WCW Clash of The Champions XVII

Lawrence Wendell Pfohl, better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler, television producer and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy. He is best known for his work with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and WWE. Luger is a three-time world champion, having held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once; a record-tying five-time NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who owns the records for consecutive days and total days as champion; and the 1994 WWE Royal Rumble winner (with Bret Hart). Although he never won a championship in WWE, he headlined multiple pay-per-view events for the organization. Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted Luger the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1993.

Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and is a current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 8 times, and is considered by many to be the greatest wrestler of all time. He worked for all of the major wrestling promotions, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), WWE, and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was the first NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, which is now known as the WWE United States Championship. Race is one of six men inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

Curtis Hughes is an American professional wrestler, better known under the ring name Mr. Hughes. He is best known for his stints in the World Wrestling Federation. In addition to the WWF, Hughes has also worked for World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, the American Wrestling Federation, and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Hughes currently trains wrestlers in the WWA4 Training School and wrestles on the independent circuit. In 1999, Hughes lost a lot of weight and began working on the independent circuit and later became head trainer at the Atlanta-based World Wrestling Alliance's WWA4 Wrestling School. In late 2003, Hughes worked for the newly formed All World Wrestling League/Big Time Wrestling. In 2006, WWA4 launched a locally-aired professional wrestling program, which Hughes co-hosted with announcer and the executive producer, Taylor McKnight. When Mcknight left WWA4 for Great Championship Wrestling, Dave Wills co-hosted with Hughes. After beginning classes at the WWA4 school, Hughes' weight dropped from 310 pounds to 250 pounds. In 2007, Hughes began a high-profile Memphis Wrestling feud when he called Jerry Lawler a "sell out" for not showing up for a scheduled match against Hulk Hogan (Lawler worked for World Wrestling Entertainment, who objected to the match). Hughes shoved Lawler's real life girlfriend, Renee, on an episode of Memphis Primetime, and the two battled three weeks later at Sam's Town River Palace Arena in Tunica, Mississippi. The match ended when Hughes kneeled and apologized to Lawler, before hitting him with a low blow and punching Renee in the face, thus losing by disqualification. In March 2011, Hughes headlined the inaugural Redneck Wrasslin Organization card in Springfield, Illinois, teaming with Pretty Boy Floyd and Beast to defeat Team Dragonfire. On February 18, 2012, Hughes won a 34-man battle royal for the vacant Peachstate Wrestling Alliance Heritage Championship. On April 11, 2016, he stepped down as head trainer of WWA4 with his trainee AR Fox taking over the role

Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner. Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion (seven times with his brother Scott and once with Kenny Kaos). In addition to tag team success, he was also a one time United States Heavyweight Champion and a three time World Television Champion. In addition to WCW, Steiner also found success in the World Wrestling Federation, where he and Scott won the World Tag Team Championship twice.

is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order. He is also known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (WWE) and Impact Wrestling. Among other accolades, Steiner is a three-time world champion (a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, one-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion), a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW World Television Champion and a one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion. Career Steiner first began training under The Sheik and debuting in the Indiana-based World Wrestling Association in 1986 as Scott Rexsteiner which was a variation of the spelling of his real last name. On August 14, 1986 in Dearborn, Michigan, Steiner defeated "The Great Wojo" Greg Wojciechowski for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship. He held the title until May 3, 1987, when he lost to Wojciechowski in Toledo, Ohio. Steiner then formed a tag team with Jerry Graham, Jr. and the partners defeated Chris Carter and Mohammad Saad with their manager, The Dark Angel, for the WWA Tag Team Championship on October 6, 1987. World Wrestling Federation (1992-1994) The Steiner Brothers left WCW in November 1992, with Scott vacating the WCW World Television Championship. They quickly signed contracts with the World Wrestling Federation, making their televised debut in an interview on the December 21, 1992 edition of WWF Prime Time Wrestling as babyfaces. They also appeared on the debut episode of Monday Night RAW on January 11, 1993. They made their WWF pay-per-view debut on January 24, 1993 at the Royal Rumble, defeating the Beverly Brothers (Blake and Beau). At WrestleMania IX on April 4, 1993, the Steiner Brothers defeated The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995) The Steiner Brothers debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling on July 28, 1995 at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown, New York, defeating Dudley Dudley and Vampire Warrior. They next appeared with ECW in The Flagstaff on August 4, 1995 in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, defeating Dudley Dudley and 2 Cold Scorpio. The Steiner Brothers made their debut in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ECW Arena on August 5 1995 at Wrestlepalooza, teaming with Eddie Guerrero in a loss to Scorpio, Dean Malenko, and Cactus Jack. On August 25 1995 in Jim Thorpe they defeated Scorpio and Malenko, and they went on to defeat Scorpio and Chris Benoit the following evening. On August 28 1995, they defeated Dudley Dudley and Dances With Dudley in the Big Apple Dinner Theater in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

