Who Did WCW Actually Create?

[michael.foulds]

Now I know people are going to say "they made Ric Flair" or "Sting's a WCW original" but they were about during the NWA time to my knowledge (this was about before I was born). Also, can't say anyone like Stone Cold or Mick Foley, because yes they were in WCW but were made with their new gimmicks in WWF/E or Nash, Hall, Hogan as they were made in WWF/E but went to WCW.

The only people I can think of are Goldberg, DDP and Booker T. Jericho was misused, Benoit was misused, Guerrero was misused, a lot of people were misused for people that were no good (e.g. Shawn Stasiak). Now I know a lot of good wrestlers came from WCW (Sting, Benoit, Flair, Jericho, Mysterio etc.) but none of them were really made in WCW. Like I said I can only think of Goldberg, DDP and Booker T, and by the time DDP and Booker T were pushed they were already getting old.

So are there any other examples of who WCW made?

 

[ABMorales787]

WCW was a spiritual heir to the NWA legacy. The titles, lineage, notoriety and talent that created WCW was from the NWA. The TBS program that showcased the several NWA affiliates was called WCW and eventually merged through Ted Turner, therefor guys like Sting and Ric Flair were created figures of WCW. But if you want guys on the later WCW promotion, there are a lot of guys who cemented themselves in WCW. Guys like Vader, who's most successful and first US stint was in WCW. Ron Simmons, the first African-American World Champion, Ricky Steamboat, and a few more. In the NWO days, you had figures like Hall and Nash of course, but totally self-developed one's like Scott Steiner, Booker T Diamond Dallas Page and of course Goldberg roll out of the tongue.

 

[michael.foulds]

Guys like Vader, who's most successful and first US stint was in WCW. Ron Simmons, the first African-American World Champion, Ricky Steamboat, and a few more.

Yeah they were good, but they never really excelled anywhere else really. Vader was never anything in WWF/E, and Ron Simmons was a tag team wrestler in WWF/E for most of his stint.

The thing with Steiner is I'm sure he was big before WCW, Booker T was only given a push because of Russo (one of the smarter things he's done IMO), DDP was never anything after the demise of WCW (mostly WWF/E's fault though) and Goldberg was just a money machine. I'd also say WCW made Jeff Jarrett, he was a mid carder in WWF/E, but IMO if Jarrett had stayed with WWF/E when people like Austin, Taker etc. were injured I think he could of become a main event player there, if it was just based on talent.

 

[ScruffDog]

Big Show

He entered WCW in 95 as the Giant and went right after Hogan, saying that he killed his "Father" Andre. He won his first Heavy weight title at age 23, the youngest to do it WCW. He entered the WWF in 99 and has had a Hall of Fame career.

 

[harrythem]

I'm sorry but you can say it was WWE's fault DDP was mis-used in WWE but not use that excuse for Vader? Vader was massive in WCW, he should've been massive in WWE but they really dropped the ball on him.

WCW turned Scott Steiner from an undercard guy into half of one of THE best tag teams of all time and then turned him into a legit main eventer (before injury ruined him).

To me WCW made Scott Hall as well. Yeah he got known in WWF as Razor but, as himself in the nWo, he was able to main event PPV's, something Razor never would've been able to do in WWF (excluding Series 92 and Rumble 93 where, both times, he was out of his depth)

They made Lex Luger and Sid Vicious as well.

They also made Rey Mysterio a world-wide phenomenon. Yeah he was known to the hardcore fans but, they made him main-stream. There's little chance he'd have ended up in WWE if it hadn't been for the exposure he got in WCW.

And, although they mis-used him towards the end of his time, WCW made Jericho. That's where he became a star (and introduced the world to the wonder of Ralphus). WWE took him to the top but, if it hadn't been for the character that was made in WCW, he'd never have risen above the foot of the card as a bottom feeding guy.

You're logic is screwed up as you say that WCW didn't make nash/hogan/hall as they came from WWE but WCW can't claim Austin and Foley, even though they came from there with, honestly, a pretty solid fan support and persona's that the audience was familiar with.

