Throughout its history, WCW had a lot of PPV main events. Some are fantastic matches that deserve to be remembered well. Others are memorable only for being utter and complete disasters. The last few years saw the company putting on putrid main events that often had guys who didn’t deserve to be there. There are also such infamous moments as Jay Leno and David Arquette as main eventers. It’s easy to remember those for the wrong reasons.
Yet there are many times when WCW had a major PPV main event that had a great build and was often quite good...yet they’re not remembered well. A couple were poor, but these are matches WCW spent weeks or even months building up to but are somehow lost to wrestling history. Even the biggest stars can’t make these bouts more memorable. Here are 10 WCW PPV main events meant to be huge deals yet lost to most fans, with some deserving a second look.
10 Sting Vs. The Black Scorpion, Starrcade 1990
When Sting finally won the NWA World Title at The Great American Bash, he faced a shortage of decent challengers. Ole Anderson created the Black Scorpion, a mysterious figure who talked of being from Sting’s past. That included folks dressed up like the Scorpion attacking Sting and some weird magic tricks.
The problem was, they had no idea who was under the mask. At Starrcade, Sting faced the Scorpion, who turned out to be Ric Flair. Sting won, but Flair regained the title not long afterward, and few want to remember this angle.
9 Lex Luger Vs. Ron Simmons, Halloween Havoc 1991
Many WCW fans skim over when Ric Flair wasn’t with the company. Lex Luger did a decent job as a world champion and had a great program going with Ron Simmons. Luger sold himself as a heel, complete with nasty remarks on Simmons not deserving of the belt.
They fought in a two-out-of-three falls match with Simmons winning the first fall. Luger got the second when Simmons was disqualified for tossing Luger over the top rope. Luger then won the deciding fall in a bout that didn’t entirely pay off on its huge build.
8 Randy Savage Vs. Diamond Dallas Page, Spring Stampede 1997
Sometimes, a great match is overlooked by a better one by the same participants. Many will recall the terrific brawl between Randy Savage and DDP at the ‘97 Bash. But before that, they tore it up at Spring Stampede as Page wanted revenge for Savage insulting his wife.
This was Page’s first-ever main event, and he proved he belonged in a fantastic war with Savage. Kimberly and Elizabeth got involved as the two had a well-planned match ending with Page getting the win. The Great American Bash one was great but this deserves watching too.
7 Bret Hart Vs. Chris Benoit, Mayhem 1999
As with any Benoit match, it’s harder to look back at this today. Yet it’s still a good match as Benoit and Bret went at it in the finals of a tournament for the vacant WCW World Title. The two Canadian stars knew how to work a terrific competition, but this wasn’t as good as hoped.
The reason is because of the constant run-ins by Dean Malenko, The Outsiders, and Goldberg, which dragged it out. The pair would end up putting on a decent battle with Bret forcing Benoit to submit to the Sharpshooter. It ranks as one of the few bright spots to Bret’s WCW career.
6 Vader Vs. Cactus Jack, Halloween Havoc 1993
In his books, Mick Foley has a ball discussing WCW’s horrible treatment of him. In 1993, they had the perfect setup for Foley being brutalized by Vader and a sympathetic face. In their wisdom, WCW produced the infamous “Lost In Cleveland” skits that made Foley a joke.
The payoff was at Halloween Havoc in “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal,” which ended up being a Texas Death Match. It was a crazy brawl, which ended with Harley Race knocking out Foley with a taser, so Vader won. Even Foley’s DVD collections don’t bother with this as Foley prefers to forget the entire angle.
5 Hulk Hogan Vs. Lex Luger, Road Wild 1997
Most people remember 1997 as being the year-long build-up between Hulk Hogan and Sting. So it’s easy to forget how, for a few days, Hogan wasn’t the champ. Lex Luger managed to beat Hogan for the title on an August episode of WCW Monday Nitro for a huge celebration.
The rematch was set just days later at the annual PPV before a non-paying motorcycle crowd. It wasn’t a bad match, but the ending was a gyp as Kevin Nash in a Sting mask hit Luger to allow Hogan to regain the title. It seemed sad to waste Luger’s reign so that Hogan could get the belt back at one of the worst PPVs of the year.
4 Sting Vs. Sid, Halloween Havoc 1990
If this match is remembered, it’s for all the wrong reasons. Sting had been chased around by the mysterious Black Scorpion, but Sid was showing his stuff as a contender. They had a good match with Sid looking tough. When the Horsemen interfered, Sting ran out to chase them.
He then returned...now six inches taller, 15 pounds heavier and looking like Barry Windham in makeup. He was pinned by Sid, at which point the real Sting returned and managed to win over Sid after all. It was a ridiculously convoluted match that did neither man favors.
3 Hulk Hogan Vs. Roddy Piper, Starrcade 1996
In late 1996, Hulk Hogan was ruling the roost in WCW as his heel turn made him hotter than ever before. He had been met by old foe Roddy Piper as the pair were on a collision course. The two fought in what had been billed for some time as a world title match and clash of icons.
Piper beat Hogan with a sleeper, of all moves, with the fans ecstatic. At which point, it was announced the match was non-title after all. They had some rematches, but this bout is one of the more forgettable Starrcade main events.
2 Goldberg Vs. Diamond Dallas Page, Halloween Havoc 1998
Mention Halloween Havoc ‘98 and most remember the horrific Hulk Hogan-Ultimate Warrior rematch. Thankfully, WCW didn’t have that be the main event. Instead, Goldberg defended the World Heavyweight Title against DDP in a terrific battle. The two went all out with Page coming closer than anyone before to breaking Goldberg’s streak.
But in one of the greatest “only WCW stories” ever, they had failed to inform the PPV company the show was running long. Just as Page and Goldberg locked up, the feed went out. WCW had to refund thousands of angry viewers and show the match for free on Nitro, which adds to its status as a forgotten gem.
1 Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat, Spring Stampede 1994
Everyone knows of the classic 1989 trilogy of matches where Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat traded the NWA title. Yet their 1994 battle is overlooked. Knowing each other inside and out, the pair were capable of putting on a five-star match in their sleep.
The action was amazing, with Flair becoming more heelish as it went on and Steamboat selling as only he could. The ending had both men with their shoulders down, Steamboat claiming he won the belt, but it was declared a draw. It still ranks as a classic by two wrestling masters.