not only did the repeated pressure WCW asserted on WWE ultimately give way to WWE's influential Attitude Era (an added benefit from such stiff competition), but WCW also boasted some of the finest talents worldwide.

From former WWE world champions like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage to Lucha Libres like Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, here are some of the greatest wrestlers that ever appeared in a WCW ring.

15. The Giant

Best known for his time in WWE as The Big Show, The Giant first appeared on WCW television in 1995. Originally billed as the son of André the Giant, his enormous size and undeniable in-ring talent led to him quickly winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match against Hulk Hogan.

While his tenure in WWE was arguably better overall, The Giant still had some standout moments in WCW, especially in his feud with the nWo (which he later became a key member of from '96 to '99). Plus, given his younger age at the time, The Giant still had incredible stamina and a surprising amount of speed for a man his size, moving around the ring with ease.

14. Lex Luger

One of the WCW loyalists from the very beginning, like his on-again, off-again tag partner, Sting, Lex Luger will forever be a name that's synonymous with WCW itself. His early feuds with The Four Horsemen helped elevate him to career stardom in the late '80s. By the time he beat Barry Windham for the United States Heavyweight Champion in 1989, he was already considered a future wrestling star in the making.

After a largely uneventful run in WWE from 1993 to 1995, Luger returned to WCW as one of the prominent faces who stood up against the nWo. Becoming the first wrestler to reclaim the spray-painted World Heavyweight Championship from Hollywood Hogan, Luger later became an influential figure in the nWo Wolfpac, joining the nWo Elite after the group reformed in early '99.

13. Dean Malenko

Dean Malenko was one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time, one of the smoothest and most agile technical wrestlers ever to lace up his boots. Relegated to WCW's already stacked Cruiserweight division, Malenko nonetheless shined bright as one of the best high-flyers WCW had.

In sharp contrast to other Cruiserweights (many of whom were lucha libres), Malenko favored a more submission-based offensive style, leading to the fitting nickname, The Man of 1,000 Holds. (Essentially, he was the Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, and Claudio Castagnoli of his day.) His feuds with Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho were always entertaining, and it seems a complete mystery how Malenko never got the major push he clearly deserved during his five years with the company.

12. Randy Savage

A WWE veteran who defected to WCW in 1994, “Macho Man” Randy Savage's arrival to the company was considered a predictably huge deal for WCW. A former WWE champion, he instantly helped legitimize the product, engaging in some of the best matches he'd had in years against his old nemesis, Ric Flair.

Beginning in 1995, Savage began appearing on WCW television as one of the main players in the nWo, blossoming into perhaps the best rivalry of his career with Diamond Dallas Page. Unfortunately, as was the case with his WWE run, WCW never seemed to utilize him as well as they might have.

11. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero was a prime example of how a great work ethic could get you ahead. Born into the famed Guerrero wrestling dynasty, Eddie trained hard to succeed in his father Gory's footsteps, wrestling around the world in AAA, NJPW, and ECW throughout his twenties.

When he arrived in WCW, Guerrero was a star in his own right — although it'd be some time before he got the recognition he obtained in his later career. Coming into his own in 1995 as one of the dominant faces in the Cruiserweight division, he had the in-ring skill and name recognition of Bret Hart and the attitude of Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. A flawless competitor, his early feuds with Chris Jericho, Syxx, and Rey Mysterio have become the stuff of WCW legend.

10. Rey Mysterio

We know we're getting a little redundant in comparing certain wrestlers to superheroes — but looking at it closely, Rey Mysterio was the Spider-Man of WCW. With his unique, colorful attire and his incredible agility, Mysterio practically flew around the ring with the same grace and speed as New York's webslinger in Marvel comics.

Like his rival/close friend, Eddie Guerrero, Mysterio was an accomplished lucha libre when he debuted in WCW in 1996. His accolades were prominent, including several singles and tag team championship reigns and matches against big-name competitors like Ric Flair and Kevin Nash. Alongside Malenko, Guerrero, Billy Kidman, and so many others, Mysterio helped elevate the Cruiserweight division, becoming one of the best young wrestlers WCW had on their roster.

9. Big Van Vader

One of the most accomplished underrated wrestlers in the industry's history, there was a time when Big Van Vader was the definitive big baddy in WCW. Appearing in the company from 1990 to 1995, Vader used his reputation and imposing size to run roughshod over his WCW competition.

Backed by legendary wrestler Harley Race as his manager, Vader quickly won the World Heavyweight Championship in what was practically a squash match against Sting. Perhaps the greatest thing about his performance, though, was how easily he was able to transition between high-flying moves and feats of strength. In no uncertain terms, he was the Brock Lesnar of his day.

8. Goldberg

Nowadays, Goldberg may be looked upon as one of the more controversial performers in wrestling history. With his limited moveset and ill-begotten reputation for recklessness in the ring, he's been called overrated, dangerous, and a mediocre wrestler. However, even his harshest critics cannot deny how over Goldberg was in front of a WCW crowd, commanding the respect and attention of fans as fully as Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock in WWE.