So, to me, WCW made:

Sting
Lex Luger
Sid Vicious
Vader
Chris Jericho
Rey Mysterio
Scott Steiner
Scott Hall
DDP
Goldberg
Big Show
Eric Bischoff
Mike Tenay
Nikita Kolof
Steve Austin
Mick Foley
Paul Heyman

Regardless of if they went on to bigger things elsewhere, they got their big break there and were seen as solid hands at the least, with every single name on that list being involved in PPV main events at some time in Atlanta.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Although WCW had Austin and Foley on their books earlier in their career, I class "CREATING SOMEONE" as where they were made into a star, and WCW fked up on Foley and the Rattlesnake, releasing them and watching as they made their fortune in WWE.

For me, WCW was the place where several big stars made their name

DDP Yeah he was a veteran when he became a star, but WCW was the only place to give him that chance

Rey Mysterio ECW brought him to the US, but WCW gave him worldwide recognition and exposure

Scott Steiner This could be disputed, but Scotty was only a tag-team specialist in WWE, and it was in Atlanta that he became Big Poppa Pump and a legitimate main eventer and champion

Goldberg Obvious. WCW's big home-grown success story

Booker T It took time, but Booker eventually progressed from one half of Harlem Heat into a 5 time world champion and a big star

Chris Jericho Again, ECW gave him his US break, but do you think his pop for his WWE debut would have happened without his WCW career? Not a chance. WCW gave Jericho his biggest push to date, and made him a star. WWE took it even further and made him a mega star

Chris Benoit Benoit became a World Champion before leaving the company. Yes he was misused, but again WCW made him famous. WWE took it further, same as with Jericho.

I am sure there are others, but they are the ones that jump to mind

 

[harrythem]

See although they became mega-stars in WWE I still remember Austin as a Hollywood blonde and how he showed, at that time, that he was going to become a main event guy in the future (had no idea how big of course). To me it was his team will Pillman that showed what he could do. He floundered at times there but, he had a programme with Ricky Steamboat, with Sting. Won the tag titles and the US title and main evented in the best ever War Games PPV match.

With Foley he, again, might've gone super-nova in WWE but, honestly, he was damn close to becoming a proper main event guy in WCW. The reaction he got when he brought Cactus Jack into WWF (so popular they brought him as a character twice) shows that WCW didn't do a shabby job of getting Foley out there.

With a lot of the WCW guys (from the early 90s) that made it big in WWE, I put that down to Jim Ross. If it hadn't been for him being a big cheese down in WCW then he wouldn't have had the chance to get to know the Austin's/Foleys, etc as people and seen what he saw in them. Hell, Vince surely wouldn't have signed Foley if it hadn't been for Jim Ross.

Yeah, WCW made him too. Only reason he got the job in WWE (which he's said himself) is because he was able to sell himself to Vince on the fact that "WWF would have signed THE voice of WCW"

 

[It's Damn Real!]

A glut of them.

"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan the American Hero was a WWF creation, but the black-bearded nWo incarnation was all WCW. They're the ones who were actually willing to turn the biggest babyface on the planet heel in what is probably the single most controversial turn in pro-wrestling history.

Diamond Dallas Page. Total WCW product. One of the first "Peoples Champions".

Sting. The crow-incarnation was a WCW product (thanks to Scott Hall's simplistic genius).

Booker T. An obvious response to the Rock, but a WCW creation nonetheless.

Chris Jericho. Underutilized or not, he was born in WCW. Need more proof? "Welcome to Monday Night Jericho!" — need I say more?

Goldberg. Single biggest star they ever created.

Scott Steiner. Known only as one half of the Steiner Brothers before WCW got a hold of him and birthed Big Poppa Pump.

Kevin Nash. As Kevin Nash. Born in WCW. Prior to that he was simply known as Diesel, but his largest career successes came in WCW as one of the founding members of the nWo/Wölfpack.

Other notable names created in WCW: Vader, Rey Mysterio, Paul Wright, Eric Bischoff, Lex Luger, Sid Vicious, Dean Malenko and Arn Anderson.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Other notable names created in WCW: Vader, Rey Mysterio, Paul Wright, Eric Bischoff, Lex Luger, Sid Vicious, Dean Malenko and Arn Anderson.

Totally forgot about Paul Wight/ Big Show (or The Giant as he was known in WCW). Yeah he was a total WCW creation, and was supposed to be the long lost son of Andre The Giant.

