WCW was initially part of the NWA as Crockett Promotions. However, when Ted Turner decided to go after WWE and Vince McMahon, he took WCW national in the late '80s, and the two companies went to battle for the next decade-plus. During that time, both had highs and lows as WCW tried to become a national power.

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In the end, it was WWE standing tall as WCW went out of business. However, WCW put on some great PPV events throughout its time in the spotlight along the way. With names like Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, Goldberg, and the nWo, several big PPVs had moments worthy of the Mount Rushmore of Wrestling.

10 Spring Stampede 1999

Goldberg at Spring Stampede 1999

In 1999, WCW was not as hot as it was a year prior, with the nWo not as exciting, the top of the card not as packed, and the storylines missing more than they were hitting. However, what WCW still had was some of the best wrestlers on the planet. Spring Stampede 1999 was the best late-era WCW PPV, thanks to the wrestling.

The cruiserweight talent was on full display here, and Chris Benoit teamed with Dean Malenko for a great match with Raven and Saturn. Even Kevin Nash vs. Goldberg was a solid outing.

9 Halloween Havoc 1997

Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc 1997

Halloween Havoc 1997 had a big-moment match that goes down in WCW history. That was the steel cage match between Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper. This was nowhere near as good as Piper knocking out Hogan with the sleeper, but it was still an important part of wrestling history.

In terms of technical classics the Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero match was one of the best in their history. However, the most memorable match on the show was Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page, as Savage continued to ensure that Page left the feud as a major star.

8 Superbrawl III

Vader battles Sting

If there are two men in early WCW who never had a bad match against each other, it was Sting and Vader. At the time, Vader was a monster at the top of his game, and Sting was a man who was the biggest babyface in WCW and was trying to prove he was The Man for the company.

Their match here was one of their best and was backed up with a great undercard as well.

7 Bash At The Beach 1996

NWO Bash At The Beach 1996

If there is any WCW PPV that deserves to be on the Mount Rushmore of Wrestling for just its standing in history, it was Bash at the Beach 1996. This was the PPV where Scott Hall and Kevin Nash promised a mystery partner against Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage, and at the end, Hulk Hogan turned heel.

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This is the WCW PPV that introduced the world to the nWo. Nothing in professional wrestling was ever the same again. The matches on this PPV were not great, outside of Rey Mysterio vs. Psicosis, but the nWo forming is what makes this Mount Rushmore worthy.

6 WrestleWar 1992

Sting at WrestleWar

One of the best specialty matches that WCW ever created was the War Games. The original matches with the Four Horsemen are some of the best ever fought, but at WrestleWar 1992, the best WarGames match of the '90s took place between Sting's Squadron and the Dangerous Alliance.

That match alone lets the PPV stand out, but it all ended with an amazing tag match between the Steiner Bros and the Japanese team of Tatsumi Fujinami and Takayuki Iizuka.

5 Chi-Town Rumble

Rick Steamboat vs Ric Flair at Chi Town Rumble

The Chi-Town Rumble goes down in WCW history as one of the best wrestling shows of all-time and included the first of the trilogy of matches between "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.

This was the card where Steamboat won the NWA World Championship in a five-star match. There were other great matches, including Lex Luger vs. Barry Windham, but the world title match still shines to this day.

4 Slamboree 1994

Barry Windham Slamboree 1994

Slamboree 1994 had a theme that threatened to drag the card down in the dumps. The legends were brought back for this show. However, the one legend's match that WCW put on was one that Philadelphia fans loved as Tully Blanchard came back for one night to battle Terry Funk.

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However, the matches on this show did not disappoint. Ric Flair and Barry Windham fought for the WCW World Championship. Sting took on Vader for the vacant NWA International Championship. A great tag team brawl featured Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan vs. The Nasty Boys.

3 Superbrawl II

Sting vs Lex Luger at Superbrawl II.

The first Monday Nitro would see Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Thunder Liger because WCW knew that match would pull in wrestling fans and keep them there. Three years before, that same match opened Superbrawl II, and it was even better there.

The Dangerous Alliance was at the top of their game here and featured in most of the matches, and the main event saw Sting beat Lex Luger for the WCW title.

2 Spring Stampede 1994

Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair at Spring Stampede 1994.

Spring Stampede 1994 featured a long-awaited rematch between Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair. While not up to the level of their trilogy of matches, this one came really close and proved that the two men could never face each other and not produce an instant classic.

What made this show impressive is that there were no standout matches, but every one of them was great. This might be one of the best PPVs in WCW history strictly in terms of match quality.

1 Great American Bash 1989

Great American Bash 1989 Cropped

When Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat finished their trilogy, Flair didn't have a chance to rest. NWA legend Terry Funk came in and asked for a title shot, to which Flair said no.

Funk then tried to break Flair's neck, and it led to the I Quit Match at the 1989 Great American Bash. This was as different from the Steamboat matches as you can get but was still amazing. Add in Sting taking on The Great Muta in their fantastic feud and a War Games match, and this was WCW at its very best.

NEXT: The Best Tag Title Reign In Each Year Of The '90s