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.
#5 Ron Simmons
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.