Billed as a silent unstoppable force in WCW that continuously barreled through his opponents, Goldberg's lasting legacy in the company was his long undefeated streak in singles competition. After winning over 170 matches and the World Heavyweight Championship, he lost his first match to Kevin Nash in 1998. While his reputation may have steadily declined in recent years, at his peak, he was the biggest attraction WCW had at its disposal.

7. Kevin Nash

Like his real-life friend and frequent tag partner, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash was one of the biggest names in WWE's New Generation in the early '90s. Following in the footsteps of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, Nash and Hall were seen as the future of pro wrestling. It's this reputation that probably resulted in Nash and Hall's defection to WCW in 1995 being as big a deal as it was at the time.

Jumping ship to WCW, Nash and Hall made an immediate impact as the newly-billed Outsiders tag team. Established as “invaders” seeking to claim WCW for themselves, Hall and Nash began hinting a major change within the company — something that would later come to fruition with the sudden heel turn of Hulk Hogan in 1996. As one of the mainstay members of the nWo, Nash had an eventful run in WCW, including nine tag team title runs and four separate reigns as World Heavyweight Champion.

6. Diamond Dallas Page

Dallas Page once referred to himself as an anomaly — someone who was never supposed to be as big as he was. Making his wrestling debut at the age of 35, he was seen as being way past his prime before he even started wrestling.

Proving the naysayers wrong, Page still managed to delight WCW audiences, going on to become one of the promotion's biggest wrestlers. It's an inspirational story of persevering and pursuing your dreams no matter what age you are in life. And when Page climbed to the heights of WCW, we felt anything was possible.

5. Scott Hall

Scott Hall forever changed the wrestling landscape when he “unexpectedly” began appearing on WCW television in 1996. Inserting himself in a supposedly off-script promo, Hall declared himself an outsider there to take over WCW television, promising big changes were coming to the promotion in the future.

And boy, was he right. With Kevin Nash and Hollywood Hogan by his side, the original nWo trio took the wrestling world by storm. Agile, aggressive, and gifted on the mic, he was the perfect mouthpiece for nWo's antics at the time. Like Hogan and Nash, Hall's achievements in WCW are evident, as is his continuing legacy as one of the definitive players in WCW's war against WWE.

4. Booker T

Booker T was the perfect example of a homegrown talent. Making a name for himself with his brother, Stevie Ray, as part of Harlem Heat, Booker became one of the breakout stars in WCW by the late '90s. Winning countless tag team titles, it was only a matter of time before he started to amass singles championships, including a lengthy run as World Television Champion.

By WCW's declining years, Booker became one of the company's top stars, regularly facing Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett, and Kevin Nash, and inserting himself in the World Heavyweight title picture. Booker's rise may have been during WCW's fall, but his undying loyalty to the company and pure talent in the ring nevertheless made him a star in the business.

3. Hollywood Hogan

Hollywood Hogan may have had his best days behind him physically, but from a personality-based standpoint, he still had plenty left in the tank when he joined WCW in 1994. However, it was clear audiences had become somewhat tired of seeing the same goody-two-shoes leader of Hulkamania they'd seen for nigh on a decade.

Needing a change, Hogan became the de facto leader of the nWo in what is commonly considered the most shocking moment in wrestling history. Betraying everything he stood for, he became an egomaniacal coward who relied heavily on outside interference during his matches to win. It was enough of a gimmick change to help Hogan — now calling himself “Hollywood Hogan” — to stay relevant, resulting in some of the best years of his career.

2. Ric Flair

One of the most decorated and well-known performers in the wrestling industry, Ric Flair was one of the first wrestlers to become a star in WCW. As the company grew in prominence, so too did Flair, the two names so closely associated with one another that it's impossible not to mention one without the other.

It's no exaggeration to say that Flair was the man who built up WCW in the first place, doing more for Ted Turner's company than any other wrestler except, maybe, for Sting. His feuds with Ricky Steamboat, Sting, Vader, and Lex Luger all led to his reputation as one of the premiere athletes in sports entertainment. By 1995, he still proved himself capable of hanging with the best, leading WCW's crusade against the nWo, and capturing the World title more than a few times from 1995 onward.

1. Sting

Like his rival, Ric Flair, there are few names as synonymous to WCW than Sting. Dubbed “The Franchise of WCW,” Sting was one of the few company loyalists who never left for the supposedly greener pastures of WWE. Instead, he took the time to build up the promotion he started in, transforming it into the world-renowned promotion it was in the '90s.

Between his surfer persona and his later turn as Crow Sting, Sting was essentially the heart and soul of WCW itself. His multiple world title runs are worthy of praise, but it's the obvious love and respect for the company he helped raise that continues to define his career. His final match against Ric Flair on the very last episode of WCW Nitro seemed like the end of an era — and, years later, we discovered that it was.