WCW Top 10

[Guest Tim Cooke]

Another topic to get some conversation started.

 

My top 10 of the 1990's for WCW. Some of my picks are obviously biased as I would rather watch hard hitting action than some of the latter Cruiserweight Action.

 

1. Midnight Express v Southern Boys (7/7/90 – Great American Bash)

2. Barry Windham/Dustin Rhodes v Larry Zybisko/Steve Austin (2/29/92 – Superbrawl)

3. Big Van Vader v Sting (2/21/93 – Superbrawl)

4. Barry Windham/Rick Rude/Larry Zybisko/Arn Anderson/Bobby Eaton v Steve Austin/Ricky Steamboat/Dustin Rhodes/Nikita Koloff/Sting (5/17/92 – Wrestle War)

5. Sting v Vader (7/12/92 – Great American Bash)

6. Sting v Vader (12/28/92 – Starrcade)

7. Ric Flair/Larry Zybisko/Barry Windham/Sid Vicious v Brian Pillman/Steiners/Sting (2/24/91 – Wrestle War)

8. Doom v Barry Windham/Arn Anderson (12/16/90 – Starrcade)

9. Barry Windham v Too Cold Scorpio (6/13/93 – Clash of the Champions)

10. Eddy Guerrero v Rey Misterio Jr. (10/26/97 – Halloween Havoc)

 

Honorable Mentions:

 

1A. Barry Windham/Brian Pillman v Ricky Steamboat/Shane Douglas (12/28/92 – Starrcade)

2A. Ricky Steamboat/Dustin Rhodes v Arn Anderson/Larry Zybisko (11/19/91 – Clash of the Champions)

3A. Ultimo Dragon v Rey Misterio Jr. (11/24/96 – World War III)

4A. Chris Benoit v Too Cold Scorpio (2/21/93 – Superbrawl)

 

I will fill in commentary later but the one thing I want to mention right now is the number 7 pick. I really dislike the match overall but the first five minutes between WIndham and Pillman are SO awesome that I had to include it. The rest is just kind of there but the Windham/Pillman feud was a highlight to this match.

 

And note lots of Barry, who I would consider to be the BEST US worker from 1987-1993.

 

Tim

[Guest dreamer420]

I will fill in commentary later but the one thing I want to mention right now is the number 7 pick. I really dislike the match overall but the first five minutes between WIndham and Pillman are SO awesome that I had to include it. The rest is just kind of there but the Windham/Pillman feud was a highlight to this match.

I don't get what this has to do with Puro but whatever. I disagree with you here. The Wargames match from Wrestlewar 1991 was a brilliant ***** match which told a good story and was a brutal bout. There were great performances from everyone except Vicious (who nearly killed Pillman) and from Larry (who has always sucked ass).

[Guest Tim Cooke]

"I don't get what this has to do with Puro but whatever."

 

Yes but believe it or not, this folder has the most intelligent people out of any folder in the Smarks. Don't laugh everybody.

 

"I disagree with you here. The Wargames match from Wrestlewar 1991 was a brilliant ***** match which told a good story and was a brutal bout. There were great performances from everyone except Vicious (who nearly killed Pillman) and from Larry (who has always sucked ass)."

 

1992 whipped its ass. The Steiners aren't suited for Wargames at all. Sid stunk. If that match is *****, then Wargames 1992 must be **********.

 

And before saying Zybisko stunk, watch a few of his good WCW matches. Watch Zybisko, along with Arn, carry Steamboat and Dustin on 11/19/91.

 

Tim

[Guest blachuuh_monkey]

Tim is right. Zybisco was a surprisingly good worker in the early 90's WCW. I always thought he sucked until I saw some of his work from that time period.

[Guest bob_barron]

WarGames 91 is not *****. There are called spots galore and Sid, like Tim said, just stinks up the joint.

 

I still don't see the point of this being in the Puro folder

[Guest blachuuh_monkey]

I know that I will probably get bashed in here for my list as I am heavily biased towards certain people. There is still a lot of stuff from the early 90's I need to see.

