Interest in WCW is seeing a huge resurgence, with The Rock's Seven Bucks Productions airing a full docies on "Who Killed WCW?" for Vice, and some interesting claims about the controversial Netflix documentary on Vince's life. Led by billionaire Ted Turner, the often-ruled promotion famously outperformed WWE in the ratings for 83 weeks before being eventually bought and owned by WWE.

In the subsequent years, programming would often point out how that went wrong, with the not-so-subtle suggestion that WCW's quality was rarely up to the standards set by WWE, before and after. However, this is not necessarily true. The quality of the in-ring work across WCW's lifespan includes some of the most overlooked matches in the history of professional wrestling, both within that 83-week glory period and across its entire existence. These are the essential matches that aren't spoken about anywhere near loudly enough.

10 Bret Hart vs Chris Benoit (Nitro, 1999)

A Tribute Match to the Late, Great Owen Hart

Perhaps the greatest tragedy in the history of professional wrestling broadcasts, the ing of Owen Hart remains one of the most emotionally affecting moments for both performers and the audience. On the WWE Raw tribute episode to Owen, Jeff Jarrett was brought to tears during his match with Test. Owen, brother, Bret Hart, was in the WCW at that time, so his own tribute happened on the TNT network when he stepped through the ropes into a WCW ring.

Two of the most celebrated in-ring performers of all time put on a wrestling clinic in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. The crowd chants Owen Hart's name as the match unfolds spotlessly. Bret Hart's WCW run is much maligned by both himself and wrestling's history book but this is an essential match in the history of the Hitman.

9 Sting vs Scott Hall (Uncensored, 1998)

Sting’s Crow Era Begins To Come of Age in This Classic Match

It is widely known that it was Scott Hall who suggested to Sting that he adopt the look and feel of Brandon Lee's The Crow, dropping the surfer look he'd been known for in the early part of the 1990s. After taking on the persona and looking down from the rafters like The Dark Knight, Sting would slowly begin to return to in-ring competition in the name of preventing the NWO from taking over his home, WCW. This match was Sting's first defense as WCW Champion, after finally overcoming Hulk Hogan a couple of months on from his infamous match with the NWO leader at Starcade 97.

Sting's sixth WCW Championship reign would last 71 days, beginning after beating Hulk Hogan for the title at SuperBrawl VIII and conceding it to Randy Savage at Spring Stampede 98.

A No DQ stipulation was included in the match that would become the sixth and final time that Scott Hall would ever main event a WCW PPV. The stipulation for the match allowed for NWO interference, but Sting's relentless pursuit of justice and gaining victory in the face of insurmountable odds is a satisfying part of the Stinger's journey towards reasserting his dominance as the head of WCW.

8 Randy Savage vs The Giant (Nitro, January 27th, 1997)

An Underrated Classic From the WCW vs Nwo Angle

Having been one of the group's earliest additions, The Giant Paul Wight (later WWE's Big Show) was kicked out of the NWO in the later part of 1996. After having been the man who Hulk Hogan leg-dropped to form the NWO in the first place, Randy Savage was firmly cemented as one of the NWO's biggest stars by the April of 1997. Upon his return, Wight would target Savage (who was himself in a feud with Diamond Dallas Page) with this match being an underrated classic within that angle.

Randy Savage and The Giant wrestled each other three times on Nitro in 1997. Not one of those matches resulted in a pinfall or submission victory.

Wight would assert his seven-foot-tall dominance over Savage, with Macho Man using his signature eye-rakes and trying to choke The Giant to catch a break from his relentless attacks. The match ended with trademark WCW run-ins and a brawl. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash would interfere, DDP would then hit the ring to make the save as the match was declared a DQ victory for The Giant. The star power across the match alone makes the whole thing feel like a 2K Dream Match come to life.

7 The Steiner Brothers vs The Outsiders (WCW Road Wild, 1997)

A Fun Clash of Styles Between Two of Wcw’s Most Iconic Tag Teams

The Steiner Brothers are one of WCW's true legendary teams, best known for their clashes with fellow WCW legends Harlem Heat, The Nasty Boys, and The Road Warriors. The Outsiders are best ed for their singles runs and as of the NWO, but across 1996-97, The Steiners and The Outsiders had some incredible bouts. The NWO had to start dismantling the faces of WCW when they first arrived in the company. Alongside Ric Flair and Sting, the Steiner Brothers were one of the most recognizable faces of the brand and were perfect foes for the renegade faction.

The Outsiders' victory was a significant moment for them as momentum continued to build for their arrival in WCW. Bron Breakker fans will get a kick out of the barking from the WCW audience back in 1997. The final stages of the match are sublime, including a blocked Frankensteiner attempt from Scott Steiner and a brutal Jackknife Powerbomb from Scott Hall. WCW's tag team wrestling was largely at its greatest in the early 90s but this is a stand-out tag-team classic from the lead-up to the height of the company's popularity.

6 Hulk Hogan vs Arn Anderson (Nitro, February 12th, 1996)

One of the Great Matches From Hogan’s Initial Face Run in WCW

Wrestling folklore is filled with false information and "not quite" truths. The story of Hulk Hogan in WCW suggests he arrived and the people were sick of the red-and-yellow. This led to Hogan turning black-and-white for his heel run and everybody lived happily ever after (or at least for a little while). That is not entirely true and definitely not the whole story.