Also, good shout on Bischoff. WCW created his character in much the same way as WWE created Mr McMahons "the boss" character

 

[wrestlingking]

I'll agree with those of you who have said Vader, DDP, Goldberg, Big Show (The Giant), Lex Luger, Booker T & Scott Steiner. I would say Mysterio but he was never pushed as a main eventer there. WWE made Rey the top dogg he is today, sure he held some WCW titles and was fun to watch but WWE made him. These are the title reigns that the men have held as to why I picked them. Sure they wrestled WWF/E and may have won some championships but they got big from being in WCW.

Vader - World Champion (3) and US Champ, not 1 title in WWF.

DDP - World Champion (3), US Champ (2), Tag Champ (4) and TV Champ

Goldberg - 173 straight wins, World Champ, US Champ (2) and Tag Champ

Big Show (The Giant) - World Champ (2), Tag Champ (3) and World War 3 winner in '96

Lex Luger - World Champ (2), US Champ, Tag Champ (2) and TV Champ (2)

Booker T - World Champ (4), US Champ, Tag Champ (10) and TV Champ (6)

Scott Steiner - World Champ, US Champ (2), Tag Champ (7) and TV Champ (2)

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Scott Steiner WAS going to be a singles star in WWE in 1993, as Vince wanted to push him in the same way he had Bret Hart... but he and Rick wanted too much money to "break up the team"... They famously refused to fight each other for a long time...

Booker T was a solid worker and character before The Rock came out... his push in WCW was more natural evolution rather than a direct intention... He just rose above the rest over time and got over...

Vader's rep was built more in Japan than WCW and he came in ready built with Harley Race as a manager... what happened in WWE was sad, but inevitable as he was basically washed up by that point.

WCW did build some strong talents, Marc Mero/Johnny B Badd, Dustin Rhodes, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Cactus Jack who over time in Mid-card could have or did move into the main events in WWE... but ECW or WWE did have some hand in their building...

The only top guys I would really say WCW totally created were Sting and DDP... and even then Sting was already over and solidified as a gimmick in the UWF...

Guys like Goldberg were always going to hit wherever they went, Vince would have given him a similar push and we would have seen him top the tree there just as quickly...

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I'd say that WCW made a lot of guys, they might not have been the top of the pile in WCW, that's just because they didn't know what to do with them. Guys like Eddie Guerrero, Billy Kidman, Shane Helms, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko just to name a few. They may not have been world champions. But they did make them into people who will make you pay attention to them. Also, for some reason WCW did a good job of making me give a shit about Konann, but that's another discussion.

 

[Icedawg316]

WCW didn't really build many people.. yes they established some mid-cards and gave others more exposure, but as far as big time superstars I'd say the only guy to fit that bill is Goldberg. Booker T to me wasn't really a draw during his time there, DDP may be the other but I really wouldn't consider him a draw either. This was WCW's biggest downfall, they couldn't make superstars and it killed them. Kind of the same situation WWE had been in for the past number of years

 

[realoldskoolfan]

