10 Biggest WCW Signings

In the professional wrestling business, a big new signing can completely change the game, opening up new and exciting avenues when it comes to potential matches and storylines.

This can have a profoundly positive effect on business, as WCW discovered on many occasions.  World Championship Wrestling signed a lot of talent, either as free agents or directly from the opposition, particularly during the 1990s but, out of all of their new arrivals, none were bigger than these.

It certainly was where the big boys played. These are the 10 biggest WCW signings.

10. Sid Vicious

Sycho, Vicious, Justice – whatever you want to call him, Sid was a huge star in the 90s both literally and figuratively.

Having first made his name in WCW as a member of the Skyscrapers tag team and then as a Horseman, Sid tended to flip-flop back and forwards between the two companies, depending on the softball schedule and any overseas attempted scissor assault charges.

The former WWE Champion returned to WCW at the 1999 Great American Bash, joining up with the likewise Randy Savage and his Team Madness maniacs.

The arrival of The Millennium Man was a big boost to WCW, who were clearly being left behind in the Monday Night Wars at that point. There was no helping the company by then, really, but Sid lent much star power and fans really responded to him, whether he was a babyface or heel.

The Master and Ruler of the World headlined some major pay-per-views and had a pretty decent run with the World Heavyweight Title, too before WCW hit the reset button.

Never the greatest worker in the world, he nevertheless had an undeniable aura and charisma and was a boon to WCW’s diminishing main event scene.

9. Rick Rude

Rick Rude was responsible for one of the most shocking moments of the Monday Night Wars when he appeared on a (live) episode of Nitro and a (taped) episode of Raw on the very same night.

By that point, The Sexiest Man Alive’s in-ring days were over due to a serious back injury, though he was able to contribute in other ways.

When Ravishing Rick showed up in WCW for the first time, years earlier at Halloween Havoc ’91 he was fresh off a great run in WWE and was considered a game-changer.

He quickly beat Sting to win the United States Title, holding the belt for almost 14 months while he had some absolute belters with the likes of Ricky Steamboat.

His role as the leader of the formidable Dangerous Alliance made that group one of the hottest acts in the promotion, as he received the sort of push he probably felt he deserved while flexing his muscles for Vince McMahon’s outfit.

Rude also beat Ric Flair for the International World Heavyweight Title and likely would have had further spells as the top guy, had he not been injured while working in Japan.

8. Lex Luger

Lex Luger’s re-emergence in WCW on the very first episode of Nitro is legendary.

Leaving WWE after his contract had elapsed, the Total Package negotiated with Eric Bischoff (via intermediary Sting) to return to the promotion for the big reveal, even though Easy E wasn’t exactly big on Luger initially and, in fact, low-balled him with his offer in the hope that Lex would turn it down and drive his Lex Express right back to ‘New York’.

To Bischoff’s surprise, Luger accepted his modest offer and the union turned out to be a great thing for both sides.

After his shocking Nitro appearance, Luger re-established himself as one of WCW’s top stars and was almost always in the mix at the top of the card. He got so over, in fact, that he was booked to beat Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan in the summer of 1997.

Even if he only held it for five days before handing it back to the Hulkster, it was vindication for Lex after an ultimately disappointing WWE run.

7. Roddy Piper

As the Monday Night Wars wore on, it became apparent that WCW was the place for former WWE headliners to make their new home.

The promise of an easier schedule, healthy monetary compensation and a ‘lighter’ wrestling style certainly appealed to Roddy Piper, who joined the promotion in 1996.

Immediately targeting old rival Hulk Hogan, the Rowdy One got to relive the feud that had ignited the 1980s Rock N’ Wrestling boom.

This included a main event with the Hulkster at WCW’s flagship Starrcade pay-per-view, which drew a then-record buyrate for the company.

Piper may have been something of a spent force as far as his in-ring work went, but the fact is that was never exactly his strongest suit anyway, and he primarily drew people in with his character, promo work and star power.

Hot Rod was paid handsomely for his work, no doubt, but he gave WCW a lot of options creatively since he could easily slot in as a wrestler, guest referee, manager or authority figure if needed.

6. The Ultimate Warrior

Despite having a rotten reputation when it came to business and coming with a hefty price tag attached to his comic-book body, Eric Bischoff signed the Ultimate Warrior in the summer of 1998.

Knowing things wouldn’t last long-term, Bischoff brought him in on a short-term deal in order to pop some TV ratings and sell some pay-per-views at a time when WCW were really feeling the heat from a red-hot WWE.

Though he did pique curiosity, Warrior’s WCW run was an unmitigated disaster, from his rambling 20-minute debut promo to his horror show with Hogan at Halloween Havoc.

Many believe that Warrior was only brought in so that Hulk could get his ‘win back’ for WrestleMania VI, but the fact is Warrior was a huge star and there were lots of possibilities there from a creative and merchandising perspective, if nothing else.

