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It has been over 18 years since WCW folded and the Attitude Era came to a fitting end. Throughout the mid to late 90s, WWE and WCW were at each other's throats and this resulted in possibly the greatest era in professional wrestling history, with the business getting mainstream attention on a regular basis, and ratings reaching all-time highs.
WCW was all about nWo at the time, and the faction reigned over the promotion for the better part of its existence. Although the company was slammed for relying on stars from the past, it did create a bunch of future Superstars too. A majority of WCW's top performers went on to compete in WWE after WCW's ship sank.
Many didn't turn heads over in WWE, but there were a few who found success in the company that was once competition. Let's look at 5 Superstars who succeeded in WCW and then went on to do the same in WWE.
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#5 Booker T
Booker T and his brother Stevie Ray signed with WCW back in the early 90s, after Sid Vicious recommended them to do the same. The duo went on to become a mainstay in the WCW Tag Team division, and feuded with the likes of The Nasty Boys, Lex Luger & Sting, and The Outsiders.
He was pushed as a singles star in 1997, after which he went on to win the WCW TV title as well as the WCW title. Booker won a whopping 21 titles in WCW, before the company went down and he signed with WWE.
In WWE, Booker remained a mid-card Superstar for years (barring a feud with Triple H for the World title), before winning the World title in 2006 after defeating Rey Mysterio. His decorated WWE career came to an end in 2007, but Booker T came back in 2011 and took on announcing duties. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
#4 Ric Flair
'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair is regarded by many as the single greatest wrestler in the history of the business. After a short-lived main event run in WWE in the early 90s, Ric Flair returned to WCW and maintained his position on the top of the card.
Over the course of the next several years, Flair became WCW Champion and also engaged in feuds with nWo. By the time WCW folded, Flair had won the WCW World title on 8 separate occasions.
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He took on the role of a babyface authority figure in WWE. In 2002, Flair aligned with Triple H and formed Evolution, which is regarded as one of the most dominant groups in pro-wrestling history. Flair held the World Tag Team titles with Batista on two occasions. He lost to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24, marking an end to his Hall of Fame career.
#3 Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan signed with WCW in 1994, and won the WCW World title in his debut match against Ric Flair. In what many have dubbed as the greatest heel turn of all time, Hogan became a villain at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996, forming the nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.
Hogan's waning career got an overhaul after the heel turn and WCW went on to defeat WWE in the weekly rating war for 83 straight weeks.
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When Hogan returned to WWE in 2002, he faced The Rock in a dream match at WrestleMania 18. He was still getting some of the biggest reactions at the time, which forced WWE to make him WWE Champion.
Hogan defeated Triple H at Backlash 2002 to win his sixth and final WWE title. He went on to feud with Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Orton in the coming years, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
#2 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Although Stone Cold Steve Austin never won the WCW World title during his stint in the promotion, he cemented himself on the roster and went on to win several titles. Austin won the World TV title, United States title, and the Tag Team titles alongside Brian Pillman.
Austin was a part of Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance early on in his run, later aligning with Pillman, with the duo calling itself The Hollywood Blonds.
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Getting fired by Eric Bischoff was the best thing that happened to Austin, as he went on to have a Hall of Fame career in WWE, becoming the face of WWE's new direction during the Attitude Era. He main-evented several WrestleManias and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. Austin's name always comes up whenever the Mount Rushmore of pro-wrestling is discussed by fans and experts.
#1 Goldberg
A case could be made that Goldberg was possibly the biggest star created on WCW's turf. Goldberg decided to pursue a career in pro-wrestling after a short-lived football career. He was brought in as a silent behemoth, and defeated Hugh Morrus in his debut in 1997.
Thus, one of the greatest streaks in WCW history kicked off, with Goldberg going on to win 173 straight bouts. Goldberg also won the WCW World title on one occassion.
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He debuted in WWE around two years after WCW was bought off. Goldberg enjoyed a dominant run, which kicked off with a victory over The Rock and ended with him putting down Brock Lesnar. He came back to WWE again at Survivor Series 2016, where he squashed Brock Lesnar in a matter of seconds. Goldberg took his rightful spot in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
