Totally Buffed & 9 Other Random Pairings In WCW

WCW (and its predecessor Jim Crockett Promotions) boasted many legendary tag teams during its existence: The Road Warriors, The Steiner Brothers, Harlem Heat, the Midnight Express... the list goes on.

However, it should come as no surprise that the same company that innovated the 'Lethal Lottery' concept - part of the Battlebowl tourney featuring 'randomly-drawn' pairs that just so happened to create unlikely bedfellows or pit partners and friends against one another - created some very strange pairings. Even leaving those one-off unions aside, there was no shortage of teams that still leaves us shaking our heads over twenty years later.

10 Buff Bagwell & Lex Luger

The team of Totally Buffed - the 'Total Package' Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell - worked better than it should have, considering the individuals' respective paths. Albeit a bit of an underachiever, Luger had been a main event star for about a decade, while the mid-card Bagwell stumbled any time he got a real push.

Bagwell and Luger mostly teamed together as part of a larger faction, the Magnificent Seven, during WCW's dying days, but the two were a decent fit. Luger adapted to Buff's smarmy heel personality fairly well but was unfortunately past his prime. The two continued to be involved with each other some after the company closed, but neither latched on to WWE nor TNA full-time.

9 The Barbarian & Dick Slater

The Barbarian - one of wrestling's most-remembered mid-carders from the 1980s and '90s was the result of tag teams like The Powers of Pain and the Faces of Fear - and 'Dirty' Dick Slater - a rough-and-tumble southern brawler - seemed like they wouldn't have much in common, but their short-lived partnership in WCW was more successful than one might think.

Slater had been in and out of tags and other stables before forming an unlikely alliance with the recently-returned Barbarian and Greg 'the Hammer' Valentine in 1992. He and the Barbarian even hold the dubious honor of being the final WCW United States Tag Team Champions, as shortly after they won the titles from the Fabulous Freebirds, the belts were unceremoniously deactivated.

8 Brian Knobbs & Hugh Morrus

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Diehard Thunder fans are probably among those most likely to remember Brian Knobbs' Jerry Sags-less WCW run, where the newly-solo Nasty Boy enjoyed as successful a run as was probably possible in the company's hardcore division.

Sandwiched in the middle of his 1999-2000 stay, the multi-time tag champion spent some time as part of Jimmy Hart's re-formed First Family along with such luminaries as the Barbarian and Jerry Flynn. Knobbs and Morrus even managed to land a title shot in a three-way at Halloween Havoc '99, but failed to capture the belts and went their separate ways shortly after.

7 Alex Wright & Gen. Rection

Speaking of Bill DeMott, the man who'd come to be known as General Hugh G. Rection (in one of WCW's dumbest rechristenings) and a post-Berlyn Alex Wright became WCW World Tag Team Champions for one night in late 2000, only for the former Hugh Morrus to be quickly cast aside.

For what it's worth, if the Millennium Final event wasn't scheduled for Wright's native Germany, Rection probably wouldn't have held the gold at all. Wright and 'Boogie Knights' partner Disco (now stylized Disqo) Inferno were scheduled to win the belts from Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire in a 'homer' move, but when Disco came up injured, Rection was plugged in his place. He wasn't even afforded the dignity of being a permanent temporary partner, either, as Wright defended - and lost - the belts with new partner Elix Skipper four months later on Nitro.

6 David Flair & Crowbar

Many WCW fans probably never knew this, but before he was the maniacal Crowbar, Devon Storm was considered a top young indie upstart in the late 1990s. Most folks probably figured that if he was going to break through, it'd be on the strength of his high-flying skills, not by his association with a Flair, but that ended up being what he'd be remembered for best by far.

On the other hand, David Flair was the victim of a major push he didn't earn. By the end of 1999, it was obvious that if he was going to stick in wrestling, he'd have to pay his dues in the mid-card. However, the company's booking was so inconsistent by this point despite the odd chemistry the two had along with their valet, Daffney.

