Among all of the various annual WCW events that once existed in its calendar, Slamboree may be one that is not remembered as well as other more popular shows, but it holds a fair amount of the promotion's history in its cards.
From 1993 to 2000, Slamboree played host to some of the best moments in WCW history along with the utter low points of its dying days and it's worth remembering and regretting in equal measure. Let's take a look at each Slamboree event in the run of WCW and where they rank in relation to each other, from worst to best.
8 Slamboree 2000
WCW was at a creative and financial low point by the turn of the new millennium and, unfortunately, Slamboree would not buck the trend. Nearly every match saw interference and overbooking thanks to the creative involvement of Vince Russo, with Russo himself part of the storyline involving the legendary Ric Flair. Both Sting and Hulk Hogan beat young upstarts Vampiro and Billy Kidman handily in singles matches and the night would end with the infamously bad Ready To Rumble Triple Cage match involving WCW Champion David Arquette (yeah, you heard me). Capped off with an ill-thought-out dive off the cage by Kanyon, in the same arena where Owen Hart fell to his death, this event is best left forgotten in the grand scheme of things.
7 Slamboree 1996
This card was certainly an ambitious one, but for a match concept that ultimately is not remembered fondly. 1996 was the site of the Lord of the Ring Tournament, where wrestlers were paired in a Lethal Lottery (random assignment) tag team tournament with the winners going on to the Battlebowl battle royal to earn a shot at the WCW title. It was a show-long concept that took up a lot of time and although fan-favorite DDP won the whole enchilada, his title shot was revoked on the next night's Monday Nitro, making the whole thing feel meaningless. Add a less-than-scintillating mix of title matches on the card (Sting vs The Giant, anyone?) and you get a forgettable entry into this event's canon.
6 Slamboree 1999
Another entry from when WCW's ratings and financial downfall had begun and the cracks could be seen in the company's booking philosophy. A great deal of interference was featured in matches, including the return of Bret Hart leading to the advertised Sting vs. Goldberg match not occurring at all.
A fairly fun triple threat tag team match starting the event would be far stronger than the main event, which featured Kevin Nash initially defeating WCW champion DDP by disqualification before a host of shenanigans saw Nash beat DDP for yet another world championship. WCW's problems would continue to mount and cards like Slamboree 1999 certainly wouldn't reverse its fortunes.
5 Slamboree 1993
The first edition of this PPV was notable for a few reasons, but not necessarily for match quality. The event saw Sid Vicious returning to WCW after time spent in the WWE, along with several wrestling legends including Baron Von Raschke and Nick Bockwinkel participating in a special ceremony honoring them and even some matches. The card itself is topped off by a disqualification victory for Davey Boy Smith over WCW Champion Vader, ultimately representing its status of not being exactly must-see. WCW would see much worse, but that doesn't make this event all that worth it (outside of the legends).
4 Slamboree 1995
The first such event since the advent of Hulkamania in WCW, this year's card saw a couple of interesting distinctions. The theme of featuring wrestling's legends was continued here, as names like Wahoo McDaniel found themselves in featured matches and The Great Muta even defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in a rare stateside title match.
Although the night saw double count-outs and less-than-stellar bouts like Sting vs Big Bubba, it also saw underrated contests like Arn Anderson vs Alex Wright, as well as the return of Ric Flair to in-ring competition. It's not exactly the best, but the presence of a few entertaining fights saves this one from being a complete write-off.
3 Slamboree 1997
During a hot period for WCW, this edition of Slamboree remains something of a curiosity for sports and wrestling fans alike. The top two matches of the night saw WCW talent face off against NFL players, as Steve McMichael (himself a former football player) faced Reggie White of the Green Bay Packers in a 15-minute (!) affair, while the main event saw occasional wrestler and NFL star Kevin Greene team with Roddy Piper and Ric Flair to fight the nWo. These strange instances aside, the event does feature the hidden gem of Steve Regal vs. Ultimo Dragon, along with Meng vs. Chris Benoit in a hard-hitting affair and Rey Mysterio Jr. in a featured match. Much like with a lot of WCW's offerings, even at its zenith, you take the good with the bad in this one.
2 Slamboree 1994
When fans talk about how great WCW was in its more old-school days, this card is indicative of how solid a wrestling product it was. The event featured everything from solid technical wrestling (Steve Austin vs Tully Blanchard and Ric Flair vs Barry Windham) to wild and heavy-hitting brawls (Dustin Rhodes in a Bullrope match and Cactus Jack in a "Broad Street Bully" match against The Nasty Boys) and is a great look at the different styles of wrestling the promotion offered at the time. Add to that another chapter in the legendary rivalry of Sting and Vader and you get a fairly solid outing from what was once considered the wrestling-focused alternative to the more cartoonish WWE.
1 Slamboree 1998
One of the greatest moments in WCW history, supported by a good-to-great card, makes this the top selection of all Slamborees. All-time great performers like Fit Finlay, Eddie Guerrero, and Ultimo Dragon make appearances in memorable matches and other matches like DDP vs Raven and Goldberg vs Saturn scratch the itch for hard-hitting action. The show's highpoint is obscure luchador Ciclope winning a #1 contender's battle royal for a shot at Chris Jericho's Cruiserweight Title, only for "Ciclope" to unmask and reveal himself as Jericho's mortal enemy Dean Malenko. The reveal garnered one of the loudest pops ever from a WCW audience as a fired-up Malenko went on to finally beat Jericho for the title and gain his revenge. Aside from a few nWo-related duds, this event is generally worth re-visiting and deserves its place in history as the best Slamboree event ever.