10 WCW Stars From The 2000s You Totally Don't Remember
Behold the majesty of The Stro..
The once-proud WCW, a promotion which offered a genuine alternative to the WWF throughout the 1990s, was an ailing giant by the turn of the millennium. Gone was the sparkle that had helped WCW become the wrestling market's top dog from late-1996 until late-1998, and posted missing was the ingenuity involved in ideas like the original nWo.
This is true when analysing WCW's roster from January 2000 until March 2001. There were so many performers who didn't get over, mired on the undercard with others also struggling for house room in the jumbled mess that was Nitro and Thunder.
As such, many men and women were quickly lost in the endless shuffle. WCW was hanging on for dear life as a viable product and management were throwing anything at the wall to see what might stick, so it makes sense that many roster members were fleeting
Here are 10 obscure WCW performers and characters from the promotion's final year that you may not even remember at all...
10. 'The Artist Formerly Known As' Prince Iaukea
Prince Iaukea was a young wrestler who burst onto the WCW scene in 1996 and was handed the Iaukea surname as a tribute to the legendary 'King' Curtis Iaukea; then-creative team member Kevin Sullivan was impressed by the youngster, and felt that giving Prince the Samoan gimmick and Iaukea surname would help establish him.
By the time the year 2000 rolled around though, Iaukea had moved on to other things and dispensed with the previously upbeat islander gimmick. The change may have started in late-1999, but it was in 2000 that a switch to 'The Artist Formerly Known As' Prince Iaukea was truly cemented.
An obvious nod to the pop star Prince, this persona led to WCW Cruiserweight Title success for Iaukea before he was awkwardly released from his contract in the summer.
This is likely why many won't remember the 'Artist' gimmick; Iaukea was stripped of the Cruiserweight Title when WCW pushed the reset button that spring, and was rarely back on WCW television before being released.