Any WWE fan exposed to the propaganda-laced documentaries about the fall of WCW, the NWO and the Monday Night Wars has a fairly warped sense of history, thanks to the very pro-WWE slant those productions tend to take. They talk up the failures to create new stars, the rampant abuse of power, the tremendous egos of those on top and the poor business decisions that ultimately doomed the company and brought about its demise. Less time is spent talking about the rise of the New World Order, the development of Diamond Dallas Page from undercard nobody to legitimate main event star and the unprecedented success of rookie Bill Goldberg. Never discussed is the fact that WCW utilized some wildly talented individuals far better than WWE when they got their hands on those same competitors. Men such as the aforementioned Goldberg and Page, Lance Storm, Scott Steiner and Raven all had much more success in the Ted Turner-owned organization than they did in Vince McMahon's promotion. For whatever reason, those competitors were able to thrive under the WCW banner in ways they were not while working for WWE. Perhaps it was McMahon's unwillingness to push stars that he did not help create or maybe it was the fact that there were so many established guys in WWE that there really was no room for upward or downward mobility and as a result, they became lost in the shuffle. Maybe it was backstage politicking, which has been part of the professional wrestling industry for years and is not something that is going to change anytime soon. Whatever the case may be, these are ten men who saw their greatest success working under Eric Bischoff and/or Vince Russo.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
