25 Wrestlers You Didn’t Know Were In WCW

1. Rick Martel

Rick Martel could very well be the most underappreciated wrestler of all-time. Whether he was the face of the AWA, reliable tag guy in ‘80s WWF or “The Model”, he was always a workhorse getting the most out of himself and his opponents. What’s saddening about his WCW run was he was just getting started up again.

Debuting in January, by February he has won the WCW Television title from Booker T. He was set to wrestle a 2-match gauntlet at SuperBrawl days later. During his first match with the future 5-time WCW champion, he badly injured his leg leading to an impromptu ending spot where the winner was changed. The final sequence only further aggravated Rick’s injury. He tore an inside ligament of his right knee, fractured his leg and suffered cartilage damage.

Martel returned many months later. During his first match back with Stevie Ray, he injured his leg again and fully retired for the ring. Never to reach the same heights again.

His WCW run cruelly taken away from him just as it started, it’s tragic that such promise was pulled from him to never recover.