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- There are many cases where a faction will make a wrestler a bigger star than ever before. Looking at today's wrestling landscape, two current world champions and one of the best wrestlers in the business were all part of The Shield, a group that had the rare success of seeing complete success post-breakup. However, there are many other cases where a wrestler leaves a faction, and his or her career is never the same again. This was especially true in WCW, where a wrestler ends up quitting and disappearing completely in some cases, and in others, a once-promising star becomes a jobber to the stars after setting out on his own. In every case, it is disappointing to see someone who had a shot at success fail to reach the top once they got a chance to stand on their own two feet.
The importance of joining a faction can boost one’s wrestling career, but the opposite effect can come when leaving the group. WCW saw quite a few wrestlers struggling in their time after either getting kicked out, leaving, or having a faction end. The creative team didn’t always have great ideas in mind for the entire roster and a huge change could easily cause momentum to fall apart.
Each of the following wrestlers saw their careers taking huge hits after ending their time in their respective WCW factions. The talents couldn’t accomplish much more in WCW, and some never even recovered in other promotions. WCW witnessed these wrestlers suffering after their time in their groups ended.
UPDATE: 2022/07/25 14:30 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS
There are many cases where a faction will make a wrestler a bigger star than ever before. Looking at today's wrestling landscape, two current world champions and one of the best wrestlers in the business were all part of The Shield, a group that had the rare success of seeing complete success post-breakup. However, there are many other cases where a wrestler leaves a faction, and his or her career is never the same again. This was especially true in WCW, where a wrestler ends up quitting and disappearing completely in some cases, and in others, a once-promising star becomes a jobber to the stars after setting out on his own. In every case, it is disappointing to see someone who had a shot at success fail to reach the top once they got a chance to stand on their own two feet.
15 Jimmy Garvin (The Freebirds)
Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin was one of the biggest names in the territories in the 1980s, working everywhere from World Class to Crockett Promotions. In WCW, he ended up joining a new version of The Freebirds with Michael Hayes and the two enjoyed tag team success, winning the WCW tag titles.
RELATED: 10 Tag Teams Who Thrived In One Era But Flopped In Another
However, this didn't last. After working with managers (Diamond Dallas Page) and sidekicks (Brad Armstrong's Badstreet), Bill Watts took over booking duties and broke them up. They lost their tag titles and Garvin ended up jobbing out and leaving WCW. Garvin tried to get on with WWE, failed, and ended up retiring.
14 Stevie Ray (nWo)
Stevie Ray was one of WCW's biggest stars in the tag team division when he was part of Harlem Heat, the team that held the most WCW tag team titles in history. However, just like with the Steiner Bros, WCW saw big things in breaking up the teams. Just like Rick Steiner, Stevie never saw the same success after his team broke up.
Stevie Ray got a run with the nWo, though, and he saw minor success in that endeavor. However, while Booker T won multiple world titles, Stevie Ray ended up leaving the nWo, and his wrestling career basically ended at that point when it comes to any level of success.
13 Dick Slater (Tennessee Stud Stable)
Dirty Dick Slater was a top heel in the territories and had a run in WCW as a redneck heel. It was at this time that he joined the Stud Stable, which was Robert Fuller's stable when he was Col. Rob Parker in WCW. Slater had big shoes to fill because he replaced Terry Funk in the group.
He was good in his role and won the WCW tag team titles from Harlem Heat with Bunckhouse Brown (Jimmy Golden), but he ended up kicked out when Col. Parker tried to win over Sister Sherri. Slater's career ended one year later.
12 Hacksaw Jim Duggan (Team Canada)
WCW made a lot of questionable booking decisions, but having Hacksaw Jim Duggan turn on the U.S.A. might have been one of the most bizarre. While he was never a great wrestler, Duggan was a star and fans loved him because of who he was, an outspoken and proud American.
He won very few titles outside the territories in the 1980s, but he was always an enormous star and draw. WCW had him turn heel in 2000 and join Lance Storm's Team Canada, and fans didn't know how to react. When the faction turned on him, fans had grown tired of Duggan and his career never recovered.
11 Curt Hennig (West Texas Rednecks)
Fans could argue that Curt Hennig's career took a turn for the worse when the nWo kicked him out of that faction. However, his next faction had some fans when he formed the West Texas Rednecks with Barry Windham, Kendall Windham, and Bobby Duncan Jr.
That faction at least feuded with the No Limit Soldiers for a slightly entertaining angle. However, when that group disbanded, it seemed Hennig had nothing left. He had a series of win-or-retire matches and eventually left WCW in 2000. He had limited matches in WWE and TNA after that, but nothing memorable.
10 Bam Bam Bigelow (The Jersey Triad)
The Jersey Triad forming in WCW gave bigger roles to Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Kanyon working with good friend Diamond Dallas Page. WCW gave the Jersey Triad enough promo time to become an effective heel group.
