WCW got its big start when Crockett Promotions went national and stopped being a regional NWA promotion. This happened in 1988, and then by 1993, the company broke away and became the biggest wrestling company in the world for a short time when the nWo showed up, and WCW began to rule in the Monday Night Wars.
One thing that made WCW different than WWE was the quality of in-ring wrestling in the '90s. While WWE was relying on cartoony characters and bigger-than-life gimmicks, WCW always focused on putting on great matches. Some of the best wrestlers in the world worked in WCW during its time in existence, these have been ranked by Cagematch.net.
10 Nature Boy Ric Flair (9.08)
While many people consider him the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Cagematch.net ranks Nature Boy Ric Flair as the 10th best wrestler to work for WCW. Flair is tied for the record of the most world titles in wrestling history with John Cena, although Flair won more WWE doesn't recognize.
In WCW, Flair won seven of those world titles. While he only ranks 10th, with a 9.08 average rating, he does hold the record for the three best WCW matches in history, according to Cagematch.net, all against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
9 Randy Savage (9.10)
Macho Man Randy Savage became a major star in WWE and held both the world title and IC title. When WWE tried to force Savage to retire, he left for WCW in 1994. He arrived and became a top guy, working with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
When the nWo started, Savage was on the frontlines of the battle for the side of WCW, and he finished up with four world title reigns. Savage finally ended up leaving WCW in 2000.
8 Mick Foley (9.18)
When looking at Mick Foley's career, most fans see his time in WWE, and there are even a few who point to his days in ECW. He was a world champion in WWE, and he cut some of the best promos of his career in ECW, where he was a hardcore legend.
In WCW, he worked as Cactus Jack, and he even got a PPV main event match there against Big Van Vader. His 9.18 Cagematch.net rating is mostly from his time in WWE, but he was great in WCW from 1991-1994.
7 Terry Funk (9.27)
Terry Funk is a wrestling icon and a legend in the industry, and his best work came in the '70s when working for the NWA. As a former NWA World Champion, he moved on and worked for other companies, reinventing himself along the way. After a stint in WWE, he went back to NWA and WCW.
When Terry Funk returned to WCW, he ended up in a world title feud with Nature Boy Ric Flair, which resulted in one of the ten best matches in history, proving just how monumentally talented he was.
6 Curt Hennig (9.32)
Curt Hennig had a great career that was almost cut short due to injuries. He was a world champion at the age of 29, beating Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Championship. He went on to star for WWE as Mr. Perfect and was a huge star until back injuries forced him into managerial work.
However, Hennig wanted to wrestle, so when he got the chance in 1997, he went to WCW and worked there until 2000, including as part of the nWo.
5 Ricky Steamboat (9.39)
The three best matches in WCW history, according to Cagematch.net, were the trilogy of matches between Nature Boy Ric Flair and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. While Cagematch has Flair at a 9.08, Steamboat rates at a 9.39, which is why these two men were able to put on three of the best matches of all time.
Steamboat also had a successful career in WWE, where his match with Macho Man Randy Savage at WrestleMania III is also ranked as one of the best.
4 Bret Hart (9.41)
Bret "The Hitman" Hart was one of the best wrestlers in WWE history. His matches against Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania are considered two of the best in the company's history. However, Hart had a falling out with Vince McMahon and left for WCW.
Hart's time in WCW was nowhere near up to the level of his WWE work, but he still won two world titles, four United States titles, and the world tag team titles in his time there, with a rating of 9.41.
3 Steve Austin (9.47)
Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the biggest wrestlers in history when he was in WWE and helped the company beat WCW in the Monday Night Wars. However, before he arrived in WWE and created The Rattlesnake persona, he was a promising superstar in WCW as Stunning Steve Austin.
He was part of the Dangerous Alliance and The Stud Stable, and he was part of the popular Hollywood Blondes tag team. He won six titles in WCW before moving on to WWE, where he became a six-time world champion.
2 Eddie Guerrero (9.49)
Eddie Guerrero is easily the greatest wrestler in the legendary Guerrero family. He had success everywhere he worked, from Mexico and Japan to WCW, ECW, and WWE. In ECW, he was a two-time TV champion. In WCW, Eddie Guerrero was a two-time Cruiserweight Champion and one-time United States Champion, which included a great feud with Ric Flair.
Guerrero reached the top in WWE, where he was finally a world champion. With a 9.49 average rating, Guerrero is the second-best wrestler in WCW history, according to Cagematch.net.
1 Chris Jericho (9.53)
The best wrestler in WCW history, according to Cagematch.net ratings, is Chris Jericho. He got his start in Mexico, Japan, and ECW and then moved on to WCW. It was there that Jericho had his first taste of success, winning four Cruiserweight titles and the WCW TV title.
He then moved on to WWE and won six world titles, nine IC titles, two U.S. titles, one European title, one Hardcore title, and seven tag team titles. He is still wrestling and was the first AEW World Champion.