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World Championship Wrestling, better known as WCW, gave the World Wrestling Federation a run for its money for several years in the 1990s. The two companies were in direct competition, which led to what many people refer to as "the Monday Night Wars."
Part of that battle included the two wrestling companies trying to steal talent away from one another. Ultimately the WWE (then WWF) won the battle in 2001 when WCW was forced to close its doors and sell its assets over to Vince McMahon and company.
While the closing of WCW was literally over 17 years, not all of the talent that had been part of WCW has since retired.
In fact, some of those WCW performers are still a part of WWE in 2018. Below are five of those performers.
However, this slideshow does not include everyone was part of WCW, since the current status of several performers (e.g. Rey Mysterio) is unclear, while others' WCW tenures only consisted on enhanced matches (e.g. Kane, Rhyno). It also does not include Paul Heyman, who technically was involved with some WCW matches while working as manager Paul E.
Then again, the current behind-the-scenes staffs of WWE includes many WCW alumni, including Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Mike Rotunda, Lex Luger, Terry Taylor, Jamie Noble, Fit Finlay, Billy Kidman, Booker T, and William Regal.
#1 Big Show
Big Show has held multiple titles during his WWE run, which started in 1999. But prior to making the move over to WWE, Big Show -- whose in-ring name is rumoured to be a dig at WCW, which was on the television network TBS -- had been signed to WCW.
Big Show debuted in 1995 as The Giant, a member of Kevin Sullivan's Dungeon Of Doom that had been billed as the son of Andre The Giant.
He had become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion shortly after his debut and went on to join the New World Order faction.
While in WCW, The Giant went on to have two title reigns as WCW World Heavyweight Champion and three reigns as a WCW World Tag Team Champion beyond winning a World War 3 pay-per-view main event.
In his nearly 20-year tenure with WWE, Big Show is in rare company as a Grand Slam Champion.
While Big Show has changed his character and look many times while working for WWE, he remains one of the main roster's most recognisable stars of all time.
#2 Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho joined the WWE in 1999, and aside from this year's run with New Japan Pro Wrestling, the WWE has been Jericho's home for most of the last two decades.
Prior to landing up in WWE, Jericho had been signed to WCW, where he debuted in 1996.
Jericho was an integral part of WCW's Cruiserweight division, going on to be a four-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
The Winnipeg native also had a run as the holder of the WCW World Television Championship. He may not have been a main eventer for WCW, but Jericho's run did include a high-profile feud with Bill Goldberg and an unforgettable storyline as "The Man of 1,004 Holds."
Unlike the aforementioned Big Show, Jericho's career did not start with WCW. Prior to landing up in WCW, Jericho had found success within promotions in Canada, Mexico and Japan.
He had also done well in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he had won the ECW World Television Championship.
While affiliated with WWE and part of an NJPW feud with Kenny Omega in 2018, Jericho has further branched out within another wrestling promotion, incorporating Ring Of Honor talent into his October 2018.
#3 A.J. Styles
WWE has often been referred to as "the land of giants," based on upper management preferences for larger-sized talent.
In turn, it is surprising that A.J. Styles is not only on the current WWE roster but more so that he is in the midst of his second run as the WWE Champion for the SmackDown brand.
Prior to signing with WWE, where he had debuted in early 2016, Styles had been a title holder in many promotions, including Ring Of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, PWG, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
But what many people may not realize is that Styles had been a part of WCW history. In early 2001, Styles -- then known as "Air Styles" -- signed to WCW alongside Air Paris to be part of a tag team known as Air Raid.
While the two did compete in the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship tournament in March 2001, WCW closed up shop weeks later.
The duo can be seen in three episodes of WCW Thunder, for those looking to pull up some Thunder episodes on the WCW Network.
#4 Goldust
Goldust is one of the longest-tenured wrestlers on the current WWE roster. Goldust made his debut within the WWF in 1995, ultimately feuding with the likes of The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker and Roddy Piper within a year of his debut.
But this wasn't Dustin Rhodes' WWF debut, as he had briefly been on the WWF roster in the early 1990s, wrestling in the 1991 Royal Rumble. Rhodes has been in and out of WWE plenty of times, just as he was WCW.
His first WCW run started in 1988 as Dustin Rhodes. In 1991 he returned to WCW and ultimately won became a WCW World Tag Team Champion alongside Ricky Steamboat. A WCW United States Heavyweight Championship run would follow in 1993.
After leaving WWE -- as Goldust -- in 1999, Rhodes was Seven in WCW before being rebranded as "The American Nightmare" Dustin Rhodes.
Cumulatively, Goldust/Rhodes had two U.S. Heavyweight titles runs, two World Tag Team title runs, and one Six-Man Tag Team title run during his WCW time logged.
#5 Charles Robinson
Yes, THAT Charles Robinson. He debuted in WCW as a referee in 1997, not doing much to stand out at the beginning. In 1999, Robinson became the official referee of the Four Horsemen, which included Robinson's supposed childhood hero Ric Flair.
Storylines would bleed into reality as Flair would have Robinson wrestle a match with Randy Savage's valet (and off-screen girlfriend) Gorgeous George. Robinson's WCW duties would also include his appearance in the movie Ready To Rumble.
When WWE purchased WCW, McMahon and company absorbed more of the WCW talent contracts than not. Robinson joined up with the WWE in 2001, and his allegiance to WCW was worked into the storyline early in his tenure.
In the years since Robinson has taken memorable bumps during matches and has notably wound up as a performer in some WWE matches.
In one such example, he had to wrestle The Great Khali in a squash match. The ref known as "Little Naitch" continues to appear on WWE weekly television, and most importantly, he has been in the ring with nearly every major wrestler of the last 20-plus years.
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