There was once a time in the professional wrestling industry when the then-World Wrestling Federation had solid competition for supremacy over the business in the form of Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling. Turner's company competed with the WWF because of what appeared to be Turner's unlimited supply of cash-flow to fund WCW's come-from behind efforts in the Monday Night Wars. Of course, Turner's deep pockets didn't necessarily extend to amazing moments behind the scenes, as oftentimes between the ways in which certain talents were booked, as well as in certain ways that the promotion was perceived due to sheer dislike by other promoters of WCW's success, the need to mention WCW on television is positive, negative and sometimes - just flat out bizarre - ways occurred often. Thus, between ECW, WWF, and WCW themselves competing between 1988-2001, compiling a list of WCW references, cool "easter egg" moments and just outright malicious in-jokes told about the company is quite simple. When the competition was at its fiercest, the references were commonplace. When not-so-fierce, the references were there, and oftentimes epic because of just how seemingly unnecessary and/or over-the-top they felt. These 20 mentions, though, likely the best of the best, the cream of the crop. From laughing to crying to all emotions in-between, this list will certainly bring back some WCW memories, and likely spark a ton more. Enjoy!
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
