Full Career Retrospective and Greatest Moments for Sycho Sid

Dean Ambrose may have the market cornered when it comes to being the most unstable, unpredictable Lunatic Fringe in today's World Wrestling Entertainment, but throughout the 1990s, there was no Superstar who personified those traits more than Sycho Sid.

Liable to drop his best friend with a powerbomb or bash the elderly in the chest with a production camera, he was absolutely unhinged but at the same time had a connection with the fans that led to the hottest streak of his career following his return to WWE in 1996.

A two-time heavyweight champion in Vince McMahon's promotion and a two-time champion in Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling, he was one of the most successful stars of his generation.

"The Man, The Master and the Ruler of the World," he was a dominant force in the industry who blended the perfect look with the personality of a psychopath to create one of the most popular characters of the decade.

A polarizing performer who had as many critics as fans, Sid made it to the mountaintop but, in the eyes of some, still underachieved.

Regardless of what your opinion of the man may be, it is incredibly difficult to ignore the impact he made on both WWE and WCW.

In celebration of his career, let's relive the big man's career.

The Skyscrapers, The Four Horsemen and WCW

Sid's first real introduction to the bright lights and grand stage of national television came in 1989 when he made his WCW debut. As half of the Skyscrapers alongside Danny Spivey, Sid left an indelible mark on fans. At 6'9'', 317 pounds, he was a mountain of a man. Add in his devastating powerbomb, and it really was no surprise that he got over to the level that he did.

Sid and Spivey dominated the competition for months before running into The Steiner Brothers in 1989 at Clash of the Champions. There, Spivey suffered a very real injury that threatened his career.

With his tag team career in limbo, Sid was thrust into the spotlight as the newest member of the elite Four Horsemen faction.

The only problem was that Sid never really fit the mold of the group. He was a hell of a physical specimen but was neither the worker nor personality fans expected from the group.

In 1991, the group came to the amicable decision to split, leaving Sid to test the waters elsewhere.

For the first time in his career, he ventured into WWE.

Justice Is Served

Whereas he had previously been using the moniker "Sid Vicious," the big man debuted at WWE in 1991 as Sid Justice. A babyface, he was almost immediately associated with Hulk Hogan in the war against Iraqi turncoat Sgt. Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa and General Adnan. 

He made his first appearance on pay-per-view at the SummerSlam pay-per-view, serving as guest referee for the huge Handicap tag team main event in which the Hulkster and Ultimate Warrior triumphed over Slaughter and his goons.

In January 1992, Sid had just recovered from a nasty biceps injury and entered himself in the Royal Rumble to decide the new WWE champion. He was one of the clear-cut favorites to emerge with the title, but late in the match a clearly jealous Hogan, upset that he had been eliminated, reached up and grabbed hold of Sid's arm.

Refusing to let go, the supposed All-American hero made it possible for Ric Flair to sneak up behind Sid and toss him to the arena floor, winning the match and the gold.

The actions of Hogan led to Sid's psychotic breakdown, as he betrayed the Hulkster on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event and went on to WrestleMania VIII to battle him in what was supposed to be Hogan's retirement match.

It was not, and Sid lost via disqualification following interference from Papa Shango.

He would leave the company shortly thereafter, returning to WCW.

WCW, Part 2

In 1993, Sid briefly returned to WCW, teaming with Vader in a war with "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and Sting.

The rivalry culminated in a match between the two teams at the Beach Blast pay-per-view, but not before the company wasted a ton of money producing some of the most horribly acted mini-movies of all time.

One part even featured Sid and Vader conspiring to blow up a boat supposedly containing their opponents.

Again competing under the name Sid Vicious, it appeared he was on his way to the main event of Starrcade in December 1993 to square off against his partner in a battle of the powerbomb, but a bloody off-screen assault perpetrated by the Arkansas native on Arn Anderson led to his immediate dismissal from the company after only a few months.

WWE, Part 2

In 1995, Sid returned to WWE as the bodyguard of Royal Rumble winner Shawn Michaels. The muscle behind The Heartbreak Kid, he figured to be integral in the WWE Championship match between Michaels and Diesel at WrestleMania XI.