in order to answer this you have to clarify what your definition of "making" a wrestler is. now to me, making a wrestler is developing a guy from a young age, and bringing him up through the ranks. now you can also make a guy by taking him at some point in his career and bringing him in,and elevating to heights/main event staus nobody else could.
now lets clarify another thing. WCW, while it was a continuation of the Crockett run NWA, was a competely different animal then the NWA. it was Ted Turners vision/version of a large wrestling company ala Vinces WWF/WWE. they where in essence two different styles and brand names.
ok now on to the answer. lets take a look at guys on the WCW roster during its height in the 97-98 timeframe. we'll start with the main eventers at this time.
Ric Flair - already well established star and considered one of the greatest of his era. made his name in the Mid Atlantic territory and Crocketts NWA as perennial World Champion.
Sting - already established star that the Crocketts made a household name in the NWA
Lex Luger - same as Sting.
Steiner Bros. - same as above. did have there WWF run but where already stars
Goldberg - WCW guy trained and made in house. credit Kevin Sullivan and the bookers with hitting a home run here.
Bret Hart - made his name in the WWF
Randy Savage - made his name in the WWF
Roddy Piper - made his name in the Mid Atlantic/NWA in the early 80s, but skyrocketed in the WWF later. WWF made
Hulk Hogan - was a huge star in the early 80's in Verne Gagnes AWA but became the face of pro wrestling in the same decade with the WWF
DDP - a mid card manager/announcer until he dedicated himself to wrestling and skyrocketed in 96-97. WCW made him
Scott Hall - guy who traveled around territories most of the 80s never living up to his potential. went to the WWF and became Razor Ramon. multiple IC title reign, was involved in many big angles and headlined. i would say he was in the main event picture in the mid 90s in the WWF. so i have to say WWf made him the star he was when he came to WCW in 96.
Kevin Nash - almost the same as Hall. was in the main event scene and had a run with the WWf title. WWF.
Curt Hennig - was a major star in AWA and was World Champion there. went to WWF, became Mr. Perfect and was perennial IC champ and had a nice angle with Hogan for WWF title. i'd say AWA/WWF made.
now lets look at the mid/low card guys
Chris Benoit - already established in Japan and ECW before coming to WCW. mid crd guy who was elevated to upper mid card but never given chance to break into main event picture. given WCW title on his last day there as an effort to keep him, to little to late. went to WWF. was instantly pushed in main events. held numerous titles and was WWf champ at one time. always at the top of card or in upper mid card matches. WWf made.
Chris Jericho - like Benoit, established in Japan and ECW. got strong mid card push in WCW but it was after he went to WWF that he really got pushed hard. multiple time WWF champ and headlined multiple ppvs and a Wrestlemania. WWF made.
Rey Mysterio - established in Mexico and ECW before going to WCW. helped bring the lucha libre style to the states. was a big reason WCW was successful in the monday night wars. pushed hard in the mid/upper mid card matches. went to WWF where hes been in the same spot mostly. did have his world title reign in WWF. this is a hard one to call. i'm going to go with WWF made because he was never given a chance to main event in WCW.
Eddy Guerrero - started in Mexico/ECW. mid card push in WCW. stuck in horrible LWO gimmick because he wanted out of his contract. went to WWF. upper mid carder then later in his career a World title reign and main event status. WWf made.
Jeff Jarrett. upper mid card in both promotions. got his start in Memphis in the late 80s. held WCW title a few times. i'd say he did had more success in WCW but i don't think you can really say either promotion made him.
Booker T. tag team with his brother. multiple time tag champs. got a mid card push. multiple TV title reigns. at the end of WCW he got pushed to the main event and had a couple World title reigns. went to WWF and went back and forth between mid card and main event. i have to say WCW made him though.

so by my count thats 3 guys that WCW made. for all the greatness WCW had in the late 90s, there big downfall creative wise was not developing new talent because of the egos of the main eventers, letting the NWO go on way to long, and signing Bret Hart to a 7 million dollar a year contract and then doing next to nothing with him. i see Bischoff doing the same thing in TNA now. not pushing guys right and developing them and bringing back a 15 year old angle thats been beaten to death time after time. i used to respect the hell out of the guy but now i see what alot of people have said about him is true, he really has no clue on how to create a fresh wrestling product and how to develop new characters/talent. hes stuck riding on Hogans coattails and thats a shame because i think that guys more out of touch then Bischoff himself.

 

[MrHashasheen]

I would say Mysterio but he was never pushed as a main eventer there. WWE made Rey the top dogg he is today, sure he held some WCW titles and was fun to watch but WWE made him.

Rey was a 5-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a 4-time Tag Team Champion (3 World, 1 Cruiserweight). He was part of the Filthy Animals, one of WCW's most popular stables in the post-nWo era. That's not some titles and not little bit of fame. WCW made him big enough for the WWE or he would have stayed in Mexico after a shitty run in the WWE like Juventad and Psicosis and the rest.

As for guys the WCW made, I've got one you all forgot: Chavo Guerrero. Yeah, he had a shitty run for most of his career, but in 2000's final months, he really took off in a long reign as Cruiserweight Champion and helped put over Shane Helms.

 

[realoldskoolfan]

can you consider that 1 month of getting pushed to the cruiserweight title "making" him? i think the whole "pepi" angle takes anything positive WCW did with that guy away instantly.
he got a bigger push in WWF, far more than anything WCW ever did with him.
sure they had him pretend he was a white golfer, but thats a little better than walking around talking to a horse on a stick.

