5 Promising WCW Stars Who Thrived After The Company's Collapse (& 5 Who Went Nowhere)

The end of WCW in 2001 was a crushing time for many wrestlers knowing their lives would change forever. Many went to WWE and had high hopes there, but they already had a deep roster and created a tough environment for the former WCW names to have a fresh slate.

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There were plenty of promising talents that felt on the way up in their careers since WCW was starting a youth movement a little too late in the final year. TNA and Ring of Honor launching helped add some other options, but it was still a new world. The following promising talents from WCW’s end either thrived after the company fell apart or achieved little success.

10 Thrived: Stacy Keibler

Stacy Keibler was still quite new to wrestling when WCW went out of business, but they had already trusted her in noteworthy segments. WWE made Stacy one of the more heavily featured talents from WCW in the Invasion angle and beyond to become a bigger star.

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Keibler became one of the most popular women in WWE history and had a recent WWE Hall of Fame induction due to that success. Any wrestler managing or getting a storyline would receive extra importance since fans cared quite a lot whenever Stacy was on the show.

9 Went Nowhere: Sean O'Haire

There was a lot of hype for Sean O'Haire as the standout member of the Natural Born Thrillers faction. O’Haire had a great look and a level of athleticism that was ahead of its time. Many pundits expected O’Haire to become a breakout star for WWE after the buyout.

WWE did try to push him with a unique gimmick of a master manipulator, but it only lasted about a month. Roddy Piper was added to O’Haire as a mentor until the lack of chemistry hurt both. O’Haire ended up being a bust with the WWE run ending faster than expected.

8 Thrived: Jeremy Borash

Jeremy Borash was a non-wrestler to start their wrestling career at the end of WCW as a broadcaster. The various roles of Borash saw him falling in love with wrestling even more than his time as a fan and inspired him to stay in the business after WCW ended.

TNA launched with Jeff Jarrett making Borash part of the early team of minds making the new company work. Every credible TNA name lists Borash as one of the most important employees in company history and as a jack of all trades. Borash is currently a valued producer for WWE working behind the scenes.

7 Went Nowhere: Crowbar

The end of WCW saw Crowbar as an underrated talent that helped David Flair get over for the first time. Crowbar had a wacky persona and typically had fun hardcore matches to add variety to the show. A talent like that should have found a wrestling home after WCW ended.

Crowbar bounced around various promotions and usually worked on the independent circuit.

The career path of Crowbar saw him working in another profession, while still working smaller shows. Crowbar deserves a lot more love for his WCW efforts despite not getting many big breaks afterward.

6 Thrived: Shane Helms

One of the most unexpected success stories of the post-WCW landscape saw Shane Helms as a top WWE standout in the WCW invasion. Helms looked great at the end of WCW as a tremendous in-ring performer leading the cruiserweight division.

WWE gave him a drastically new character of The Hurricane after Steve Austin made a joke about his Green Lantern tattoo. Helms adopted the superhero persona and became one of the most popular non-main event acts as fans loved The Hurricane.

5 Went Nowhere: Evan Karagias

Evan Karagias was a peer to Shane Helms in the 3 Count faction with Shannon Moore as they played a boy band act. However, Karagias achieved less success than the other time after WCW ended, and he was the odd man out in the WWE scene.

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The independent circuit was where Evan wrestled for a little while longer before leaving the industry altogether. Karagias had his career peak in WCW as a young rising talent that had fleeting tag team and cruiserweight success.

4 Thrived: AJ Styles

It is easy to forget that AJ Styles had a WCW stint as his first big break in wrestling years before becoming a legend in TNA, NJPW, and now WWE. WCW was undergoing a youth movement as a last-ditch effort to save the company.

Styles was part of the short-lived cruiserweight tag team division teaming with Air Paris. Little television time saw AJ doing cool moves, but he couldn’t make an impact with the smaller sample size. TNA benefited immensely from being the place to highlight Styles and make him feel like their first breakout star.

3 Went Nowhere: Kid Romeo

WCW signed Kid Romeo around the same time as AJ Styles as another young prospect to place in the cruiserweight division. Romeo and Elix Skipper had some outstanding matches together to win the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship at the end of the tournament.

Unfortunately for him, WCW went out of business a few weeks into the tag team push. Kid Romeo bounced around the independent circuit and struggled to find a new wrestling home. WCW was unfortunately the peak of a promising career that didn’t get to continue at a high level.

2 Thrived: Torrie Wilson

Kevin Nash was responsible for WCW hiring Torrie Wilson, and it worked out for the best. Wilson was placed in a major storyline seducing David Flair on behalf of the New World Order. The breakup with David led to Torrie finding more popularity with Billy Kidman and the Filthy Animals group.

Wilson actually left WCW a short while before they were sold to WWE and restarted her career when WWE wanted her in the Invasion. The WWE run allowed Torrie to become a legendary and beloved figure in the industry that still gets huge pops today.

1 Went Nowhere: Shawn Stasiak

Shawn Stasiak bounced back and forth between WWE and WCW a few times in a short period. A failed WWE run as Meat led to Stasiak jumping ship and finding more success in WCW. Stasiak felt like he had a chance to break out after being part of the Natural Born Thrillers faction and dating Stacy Keibler.

Bad timing hurt Stasiak’s career as WCW was purchased by WWE during his best chance at success. WWE made him a joke again with the Planet Stasiak gimmick portraying him as a delusional jobber. Stasiak left wrestling shortly after the WWE run flopped and became a successful chiropractor away from the industry.