Between 1998 and 2001, some of the most well-known wrestlers of all time called Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling home at one point or another. Icons like Sting, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and countless others made the promotion one of the top two companies in the industry and allowed it to go head-to-head with Vince McMahon’s WWF.
Years before WCW branched out on its own and became a standalone wrestling promotion, it was known under various other names like Jim Crockett Promotions and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, a vast network of territories in every corner of the United States (and abroad). And just like wrestlers who found success in both WWE and WCW, dozens of greats kicked all kinds of butt in both eras, including these guys…
Sting
Few wrestlers are as tied to the WCW brand as Sting, a man with his fair share of career highlights over the years. Years before Ted Turner took his company out of the NWA’s network, Sting found success wrestling all over the territory system including Jim Crockett Promotions, where he took on the likes of Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen.
Ric Flair
Ric Flair, considered to be one of the four faces on the Mount Rushmore of Wrestling, was a mainstay of both the NWA and WCW after the company branched out on its own. With multiple championship reigns, historic feuds, and some of the best promos of the ‘80s, Flair was the top dog of the NWA. After a short stint in the WWF, Flair returned to WCW in the mid-1990s where he stayed until the promotion’s final days in March 2001.
Dusty Rhodes
Though he never won the WWE Championship, the late, great Dusty Rhodes etched out a great legacy for himself thanks to his work in both the NWA and WCW. A workhorse of the territory system, “The American Dream” would find similar success in WCW throughout the 1990s, as a wrestler, manager, and even commentator for a time.
Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson, one of the greatest minds in the history of the sport and a core member of the Four Horsemen, was a killer in the NWA’s different territories throughout the early-to-mid-1980s, including Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. After a short stint in WWF near the end of the decade, Anderson went to WCW, where he remained a fixture until the company’s 2001 demise.
Tully Blanchard
Though he wouldn’t have a long run in WCW like his fellow Four Horsemen Arn Anderson and Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard did wrestle the late Terry Funk in a 1994 match. That came after nearly a half-decade of dominance in the NWA alongside Anderson, where the two won multiple tag championships.
Scott Hall
Long before the late Scott Hall came to WCW in 1996 and changed the trajectory of the company, he got his start in Championship Wrestling from Florida, the NWA’s territory in the Sunshine State. After a four-year run in the American Wrestling Association, Hall would go to WCW for a cup of coffee a couple of times before breaking out as Razor Ramon in WWF.
Barry Windham
Barry Windham, who would later go on to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the U.S. Express, found success in WCW, both when it was a member of the NWA system and after its departure. Windham famously wrestled as part of Sting’s Squadron in the WarGames match against The Dangerous Alliance at WrestleWar ‘92.
Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda, the father of the late Bray Wyatt, has had runs in just about every wrestling promotion of prominence throughout his career. A fixture of Championship Wrestling from Florida, Rotunda would leave the NWA system for WWF in 1984 and later returned to WCW on multiple occasions in the final decade or so of the 20th century.
Rick Rude
Rick Rude went just about everywhere throughout his relatively brief career, including multiple stints in WCW. Jim Crocket Promotions, Championship Wrestling from Florida, WWF, and even the Von Erichs’ World Class Championship Wrestling were some of the places this ravishing wrestler called home over the years.
Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat
Even if you take out all the great things Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat did in the WWF, he still had a remarkable career that included some of the best matches in NWA history. From his days in Championship Wrestling from Florida to his long tenure in Jim Crockett Promotions before leaving to put on possibly the best WrestleMania match of all time to return to WCW in the early ‘90s, he did it all.
Terry Funk
Considering he only stopped wrestling a little more than a half-decade before he passed away in August 2023, it should be no surprise that Terry Funk wrestled at least one match in every major promotion. This includes iconic runs in All Japan Pro Wrestling, the WWF, and of course multiple stints in WCW and various NWA territories. He was simply one of the best and hardest-working names in the business.
Dory Funk Jr.
Dory Funk Jr. spent the better part of three decades going from territory to territory in the NWA system starting back in 1963. He continued to wrestle all over the world throughout his career and even showed up in WCW on a handful of occasions.
Cactus Jack
Cactus Jack, the hardcore persona adopted by Mick Foley in promotions like WWE, ECW, and various Japanese companies, was one of the most extreme members of the WCW roster in the early 1990s. But the man out of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, also technically wrested for NWA, as WCW was still part of the territory system when he went down south in 1989.
Butch Reed
When the name Butch Reed comes up, it’s hard to think back to his days in Mid-South Wrestling or the WWF, but the brawler out of Kansas City, Missouri, also had some memorable days in both the NWA and WCW. From his days of running around the territories to a short stint in Ted Turner’s company, Reed had some memorable matches against the sport’s biggest stars.
Magnum T.A.
Magnum T.A., whose in-ring career was cut short after a 1986 car accident, was one of the go-to hands in the NWA’s territory system throughout much of the ‘80s, wrestling on pretty much every corner of the country. Even after the accident that led to his early retirement, Magnum was a prominent figure in the business and worked various angles in WCW up until the mid-1990s.
Harley Race
Harley Race, the man who once put a $25,000 bounty on Ric Flair’s head to prevent the “Nature Boy” from taking his NWA Championship, is one of the toughest wrestlers to ever step into the ring. In addition to spending decades in the territory system, Race also spent some time in WCW, where he was a jack of all trades.
