10 Greatest WCW Champions Ever

4. Macho Man Randy Savage

Hulk Hogan
WWE

Underrated as WCW's top dog in early 1996, Macho Man Randy Savage wasn't quite experiencing his second life as an in-ring performer as he would a year later, but he was over-achieving where it really counted - the box office.

Snaring the vacant title in December 1995's inaugural 'World War 3' 60-man battle royal, Savage sent attendances soaring as audiences reinvested in a renewed rivalry with Ric Flair at the expense of yet more Hulk Hogan nonsense on top. Television ratings, house show attendances and buyrates were all up with 'Slick Ric' and Randy main eventing, especially as the company began to lock in the formula that would result in Nitro's crusade away from Monday Night Raw later that year.

Yet another credible star to carry the title as Eric Bischoff targeted the product hard and fast at WWE's core crowd, Savage was fittingly as perfect a Hogan replacement then as he was for Vince McMahon nearly a decade earlier.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett