10 Greatest Things About WCW’s Final Year
Because WCW's last year was far more than just Judy Bagwell on a Forklift and Viagra on a Pole.
In the years since WCW was officially bought out by Vince McMahon in 2001, it's been so easy to simply look back and laugh at some of the ridiculousness that went on during WCW's final few years. To be honest, there were so many baffling decisions and so many face-palming moments, but that's part and parcel as to why WCW went out of existence.
Yes, there really was Judy Bagwell on a Forklift match. Yes, there really was Viagra on a Pole contest. Yes, 3 Count and the Jung Dragons really did fight over a record contract. And yes, Tank Abbott really did pull out a knife live on PPV.
Despite all of the far too frequent ludicrous antics seen on display as WCW went from industry leader to complete sh*tshow, it actually wasn't all bad for the promotion during their dying days. Sure, mostly bad, but not all bad.
To spotlight the company's final year then - as in, the 12 months building up to the final 26 March 2001 episode of WCW Nitro - here are ten genuinely great things about WCW's last year in existence before being assimilated by McMahon and his World Wrestling Federation.
10. Two Great Rivals Get One More Match
Was it Sting vs. Flair from Clash of the Champions '88 or StarrCade '89? No, for both men were very different performers at very different stages in their careers when they tangled for the last time, but that doesn't stop Sting and Flair's battle on the final ever episode of WCW Nitro being a fantastic moment in pro wrestling history.
Flair had been pivotal in getting Sting to that next level and to becoming a true main event talent back at the tail end of the 1980s, and in 2001 we saw the Stinger return the favour by giving Flair what was at the time described as one last hurrah.
Of course, Flair would end up wrestling until 2008 with WWE and then until 2011 with TNA, but that 2001 bout was genuinely special - even more-so due to these long-time rivals having not had a one-on-one match for five years by that point.
Doing the honours, Flair would tap out to Sting's patented Scorpion Deathlock on that final Nitro, and the pair would have an emotional post-match embrace that was the absolute perfect bookend to World Championship Wrestling's run.