10 Hidden WCW Gems To Watch On WWE Network

1. Brian Pillman Vs. Jushin Liger: SuperBrawl II

Jushin Liger Brian Pillman
WWE.com

One of the main reasons why WCW started kicking the then-WWF's ass during the famed Monday Night Wars, was partly down to the amazing cruiserweight acts that Billionaire Ted's company was showcasing on a regular basis.

Way back before Rey Misterio Jr., Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Juvented Guerrera, et al were tearing it up on Nitro, Thunder, and on PPVs, WCW fans were treated to something mind-blowing at SuperBrawl II as 'Flyin'' Brian Pillman challenged for the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship.

That belt had been introduced towards the tail end of 1991, with Pillman defeating Ricky Morton to be crowned the inaugural Light Heavyweight Champ at '91's Halloween Havoc PPV. Flyin' Brian would drop the title to Jushin 'Thunder' Liger at a Christmas Day house show, and February's SuperBrawl II event saw Pillman looking to regain his gold.

Without an ounce of hyperbole, this is a match that was revolutionary for fans of North American wrestling. The quickness and snap in this bout, all while utilising a sense of logic and strong psychology, made this match jump out from the rest of the card. Heck, this match jumped out from the rest of the WCW and WWF product of the time, period - with Pillman vs. Liger at SuperBrawl II a precursor of what was to come from WCW several years later.

Given just how remarkable this match is, it's no surprise that WCW opted to open the first ever episode of Nitro with a rematch between these two legendary figures.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.