2. War Games: Stings Squadron vs. The Dangerous Alliance (Wrestle War 92)
Numerous War Games matches could have been chosen for this spot, most notably the original from The Great American Bash tour in 1987 (missed the cut as an NWA match) and the 1991 version (#10) that garnered equal praise, critically, to Stings Squadron vs. The Dangerous Alliance in 1992. War Games was WCWs most celebrated gimmick match by a mile. It was to WCW what The Royal Rumble is to WWE. Many fans probably remember these matches as being better than they were, whereas many fans who did not see them in their heyday probably view them unfairly as overrated. In all honesty, it was not always a stipulation that produced aesthetically pleasing matches. The camera work was rarely able to properly keep up with the action, often producing finishes that would happen mostly away from where the pay-per-viewers could see it. It could be a bit of a mess, to use a PG word in place of the more appropriate term that begins with cluster. WrestleWar 92 was the year where it all came together for War Games. It was still as violent as any match seen that year, living up to the reputation set by its predecessors, but it was also an extremely creative performance. A generation of younger wrestlers and savvy superstars making their first appearance in the match was added to the mix of War Games veterans. It turned out to be the perfect recipe. Dustin Rhodes and Steve Austin were outstanding. Rick Rude, Ricky Steamboat, Nikita Koloff, and Bobby Eaton added intangibles to the match that the stipulation had never seen before. Barry Windham, Arn Anderson, and Larry Zbyszko added the experience. Sting added a little bit of everything, seeming to feed off of the various energies that everyone else brought to the table. It helped that the Dangerous Alliance was one of wrestling lores greatest (and most underrated) stables. Their valet turned WWE Womens Champion, Madusa, climbed to the top of the structure a sight that surely inspired Shawn Michaels and Undertaker five years later in the first Hell in a Cell prompting Sting to join her and quell her interference. Paul Heyman, the leader of the group, took the overdramaticized strategizing that JJ Dillon had done in the early years of War Games to the next level. He was awesome in his role. This was not just one of the top WCW matches of all-timeits one of the top matches of all-time, period.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
