Back in the 90s, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world, giving WWE a run for their money. Perhaps, from the resentment brought on by fierce competition, numerous WCW talent was buried by WWE following the buyout in 2001. But some WCW stars actually became world champions in WWE.
Fans have brought up the examples of nWo, Sting, Scott Steiner, and others to support their claims of WCW alumni not thriving in WWE. However, it's not entirely true to say WWE buried all WCW talent since numerous WCW superstars have had decorated WWE careers.
10 AJ Styles
Touted as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, AJ Styles is currently a top WWE Superstar. He is a two-time WWE Champion with his second reign being the longest World Title reign exclusive to SmackDown.
But before AJ Styles became a global phenomenon, he perfected his craft by working with NJPW, IMPACT Wrestling, and even WCW! Styles signed with WCW in 2001 when the promotion was running its final shows. During his time there, Styles was a part of a tag team named "Air Raid".
9 Booker T
Booker T needs no introduction. Throughout his initial WWE run from 2001 to 2007, he remained a part of interesting storylines. He feuded with the likes of The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock. After winning the King of the Ring tournament in 2006, King Booker went on to defeat Rey Mysterio and become the World Heavyweight Champion.
Booker T got his first big break in World Championship Wrestling, where he became a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. During the Invasion Era, Booker T made his WWF debut as the WCW World Champion, a title that he lost and regained once again during the summer, making him a "Five-Time" WCW Champion.
8 Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit was a once-in-a-lifetime performer with incredible intensity and undeniable talent. In a promotion like WCW where "The Big Boys Played", Benoit somehow managed to break the glass ceiling and win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
The success followed him once he jumped ship to WWE. After floundering in the mid-card division for a couple of years, Benoit won the Royal Rumble match in 2004 and not only got to main event WrestleMania XX, but he also ended up winning the World Heavyweight Championship. Benoit remained the champion until SummerSlam 2004.
7 Eddie Guerrero
Following Chris Benoit is one of his closest real-life friends and perhaps his greatest on-screen rival. While Eddie Guerrero didn't become a main-event player in WCW, he won a couple of championships there and even formed the Latino World Order (LWO) and The Filthy Animals.
In WWE, his inner demons were able to get the better of him initially. However, once Eddie Guerrero got clean and returned in 2002, the company strapped a rocket to his back. Between the summer of 2002 and the spring of 2004, Guerrero transitioned from a tag-team player to a mid-card act and finally a main-event Superstar with his WWE Title victory against Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004.
6 Rey Mysterio
WCW's cruiserweight division was stacked with future main eventers and Rey Mysterio was among the said division. By the time the promotion closed, Mysterio emerged as a multi-time Cruiserweight and WCW World Tag Team Champion.
In WWE, his career had a similar start where he would jump from the cruiserweight division to the tag-team picture. However, after Eddie Guerrero's tragic demise in late 2005, WWE promoted The Master of 619 as the company's next big Hispanic Superstar. Between 2006 and 2011, Mysterio would win three WWE World Championships.
5 Big Show
Big Show is among the few Superstars who achieved tremendous success in both WCW and WWE. In World Championship Wrestling, he became a two-time WCW World Champion, was a part of the New World Order, and even participated in gripping storylines.
When he jumped ship to WWE in 1999, it didn't take long for him to enter the main-event scene. Within his first year, he won the WWF Championship. During his long career in WWE, he would win the WWE Championship once, the ECW Championship once, and the World Heavyweight Championship twice.
4 Chris Jericho
One of the longest-tenured performers of the current era, the inaugural AEW World Champion, and the first-ever Undisputed WWF Champion, Chris Jericho is a bonafide icon in the world of professional wrestling.
After several attempts to break the glass ceiling in WCW, Jericho signed with WWE and debuted for the promotion in 1999. The fact that he was able to win a total of six World Championships during his time with WWE vouches for the fact that WCW dropped the ball on him. Between 1999 and 2017, he got to feud with the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, and Kevin Owens.
3 Goldberg
Goldberg is the prime example that a professional wrestler doesn't need to put on technical masterpieces on a weekly basis to be considered great. The ability to draw a large audience, coupled with a larger-than-life persona, is what wins a Superstar their company's interest.
After plowing through the competition in WCW, Goldberg made his WWE debut in 2003. While he wasn't a big fan of his first run with the promotion, he was treated as a main-event player for the most part of it, even receiving a run with the World Heavyweight Championship. He even won the Universal Championship two times in the twilight of his career.
2 Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was a major factor in WWF's rise to unimaginable heights of popularity in the 80s. While it was thought that The Hulkster was a WWE lifer, he ended up leaving for NJPW in 1993 before signing with WCW a year later. WCW was smart enough to capitalize on Hogan's popularity by making him the face of the company right off the bat. At the 1996 Bash at the Beach, Hogan shocked the wrestling world by turning heel and forming the nWo.
After the company closed down and Hogan returned to WWF in 2002, it didn't take him long to climb back to the top of the mountain. At Backlash 2002, he defeated Triple H to become the Undisputed WWF Champion.
1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
More than 17 years have passed since he wrestled his last match, but Stone Cold Steve Austin's star still shines over the world of professional wrestling. Not only did he become a three-time Royal Rumble winner and a six-time WWE Champion, but he was also the company's biggest box office draw during the Attitude Era.
But before The Texas Rattlesnake became a worldwide sensation, he enjoyed a decent run in WCW as "Stunning" Steve Austin from 1991 to 1995. Despite being a prominent part of the tag-team and mid-card divisions, the company never saw any value in Austin as a top draw.