10 Massively Underrated WCW Moments

It’s fun to dunk on the insanity that was WCW at times, but it’s also nice to reminisce about some of World Championship Wrestling’s better moments. 

WCW presented its fair share of iconic moments during its peak, but there are other things that happened on WCW television that were otherwise awesome, unpredictable or historically significant that perhaps don’t get their due.

These are 10 Massively Underrated WCW Moments.

10. Rey Mysterio at Fall Brawl 1996

One of the highlights of any WCW card during the Monday Night Wars was the cutting-edge action provided by the roster of talented cruiserweights - chief among them Rey Mysterio Jr. 

Despite being undersized for the era, the masked man quickly made audiences forget about any perceived lack of height or muscle by wowing them with his jaw-dropping arsenal of aerial moves. 

Rey decided to bust out one of his very best ever when he defended the WCW Cruiserweight Title against Super Calo at Fall Brawl 1996. 

The two luchadors had their customarily good match when, after 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, Mysterio went for the most creative of finishes. 

Standing between the two rings (which were there due to the WarGames main event), Rey did a springboard backflip into the ring behind him. Then, he did a double springboard, hopping from one ring to the other and hitting Calo with a picture-perfect hurricanrana for the three. 

A hell of a way to retain a title, as well as an ingenious way to utilise the extra ring, it was moments like this that put Rey Mysterio Jr. in a class of his own.

9. Chris Jericho goes to Washington

Fed up with being seen as a lowly mid-carder and nothing more, Chris Jericho spent the final 18 months of his WCW tenure doing everything he could to get himself over in a bid to position himself higher on the pecking order. 

After Dean Malenko shocked Jericho by revealing himself as the masked Ciclope and beating him to bag the WCW Cruiserweight Title at Slamboree 1998 – in what is widely regarded as one of the best WCW moments ever – Jericho made it his mission to prove to JJ Dillon that he was the victim of a conspiracy. 

This led the Canadian to visit Washington DC to find proof of this alleged conspiracy. While in the nation’s capital, a suit-wearing Jericho was shown being turned away from the Capitol Building and the gates of the White House, as he settled for protesting on the streets, venting to members of the public and, ultimately, digging through books in the Library of Congress. 

They were highly entertaining segments that also pushed the Malenko feud and built anticipation for their eventual match.

8. Perry Saturn frees The Flock

After continually butting heads with Raven, Perry Saturn turned babyface and left Raven’s stable of misfits known as The Flock. 

Not content with simply emancipating himself, Saturn challenged the Flock’s leader to a match at Fall Brawl 1998, with the stipulation that if Saturn won the Flock would have to disband. However, if Raven won (and the match would be fought under ‘Raven’s Rules’) then Saturn would have to become his slave. 

The match itself was a banger and easily the best thing on what was a pretty wretched pay-per-view overall. It built and built brilliantly until the moment that Saturn, after fending off a tonne of interference, was able to counter the DDT and hit a Death Valley Driver to gain revenge on his former tormentor and free the rest of The Flock. 

The fans were into it as well and were clearly invested in Saturn’s cause. Perry, for his part, later called it his favourite moment of his career. 

7. Hulk Hogan Vs. Sting

When WCW was at its hottest, the promotion managed to masterfully build up a match between Sting and Hollywood Hogan for a full year, all with the Stinger not wrestling a single match and spending much of his time in the rafters. Of course, the eventual match (specifically the match’s controversial ending) turned out to be one of the most bungled in history. 

It’s worth remembering, though, that the Starrcade 1997 debacle was, in fact, the second time the two industry icons had locked horns. The first time was over two years prior, in the main event of the November 20, 1995, episode of Nitro.

This was a massive match as WWE’s former All-American hero clashed with his blonde-haired counterpart from the competition. It also happened during a storyline where The Hulkster had momentarily turned to the dark side, meaning he worked more like a heel and wore a black outfit similar to the one that would become his trademark as leader of the nWo. 

The action itself certainly won’t blow you away but it was still a major moment that doesn’t get talked about a lot.

6. Meng fights his way to going one-on-one with Goldberg

Tales of Haku’s outside-the-ring exploits are legendary and those who witnessed his fighting prowess first-hand all agree that nobody else even comes close. However, this dominance wasn’t always reflected on-screen. 

On the August 10, 1998, edition of WCW Nitro, fans got a reminder of just how much of a monster Meng really was as WCW tried to heat him up for a world title showdown with Golderg in the show’s main event. 

After the first bout of the evening – which saw Meng’s former Faces of Fear tag partner Barbarian clash with Hacksaw Jim Duggan – the big man ran out and destroyed not just the two men in the match, but also Hugh Morrus, Jimmy Hart, Doug Dillinger and two security guards. 

A little while later, Meng was shown applying the Tongan Death Grip to two more security guards backstage. 