 

1. 1992 Wargames

2. Bret Hart vs Chris Benoit - 10/99 Nitro

3. Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio Jr. - 1997 Halloween Havoc

4. Vader vs Sting - Superbrawl III

5. Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat - 5/14/94 WCWSN

6. Jushin Liger vs Brian Pillman - Superbrawl II

7. 1991 Wargames

8. Midnight Express vs Southern Boys - 1990 Great American Bash

9. Cactus Jack/Kevin Sullivan vs Nasty Boys - 1994 Slamboree

10. Steiner Brothers vs Steve Williams/Terry Gordy - 6/12/92

 

#10 is more of a personal favorite more than anything.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I believe he put it in the Puro folder, because he feels that this folder has the most intelligent people in it, thus bringing out the best debate. I thought he made it fairly clear. Correct me if I'm wrong though...

 

1) Eddie Guerrerro vs. Rey Mysterio HH97

 

2) Sting Vs. Vader Superbrawl 1993

 

3) Wargames 1992

 

4) Midnight Express v Southern Boys GAB 1990

 

5) Barry Windham/Dustin Rhodes v Larry Zybisko/Steve Austin Superbrawl 1992

 

6) Jushin Lyger Vs. Brian Pillman Superbrawl 1992

 

7) Benoit/Malenko Vs. Saturn/Raven Spring Stampede 1999

 

8) Rick Rude Vs. Ricky Steamboat Iron Man Match Beach Blast 1992

 

9) Doom v Barry Windham/Arn Anderson Starrcade 1990

 

10) Chris Benoit Vs. Bret Hart Nitro Tribute

 

I still have yet to hear a good argument about why Steiners Vs. Sting/Luger was even a good match, as I can't seem to get into it at all....

[Guest Tim Cooke]

Steiners v Sting/Luger is a match that was AWESOME back in 1991 and still holds up today but in a WEEEEE kind of way. It is almost all spots with no real focus on anything. Best Steiners match in the US I would say though.

 

Tim

[Guest Black Tiger]

I don't have all the dates, but I'll try my best.

 

10. Benoit vs. Raven (Souled Out '98)

 

09. Benoit/Wellington vs. Lyger/Pillman (Clash 19)

 

08. Southern Boys vs. Midnights (GAB 1990)

 

07. Sting vs. Vader (GAB 1992)

 

06. Mysterio vs. Guererro (HH 1997)

 

05. Steiners vs. Sting/Luger

 

04. Cactus/Sullivan vs. Nasties

 

03. Benoit vs. Hart (Owen tribute)

 

02.Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Ohtani (Starrcade 1995)

 

01. Wargames 1992

[Guest bob_barron]

Yea- The match is all action which was the right booking since I don't think Lex Luger is Mr. Psychology

[Guest wolverine]

WCW isn't my deal, so all I've got is:

 

1. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Eddy Guerrero, Halloween Havoc '97 - ****1/2

2. Ultimo Dragon vs. Rey Misterio Jr., World War III '96 - ****1/4

[Guest blachuuh_monkey]

I've never seen it and was just curious as to what was so great about Doom vs Anderson/Windham. I'm sure that it would be good with the latter team carrying with their greatness but I just can't see how Simmons and Reed could be in one of the 10 best matches of the 90's.

[Guest dreamer420]

Yes but believe it or not, this folder has the most intelligent people out of any folder in the Smarks. Don't laugh everybody.

 

You got a point there. I don't even like the WWE folder anymore.

 

1992 whipped its ass. The Steiners aren't suited for Wargames at all. Sid stunk. If that match is *****, then Wargames 1992 must be **********.

 

I give 1992 ***** as well. Both matches were awesome brawls with great efforts.

[Guest razazteca]

some of my favorites

 

Benoit vs Raven vs DDP at Uncensored - it was a basic ECW type of match with some good spots such as the triple suplex, the dreaded triple sleeper, nice finish with the Diamond Cutter off the top rope.

 

Cactus Jack vs Vader at Halloween Havoc 95 - this match was brutal, did not like the finish with Harley Race using a stun gun/taser but it was a match that Vader used the Moonsault!

 

Sting vs Flair at Clash of Champions 1 - this is the match that made me a Sting fan, I think it went to a time limit draw with celebrity judges.....damn you Jason Hervy.