 

[MrHashasheen]

can you consider that 1 month of getting pushed to the cruiserweight title "making" him? i think the whole "pepi" angle takes anything positive WCW did with that guy away instantly.
he got a bigger push in WWF, far more than anything WCW ever did with him.
sure they had him pretend he was a white golfer, but thats a little better than walking around talking to a horse on a stick.

1 month? He dominated the cruiserweight division in the final months of 2000 and the few in 2001 along with Shane Helms. He made Shane Helms something besides a 3-Count tag team wrestler. He gave him huge pops when he got so much heat from the southern crowd for his pop songs.

 

[realoldskoolfan]

i will give you that but like i said, anything good he did gets negated just on the pure stupidity of "pepi".

 

[MrHashasheen]

i will give you that but like i said, anything good he did gets negated just on the pure stupidity of "pepi".

Dude, if we're going to kill people on one bad gimmick, then HHH is out because of being a Blue Blood in WCW, Kane was a dentist, Batista was a Satanist/Vampire, nWo Wolfpac Sting, Goldberg's heel turn, etc...

 

[realoldskoolfan]

so your comparing legends to Chavo f'n Guerrero???? the difference is he never did much more in the WWE than he did in WCW.

 

[realoldskoolfan]

and "Wolfpac" Sting wasn't going to tarnish anything Sting had done before that. hell, most people don't even remember that period in his career since he was largely just a guy in the faction who did little to contribute to it.

 

[MrHashasheen]

so your comparing legends to Chavo f'n Guerrero???? the difference is he never did much more in the WWE than he did in WCW.

I'm comparing the initial gimmicks of guys like HHH and Kane to Chavo's initial, yes. Or does being HHH and Kane mean their initial gimmicks are sacroscant? Because I'm pretty sure even the "Devil's Favorite Demon" would admit the dentist gimmick was ******ed.

and "Wolfpac" Sting wasn't going to tarnish anything Sting had done before that. hell, most people don't even remember that period in his career since he was largely just a guy in the faction who did little to contribute to it.

Really? Because whenever someone brings up the nWo in a badmouthing of WCW, they usually mention the idiocy that was the Wolfpac Sting.

 

[realoldskoolfan]

dude, again your trying to base your argument on guys that were able to get past and pushed beyond crappy gimmicks to Chavo who never did jack squat after his.

and your other point....

Sting. any mention of his NWO time is a crack against WCW and the NWO, when is it ever brought up as a diss on Sting? and even if it is, when does anybody ever say " i can't cheer for that guy...he was in the NWO Wolfpac"? it has no effect on his career whatsoever.

 

[Minnesota Connection]

Scott Steiner should not count as a WCW Made talent. He was made famous in the WWF.

Then the Roids' made him further famous.

 

[TheSDQQKidJoe]

Now I know people are going to say "they made Ric Flair" or "Sting's a WCW original" but they were about during the NWA time to my knowledge (this was about before I was born). Also, can't say anyone like Stone Cold or Mick Foley, because yes they were in WCW but were made with their new gimmicks in WWF/E or Nash, Hall, Hogan as they were made in WWF/E but went to WCW.

The only people I can think of are Goldberg, DDP and Booker T. Jericho was misused, Benoit was misused, Guerrero was misused, a lot of people were misused for people that were no good (e.g. Shawn Stasiak). Now I know a lot of good wrestlers came from WCW (Sting, Benoit, Flair, Jericho, Mysterio etc.) but none of them were really made in WCW. Like I said I can only think of Goldberg, DDP and Booker T, and by the time DDP and Booker T were pushed they were already getting old.

So are there any other examples of who WCW made?

I have to agree with most of what you said. Booker T, DDP, Goldberg, and Sting were probably the only people that WCW really "put on the map. I mean i didn't really like Goldberg when he was in WWE. But after watching some good ol WCW matches, it clicked in me that Goldberg was a really good wrestler

But Mick Foley was actually kinda known in WCW. I mean the guy lost an ear in WCW. That has to count for something right? And he also had a pretty good feud with Vader too.