The great sport of professional wrestling has some pretty whacky roots. Today, many fans are unaware that the origin of "Sports Entertainment" is traveling circuses. With that in mind, some weird and straight-up whacky matches throughout wrestling history start to make a bit more sense.
RELATED: The 10 Most Bizarre Gimmick Matches In WCW History
WWE has been responsible for many outlandish match stipulations over the years, but they paled in comparison to WCW in terms of weirdness. WCW contributed greatly to the pro wrestling business during its existence. However, it's also fair to say that some of the weirdest and wackiest matches in pro wrestling history took place in WCW.
10 Rey Mysterio vs. Bobby Eaton
Not all "weird" WCW matches have whacky stipulations attached to them. Some matches can be weird simply based on the competitors involved. It's been said before that "styles make fights." While that notion has certainly proven to be true, some unconventional matchups are just visually hard to process.
Such was the case in the 1996 generational clash between a veteran Bobby Eaton and an up-and-coming Rey Mysterio. The pair worked surprisingly well together despite the size discrepancy. In hindsight, the match was certainly weird, but the good kind of weird, if such a thing exists.
9 Judy Bagwell On A Forklift Match: Buff Bagwell Vs. Kanyon
In the early 90s, Marcus Alexander Bagwell seemed like one of WCW's potential future stars. Eventually, though, Buff Bagwell joined The nWo and understandably got lost in the shuffle. In the late 90s and early 2000s though, Bagwell would begin getting a bit of a push. The catalyst behind Bagwell's push was none other than his mother, Judy.
Judy Bagwell was the gift that kept on giving in the final years of WCW. Judy had a few memorable moments, which included a very brief, unrecognized stint as WCW Tag Team Champion alongside Rick Steiner. Easily the most infamous incident involving Judy Bagwell came at New Blood Rising 2000 where Buff Bagwell and Kanyon competed in a Judy Bagwell On A Forklift Match. It was as bad as it sounds.
8 Martial Arts Match: Meng Vs. Jim Duggan
Throughout its history, WCW was chockfull of matches with whacky stipulations. From Monster Truck Matches to Junkyard Invitationals and everything in between. Although most of those matches were all terrible, they at least were attempts by WCW to try something different. The same can't be said about the Martial Arts Match between Meng and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.
Both Meng and Duggan were former heavy hitters in WWE, but by 1995, both men were past their primes. Their feud did little to move the needle so WCW decided to put them in a Martial Arts Match at Uncensored 1995. Unfortunately, but perhaps not surprisingly, the match was a total disaster. It turned out to be a boring affair that featured almost no Martial Arts.
7 Piñata On A Pole Match
When WCW first launched Monday Nitro, many critics thought it was unwise to go head-to-head with WWE. To WCW's credit, they did everything possible to differentiate Nitro from Monday Night Raw. One of the main ways WCW was able to do that was by introducing their game-changing Cruiserweight division.
RELATED: 10 Backstage Stories About The WCW Cruiserweight Division We Can't Believe
Unfortunately, by the end of the decade, the wheels were coming off of WCW. Bad booking decisions quickly began outweighing good ones. One terrible idea was having many of the WCW Cruiserweights compete in a Piñata On A Pole Match. Juventud Guerrera won the match, but most fans only remember it for being a disaster.
6 Boxer Vs. Wrestler Match: Johnny B. Badd Vs. Arn Anderson
The early 90s was a weird time in WCW, to say the least. The company was still trying to figure out how to transition from the Four Horsemen era of the 80s into the 90s. There were certainly some growing pains during that time for the company and performers alike. One performer who seemed to thrive in that whacky period was Johnny B. Badd.
In an attempt to try and elevate Badd's status, he was placed in a program for the WCW World Television Championship with WCW stalwart, Arn Anderson. The pair had some good matches, but they also had a whacky encounter at Uncensored 1995 in a Boxer vs. Wrestler Match. Badd was a former Gold Gloves Champion, so this whacky stipulation was right up his alley.
5 Scaffold Match: Billy Kidman Vs. Shane Douglas
Pro wrestling fans can be quite bloodthirsty at times. This has caused the bar to continually be raised in terms of dangerous spots and matches. One particularly dangerous wrestling match that got its start in the territory days though is the Scaffold Match. The match is just as dangerous as it sounds, with competitors battling atop a scaffold.
This type of match was more popular during the 80s but had been all but fazed out from mainstream wrestling by the late 90s. Not in WCW though. At Fall Brawl 2000, Billy Kidman and Madusa faced Shane Douglas and Torrie Wilson in a less than memorable Scaffold Match. Douglas and Wilson won, but the match did little for anyone involved.
4 Perry Saturn Vs. Chris Jericho
In the mid and late 90s, Perry Saturn was a standout athlete and performer in both ECW and WCW. Saturn had a very different look and seemed tailor-made for the rebellious counterculture of the late 90s. Unfortunately, Saturn would never reach his potential.
In WCW, Saturn was never booked correctly. Such is evident in his 1999 feud with Chris Jericho. After losing a "Loser Wears A Dress Match" to Jericho at Souled Out 1999, Saturn would face Jericho again at SuperBrawl 9. This time Saturn would voluntarily wrestle in a dress. Unfortunately for Saturn, he wouldn't receive much better booking when he jumped to WWE in 2000.
3 Boxing Match: Roddy Piper Vs. Buff Bagwell
During the early and mid-80s, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was arguably the hottest heel in the wrestling business. Piper's heat with fans was one of the catalysts behind the success of the first WrestleMania event. At WrestleMania 2, Piper had a very memorable Boxing Match against Mr. T.
RELATED: Every Version Of Roddy Piper, Ranked From Worst To Best
In 1999, WCW attempted to recreate that magic when they booked Piper and Buff Bagwell in a Boxing Match. The result was as bad as you'd imagine. Piper had Ric Flair in his corner while Bagwell had his mother, Judy, in his. Judy would interfere in the third round and bite Piper which allowed Bagwell to pick up a pinfall win in what was supposed to be a Boxing Match. Yikes.
2 First Blood Steel Cage Retirement Match: Ric Flair Vs. Hollywood Hogan
Depending on age and location, many pro wrestling fans either consider "Nature Boy" Ric Flair to be the greatest performer ever or Hulk Hogan. To be fair, both Flair and Hogan carried their respective promotions on their backs during the 80s, although Hogan did carry WWE to greater heights. In WCW, the pair waged countless wars against each other, with Hogan coming out on top more often than not.
One particular match between the two that Hogan didn't win was their infamous First Blood Steel Cage Retirement Match at Uncensored 1999. As if all the bells and whistles around the match weren't bad enough, the "First Blood" stipulation was completely ignored once the match started. A bloody Flair would mercifully win after a fast count by Charles Robinson.
1 Human Torch Match: Sting Vs. Vampiro
Pro wrestling fans will go nuts at the sight of anything set ablaze. Whether it be an inanimate object or even a performer. In the late 90s, Inferno Matches became the new hot gimmick in pro wrestling. Seeing the success that The Undertaker and Kane had with the concept in WWE, WCW decided to try their hand at it as well with Sting and Vampiro.
WCW tried to one-up WWE by naming their match a "Human Torch Match." The name indicated that a performer would be entirely lit on fire. The match at The Great American Bash 2000 fell well short of expectations. It ended when a stuntman disguised as Sting was set on fire and pushed off the jumbotron. Luckily, another Human Torch Match was never attempted.
