What do you guys consider "WCW" - really WCW starts in 1990 or so, when they had totaly broken away from Jim Crockett Jr and the NWA - they don't even re name the company or the titles until 1991 after Flair beats Sting in New York for the title and he is officially referred to as "WCW World Champion" -
If you guys include the legacy of the NWA, then stars like The Road Warriors,The Rock & Roll EXpress, Midnight Express w/ Jim Cornette, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Tully Blanchard, et all would be considered. If you just go with post Jan 1991 when they finally made the name change (or 1990 when they for all intents had become a different company) then you have to exclude Road Warriors, Dusty, etc because the played so little role, if any.
Post 1990 I'd say 1.) Flair - biggest draw, at the center of virtually all biggest angles, matches, 1990 vs Sting, 1993 vs Vader, recruited and helped sign Hogan & Savage, big matches and feuds with both 1994-96, was champ for most of the early Monday Nitro days 1995-spring 96, heavily involved in early NWO angle, more big matches vs Hogan in 96 & 99, helped carry the usually low rated Jan Souled Out PPV to a buy rate almost equal the marque WWE Royal Rumble with his match vs Brett Hart in 1998 (despite no Hogan, Goldberg, or Sting on the PPV). Win or lose he carried the ball anytime they gave it to him.
2.) Sting - You could argue that like Flair, he was a holdover from the glory days of the NWA who continued to be sucessful after the company switched, but Sting was very popular and remarkably consistent for the entire 1990-2001 run. Sting first became big in 1988, before the switch, but hit his heights in the official WCW days, his first disastrous reign as champion notwithstanding. When Flair & Luger headed to WWE Sting carried the load vs Vader & Rick Rude, he was also at the epicenter of much of the most successful NWO stuff 1996-early 98. His Starrcade 97 match vs Hogan was one of the most anticipated matches in pro wrestling period. One of the only guys who never left the company.
3.) Hogan - Also made big before WCW, like it or not, Hogan was at the center of two of the most popular and money making fueds/stories in WCW history, vs Flair and creating NWO. Some will argue that Hogan didn't draw so well as a fan favorite except when he faced Flair but his 1996 heel turn was perhaps the most shocking thing ever in pro wrestling, more than The Montreal Screw Job or Flair's big gold belt being paraded all over WWE TV in 1991. The NWO could have been big without him, and no matter what you think of his "Creative Control" and how he may have abused it, no doubt the NWO was bigger because of him.
4.) Savage - Similair to Hogan although he seemed to draw against other WCW stars besides Flair better than Hulk, having pretty good feud with Lex Luger before the NWO thing caught on.
5). Luger - Another guy made in the 80's before WCW, Luger had a really good run vs Flair, and one of his best ever matches at SuperBrawl in 1990, also was the guy (not Sting) originally chosen to replace Flair as champion and top star when Ric went WWE in 1991. Luger's return to WCW on the debut Monday Nitro was one of the most shocking moments in The Monday Night Wars, his 100'th episode clean win over NWO Hogan for the World Title one of the true feel good moments, and again shocking, in wrestling TV. Had a good fued with Sting in 1992 (before he went to WWE) and good run vs Savage in 95-96.
6) Goldberg: May have been at his height a bigger draw than anyone in the company, I didn't put him higher because he really was around for a short time (starts around 97, catches steam early 98, stays fairly hot despite some lousy booking through most of 99.) The other guys above were around longer and had more big moments, making bigger contributions. His undefeated streak, the Georgia Dome Title win vs Hogan, and Starrcade 98 were some of the wrestling's most memorable moments in the 90's.
7.) Kevin Nash: One of the most creative wrestlers in modern time, Nash had a great character to go with great look and knew (when healthy) how to maximize his performances in the ring, hiding his limitations. Nash was central the NWO success, Hogan and is heel turn helped get them over, but the story was already buzzing and stayed hot due to Nash. Remember Hogan only wrestled a part time schedule his whole time in WCW, Nash was the top guy doing Nitro and PPV all year from 96-early 99 when the faction essentially disbanded. Starrcade 98 was a major success, nearly equaling the previous year's success, and beating the buyrates for virtually all the WWE events that year outside WrestleMania. There was no Sting, Luger, Savage, Hart, or Hogan on that card, it was built on the two pronged sucess of Flair returning to the ring after being banned by Bischoff and Nash facing Goldberg for the World Title. Say what you will about some of his decissions during his tenure as booker but that show's success had a lot to do with him. He was around more than Hogan and much more reliable than Hall, a bigger name in the NWO faction than anyone other than Hulk.
7.) DDP: Along with Goldberg, the first actual guys who didn't start main eventing somewhere else before WCW. Not a big fan of his personally but he was a consistent player on the mid card in the mid 90's, took full advantage of the his push vs NWO in 96. Had memorable fueds with Savage and Chris Benoit, won big Starrcade matches vs Big Show & Curt Henning, main evented vs Goldberg (most watched televised match of the year in wrestling Oct 98), Flair & Nash - even had a World Title run.
9.) Booker T - More talented of the two Harlem Heat brothers, had excellent tag matches in the early-mid 90's, parlayed a singles career at WCW end into a solid WWE run.
10) Steiners: Rick was already well known before WCW, Scott really didn't hit his stride till after, also left for a few years for a less than stellar WWE run, his whole persona make over into "Big Poppa Pump" was way over with audences in 98-01. Was a big part of some of the better NWO stuff 98-99. Main evented at company's end.