Ahead of his legendary heel turn, Hulk Hogan was locked in a feud with Ric Flair and the legendary Four Horsemen. Arn Anderson is famously 'The Enforcer' of the Horsemen and one of the most dependable, hard-hitting in-ring workers in the history of the business. The match is best known for being one of the few occasions in his career that Hogan would suffer a clean three count. Granted, this came after plenty of dastardly cheating. Woman threw salt in the Hulkster's eyes and Arn Anderson then drilled him with Miss Elizabeth's high-heel shoe to score the victory.

5 Sting vs Bret Hart (Halloween Havoc, October 25th, 1998)

An Underrated United States Championship Classic

The United States Championship is known today for its prominence on WWE SmackDown. Over the years, the US Championship has had defining reigns for everyone from John Cena and Rey Mysterio to Logan Paul. Still, it is often forgotten as being WCW's Intercontinental counterpart for most of The Golden Age of Wrestling in the late 80s and early 90s. This is one of the great forgotten matches from that period.

These are two of the best in-ring technicians of all time locked into an intense dream match. Bret Hart works the match heel, driving Sting's baseball bat into his throat from the middle rope to win with a dirty finish, but the match itself is worthy of both men's legendary status.

4 Raven vs Diamond Dallas Page (Spring Stampede, 1998)

Raven's Rules for the United States Championship

DDP and Raven were a perfect match for one another. Diamond Dallas Page was one of WCW's greatest success stories. For a company that is correctly lambasted for being unable to organically make new stars, DDP is one of the few to buck that trend in WCW's glory period. Raven was one of a slew of plug-in-and-play acquisitions from ECW and the pair were involved in a heated feud throughout 1998, having four matches, including three on PPV. This is the pick of the bunch.

Both men were in the same no-holds-barred psychological zone for this bout, dressed in denim and ready for a Street Fight-flavored war. Because WCW loved to be as on the nose as possible, one of the match's biggest spots involved DDP elbow-dropping Raven from off the top of a stagecoach onto bales of hay at Spring Stampede. Don't let the ridiculousness detract from the quality of the match, however. This match is an absolute barn burner.

3 Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Juventud Guerrera (Nitro, September 16, 1996)

In-Ring Excellence From the ECW Graduates

There is a school of thought that exists that if your checkbook is big enough, the world is your oyster. Famously, in a bingo hall in Philidelphia, a new wave of cruiserweights had been wowing anyone cool enough to have discovered ECW at that time. WCW soon began employing the best of ECW's talent on lucrative contracts and had the added bonus of not having the looming threat of extinction hanging over the company's head (yet).

Mexican wrestling sensations Rey Mysterio Jr. and Juventud Guerrera both made the leap from Paul Heyman's tutelage to WCW's bigger platform. Showcasing high-flying lucha libre to a 90s American audience salivating over regional wrestling flavors, this match is a masterclass in showcasing WCW's cruiserweight division in one of its lesser-promoted classics. Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio got the win with a Springboard Hurricanrana in a match that totally stands the test of time.

2 Ric Flair vs Eddie Guerrero (Nitro, May 20, 1996)

Two Generational Talents Showing Each Other a Thing or Two in a 90s Classic

Ric Flair vs Eddie Guerrero is a match between two of the most entertainingly cunning pro wrestlers of all time. The Dirtiest Player In The Game vs a man who made Lie, Cheat and Steal his mantra. It's a surreal match to exist, considering that both performers are considered icons and they won their first world titles 23 years apart, Flair winning the NWA title for the first time in 1981 and Eddie Guerrero winning his first world title in WWE at No Way Out in 2004.

Both Ric Flair and Eddie Guerrero were United States Champion in 1996.

It's a fascinating back-and-forth match, Eddie Guerrero delivers Ric Flair's signature knife-edge chops in the corner with every bit of venom applied by its architect. The brilliance of this match lies in a young Guerrero showing his fledgling high-flying prowess while Flair is still in his styling and profiling prime. This was their second Nitro match and ended with Flair victorious through a rope-assisted figure-four leg lock

1 Cactus Jack vs Vader (Halloween Havoc, 1993)

Two of the Most Beloved Wrestlers of the 90s Go Head-To-Head in an Iconic Setting

With WCW embracing America's spooky season in a way that WWE never really did, Halloween Havoc is perhaps WCW's most aesthetically iconic PPV. It also doubles as the perfect setting for two of the 90s scariest wrestlers to explode in one of pro wrestling's most dangerous matches. Scary stuff indeed.

This was the last of four matches between Vader and Mick Foley in WCW in 1993. Their record was 2-2.

Recent conversations have turned to things WCW did first and, on the motif, this could be considered the foreshadowing of what would happen in the latter part of the 90s. A wheel is spun to determine the stipulation for WCW Champion, Vader, and Mick Foley's Main Event title match and the outcome is a classic Texas Death Match. Both men bleed, Vader is thrown into a makeshift grave, tables are launched and general carnage is the order of the day as Vader takes the victory in WCW's most overlooked classic.