Every Star Of The Last WCW Nitro: Where Are They Now?

G Double O Double N Double E, GONE - but never forgotten.

Evan Karagias
WWE.com

The real star of the last WCW Monday Nitro, Vince McMahon, did as most men nearing 70 do, and retired, leaving behind a pristine legacy as wrestling's most successful ever promoter. Nah did he f*ck: he sullied that rep by mutating the product into something as meaningless as it is incomprehensible.

Son Shane also retired from in-ring duties. He actually did, but then returned, and dominated, just as WWE recruited its greatest ever talent roster.

With the debut of AEW Dynamite looming, now is as good a time as any to take a look at what became of the stars of the last wrestling show broadcast on a major cable network. The very name of the show is indebted to Nitro, and Kenny Omega's hope is that the joshi talent is able to emulate that awesome, alien appeal the Cruiserweights brought to WCW. The ropes are cable. The lights are the right colour, and not a primary nightmare. Tony Schiavone is back! WCW-sorry, AEW is here, sports fans!

In 20 years' time, who knows? Perhaps AEW will broadcast live, free of charge, in the United Kingdom!

20. Booker T

Evan Karagias
WWE.com

Booker T, if you combine the deliberate and the utterly unintentional, may just be the most entertaining human being to have ever graced this doomed rock.

WWE both buried him, in the ugliest of circumstances, and extracted that core appeal from him in a wild and ultimately great run, in which he soared as the piss-funny partner of Goldust and the pop machine that was King Booookahhh!

The accents did not stop there, and nor did those head-f*ck pops; after a 2007 falling out that led to his release, Booker wrestled in TNA. Or, more accurately, he auditioned for movies while phoning it in in TNA, and did so by blessing us with, for no storyline reason whatsoever, an African accent.

Somehow, some way, Booker was less comprehensible at the WWE commentary booth as he settled into retirement. A spouter of the most inane sh*t you'll ever hear, Booker, a paradox, is also a very respected promoter with a very good track record of cultivating talent.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!