10 Times WCW Was The Best Wrestling In The World

For many modern-day aficionados of wrestling, it may be hard to imagine a time when wrestling had another viable option outside of Vince McMahon's wrestling juggernaut. For long-time fans, however, that alternative was the Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling.

Oftentimes propped up due to Ted Turner's endless loyalty to the product when it was a tentpole of his fledgling TBS SuperStation, WCW was seen as an upstart competitor following WWE's national expansion in the '80s, until a maverick new direction in the mid-1990s completely changed the outlook. Wrestling became cool, and WCW was the reason. It's telling, going by the ratings immediately following its collapse in 2001 how few came over to watch WWE. For WCW die-hards, the war was over, and their love of wrestling died with it.

WCW has a difficult legacy. It's impressive how the last two years of the company seem to sour so many memories, but there were a litany of positives. Whether it's classic matches, revolutionary programming, unforgettable memories, WCW's legacy lives even to this day.

Here are some of the absolute best reasons why being a WCW fan was so much fun.

The truth of the matter is that, despite being a pet project for Ted Turner, WCW never really had the assets that WWE did until things got serious in the mid-‘90s. With tensions escalating with WWE and WCW (which was still being referred to as the NWA; this would change by the end of the year), Vince McMahon was looking to further the widen the gap between he and his only viable competition with WrestleMania IV.

Prior to this event, he employed cutthroat tactics. He decreed that any pay-per-view provider that carried the flagship WCW show Starrcade would be forbidden from broadcasting WrestleMania. Similarly, McMahon gave away the very first Royal Rumble on broadcast television to tank the buyrate of WCW's Bunkhouse Stampede. Finally fed up, WCW programmed a counterattack.

The Clash of the Champions ran on TBS against WrestleMania. While the fourth-annual showcase of the immortals cemented "Macho Man" Randy Savage as the heavyweight champion, WCW christened Sting as the next big thing in a 45-minute draw with champion Ric Flair.

From there, the event was aired on free television in sporadic moments through WCW's existence. Barring some noticeable stumbles, the Clash of the Champions provided a chance for audiences to see top stars in PPV-quality matchups on free TV. For families that may have been unable to afford a pay-per-view or those sitting on the fence, these were a great chance to see top-tier American wrestling.