10 Hidden WCW Gems To Watch On WWE Network

2. Bret Hart Vs. Booker T: Nitro, 22 February 1999

Jushin Liger Brian Pillman
WWE

Bret Hart and Booker T had already tangled before their February 22, 1999 encounter on WCW Nitro, but it was this match that stands out as one of the true hidden nuggets of brilliance from latter-day WCW.

It was for a shot at the United States Championship, and one of those matches that can be looked back on as almost a coming-out party for Booker T as a singles act. Having already cemented his spot as a legendary tag team wrestler and a solid midcard solo star in the TV Title mix, it was matches like this one with Bret that saw people really starting to think that Booker T could legitimately mix it up in the main event scene if afforded the chance.

In a back-and-forth encounter that lasted just under 18 minutes, Booker got the win here. And if that in itself was maybe a little surprising, even more surprising was that the win was a completely clean pinfall where Booker took a page out of the British Bulldog's SummerSlam '92 playbook.

In hindsight, going back and watching this match is a reminder that Booker T was ready for a spot at the top of the card way before WCW made him World Heavyweight Champion at July 2000's Bash at the Beach PPV - and even then, Booker only got that opportunity after the infamous live beef between Hulk Hogan and Vince Russo.

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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.