Highlights
- Sid Vicious, a member of "The Skyscrapers" and later The Four Horsemen, had a promising career in WCW that included multiple championship wins.
- Sid transitioned to WWE in 1991 as Sid Justice, but his time in the company didn't go as planned, including a suspension for failing a drug test.
- Despite his ups and downs, Sid had additional runs in both WWE and WCW, including becoming a WWE World Champion in 1996 and a WCW World Champion in the early 2000s.
During the late 80s into the early 90s, Sid Vicious made a huge splash on the professional wrestling scene as a member of "The Skyscrapers", alongside his tag partner, "Dangerous" Danny Spivey and manager Teddy Long. Vicious would later become a member of The Four Horsemen in 1990, where his career began to skyrocket on the singles' scene in WCW. Vicious departed WCW in early 1991 and joined WWE in May 1991, becoming "Sid Justice". At this point, Vince McMahon and WWE had high hopes for Sid, hoping that he would prove to be a major asset to the company alongside other "big" men like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. However, things didn't exactly pan out that way.
Sid's Achievements & Accolades | Misc. Awards |
|---|---|
WCW World Heavyweight Champion (2x) | PWI Comeback of the Year (1996) |
WWE Champion (2x) | Ranked #16 in PWI 500 (1991) |
WCW United States Champion (2x) | Most Overrated Wrestler (1993) |
USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion (2x) | WON Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (1993) |
USWA Texas Heavyweight Champion (1x) | WON Worst Worked Match of the Year (1990) vs. The Nightstalker (WCW) |
Sid Vicious Was A Wrestling Star In The Making In WCW
From A Skyscraper To The Four Horsemen
Sid signed a contract with WCW in 1989 and kept his "Sid Vicious" name that he had adopted from his previous tenure in WCCW. The name was an obvious tribute to rocker "Sid Vicious" from the punk-rock group the Sex Pistols. Sid was originally meant to be a singles star, but eventually would be paired up with Danny Spivey to become the tag team known as "The Skyscrapers", managed by Teddy Long. Sid began using the Powerbomb as his finishing move, as the team feuded with The Road Warriors and The Steiner Bros. during this time frame.
Sid suffered broken ribs and was replaced by "Mean" Mark Callous (who would later become The Undertaker in WWE). After recovering from the broken ribs, Sid made his return in May 1990 as the newest member of the Four Horsemen, alongside Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Barry Windham. Sid became the powerhouse or "muscle" in the group, as he began feuding with the likes of Sting, Lex Luger, Junkyard Dog, and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.
10 Weird Moments From Sid Vicious' WCW Career We Completely Forgot About
Sid Vicious had a pretty strong WCW run, but it was littered with strange and weird moments, some of which we may have forgotten about.Sid's biggest test came at Halloween Havoc 1990, as he challenged Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Sid initially "won" the match by pinning Sting, but it was revealed that an impostor "Sting" (portrayed by Barry Windham) switched with Sting after he ran to the back to chase off the other members of the Horsemen. "The Stinger" would return, however, and defeat Sid, thus retaining his title.
Sid briefly reunited with Danny Spivey as The Skyscrapers to close out 1990. In 1991, Sid returned to the Four Horsemen and competed in the War Games at Wrestle War 1991, defeating Sting, The Steiner Bros., and Brian Pillman. Sid had one last notable feud with El Gigante, concluding with a "Stretcher Match" at Super Brawl 1991. Sid left WCW shortly thereafter.
Sid Vicious Became Sid Justice In WWE
Faced Hulk Hogan At WrestleMania 8
Sid signed a contract with WWE in May 1991. After appearing at a few untelevised WWE events, the company aired vignettes to promote his official debut, billing him as "Sid Justice". Sid debuted in July 1991 and was announced to be the "Special Guest Referee" for the upcoming SummerSlam main event, featuring Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior vs. The Triangle of Terror (Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa, and Gen. Adnan). Sid would also save "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth from an attack by Jake "The Snake" Roberts and The Undertaker during their wedding ceremony.
Sid injured his bicep during a match against Jake Roberts on an episode of WWE Superstars. Due to the injury, Sid missed the rest of 1991, including plans for him to compete at Survivor Series. Sid returned to the Royal Rumble 1992 and was eliminated by Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan in controversial fashion. This act kickstarted a feud between Hogan and Sid, thus turning Sid heel in the process. This led to a showdown between Hogan and Sid at WrestleMania 8. Hogan won the match after Papa Shango interfered on Sid's behalf.
10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About The Hulk Hogan Vs. Sid Vicious Feud
During his time in WWE, Hulk Hogan enjoyed a number of high profile rivalries as the promotion’s top star, one of which was against Sid Vicious.Controversy reared its ugly head with Sid prior to his match with Hogan. Sid failed a drug test prior to his match with Hogan. WWE allowed for Sid to have his match with Hogan, and he completed a European Tour shortly thereafter. Sid was suspended after the tour was over due to the testing violation. Sid chose to quit the company rather than serve his suspension. He was originally scheduled to feud with The Ultimate Warrior after WrestleMania 8, but was replaced by Papa Shango instead.
