Remembering the Best WCW Superstars Who Never Wrestled for WWE

Harlem Heat as WCW tag team champions.Credit: WWE.com

When Vince McMahon purchased WCW in 2001, many of the biggest names on the roster were brought into WWE over the following years.

Before the two companies became one, many of the most popular Superstars from the Monday Night War spent time working for both companies.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and many more jumped ship at least once, if not multiple times.

However, for every Superstar who was popular enough to be hired by both companies, there was someone who worked for WCW who never got the chance to perform in a WWE ring.

Let's take a stroll down memory lane and look at some of the best WCW wrestlers who never ended up signing with WWE.

If you consider yourself an amateur wrestling historian, then you have to know who Masahiro Chono is and why he is such a legend in the business.

As the leader of NWO Japan, Chono was WCW's main representative in NJPW and one of the stars Eric Bischoff used to create a relationship between the two promotions.

His resume is impressive, with a reign as IWGP champion, seven reigns as IWPG tag team champion alongside The Great Muta and Hiroyoshi Tenzan and the most G1 Climax victories with five.

Chono retired in 2014, but you can find countless matches of his on YouTube, NJPW's streaming service and even WWE Network. 

If you have never seen Chono's work, take the time to check him out. He will likely end up in the WWE Hall of Fame someday.

This one is a bit tricky because Scott Norton technically appeared at a WWE house show in 1994, but since he never signed a contract and never appeared on television, he merits inclusion on this list.

Norton was the definition of a bruiser. He was a big man who knew how to brawl and was quicker on his feet than most men his size.

He spent several years working for WCW as a member of the New World Order, but he never won any gold with the promotion. His greatest accomplishments all happened in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Norton is one of the few foreigners to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and found great success in the tag team division. He is semi-retired from the ring but did appear in NJPW as recently as 2017 at Wrestle Kingdom 11.

Booker T ended up having a long and fruitful career in WWE after WCW shut down, but his brother, Stevie Ray, never worked for the company.

As Harlem Heat, Booker and Stevie Ray held the WCW Tag Team Championship a record 10 times, but he also found success as a singles competitor when he became a member of the NWO.

After he decided to cut down his time as an in-ring competitor, Stevie Ray became a color commentator for WCW for a short time.

Thankfully, WWE chose to recognize his accomplishments when it inducted Harlem Heat into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Before WCW became edgy and cool, it was just like WWE in the early '90s. Colorful characters with defined gimmicks dominated the landscape, and one of the most memorable was Alex Wright.

Debuting in WCW in 1994, Wright portrayed a German techo enthusiast who would often pull women from the crowd to dance with him before and after his matches.

He had an impressive undefeated streak that saw him gain wins over Disco Inferno, Bobby Eaton, Arn Anderson and Triple H, back when he was known as Jean-Paul Levesque.

He turned heel and adopted a darker gimmick later in the '90s, going by the name Berlyn. He held the cruiserweight, TV and tag team titles during his time with the company.

Because his contract was with AOL Time Warner instead of WCW, WWE opted not to bring him in when it purchased the company in 2001. He returned to Europe and became a successful promoter with New European Championship Wrestling.

WCW's cruiserweight division gets a lot of well-earned credit for bringing the lucha libre style of wrestling to prominence in the United States, but some stars don't get the recognition they deserve.

One of those people is Super Calo. When WCW first began using cruiserweights to showcase a more exciting style of wrestling, Calo was instrumental.

Unfortunately, he never won any gold in WCW, but he was much more successful in his home country of Mexico, where he won numerous matches with his beloved mask on the line.

He worked for AAA for many years before going into semi-retirement in 2009. His two sons, Alan and Chris Stone, work for AAA as the tag team Los Bellos Stones.

Ole Anderson is a controversial wrestler who has made some enemies in the wrestling business, but his time with The Four Horseman makes him a legend.

Not only was he a successful tag team wrestler alongside his kayfabe brother, Arn Anderson, but he was also a prominent booker for WCW before Eric Bischoff was given the keys to the kingdom.

He was a mainstay in the NWA territories and held dozens of singles and tag titles with legends like Jerry Brisco, Ivan Koloff, Ron Garvin, Ernie Ladd and Stan Hansen.

Oddly enough, one of the most famous moments he was involved in did not see Anderson appear on screen. He voiced the infamous Shockmaster during a memorable segment that became a meme before memes were a thing.

Like Super Calo, La Parka is a WCW cruiserweight who does not get enough credit for how good he was.

Not only was his skeleton attire one of the coolest outfits of all time, but he was also one of the most creative performers between the ropes.

His frequent use of steel chairs earned him the nickname Chairman of the Board, and while he never won the WCW cruiserweight title, he has held numerous championships in other promotions such as AAA and Major League Wrestling.

He has one of the most impressive records when it comes to defending his mask and continues to perform in Mexico to this day.

La Parka left WCW in 2000 and never ended up working for WWE. Maybe we will get lucky and WWE will bring him in for a gimmick Battle Royal someday.

WCW prominently featured wrestlers from Japan for several years, and one of the most recognizable and experienced among them was Hiroyoshi Tenzan.

Technically, Tenzan rarely made appearances for WCW, but he was a founding member of NWO Japan alongside Chono, making him part of the company's history.

He held the NWA World and Tag Team Championships, as well as being one of the most decorated Superstars in NJPW history.

He is a four-time IWGP champion, 12-time IWGP tag team champion, a three-time G1 Climax winner and the winner of multiple other tournaments and awards.

His nearly 30-year career has seen him become one of Japan's most well-known wrestlers and someone who will almost certainly end up in the WWE Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.

That's right, folks. One of the most ridiculous gimmicks in TNA Impact history appeared in WCW and on the indy scene first.

Shark Boy is not a name you hear often when people talk about the most memorable wrestlers, but he deserves to be recognized for his ability to entertain a crowd.

He made appearances on WCW Saturday Night and Thunder during his short stint with the company, but most people will know him for his Steve Austin impressions in TNA.

His Stone Cold parody became a huge hit and defined his character for a long time. He even earned Austin's seal of approval for the impression.

Shark Boy represented the fun side of pro wrestling during a time when most people wanted to be cool and serious characters. We need more Superstars like him who put the entertainment of the crowd above their egos.

The wrestlers on this list are just some of the former WCW Superstars who never appeared on WWE television. Who is your favorite?