 

Brian Pillman vs Jushin Lyger at Superbrawl 3? - good match between the 2 I think it was for the WCW Lightweight belt.

 

Malenko vs Benoit at Hogwild/Road Wild 95? - went 2 out of 3 then into overtime good overall match between these 2 great wrestlers, to bad the bikers had to play with their bikes and Tony Schiavonie looked like a Village People mark.

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Having not seen nearly any of the priased tag stuff from the early ninties, I would have to go with Wolv's picks and add Sting/Vader from Superbrawl III as well as War Games '92 onto that.

[EL DANDY~! 0]

And before saying Zybisko stunk, watch a few of his good WCW matches. Watch Zybisko, along with Arn, carry Steamboat and Dustin on 11/19/91.

 

Tim

Tim, nice name and all, but in all reality, Steamer made the people go BALLISTIC when The Enforcers were cheating. Still one of my favorite WCW tags of all time...Steamer did a GREAT job selling in that match, as per usual with him.

[Guest blachuuh_monkey]

"Cactus Jack vs Vader at Halloween Havoc 95" "Brian Pillman vs Jushin Lyger at Superbrawl 3" " Malenko vs Benoit at Hogwild/Road Wild 95"

 

These matches were actually on the following PPV's. Going from 1st to last.

Halloween Havoc 1993

Superbrawl 2

Hogwild 1996

[Guest Goodear]

4. Barry Windham/Rick Rude/Larry Zybisko/Arn Anderson/Bobby Eaton v Steve Austin/Ricky Steamboat/Dustin Rhodes/Nikita Koloff/Sting (5/17/92 – Wrestle War)

 

Actually Barry was on the face side and Austin was the member of The Dangerous Alliance. Never seen the match, but I remember the details. Seems odd to have Arn and Barry on opposite sides of Wargames though, doesn't it? Barry was such the man back in the day before he screwed up his knee.

[Guest Loss4Words]

So many great WCW matches that it's hard to catch them all. In lieu of a top ten here are my favorites from every year.

 

1990

02/25 - Midnight Express v Rock & Roll Express - Probably the best MX/RRX match with some terrific manager spots from Cornette and great selling by Eaton & Lane. Super fun match.

 

02/25 - Ric Flair v Lex Luger - Luger was blossoming into quite the worker by this point and the result was the best match the two have ever had, which is no small compliment.

 

07/07 - Midnight Express v Southern Boys - A match that has continued to improve with age. I can watch this and find something new to appreciate about it with every viewing.

 

1991

Feb. - Barry Windham & Arn Anderson v Brad Armstrong & Tim Horner - GREAT TV match well worth seeking out if you can find it anywhere. Armstrong & Horner were both so underrated.

 

02/24 - War Games - I used to really enjoy this match, but when compared to the '92 match, it's not quite as good. I'd still give it ****-****1/2.

 

June - Barry Windham & Arn Anderson v Brian Pillman & Bobby Eaton - Another hidden TV classic that is almost impossible to find but well worth the effort. All four are ON here.

 

11/19 - Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes v Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko - Part of an awesome string of tag matches from WCW in the early 90s with great work by all four. I think this was the match when people started taking notice of Dustin Rhodes as a worker.

 

12/26 - Brian Pillman v Jushin Liger - Took place on a memorable Meadowlands house show. Liger even won over the teenage girls with his offense, which blows my mind to this day.

 

1992

02/29 - Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes v Steve Austin & Larry Zbyszko - Damnit, every time I watch this match it gets better and better. I can't say enough for it. Paced like an AJ 6-man from the early 90s but wrestled like MX v Rock & Rolls. Tremendous work.

 

May - Barry Windham v Steve Austin - This 2/3 falls match took place on WCW Saturday Night and saw Windham win the TV after about 35:00 of action. I'd give it ***3/4, but it's a match most have forgotten about completely, which is why I'm listing it here. Watch it early. Watch it often.

 

06/20 - Cactus Jack v Sting - Tremendous brawl and probably the most focused and smart work Mick Foley did in his WCW stint.

 

07/12 - Vader v Sting - Rock v Brock tried so hard to be this match at Summerslam and couldn't quite do it. Vader is his usual awesome self and kudos to Sting for being such a company guy and allowing himself to be squashed here.