Curt Henning
Curt Henning, one of the best to ever do it, was a staple of AWA, the WWF, and WCW at various points in his career. He also had a short stint working in NWA territories like NWA St. Louis, Central States Wrestling, and various others throughout his time in the ring. Henning wrestled what would be his final match before his 2003 passing with NWA Total Nonstop Action.
'Rowdy' Roddy Piper
If you want to see Roddy Piper put on one of the best matches of all time, go back and watch his bloody Dog Collar match against Greg Valentine at NWA’s Starrcade ‘83. Though Piper would leave the territory not long after and join the WWF, he would later return in sorts during the twilight of his career when he joined WCW.
'Dr. Death' Steve Williams
You can put “Dr. Death” Steve Williams on the list of toughest wrestlers, as his beast of a man ran roughshod on everyone who came in his path in various territories, international promotions, and even WCW. Near the end of his career, Williams returned to WCW where he oddly enough wrestled Jerry Only from the Misfits.
The Road Warriors
Stars wherever they went, the Road Warriors, will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic tag teams in wrestling history. Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Animals (Joe Laurinaitis), with their signature facepaint biker gang look, pulled off their feared Doomsday Device in various NWA territories, WCW, WWF (as the Legion of Doom), and the AWA throughout their time together.
'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, the first man to win the Royal Rumble in WWF, was an icon of Mid-South Wrestling, WCW, and other promotions throughout the final decades of the 20th century, but he didn’t technically work for the NWA until his time with TNA back in 2003.
The Fabulous Freebirds
The Fabulous Freebirds, a game-changing stable that dominated the wrestling scene throughout the 1980s, made an impact in several NWA-controlled territories and WCW, among other promotions. Pretty much, if there was a hot promotion anywhere in the continental United States, Michael P.S. Hayes, Buddy Roberts, and Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy were going to turn it into Badstreet, U.S.A.
The Great Muta
The Great Muta, the legendary Japanese wrestler who was inducted into the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame, is one of the most recognizable figures in all of wrestling. Though he’s mostly remembered for his work in NJPW and AJPW, Muta was one of the most exciting imports to the NWA territory system in the 1980s. He would also make various appearances in WCW throughout the 1990s, where he took on the likes of Ric Flair, Larry Zybysko, and his longtime rival, Sting.
Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog, also known as the King of New Orleans, was one of those wrestlers that could make the Irish McNeil Boys Club feel like the Louisiana Superdome while also making Texas Stadium feel as intimate as the Sportatorium, he was that good. JYD had a few stints in NWA territories before and after his WWF run in the mid-’80s, and he would also wrestle for WCW up until the early ‘90s.
The Midnight Express
The Midnight Express, which consisted of the likes of Dennis Condrey, Randy Rose, Norvell Austin, and Bobby Eaton over the years, was a group that found success all over the country. With runs in various NWA territories, WCW, WWF, and beyond, this Jim Cornette-led tag team was a sight to see.
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff, one of the greatest “Russian” wrestlers (he was from Minnesota), was a staple of the NWA through his work with Jim Crockett Promotions throughout much of the 1980s, so it wasn’t surprising when he showed up in WCW several years later.
The Rock 'N' Roll Express
The Rock 'N' Roll Express, which consists of Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton, is one of those tag teams that just screams “1980s,” with their signature glam-rock attire. This successful duo has pretty much wrestled everywhere from NWA territories to the WWF to state fairs and indie promotions around the country dating back more than 40 years.
Ron Simmons
Before he went to WWE and created the Nation of Domination and APA as Farooq, Ron Simmons established himself as one of the most dominant and successful names in the NWA system. A fixture of Jim Crockett Promotions (and later WCW), Simmons made history in 1992 when he became the first African-American World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Vader.
Stan Hansen
Stan “The Lariat” Hansen, often considered the most successful gaijin in Japanese wrestling history, is someone you definitely wouldn’t want to face in a fight. This tough-as-nails, no-nonsense butt-kicker killed it in NJPW, AWA, WCW, WWF, and AJPW, which was recognized as a member of the NWA system. Basically, he made men cry in just about every timezone on the planet.
Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, aka, “The Million Dollar Man,” is mostly associated with his legendary WWF run, but that’s just a part of his story. A fixture of Bill Watts’ Mid-South Wrestling, a prominent figure in various NWA territories, and a steady hand in Japan, DiBiase was no chump. And though he didn’t wrestle for WCW, his work as a manager, commentator, and fourth member of the NWO added to the product.
Big Van Vader
Big Van Vader, who was surprisingly agile despite his massive size, was one of the most dominant and athletic big men in the history of the sport. Before going to WWF, Vader made a name for himself both in Japan and with WCW, where he took on everyone from Sting to Ric Flair and other top-tier talent. The late icon would later work with NWA Total Nonstop Action for a short time in 2003.
Lex Luger
A prominent figure in Championship Wrestling from Florida and Jim Crockett Promotions, Lex Luger was one of the most promising up-and-coming stars of 1980s wrestling. Luger, who would go on to have a great run in WWF, returned to WCW in 1995 in one of the most consequential moments of the Monday Night War and ‘90s wrestling history when he popped up in the first episode of Monday Nitro.
Honestly, this list could have kept going and going, but we had to stop it somewhere.