Steve Borden, better known by the ring name Sting, is an American professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the mentor of Darby Allin. He is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, having cultivated a legacy over a career spanning five decades. Throughout his career, he won a total of fifteen world championships. Sting is widely known for his time spent as the public face of two major American professional wrestling promotions: the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which was bought by the WWE in 2001, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling). Although the WWF had purchased WCW, Sting did not sign with them at that time. Prior to WCW, he also wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), and Mid South. Sting's 14-year association with WCW and its predecessor, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), began in 1987. He quickly rose to main event status and has been described as the WCW counterpart to the WWF's Hulk Hogan. Dubbed "The Franchise of WCW", he held a total of 14 championships in the promotion – including the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on six occasions, the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship on two occasions, and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on one occasion – and made more pay-per-view (PPV) appearances for the company than any other wrestler. Against Hogan, Sting headlined the highest-grossing PPV event in WCW history, Starrcade, in December 1997. Upon the acquisition of WCW by the WWF in March 2001, Sting and his long-term rival Ric Flair were chosen to perform in the main event of the final episode of Nitro. Sting would later face Hogan and Flair in their last televised matches, defeating both. Following the expiration of his contract with WCW's parent company, AOL Time Warner, in March 2002, Borden held talks with the WWF, but ultimately did not join the promotion and instead toured internationally with World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) – winning the WWA World Heavyweight Championship – before joining the then-upstart TNA in 2003.[1] Over the following 11 years, he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on one further occasion and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship four times. As a result, he became the only wrestler to have won the NWA, WCW, and TNA World Titles in a career. He was also the inaugural inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2012.

Richard Erwin Rood, better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and WWE, in the 1980s and 1990s. Among other accolades, Rude was a five-time world champion (three-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, one-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time NWA American Heavyweight Championship), one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and one-time WCW United States Champion. The self-proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive", Rude's physique has been named by WWE as the greatest in the history of professional wrestling. He is also recognized by the promotion as one of the greatest talkers of all time. Rude was one of the four original members of D-Generation X in 1997, alongside Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Chyna.

Paul Heyman is an American entertainment executive and performer. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as Special Counsel for Roman Reigns. Heyman owned and was the creative force behind the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion from 1993 until its closure in 2001. Before running and owning ECW, he was a manager under the ring name Paul E. Dangerously in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and other promotions. He is the co-owner of the Looking4Larry Agency in New York City, and was personally named one of Advertising Age's Top 100 Global Marketers. In WWE, Heyman has managed or has served as manager for a record six world champions: WWE Champions, Big Show, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Critics have praised his abilities at managing and on the microphone. Heyman has also competed sporadically in matches, including the WWE Championship main event of the 2002 Rebellion pay-per-view.

Brian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in the 1990s. Pillman had a legacy as "The Loose Cannon", a wrestling gimmick that would see him do a series of worked-shoots that would gain him a degree of infamy for his unpredictable character. He was also known for being extremely agile in the ring, although a car accident in April 1996 from which he received extensive ankle injuries limited his in-ring ability.

Marc Mero is an American former amateur boxer and professional wrestler, as well as a motivational speaker. He is best known for his appearances with WWE under his real name and with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Johnny B. Badd. Today, Marc Mero contributes much of his time to the nonprofit organization he founded in 2007, Champion of Choices. Mero was heavily pushed as a mid-carder as "Johnny B. Badd" in WCW during the early 1990s. He won the promotion's World Television Championship three times during the course of his career before departing the company due to creative differences in 1996. He would then compete in WWE under his real name, making his debut at WrestleMania XII and going on to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. He would then feud with his wife Sable before departing in 1998. Mero's last mainstream appearance was in TNA, where he wrestled sporadically in the mid-2000s.

Theodore Robert Rufus Long is an American former professional referee, and manager currently signed to WWE, where he appears on occasion, serving as an on-screen authority figure. Long began his career in The National Wrestling Alliance and made his WWE debut in 1998 as a referee. He transitioned to be an on-screen manager in 2003 and later served as general manager of SmackDown! for two tenures lasting a combined six years as well as one stint as ECW general manager. In 2017, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Ron Simmons and John Layfield.

Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW. He currently serves as the senior producer for WWE's Raw brand. On March 31, 2012, Anderson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fameas a member of the Four Horsemen.

Lawrence "Larry" Whistler is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s. Zbyszko's ring name has in the past been misspelled Zbysko or Zybysko. The correct spelling of the name, Zbyszko, is derived from the name of Polish wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko.

Richard Henry Blood better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and WWE. In the NWA and WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a four-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a four-time World Television Champion, a twelve-time World Tag Team Champion (eight-time under the WCW banner, one-time (though unofficial) under the NWA banner, and three-time under the Mid-Atlantic banner), and a two-time Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion. In WWE, Steamboat was a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

Dustin Patrick Runnels is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE from 1995 to 2019 under the gimmick and ring name Goldust. The son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and the half-brother of fellow wrestler Cody Rhodes (who later presented a deep and dramatic spin-off character of the Goldust gimmick, entitled Stardust), he is also known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling). Between WWE and WCW, Runnels has won 23 total championships. In WCW, he was a two-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time Six-Man Tag Team Champion, and a two-time World Tag Team Champion. In WWE, he is a three-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, nine-time Hardcore Champion, one-time WWE World Tag Team Champion, and two-time WWE Tag Team Champion. Runnels has also appeared in the second most Royal Rumble matches, at 13. Rhodes headlined multiple pay-per-view events for the WWF and WCW during the 1990s. He is also a former Sammy Guevara's Vlog champion.

Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In NWA/WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time Television Champion, a one-time Western States Heritage Champion, a four-time NWA (Mid Atlantic)/WCW World Tag Team Champion and a one-time NWA United States Tag Team Champion with Ron Garvin. In WWF, he was a two-time World Tag Team Champion with his brother-in-law, Mike Rotunda. On March 31, 2012, Windham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen. In his last World Championship Wrestling run, Barry Windham was originally brought back to WCW by Eric Bischoff who had him turn on Ric Flair. Barry was then loosely associated with Bischoff's nWo Hollywood for a while before forming a tag team with Curt Hennig. At SuperBrawl IX, Hennig and Windham defeated Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko in the finals of a tag team tournament to win the vacant WCW World Tag Team Championship. Barry reinjured his knee during this period but would return as part of "The West Texas Rednecks" in mid-1999. They were supposed to be a heel group to feud with rapper Master P's "No Limit Soldiers" but the southern fans of WCW cheered the Rednecks, going against what WCW management and booking had hoped for, and the angle was eventually dropped. The group consisted of his brother Kendall Windham, Curt Hennig, and Bobby Duncum Jr.; Duncum was replaced by Curly Bill after he was injured and shortly before the group was disbanded and the Rednecks storyline was dropped. On August 23, 1999 edition of Nitro, the Windham brothers defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) to win their final WCW World Tag Team Championship, before losing the titles back to Harlem Heat at Fall Brawl 1999. Both Barry and Kendall were shortly after released by WCW. By the end of 1999, they all had left WCW and Barry worked for Ted DiBiase's promotion WXO and World Wrestling Council (WWC), where he won the latter's World Tag Team Championship in Puerto Rico with brother Kendall. Windham worked as a producer for WWE. In 2007, he appeared on the Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen DVD. Barry was also seen during the 2007 WWE Hall of Fame broadcast, sitting next to former partner John "Bradshaw" Layfield. In June 2007, Windham did the introduction of SuperBrawl Windham has a son named Callan and a daughter named Abigail with his ex-wife, Kebra. He is also the maternal uncle of present-day WWE wrestlers Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas. On October 26, 2011, it was reported that he was hospitalized for either a very serious stroke or a massive heart attack and was in an ICU unit. He was found at his ranch by his brother-in-law Mike Rotunda.His family confirmed that Windham suffered a heart attack. His father Blackjack Mulligan posted a message to Facebook saying "I have a son near death". He was later moved to a facility in Orlando, Florida for a MRI on his neck due to the fall he took from the heart attack.

Michael "Mick" Foley is a retired American professional wrestler and author, currently signed to WWE under its "Legends" program as an ambassador. Foley worked for several wrestling promotions including WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA, and NWA, as well as in Japan. A key figure of the Attitude Era and regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers in history, Foley participated in WrestleMania's main events in 1999 and 2000 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Foley wrestled under various personas: Cactus Jack, Mankind, and Dude Love, collectively known as the "Three Faces of Foley." Notably, he entered the 1998 Royal Rumble three times under these different personas. Foley is a four-time world champion and an 11-time world tag team champion. His Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker is remembered as one of the greatest and most controversial matches of all time, cementing his reputation as "The Hardcore Legend" due to his brutal and physical wrestling style.

