In the end, WCW's legacy has proven to be one not of horrible programming or bad wrestling, but of poor management and mishandled talent. While wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Sid, and more hogged the main event spots on the roster, younger talent - usually those having the most exciting matches on the show - were kept in midcard roles, despite their potential. Much has been made of the fact that Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and Mick Foley gained their first dose of national exposure in WCW, and the company squandered them, letting WWE sign them and make millions. WCW didn't even learn their lesson - the same thing would happen with Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, and Chris Benoit. At the same time, WCW's hilariously misguided governance assured that it wasn't just future world class talents who had brief spells in the organization - washed up WWE superstars, international legends, and pseudo-wrestling celebrities also stopped by for cups of coffee with the organization, and the results were usually unmemorable. Of all the wrestlers who spent brief, forgettable periods of time in the company, here are 19 of the most surprising. Some never should have been hired, while others should have been grasped with all of the company's might. In any case, they all cashed Ted Turner's checks, and hopefully, it was worth it.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