5 Big Josh & Ron Simmons

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One of these men was the first Black World Heavyweight Champion and the other eventually wrestled as a literal clown. Maybe that's not fair, as Matt 'Big Josh' Borne's original, evil Doink incarnation was pretty cool, while Ron Simmons - for as important as his place in wrestling history books will forever be - took part in his share of bad storylines over the years.

However, when the two teamed for several months in early 1992 - even winning the United States Tag Titles in their very first match together - neither had experienced their careers' respective peaks yet. They were simply babyface mid-carders needing something to do, and nobody could've predicted that within four months of their breakup, Simmons would go on to defeat Vader and claim the company's ultimate prize.

4 Big Van Vader & Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious was only gone from WCW for about two years when he returned to the company in 1993, but the landscape had changed. While the 'Psycho' one was doling out his brand of justice in WWE until quitting the company shortly after Wrestlemania 8, a new monster heel emerged on the Turner networks: the fearsome Big Van Vader.

Upon Vicious' return, bookers - who were doing their best to replicate Hulk Hogan's 1980s babyface run with Sting - teamed him with Vader, creating the 'Masters of the Powerbomb,' who were perfect foes for the 'Stinger' and new signing 'British Bulldog' Davey Boy Smith. While the story was supposed to end in Vader and Sid turning on each other and facing off at that year's Starrcade PPV, Vicious' infamous hotel room stabbing of Arn Anderson that October brought the angle to a premature end - and it wasn't even softball season.

3 Sting & the Giant

There might be no better case study on how to completely ruin a wrestler's momentum than on what WCW did to Sting following Starrcade 1997. Maybe it was all moot after the infamously botched 'Match of the Century' between the 'Stinger' and Hollywood Hogan, but to go - in just four months, no less - from being the hottest babyface in the world to in an 'odd couple' team with a heel Giant was frankly bonkers.

The story was that, amid a broad nWo split, Sting and the Giant were scheduled to face Kevin Nash and Scott Hall for the Outsiders' Tag Team Titles at Slamboree. However, Hall turned on Nash, aligning himself with the Giant and nWo Hollywood, handing their opponents the win (and the belts). Soon, Sting joined Nash in the nWo Wolfpac. If all this wasn't confusing enough, Sting and the Giant then faced off to determine who got to keep the belts, which Sting won, subsequently choosing Nash as his new partner. Because it was WCW, after all.

2 Rick Steiner & Kenny Kaos

While fans rightfully associate the 'Dog-Faced Gremlin' most with his and brother Scott's legendary duo, Rick Steiner's had a surprising number of partners throughout his career. In fact, between the Bill Kazmaiers and Judy Bagwells of Steiner's past mates, it was hard to pick just one, but we went for the most electrifying choice in Kenny Kaos, erstwhile of High Voltage.

Steiner still won the Tag Team Championship with partner Buff Bagwell at Halloween Havoc 1998 despite Bagwell turning heel and joining opponents The Giant and Rick's brother Scott during the match. Rick was booked as a sympathetic babyface at this time, frequently 'overcoming the odds' in his feud with Big Poppa Pump and the nWo. He chose Kaos as his new partner the following night at Nitro, but their defeat of The Giant and Stevie Ray in defense of the belts was their only time teaming due to an injured Rick needing time off.

1 Bret Hart & Goldberg

Almost from the time Bret Hart returned to WCW in September 1999 (following his brother Owen's tragic death that May) to the moment he had his last match in January 2000, his career was ironically very connected to that of Bill Goldberg's.

The 'Hitman' was in the middle of his last big push, a babyface effort in the wake of all the real-life sympathy he and his family received from wrestling fans due to Owen's accident. He defeated Goldberg (due to interference, because WCW...) for the United States Championship that October, and after Bret graduated to the World Title by winning a tournament at November's Mayhem PPV, Goldberg was set up to be his first challenger at Starrcade. The set-up included one of wrestling's oldest tropes - future opponents-turned-unlikely partners - but ended in a kick to the head that sadly wound up ending Bret's career.