The legacy of WCW still holds great value today with fans watching back the product and loving the excitement of that time. Legends like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Sting added multiple chapters to their storied careers by delivering strong results. However, there was one common complaint about the backstage atmosphere.
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Politics existed in WCW more than any other major promotion due to creative control contracts, major names joining, and a weak management structure creating friction. Certain wrestlers ran into problems to negatively impact their careers due to this variable. The following names had less high-profile stories of being held back by backstage politics in WCW.
10 Vampiro
WCW tried to find more success for Vampiro when he started working with Sting. Vampiro joined WCW after a main event run in Mexico. The hope was that Vampiro could move up the card and break out for WCW by working with a top star like Sting.
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Both tag team and feud angles between Sting and Vampiro were the latter’s best chance at success. Unfortunately, it never worked out and the two struggled to get on the same page. Vampiro felt that Sting not wanting to work with him or make him look good caused his one huge shot to fail.
9 Jesse Ventura
The commentary run of Jesse Ventura saw him finding even more success after a great in-ring career. Ventura joined WCW after his WWE run ended to continue commentating at a high level. WCW seemed to enjoy using him in that role until an expected firing.
Hulk Hogan joining WCW made him the most powerful wrestler calling his own shots and often making demands involving others. Ventura believed Hogan got him fired for previous issues in WWE. Eric Bischoff claimed it was due to Ventura falling asleep on the job, but he has been known to defend Hogan against every terrible thing he did.
8 Raven
Many wrestling fans expected Raven to be a rare mid-carder to move into the WCW main event picture like Diamond Dallas Page, Booker T and Scott Steiner. Raven didn’t even last the full run despite getting over and having strong momentum as a mid-card heel.
However, the unhappiness over his booking saw Raven criticizing WCW when asked about his status in radio interviews. Eric Bischoff was livid and used this as inspiration to run down unhappy people in the locker room. Raven realized it was directed at him and requested his release when Bischoff said anyone unhappy should leave.
7 Dustin Rhodes
WCW booking Dustin Rhodes with a solid mid-card role sparked some controversy of nepotism as Dusty Rhodes’ son when he had creative influence. Erik Watts flopped horrendously in WCW when his dad Bill Watts’ overpushed him with minimal experience.
There were some others in WCW that felt Dustin should start at the bottom, but he did get over enough to warrant more time. Dustin ran into more politics when he was made an example and fired for blading when WCW wanted wrestlers to realize how strict the no-blood policy was.
6 Billy Kidman
Billy Kidman had a great WCW tenure, but he could have achieved more with enough support. Many fans are still confused over the bizarre feud between Kidman and Hulk Hogan. The program started due to Hogan legitimately trashing Kidman in a radio interview.
Hogan mocked the idea of a young talent like Kidman being pushed and claimed he couldn’t draw flies at a flea market. Kidman tried to channel his anger in the feud, but he ended up looking weak. Even though Kidman was a great cruiserweight and tag team wrestler, WCW failed his best chance at main event success.
5 Steve Austin
The WCW tenure of Steve Austin feels like a forgotten chapter of his career due to how little he accomplished compared to his legendary WWE run. Austin was a respected WCW talent with a strong United States Championship reign helping him stand out.
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Hulk Hogan was once again a huge part of the backstage politics causing Austin to suffer. Jim Duggan joined WCW as one of the signings to appease Hogan and defeated Austin within seconds to win the gold. Austin held a grudge against Hogan and refused to wrestle him in WWE due to this.
4 The Undertaker
Many fans forget or don’t even know that The Undertaker used to wrestle in WCW. Undertaker wrestled under the “Mean” Mark Callous name and received a few opportunities. However, it became clear management didn’t believe in him.
Controversial wrestler turned booker Ole Anderson flat-out told him he would never draw a dime in the business before his firing. Undertaker obviously proved Anderson wrong by becoming a legend in WWE. Even though Ole wasn’t around much longer, Undertaker has shared that he never considered jumping ship to WCW again due to those comments.
3 Vader
WCW did help Vader become a huge star for the promotion as a dominant heel WCW Champion. This didn’t last until the end of his WCW run when Hulk Hogan and other bigger names joined. Vader put over Hogan multiple times and tried to find a new role when turning face.
A backstage fight with Paul Orndorff saw Vader being released as a severe punishment. WCW made an example of Vader to show that no one was safe and the previous years no longer mattered. Vader’s career was never the same after going to WWE and flopping afterward.
2 Syxx
Sean Waltman aka Syxx became a relevant member of the New World Order. The original Wolfpac nickname was used by Syxx, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall over a year before it evolved into a full babyface faction led by Nash.
Syxx felt like he would be around for the long haul when WCW trusted him to have a singles feud with Ric Flair. Eric Bischoff fell out of love with Waltman due to his agent making a contract negotiation a pain. This agent had previous issues with Bischoff, and it played a role in WCW releasing Syxx while injured.
1 Ricky Steamboat
WCW had a great run from Ricky Steamboat in the main event picture as a beloved babyface. Steamboat delivered must-watch matches against Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Rick Rude, and a few other legendary names. However, the political side of wrestling led to his run ending faster than anyone expected.
Steamboat’s wife was quite vocal in his career as an unofficial agent and started making requests from WCW management on behalf of him. WCW cut bait with Ricky and didn’t try to work it out once they felt his wife was becoming a problem.
