5 WCW wrestlers who should be WWE Hall of Famers

WCW acted as a vicious competition to WWE throughout the 1990s. This led to the creation of the infamous Monday Night Wars, with WWE RAW and WCW Nitro going head-to-head. The latter show trumped Vince McMahon's promotion for a consistent period before the tide turned.

Today, WWE remains the world's premier professional wrestling company. WCW folded back in 2001, and a number of its wrestlers still appear on major promotions including WWE and AEW.

Many WCW stars have been gradually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. They include the likes of Sting, Ric Flair, and Booker T. However, most of them were wrestlers who also found some success in McMahon's company. Here is a list of five former WCW stars who deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

---

#5 Former WWE Superstar Ultimo Dragon

Ultimo Dragon is still going strong as an active competitor, but being an active wrestler has never halted the likes of Jerry 'The King' Lawler from joining the Hall of Fame.

Dragon was part of the sensational cruiserweight division of WCW, where he achieved much success. He won the Cruiserweight and Television Championships and appeared in video games before announcing his retirement in 1998.

The Japanese sensation returned in 2002 and soon joined WWE. He was advertised as a major acquisition but was never able to accomplish the equivalent success as Rey Mysterio. He asked for his release in 2004 and returned to Japan, where he wrestles to this day.

Ultimo Dragon is generally accepted as a professional wrestling legend. WWE has honored fellow Puroresu legends such as Tatsumi Fujinami and Jushin Thunder Liger. Dragon, who was arguably more popular in the US than in Japan during his prime, will be a worthy addition to the Hall of Fame.

#4 Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Lance Storm

The former WWE superstar was universally admired for his pristine technical wrestling skills and unanimously known to be devoid of charisma. Due to this major weakness, Storm never achieved top-tier success in McMahon's company.

Storm wrestled for WCW in the final days of the company's existence, quickly becoming a prominent player in Nitro. He was the only wrestler to simultaneously hold three championships in the promotion. His attempts to win the World Heavyweight Championship, however, were unsuccessful.

Storm has since established himself as a major trainer, with many of his students becoming champions in WWE.

---

#3 Former WWE Light Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko

Dean Malenko suffered the same fate as Lance Storm in being one of the greatest wrestlers of his time with the simultaneous infamy of being a charisma vacuum.

Known as 'The Iceman' for his calculated process of breaking down his opponents in the ring, Malenko's in-ring work as the Cruiserweight Champion was good enough for PWI to announce him as the numero uno competitor in their top 500 list of 1997.

Malenko is currently part of AEW, but if he leaves the Tony Khan-led promotion at some point, an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame looks certain for the former Horseman.

#2 Former WWE Champion Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious won world championships in both WCW and WWE, and main-evented two editions of Wrestlemania and an edition of Starrcade. Despite such gigantic achievements, he is not yet a member of the company's Hall of Fame.

Sid was highly pushed in WWE and WCW, mostly as a heel. He was part of memorable clashes, including the iconic War Games match at WCW WrestleWar 1991.

While the multi-time world champion has gradually become infamous for certain memefied promo failures, he certainly didn't fail as a wrestler. Sid was a giant of a man capable of using powerhouse moves to perfection. While not a technical master, he often used his basic maneuvers to full effect.

---

#1 WWE Slammy Award winner Big Van Vader

The misuse of Vader in Vince McMahon's company is known by most fans. He faced multiple obstacles in WWE and while many had high hopes for him in the beginning, he soon became an afterthought.

One of Vader's most high-profile feuds saw him pitted against Shawn Michaels, though he was unable to capture the world title from The Heartbreak Kid.

Vader had achieved much success in NJPW and WCW before joining WWE. A legend in Japan, he wrestled sporadically until 2017, with a high-profile match against Will Ospreay helping him regain mainstream relevance.

Fans have demanded Vader's inclusion in McMahon's Hall of Fame for quite some time, and his induction seems to be a matter of not 'if' but 'when.'