5 former WCW champions: Where are they now?

World Championship Wrestling provided over a decade of entertainment for fans in North America and the rest of the world. They pushed the envelope early on, with innovative matches featuring exciting stipulations.

WCW had its roots in the National Wrestling Alliance, but after the transition following the purchase and rebranding, they didn't miss a beat. Several men captured the WCW World Championship, and some made history in the process.

While the company isn't in operation anymore, there are a number of memorable world championship matches that are still talked about today. What happened to the champions that rose to prominence during their time in WCW? Where did they go?

It is interesting to note that, in one way or another, so many are still involved in the sport they loved. Here are five former WCW world champions and where they are today.

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#5 Ron Simmons

As the first African American world champion, Simmons made history

While with the WWE, Simmons underwent a number of different incarnations. He started there dressed in gladiator attire and using the name Farooq Asad.

This was shortened to simply Farooq when he was the leader of The Nation of Domination, and he retained that name while part of The Acolytes. Simmons is also a former WCW World Champion.

In 1992, Sting was said to be injured, so the booker at the time, Bill Watts, held a raffle to determine who would face the champion Big Van Vader for the WCW championship. As it turned out, Simmons' name was chosen and defeated Vader for the title.

It was a highly celebrated achievement, as Simmons was recognised as the first African-American heavyweight champion. Today, Simmons is retired from the ring, but still, can be seen on WWE television from time to time.

One such instance was the recent induction of Teddy Long into the WWE Hall of Fame. He retired in 2004, age and injury contributing to his decision to walk away from the ring. His appearances may have been fairly sporadic since 2006, but his World championship win remains one of the biggest moments in wrestling history.

#4 Big Van Vader

Vader's agility and strength in the sport make him a pioneer

During his time in the ring, Vader was known as a monster among men, back before Braun Strowman took that label. The biggest difference about Vader was that he was capable of using an array of different moves that showed his strength and agility.

In fact, in 1993, his Vadersault was voted as the best wrestling manoeuvre by wrestling fans, according to the Wrestling Observer.

He captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on three separate occasions during his time with the promotion, and his matches against Sting, Ric Flair, and Cactus Jack remains among the most notable from his time with the company.

While he also competed in promotions such as WWE - where he beat the Undertaker and earned a great deal of acclaim for his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Vader's time as WCW will forever be etched in time.

Today, Vader has experienced a number of health scares, facing infection from surgery and apparent congestive heart failure. Doctors told him he just has a year of two left, and despite the sad news, the legendary wrestler continues to do what he does best, wrestle! He hopes that the latter was a false diagnosis and that DDP can help him improve his overall health.

#3 Sid Vicious

At nearly 7 ft tall, Vicious had an incredible presence inside the ring

He often claimed to be the master and the ruler of the world, words that he lived by. During Sid's career, he captured world championships for the USWA, WWE, and WCW. Sid captured the WCW title on two separate occasions -- his first championship win was over Kevin Nash for the then vacated title.

The second occasion was once again against Kevin Nash, but the triple threat match also included Ron Harris. However, those title reigns weren't at the centre of his most memorable feuds and alliances.

During the earlier part of his career, Sid feuded with Sting and was aligned with Big Van Vader as The Masters of the Powerbomb. Today, Sid is semi-retired as he suffered a major injury in 2001, breaking his leg in the ring.

After rehabilitation, he competed for smaller promotions both in and outside the United States. He can still be found today appearing for various promotions and at different wrestling conventions.

#2 Jeff Jarrett

Jarrett is still quite significant today with his behind the scenes work with GFW Impact

Jarrett achieved success both during and outside his time in WCW. For instance, he was an Intercontinental Champion with WWE; however, during his time in WCW, he captured the WCW World Championship on two separate occasions.

At one point he was affiliated with the New World Order, and it was at that point that he reinvented his persona, using a slogan or catchphrase all his own by referring to others as ‘slapnutz'. He was invigorated as champion, and in fact was tied to some memorable moments and matches.

One such moment was when he infamously laid down for Hulk Hogan. Today, Jarrett is retired from the ring, but is still very much involved in the operations of a major wrestling promotion. He operates Global Force Wrestling, which recently aligned with Impact Wrestling in an effort at rebranding the promotion.

He continues to work to re-establish the promotion and make it another major promotion in North America.

#1 Scott Steiner

"The Big Bad Booty Daddy" continues to actively compete in the sport he is so passionate about

He was a former tag team champion with his brother Rick, but it wasn't until he was a singles competitor that ‘Big Poppa Pump' Scott Steiner emerged as a major force in World Championship Wrestling.

He captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship when he defeated Booker T, in the process becoming a triple-crown champion, having also captured the Television and United States championships previously. He has without question become known for creating memorable promos that have been both scathing and felt real in every instance, both while in WCW and afterwards.

After WCW was purchased by WWE, Steiner decided to wait until his contract had ended before pursuing opportunities with WWE, eventually having a short run with the company.

Today, Steiner is still very active in the world of wrestling, and just a few weeks ago was part of Impact/GFW's Slammiversary pay-per-view, teaming with Josh Matthews against Joseph Park and Jeremy Borash.