WCW has had many ups and downs throughout the years, leading to a mixed history of events. There were classic matches like Goldberg vs Diamond Dallas Page, Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio and Sting vs Ric Flair that stand the test of time when watching them back. However, the stinkers would become infamous as well. Many of the strangest WCW matches came in the main event.
We will look at the WCW PPV main events that left fans confused, both heading into the match and long afterwards. Some of them provided entertainment and interest, while others are still mocked today. Find out which wrestlers took part in these matches, as we break down the ten strangest main events in WCW history.
10 Team WCW vs. Team Hollywood vs. Team Wolfpac (Fall Brawl 1998)
War Games was one of the more interesting WCW stipulation matches. It traditionally featured two teams of four wrestlers competing in the double ring of two cages. WCW strayed away from this with the concept of three teams of three wrestlers at Fall Brawl 1998.
Diamond Dallas Page, Roddy Piper and Ultimate Warrior (in his first WCW match) represented WCW, against the nWo Hollywood trio of Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan and Stevie Ray, along with the nWo Wolfpac trio of Kevin Nash, Sting and Lex Luger. The match was quite confusing, as Page won a singles title shot despite winning the match for his team.
9 Sting vs Jake Roberts in a Coal Miner's Glove match (Halloween Havoc 1992)
The theme of spinning a wheel to determine the stipulation of the main event placed Jake Roberts and Sting in a Coal Miner’s Glove match at Halloween Havoc 1992. Both wrestlers tried to climb the top rope and retrieve a coal miner’s glove from the pole.
It was a joke of a match that showed how out of touch booker Bill Watts was in the early 90s. WCW struggled immensely, despite having two legends in the main event. This match was a disaster that is still often ridiculed today.
8 Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone vs Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman (Bash at the Beach 1998)
The involvement of celebrities created a few unique matches for WCW. NBA superstar Dennis Rodman became a part of the New World Order and convinced his power forward rival Karl Malone to wrestle for the company as well.
Both men even sold the feud by getting into a minor tussle during the 1998 NBA Finals. Rodman teamed with his buddy Hulk Hogan to defeat Malone and Diamond Dallas Page just weeks after his Chicago Bulls defeated Malone’s Utah Jazz. Malone just couldn’t get any wins over Rodman.
7 Hulk Hogan vs The Butcher (Starrcade 1994)
The main event in question here is as surprising as it is odd. Hulk Hogan gained huge power in WCW when joining the company in 1994. His first feud saw him defeat Ric Flair quite a few times to become the WCW Champion right away.
His best friend Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake was both hired and pushed. The gimmick of The Butcher saw him turning heel as the person that stabbed Hogan in the back. Starrcade was WCW’s biggest show of the year and Hogan’s jobber best friend in the main event just hurt its credibility.
6 Jeff Jarrett vs Diamond Dallas Page vs David Arquette in a triple cage match (Slamboree 2000)
The Ready to Rumble movie was a huge flop and it hurt WCW’s product in 2000. Vince Russo talked David Arquette into becoming part of the show with the hope of it improving ratings. Arquette won the WCW Championship and wasforced to defend it in a triple cage match.
The match stipulation along with the celebrity involvement already made it odd. However, the booking would see Arquette turn heel on his friend Diamond Dallas Page to help Jeff Jarrett win the title. It seemed as though WCW simply wanted to throw things at the wall to see what stuck at that point.
5 The Giant vs Hulk Hogan (Halloween Havoc 1995)
Halloween Havoc 1995 remains one of the worst PPVs in WCW history. Big Show started his career with the gimmick of being Andre the Giant’s son, looking to avenge his late father against Hulk Hogan for the WCW Championship.
They faced off twice that night, with the first battle coming in a Sumo Monster Truck match that culminated in The Giant falling off a tall building. Hogan was shocked to see The Giant still make it back to the venue for the main event. Giant won the match (and the title) by DQ and The Yeti character made an awkward debut, bearhugging Hogan.
4 Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair in a Yappapi Indian Strap match (Uncensored 2000)
WCW decided to give a unique name to the traditional strap match between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan at Uncensored 2000. Both legends were far past their prime, but WCW still placed them in the main event over the Sid vs Jeff Jarrett WCW Championship match.
Hogan and Flair slowly plotted around the ring using the strap as a weapon. Lex Luger’s interference on Flair’s behalf didn’t even make a difference, as Hogan once again went home victorious in the main event. It is not a coincidence that 2000 was the year WCW officially reached the point of no return.
3 Diamond Dallas Page and Jay Leno vs Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff (Road Wild 1998)
Late night talk show host Jay Leno was brought into WCW for another celebrity main event match in the summer of 1998. The storyline featured Eric Bischoff attempting to take over the Tonight Show with Hulk Hogan by his side representing the New World Order.
Leno teamed with Diamond Dallas Page to defeat Hogan and Bischoff in front of the bikers at Sturgis for Road Wild 1998. Many wrestling purists still complain about Leno putting a wristlock on Hogan, but WCW did get quite a bit of coverage for this odd main event.
2 Goldberg vs Kronik (Halloween Havoc 2000)
The average fan would be stunned to find out that the tag team Kronik ever main evented a WCW PPV. Bryan Clark and Brian Adams made up the impressive tag team, facing off against Goldberg in a match at Halloween Havoc 2000.
The main event choice was a strange one, given that Booker T and Scott Steiner faced off for the WCW Championships here, along with a solid Jeff Jarrett vs Sting match. Goldberg squashed the tag team in under four minutes, in one of the shortest and strangest main events in wrestling history.
1 Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage vs 8 heels in a Doomsday Cage match (Uncensored 1996)
Hulk Hogan’s influence on WCW’s booking led to bizarre matches like this one. The duo of Hogan and Randy Savage faced off with eight heels on the roster in a Doomsday Cage match. Hogan and Savage overcame the odds to make the heel team look like goofs.
Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Meng, The Barbarian, Zeus, Kevin Sullivan and The Ultimate Solution made up the heel squad as the Alliance to End the Mega Powers. Hogan and Savage won in a match that must be seen to be believed.