RELATED: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Bam Bam Bigelow
The faction ending saw Kanyon benefiting from the time by still working upper card programs with DDP. Bigelow was the odd man out struggling to find a role and having a terrible feud with Shawn Stasiak at the end. The extremely talented Bam Bam never had another noteworthy run after the trio ended.
9 Paul Roma (Four Horsemen)
WCW adding Paul Roma to a new version of the Four Horsemen in the early ‘90s showed how much they wanted to make him a star. Roma had a good look, but his wrestling skills were weak compared to Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in the faction.
Tension between the three saw Roma eventually removed and building real-life resentment towards them. Roma formed the Pretty Wonderful tag team with Paul Orndorff that went nowhere and saw him career flopping without the Horsemen.
8 Horace Hogan (New World Order)
Hulk Hogan used his WCW clout to get his nephew Horace Hogan involved in his storyline with Ultimate Warrior. Horace hitting Warrior with the weakest chair shot ever won Hogan the match and gave Horace a spot in the New World Order.
WCW gave Horace more matches and television time with the rest of the group until they relegated him to the nWo B-Team. The end of that faction saw Horace’s time on television going down and his career never taking off again.
7 Evan Karagias (3 Count)
WCW found a rare successful act in the final year when 3 Count spoofed boy bands with a heel singing and dancing group. Evan Karagias was actually the leader since he spent more time in WCW than the other members Shane Helms and Shannon Moore.
The group eventually saw Karagias kicked out and trying to move forward on his own. Helms and Moore accomplished more success in WCW and WWE, while Evan couldn’t get another chance in a realistic push. The wrestling career of Karagias ended quietly with him leaving the industry completely.
6 Sick Boy (The Flock)
Robert Vick played the character of Sick Boy in WCW when becoming part of Raven’s Flock faction. The concept of The Flock was Raven taking broken wrestlers and molding them into his followers with the grunge look.
Sick Boy didn’t have as much success as Billy Kidman, Scotty Riggs, or Perry Saturn in The Flock, but it ended up being his peak in wrestling. The Flock disbanding led to Sick Boy’s character ending and never getting another chance in WCW. WWE did sign Vick to a smaller deal after WCW, but he only appeared on the secondary shows in enhancement matches.
5 Lex Luger (NWO Wolfpac)
Lex Luger is on the short list of all-time greats that fans could argue for the Mount Rushmore of WCW. However, the final few years turned out to be a disaster that ruined all his years of star power and upper card success.
RELATED: Every Version of Lex Luger, Ranked From Worst To Best
Luger did well in the Wolfpac version of the New World Order, continuing his face run. WCW even had Lex turn heel to join the merged nWo Elite faction. However, the end of the Wolfpac saw him coming off poorly as a heel and having more failed runs transitioning to “The Total Package” name with Miss Elizabeth.
4 Lash LeRoux (Misfits In Action)
Vince Russo came up with the Misfits in Action stable as a way to bring an act with the same style of D-Generation X to WCW. Hugh Morrus led the group of face pranksters with Lash LeRoux, The Wall, Chavo Guerrero and a few others joining.
The group wasn’t necessarily a success, but it helped give the lower cards something important to do. LeRoux suffered a huge decline after the group ended when returning the lower card. No other major promotions had big plans for Lash after he peaked with the Misfits in Action.
3 Kamala (Dungeon Of Doom)
WCW signed Kamala as a former WWE monster who feuded with The Undertaker. The Dungeon of Doom faction existed for wrestlers like Kamala, when WCW came up with the monster heel group to feud with Hulk Hogan.
Kamala ended up having a shorter stint than most and saw that become his final major run in wrestling. The independent circuit allowed him to continue wrestling for years, but Kamala’s mainstream wrestling run ended after the Dungeon tenure.
2 Michael Wallstreet (New World Order)
Many fans forget former WWE star I.R.S was one of the first New World Order members under his WCW name of Michael Wallstreet. The addition of Ted DiBiase to the nWo saw Vincent and Wallstreet joining as his former allies.
Wallstreet always played a great heel, but a weak angle wrote him out of the group. WCW claimed his contract prevented him from being a member of a rival group like the nWo and saw him playing an anti-WCW character moving forward. The rest of his WCW run was a waste of time, as he didn’t get another chance at getting over.
1 Steve "Mongo" McMichael (Four Horsemen)
WCW added former NFL star Steve "Mongo" McMichael to the Four Horsemen because of his athletic potential and the chance to learn from the right names. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson both spoke highly of Mongo and enjoyed working with him.
The later versions of the Horsemen were still over, with McMichael and Chris Benoit adding fresh energy to the legendary act. WCW ending the Horsemen twice during Mongo’s stint with them each led to nothing of note panning out. McMichael left WCW and pro wrestling when the company couldn’t find anything for him after the final Horsemen run.
