10 Worst WCW ‘On A Pole’ Matches

8. Scott Steiner Vs. Sting - Nitro (August 7, 2000)

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Object atop: a pipe.

Scott Steiner Vs. Sting was one of few money matches left at WCW's disposal as it marched onward to the grim inevitability of death. Hence why it was thrown out on a random Nitro under that stipulation.

Sting ambushed Steiner on the entrance ramp before the opening bell, which really served no purpose by this point. The first few seconds were promising; Sting and Steiner were stars who commanded a big reaction. Sting flung Steiner into the guardrail without much in the way of restraint. Heated and violent stuff - but logic abandoned the building from that point forward as Sting indiscriminately picked up a chair and thwacked Steiner over the back with it, achieving two dubious results:

1) Ridding the match of its premise. If a chair was legal, why bother climbing to capture the pole? The pipe is only fractionally more devastating in kayfabe.

2) Ridding the match of any suspense. Who cared about the less spectacular, muted pipe shot in comparison to the satisfying crunch of the chair?

Upon recovering, Steiner went for a pin, momentarily forgetting the rules. The referee bricked it at the sight of Steiner's stunted fury, and counted anyway. Finally, something you can believe in.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!