And he was, except he accidentally cost his employer the win, leading to a verbal altercation between the two the following night on Raw. Unable to control his urge to shut the pretty boy up, he delivered powerbomb after powerbomb until Diesel made the save, cementing Michaels' babyface turn.

Sid would soon join up with Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation and become the top contender to Diesel's WWE title.

He would challenge for the top prize in the industry at In Your House 1, then partner with Tatanka to face Big Daddy Cool and Bam Bam Bigelow at the King of the Ring. Finally, he would receive one last shot at the gold at In Your House 2.

In all three instances, he came out on the losing end, proving that he was simply fodder to help build what Vince McMahon had hoped would be an epic title reign for Diesel.

After losing an intercontinental title match to Michaels on the September 11 episode of Raw, Sid again disappeared from television.

He would return months later, though, siding with Michaels and waging war with Jim Cornette's stable of Owen Hart, British Bulldog and Vader.

As a babyface, Sid became arguably the most popular star at WWE—even more popular than Michaels, which had to be a hard pill for the then-WWE champion to swallow. In every arena the big man entered beginning in July 1996, the eruptions for his arrival intensified.

Soon, McMahon had no choice but to scrap the original plans for Michaels vs. Vader at Survivor Series in November and replace it with Michaels vs. Sid, a battle of two babyfaces.

On that night, the fans in Madison Square Garden greeted Sid with a thunderous ovation, gravitating to the uniqueness of his character and the coolness of his persona. They booed Michaels out of the building, leading to one of the weirdest dynamics ever.

As Sid pummeled the legendary Jose Lothario with a camera, then did the same to Michaels en route to winning his first heavyweight title, the fans cheered. They liked the brutality and were glad to see the generic babyface Michaels get knocked off the mountaintop.

But over the months that followed, Sid turned heel so as not to steal the babyface heat from either Michaels or the returning Bret Hart. It hurt him tremendously. He lost momentum as a heel and was simply an afterthought at a rapidly changing WWE.

Sure, he lost and regained the title early in 1997, but by the time The Undertaker pinned his shoulders to the mat at WrestleMania 13 in April, his usefulness was gone. No longer representative of the direction WWE wanted to go, he was done with the company, missing out on the monumental Attitude Era in which he would have fit perfectly.

WCW, Part 3: This Is The End

Sid returned to WCW midway through 1999, having missed out on the company's boom period, perhaps making him the unluckiest star in wrestling history.

He immediately joined Randy Savage, partnering with The Macho Man to battle Kevin Nash for the WCW Championship. He succeeded, assisting his legendary associate in capturing the title. But that relationship fell apart in short order, and Sid suddenly began an undefeated streak that grew exponentially with every passing show.

The story culminated in a series of brutal bouts with Goldberg. He would lose both of the high-profile matches between them.

As 2000 began, Sid turned babyface and was given a run with the heavyweight title. The premier babyface in the first half of the year, he fought the likes of Scott Hall and Jeff Jarrett before being stripped of the WCW Championship at the start of the storyline featuring The Millionaire's Club versus The New Blood.

He would disappear from television in time for softball season, then return in time for the Starrcade pay-per-view, where he challenged Scott Steiner for the top prize in the company. They would again meet at the Sin event in January, but tragedy would strike in that match.

Sid came off the top rope for a big boot but landed awkwardly, shattering his leg in one of the most sickening injuries of all time. His foot turned in the opposite direction, a compound fracture sending pain shooting up his leg, Sid's days as an in-ring competitor came to an end almost immediately.

It was a sad ending to a career that could still benefit the industry. Sid was still over enough and still a captivating enough character that he could have been a key piece of the Invasion angle, had he been able to compete.

Thankfully, he had the opportunity to make up for that ending with an appearance on Raw in 2012, defeating Heath Slater. His return was greeted with a tremendous ovation from a WWE audience that not only remembered him but appreciated everything he had accomplished throughout his career.