WCW has a special place in the heart of many professional wrestling fans. It was far from perfect, but the promotion offered tremendous wrestling and amazing moments that are still talked about today, many of which have been captured on camera for future generations to enjoy.
While fans have seen many of these iconic images, there are certain pictures that have gone under-the-radar. There is a treasure trove of rare and lesser-known snapshots that offer an intimate glimpse into the world of WCW beyond the ring ropes.
10 WCW's Family Feud
"Family Feud" is a popular American television game show where two families compete against each other by answering survey questions to win points. Fans today likely know the version hosted by Steve Harvey.
In 1990, there was a special episode that pitted WCW stars against the women from another professional wrestling promotion, GLOW. Team WCW consisted of World Champion Sting, Brian Pillman, Tom Zenk, Brad Armstrong and good ol' Jim Ross.
9 Screamin' Norman & Ralphus
Norman Smiley was an underrated wrestler in WCW's undercard that gained some popularity when he entered the Hardcore Division. He would be the inaugural Hardcore Champion and would even feud with the legendary Terry Funk over the title.
During his Hardcore run, Screamin' Norman recruited Chris Jericho's former associate, Ralphus, to be his manager. The pair were a great comedic duo that offered some gems, including getting jobs as popcorn salesmen.
8 Before The Iconic Shirt
It's hard to imagine the nWo cutting any sort of promo without their iconic black and white shirt, but in this rare image, fans can see the original three members, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, sporting jeans and black gear with no nWo shirts in sight.
This was extremely early on in their run, on the first episode of Nitro following the creation of the nWo at Bash At The Beach 1996. The trio interrupted a match and cut a promo, putting the WCW locker room on notice.
7 Holla For The Genetic Freak
Scott Steiner's career in the world of professional wrestling spanned several decades, and his "Genetic Freak" persona played a significant role in his popularity and success.
With his eccentric, brash personality and over-the-top mic skills, this version of Steiner was unhinged, even bringing a live tiger to the ring as part of his entrance. In a rare promotional picture, we see Steiner and his manager Midajah locked up in an insane asylum.
6 Shark Attack!
John Tenta, famously known as Earthquake in WWE, briefly wrestled as The Shark during his time in WCW. He debuted the character in 1995 as a part of the Dungeon of Doom faction, a group of villainous wrestlers with supernatural and bizarre gimmicks that came together to take down Hulk Hogan.
Unfortunately, everything about the Dungeon of Doom was a flop, including The Shark. At least fans will always have this incredibly campy and hilarious image of Tenta facing off with a fake shark.
5 Whatchu Gonna Do, Pikachu?!
Talk about a crossover nobody asked for, but one that would surely drive fans crazy! Many wrestlers today grew up with video games and are much more into the gaming scene than the previous generation of wrestlers, which is why this picture of Hulk Hogan with the poster boy for the Pokémon franchise, Pikachu, is totally mind-blowing.
While we doubt The Hulkster picked up a Game Boy to play the game, it's always fun to see these wild interactions between two totally different worlds.
4 Locker Room Awards
WCW had an eclectic mix of superstars from all over the world, as can be seen in this rare behind-the-scenes image of the locker room.
Fans can see Konnan holding two awards, surrounded by many stars of WCW's Cruiserweight Division, as well as some undercard competitors like Norman Smiley.
3 Boxing Bagwells
Boxing matches have always been a hard sell in the world of professional wrestling. It's not usually something the fans ask for, and the product presented in the ring is often boring or just plain ridiculous.
It wasn't any different for the boxing match between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Buff Bagwell in WCW. The two were involved in a poor feud that saw them putting on gloves to mindlessly knock each other around at bash At The Beach 1999. Buff was accompanied by his mother, the infamous Judy Bagwell, who is seen here tending to her son after the fight.
2 (Road) Wildin' Out Backstage
WCW's Road Wild event in 1998 holds a particular place in wrestling history due to its unconventional venue and the infamous main event that took place. Surrounded by bikers attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the wrestlers put on a memorable show highlighted by Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman taking on DDP and Jay Leno.
Seen here is a rare, candid photo that features Goldberg with DDP, Leno and Kevin Eubanks backstage.
1 Mean Gene Vs. Mark Madden
The last few months of WCW were weird. With plummeting ratings and Vince Russo's questionable booking style, the company reeked of desperation and put on some bad television. A particularly bizarre feud during this time involved Mark Madden and the beloved Mean Gene Okerlund.
Besides the obvious cringe factor, this comically awful rivalry between an announcer and interviewer also offered some poor promos and even a wrestling match between the two. Seen here is Mean Gene getting the win following some interference and shenanigans.
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