A half-million dollar investment that didn’t pay off, maybe, Warrior was still a major league signing and generated significant buzz.

5. Randy Savage

Feeling a tad stir-crazy after being relegated to being an announcer and ambassador, Randy Savage decided to prove to WWE and Vince McMahon that he wasn’t too old to be a top guy and left for WCW in 1994.

Hulk Hogan had kicked the door down and shown others that WCW could be a viable option to extend your career as an ageing headliner. It was no surprise that Savage spent much of his first few years in WCW variously teaming with and fighting against the Hulkster, but Savage proved to be of great value in whatever role he was given.

With a chameleonic ability to reinvent himself and keep up with the times, Savage was great whether was decked out in neon, nWo black and white, or whatever those outfits he was wearing at the end of his run there were.

Macho Man was a huge, huge star and he used that star power to help others, particularly Diamond Dallas Page, who became an established main eventer thanks to his long rivalry with Randy.

4. Bret Hart

The best there is, best there was and best there ever will be figured he’d be a WWE lifer and didn’t see himself working for anyone besides Vince McMahon until it became apparent that WCW’s financial offer was too good to turn down and Vince McMahon couldn’t honour the 20-year deal they agreed to.

Right as the Monday Night Wars were in full flow, the signing of Bret Hart was seen as a major coup for WCW, the loss of a former WWE Champion a potential hammer blow to their rivals. The Hitman was coming in with unrivalled momentum too after being the victim of the Montreal Screwjob at the 1997 Survivor Series.

The anticipation for Bret’s arrival was through the roof and then, when he did arrive, that enthusiasm quickly crashed through the floor.

Bungled from the beginning, Hart’s WCW tenure was a textbook case of a failure to capitalise on momentum and a major mishandling of one of the very best workers in the business.

There were odd flashes of greatness here and there and Bret had some decent matches and scored some gold, but it really is a wonder how Bischoff and co. managed to mismanage such a major signing on so many levels.

3. Scott Hall

Feeling frustrated that his pay and push had plateaued while under Vince McMahon’s employ, Scott Hall decided to defect to WCW in the Spring of 1996.

Hall (as Razor Ramon) had been a huge star in WWE, but he never quite managed to penetrate that glass ceiling and become a constant main eventer or world champion, despite his obvious talents and popularity.

Debuting unannounced on Nitro, Hall was portrayed as an invader coming from the other side to tear WCW apart from within. Kevin Nash soon joined up with him and, together with Hulk Hogan, they changed the business forever with the formation of the New World Order.

The concept wouldn’t have worked without The Outsiders, who both went on to have great runs in the Ted Turner-owned entity.

The Bad Guy didn’t manage to get his hands on the WCW Title either, but he didn’t need it. He was over regardless of whether he held a belt or not, due to the overall strength of his work.

He had his demons, yes, but when he was on his game Scott Hall was as good as anyone and was a shrewd acquisition on WCW’s part.

2. Kevin Nash

When Kevin Nash saw the money his best buddy Scott Hall was being offered to jump ship, Big Daddy Cool negotiated an equally sweet deal to come in alongside him. While Hall was a big star in his own right, Nash was even bigger.

As Diesel, he had held onto the WWE Title for 358 days and was – along with Hall, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and one or two others – one of the faces of WWE’s New Generation.

In WCW, Nash proved to be not just a big star, but also a smart son of a gun, as it was said he was the real ‘brains’ behind much of what the nWo did.

A master politician who knew how to game the system better than almost anybody, there were some who felt that Big Sexy’s backstage meddling and, ultimately, creative choices during his ill-fated spell as a booker, were a major contributor to WCW’s downfall.

Had Nash never joined, however, there may not have been anywhere from WCW to fall down from, so instrumental was he in WCW’s Monday Night Wars success.

1. Hulk Hogan

While WCW had some big stars in the shape of Sting, Ric Flair and Vader, Eric Bischoff felt that to truly get to the next level, they needed someone who transcended the business.

Hulk Hogan had recently left WWE, as Vince McMahon was looking to build around a new crop of performers, and Bischoff was more than happy to take him off his hands and give him the full Disneyland parade treatment.

Though Hulk was initially hesitant about joining, believing his future lay in Hollywood, he signed with WCW and they were off to the races.

Having Hogan on board didn’t just lead to increased ticket sales at arenas or the number of t-shirts sold and those sorts of measurables, it also opened up other doors for WCW when it came to sponsorship, licensing other lucrative opportunities. In many ways, Hogan signing legitimised them, taking them from a perceived southern wrasslin’ territory to mainstream family entertainment.

He was far and away the best-paid performer in WCW, but Terry Bollea made WCW back every dollar 10 times over.

Elevating WCW in the eyes of the public while helping to prolong his own career as a main eventer, his signing was a home run.