Melissa Ann Hiatt, better known by her ring name, Missy Hyatt, is an American retired professional wrestling valet, commentator, and occasional professional wrestler. She is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1987 to 1994; she has also appeared with World Class Championship Wrestling, the Universal Wrestling Federation, the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Impact Wrestling.

Steven James Anderson, formerly Steven James Williams, better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. Billed as "The Most Popular Superstar in WWE History", he gained significant mainstream popularity in the WWF during the mid-to-late 1990s as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who routinely defied his boss, Vince McMahon. This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping off McMahon and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, his finishing move. McMahon inducted Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Austin held nineteen championships throughout his professional wrestling career, and is recognized by WWE as a six-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship on six occasions, and the fifth Triple Crown Champion. He was also the winner of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, as well as the 1997, 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles. He was forced to retire from in ring competition in early 2003 due to a series of knee and neck injuries sustained throughout his career. Throughout the rest of 2003 and 2004, he was featured as the Co-General Manager and "Sheriff" of Raw. Since 2005, he has continued to make occasional appearances. In 2011, Steve Austin returned to WWE to host the reality series Tough Enough. On August 14, 2002, Austin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pleaded no contest on November 25, 2002, and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service.] Marshall told Fox News that Austin beat her three times and that the 2002 incident was the result of roid rage. She also stated that WWE knew of the abuse, working to conceal the bruises on her face, and kept her from revealing that Austin hit her, as it would cost the company millions of dollars. During his early years as a wrestler, Austin was a technical wrestler. However, after his neck injury against Owen Hart in 1997, he changed his style from technical to brawler. His most famous finishing move is the Stone Cold Stunner, or simply Stunner. During his time as The Ringmaster he used the Million Dollar Dream as finisher, since it was Ted DiBiase's finisher. During his time in WCW, Austin used the Stun Gun as finisher One of Austin's taunts during the Attitude Era was to show the middle finger. In August 2001, Austin cut a promo, debuting his catchphrase "What?", which is used today by fans when they want to mock wrestlers during promos

Scott Oliver Hall was an American professional wrestler. He was known for his work within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as Razor Ramon and with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name. Hall began his career in 1984, before rising to prominence after signing with the WWF in May 1992, assuming the name Razor Ramon. While within the company, he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship four times. He departed the company in May 1996, and subsequently defected to WCW, where he became a founding member of the New World Order (nWo) faction, along with Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash. In the company, he became a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WCW World Television Champion, and a nine-time WCW World Tag Team Champion. He left WCW in February 2000, and returned to the WWF (later renamed WWE) for a short stint in 2002. He spent the rest of his career wrestling for various promotions, such as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he held the TNA World Tag Team Championship once, with Kevin Nash and Eric Young. Although he never won a world championship in a major promotion, Hall was nonetheless a two-time world champion, as he held the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship and the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a singles competitor in 2014, and again as a member of the nWo in 2020. Description above from the Wikipedia article Scott Hall, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team 'The Midnight Express' with the ring name "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with "Lover Boy" Dennis Condrey and, later on, with "Sweet" Stan Lane. He has also worked with a number of other tag team partners, including Koko B. Ware, Steve Keirn, Chris Benoit and "Lord" Steven Regal. In his career, Eaton wrestled for extended periods of time for various wrestling promotions: Mid-America Wrestling, Continental Wrestling Association, Mid-South Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He has also made brief guest appearances for Extreme Championship Wrestling and NWA Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, in addition to appearances for a considerable number of independent wrestling promotions over the years. He currently performs part-time, teaming with either Lane and/or Condrey under the Midnight Express name.

Terri Runnels, an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and television host, made her mark in the wrestling world under various personas. She started her career in WCW as Miss Alexandra York before transitioning to WWF/WWE where she was known as Marlena and later used her real name. During her time in WWE, Runnels became well-known for managing several high-profile wrestlers, including her then-husband Dustin Runnels (Goldust), the Hardy Boyz, and Edge & Christian. She also had memorable on-screen feuds, including a rivalry with The Kat. Beyond managing, she served as a host and interviewer, and even briefly held the Hardcore Championship. After retiring from professional wrestling, Runnels has dedicated her time to philanthropic endeavors.