The eventual match with Goldberg was brisk, but WCW had done such a good job of building up Meng and his signature hold that fans genuinely thought the champ was in danger of losing his title before he found a way to extend his undefeated streak. 

5. Eddie Guerrero attempts to catch a 'thief'

Six months after surviving a near-fatal car crash, Eddie Guerrero returned to WCW and got back to doing what he did best: annoying his fellow luchadors. 

It wasn’t enough for Eddie to pick up victories over Juventud Guerrera, Psychosis and La Parka – he had to find a way to mess with them even more. On the July 5, 1999, episode of Nitro, Guerrero was shown complaining that someone in the Mexican dressing room had stolen his wallet. 

After Doug Dillinger had rounded them up for a lineup, Eddie explained that the suspects needed to unmask in order for him to properly identify the culprit. Guerrero’s facial expressions and reactions were priceless as each masked wrestler proceeded to show their face. 

Between asking Damien 666 whether he was ever in a fire and outing The Cheetah Kid as Prince Iauke, Eddie was a riot and turned what could have been an unmemorable throwaway segment into something genuinely funny. 

Obviously, the ‘theft’ was simply a ruse by Eddie designed to humiliate the luchadors, making the whole situation that much funnier. 

4. DDP turns down the nWo

The New World Order went from strength to strength in their first six months of existence, routinely battering Team WCW as their numbers swelled to include the likes of The Giant, Syxx-Pac, Buff Bagwell and Vincent. 

So it was entirely plausible that Diamond Dallas Page might take the nWo up on their invite when Kevin Nash and Scott Hall sauntered down to the ring following DDP’s victory on the January 13, 1997, episode of Nitro. 

Some fans would have also known that the three were tight dating back to their days in The Diamond Mine earlier in the decade. What The Outsiders didn’t know was that Page was WCW through and through.

While he at first put the black-and-white t-shirt on, DDP quickly showed his true colours by suckering Hall in for a Diamond Cutter, before sending Nash sailing over the top rope. Finally, someone had gotten one over on the Order, giving WCW fans a moment to remember and Dallas yet more momentum as he continued his rise to the top.

3. The Mega Powers Reunite

The signing of Hulk Hogan was a game-changer for WCW, helping to change the promotion’s perception as a southern wrasslin’ company to a viable national enterprise. Terry Bollea’s signing also encouraged other ex-WWE stars to hop to WCW, including his longtime frenemy Randy Savage.

Though the two men may have been at odds behind the scenes, Macho Man and The Hulkster were all business in front of the camera and knew that the two of them teaming together was money. 

As great as it was seeing The Mega Powers – who were initially dubbed ‘The Monster Maniacs’ for legal reasons – tag once more, it felt as if something was missing. 

That missing something reappeared at the 32nd Clash of the Champions special, when Miss Elizabeth made her WCW debut to walk Hogan and Savage down the aisle for their main event outing with The Giant and Ric Flair.

2. Sabu's Debut

Eric Bischoff and WCW really did do everything they could to make Nitro seem like can’t-miss television from the off. Whether it was matches featuring exciting international stars like Jushin Liger or surprises like WWE star Lex Luger jumping ship, WCW’s new Monday night show had an air of unpredictability about it right away. 

The appearance of ECW standout Sabu, kicking off the second-ever episode, only reinforced this notion. A week after a vignette hyping his debut, the battle-scarred brawler took on Alex Wright in a match that showcased his daredevil style. 

Sabu’s style was revolutionary for the time and he got over big by hitting springboard moves, dives and other exciting offence in his own endearingly haphazard way. 

The man from Bombay, Michigan added an exclamation point to proceedings by putting Wright through a table afterwards, something that just wasn’t seen in mainstream American wrestling at the time.  

Sadly, the relationship between Sabu and WCW didn’t work out, but he was electric for the brief time he was there and set the tone for his short run nicely during his televised debut match.

1. Ricky Steamboat returns

Sometimes, timing really is everything. 

On October 21, 1991, Ricky Steamboat, fed up with being a fire-breathing preliminary wrestler in a daft costume, gave notice that he was leaving WWE (who promptly fired him instead). 

On November 19, 1991, WCW held their 17th Clash of the Champions special, with one of the key matches set to see Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham challenge The Enforcers (Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko) for the World Tag Team Titles. 

Unfortunately, Windham injured his hand in the weeks before and had to withdraw. But who could possibly step into such a high-pressure situation at such short notice? Cometh the hour, cometh The Dragon. 

After attempting to create a little bit of suspense with a dragon mask and robe to disguise him, it was quickly revealed that the new partner was indeed the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.

The fans popped huge for the surprise, while Anderson and Zbyszko sold it beautifully. Even better, the four men proceeded to have a great match, with Steamboat scoring the pin to bag the belts.