15 Times WCW Was Better Than Literally EVERYTHING
6. Luger Wins The Big One
The WCW vs. nWo war was already in full effect by the time the 4 August 1997 Nitro went live on the air. Folks thumping down hard-earned dollars for tickets, pay-per-views, merchandise and everything else would have to wait a little longer for Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan, but that very Nitro offered up another tasty treat: Hogan defending his WCW World Title vs. Lex Luger.
Yep, the same Lex who had jumped ship from the WWF just shy of 2 years earlier.
Many surely went into the match predicting a screwy finish that'd feed into a rematch on the Road Wild show later that week. It wasn't hard to envision countless nWo goons rushing out to protect Hogan and make Lex's bid for the belt even more potent heading into the following pay-per-view. In a true swerve, Luger actually won the World Title on free TV before the PPV.
What's more, he did it clean by hoisting Hulk up for his Torture Rack finish as the fans in attendance lost their collective minds. This was considered to be the first dagger into the hearts of the New World Order - that sort of thing hadn't really been happening on television, and it seemed like WCW would wait until Sting was ready to go.
Sure, Hollywood regained the strap at Road Wild later that same week, but still. The 4 August Nitro went dark with a celebratory, party-like atmosphere rife inside the building. Luger had won it for the good guys, and it showed that anything could happen on WCW's flagship. You had to sit down, tune in and watch so you didn't miss it.
What an era to be a wrestling fan.