50 Best WCW Moments Ever
35. Ron Simmons Makes History
The 16 August 1992 Main Event was actually taped on 2 August, but that's OK - everyone was probably still partying in celebration of the win Ron Simmons got over Big Van Vader anyway. Ron has played down the importance of becoming the first black WCW World Champion before - in a WWE interview with old pal JBL, Simmons noted that he hoped to bring people of all backgrounds together with his win. That's classy, and shows that Ron was a true people's champ.
Regardless, his win did make history, and likely did inspire a lot of people to follow their dreams. That's a wholesome and positive thing. This would end up being Ron's biggest career moment, because his title reign wasn't as special as the initial title win. By December, WCW decided to put the strap back on Vader and act like nothing had happened.
Anyone who only watched Simmons in the WWF as Faarooq would likely be surprised by how tidy a worker he was in his prime. That's true for his run in Doom with Butch Reed and as a singles. Ron's power-based style ruled, and so did his banner triumph.