Unfortunately, Pillman got into a terrible car accident that put him on the shelf for a while and he was never quite the same. Although he kept the same psychotic character upon his return, a heart problem would end his life before he could really get going. He absolutely would have been a big deal in the Attitude Era if things worked out differently.
3. The Arena Sets
WWF’s PPVs had impressive production value during the Monday Night Wars of the ’90s. Royal Rumble 2000’s NYC aesthetic goes hard. In fact, just about any PPV in Madison Square Garden looked awesome just because they needed to be creative with the arena’s cramped space. Otherwise, WWF either went with gaudy lights and cheap fireworks (remember Sid’s sparkler entrance?) or were just bland. The sets from around this time rarely ever stood out all that well. Hell, WrestleMania IX was a cursed show, but at least the unique stage setup makes it memorable.
WCW’s shows, meanwhile, had incredible vibes. The presentation always felt special, from the giant metal shop look of Nitro to the ridiculous setups for the PPVs. Spring Stampede, Road Wild, Bash at the Beach, and most important of all, Halloween Havoc all had so much personality. Then you have the Spring Breakout shows, which not only had wrestlers getting knocked into swimming pools, but it also led to Hulk Hogan reeling in horror that THE WALL was calling him out from well into the distance!
2. Chris Kanyon
No matter what was going on in WCW, Kanyon always ruled. Whether he was an incompetent construction worker, Mortis the skeleton assassin, part of the Jersey Triad, Raven’s goofy sidekick, or just an unhinged DDP parody delivering Kanyon Cutters to random people, Kanyon was always a highlight. He was great in the ring and constantly entertaining. Even when WCW put the belt on David Arquette, Kanyon ended the show on a high note by taking a bump off the triple cage.
Kanyon spent years at WCW, but when it was time to do the WCW Invasion storyline he got the short end of the stick, no matter how many “Alliance MVP” t-shirts he wore. Being DDP’s partner in their extremely one-sided feud against the Brothers of Destruction was probably the high point of Kanyon’s time at WWF. His most memorable moment was dressing as Boy George and getting concussed by a chair shot from the Undertaker. If you know the behind-the-scenes backstory to that, you know how disgusting it truly was.
1. La Parka
Who’s better than Kanyon? None other than La Parka, the best thing WCW had going for it in the ’90s. Among the many luchadores added to the roster was this absolute superstar, who wasn’t as acrobatic as the rest, but he was a chubby skeleton man who danced around and played “chair guitar.” I really don’t know anyone who didn’t love seeing him on TV and, in all honesty, I don’t want to know! The Chairman of the Board rarely had much going on in terms of storylines, but he was awesome whenever he showed up, especially that time he ambushed Disco Inferno during Disco’s entrance. Hell, I even liked that brief time when he was being dubbed over in interviews, only to be horrified and apologetic when the voice would say things to piss off his opponent.
