5 Forgotten Debuts Of WCW Superstars

Feuding with the likes of Ric Flair, Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero’s run in WCW from ‘95 to ‘99 was littered main event calibre matches; however, he was no stranger to working with main event talent.

Making his WCW debut all the way back in 1989 on the May 20th edition of NWA World Championship Wrestling, “Latino Heat” would answer the challenge of crazed wildman, Terry Funk. Funk was amid a particularly volatile heel run during his classic rivalry with Ric Flair and Guerrero had his work cut out for him with the unruly Texan.

With an array of high flying offensive moves, Guerrero went all out to make a name for himself during this contest, even executing a huge cross body off the top to the outside. When considering Funk’s high-profile status on the card as arch-rival to the champ, the match that took place was surprisingly competitive and the young Guerrero would show glimpses of the superstar he would become.

Despite lasting only five minutes, the match was pretty spectacular for 1989 and the blend of Guerrero’s lucha libre with Funk’s gritty, hardcore style would foreshadow their eventual influence on ECW years later. In the context of the time period, the effort put forth by Guerrero proves once again just how great a talent Eddie Guerrero was inside the ring; making it all the more puzzling that he wouldn’t appear in WCW again until six years later.