 

12/27 - Vader v Sting - Another great match, this one the King of Cable tournament final. Vader v Sting rarely disappointed.

 

1993

02/21 - Vader v Sting - My mind changes every day over which was the better gimmick match -- this or Shawn v Razor from WM 10.

 

May - Vader v Cactus Jack - More Vader awesomeness. Stiff as hell and there are points when the match's violence is almost disturbing. Listed as more of a must-see for novelty purposes than a great match. Also, the surrounding storyline was tremendous and should have made the careers of both and didn't for political reasons.

 

10/24 - Vader v Cactus Jack - Another strong match with some great images, including Vader coming out of a tombstone covered in blood.

 

1994

04/17 - Dustin Rhodes v Bunkhouse Buck - Not the match most expect for me to praise on this date, but this was actually a great brawl with good energy and a very underrated piece of work. This shows what Dustin could do in the right situation.

 

05/14 - Ric Flair v Ricky Steamboat - Most of the '94 matches were "ok" and nothing more but this one came the closest to matching the past greatness of the series. It didn't get there, of course, but it was still a strong match. Not often you see a 45-minute match on free TV either.

 

June - Ric Flair v Sting - I'm lost on what the date was for this Clash, but this was one of the better outings between the two that was unfortunately overshadowed by the arrival of Hulk Hogan. Neither guy would ever be the same again of course.

 

09/18 - Vader v Sting - The time limit keeps getting extended and the crowd is going nuts. One of the better outings between the two.

 

11/16 - Vader v Dustin Rhodes - Another totally overlooked match. I wouldn't give it higher than ***1/2 or so, but it's worth a watch for sure.

 

1995

11/18 - Eddy Guerrero v Chris Benoit - Tremendous 10-minute TV sprint that's wrestled in the style that "WWE style" attempts to be but can never quite reach.

 

1996

06/16 - Rey Misterio Jr v Dean Malenko - A sentimental favorite, only because it was the first time I ever saw Misterio and I was blown away. The match doesn't hold up as well now as it did at the time, but it still holds a special place with me.

 

08/10 - Chris Benoit v Dean Malenko - The crowd is full of fucking idiots, but the match is tremendous. Would have been a hit in front of any other crowd.

 

11/24 - Rey Misterio Jr v Ultimo Dragon - Didn't enjoy this as much last time I watched it, but I think it was just me because I've loved it every other time.

 

1997

03/16 - Eddy Guerrero v Dean Malenko - Good brawl, if overbooked.

 

09/14 - Eddy Guerrero v Chris Jericho - Super smart and fun match. Jericho blew up in a major way in their first encounter at the August Clash so Eddy wisely controlled the pace in this one and the result was a fun match with tremendous crowd interaction. I appreciate the fact that they got 5-10 minutes out of a headlock here without a single boring chant.

 

10/26 - Rey Misterio Jr v Eddy Guerrero - Believe it or not, I still have not seen this for myself, but I feel I should recommend it on hearsay alone because it seems to be a consensus match of the decade contender.

 

1998

11/16 - Juventud Guerrera v Billy Kidman - Juvi regains the title in this 22 minute TV match. Lots of "boring" chants at first, but the crowd is chanting with every near fall by the end. Both wrestlers actually get a standing ovation.

 

12/27 - Rey Misterio Jr v Juventud Guerrera v Billy Kidman - Possibly the best three-way I've ever seen.

 

1999

04/11 - Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko v Raven & Perry Saturn - Benoit is beyond awesome here, blading off of his own headbutt just for the hell of it and working a very old-style MX v Fans match.

 

10/04 - Bret Hart v Chris Benoit - Meandering at times, but there's still a lot of great work mixed in.

[Guest Bricks]

I've never seen it and was just curious as to what was so great about Doom vs Anderson/Windham. I'm sure that it would be good with the latter team carrying with their greatness but I just can't see how Simmons and Reed could be in one of the 10 best matches of the 90's.

Well, it wasn't a regular tag match, but rather a street fight, which meant Doom could just go out there and whoop ass.

 

I remember watching it live and thinking all street fights were like that, so you can imagine by disappointment when I witnessed LOD vs Nastys at SummerSlam '91.