WCW has had quite a few hardcore matches, but some great encounters have been forgotten thanks to the passage of time. Wrestling fans forgot them!

WCW may be remembered for sparking the Monday Night Wars, beating WWE for 83 straight weeks in the ratings, the Hulk Hogan heel turn, those terrible last few years, etc. However, in all this quagmire, fans tend to forget all the excellent wrestling on display from the promotion, especially its oft-forgotten hardcore scene.

Related: The 10 Best WCW Hardcore Champions, Ranked

Many of the company's best performers were not afraid to shed a little crimson to make their matches that much more effective, becoming hardcore before it became fashionable in pro wrestling. These forgotten gems may be tough to watch today, but they doubtless left an indelible mark on the business.

WarGames became synonymous with WCW during its heyday, and the 1992 edition was no different. This bout saw Sting's Squadron (Sting, Nikita Koloff, Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, and Barry Windham) take on Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance (Steve Austin, Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, and Bobby Eaton).

What ensured was a hellacious war between some of the best workers of the time, with Austin bleeding immediately and in buckets as he brawled with Windham all over the place. With the collection of talent involved, it was a treat to watch (gore aside), and the performers put on a clinic.

This match came barely a month after Cactus Jack almost had his whole ear ripped off in a bout against Vader in Germany. As usual, he put his body through the wringer for fans' sake.

As is the tradition with Street Fight matches, the bout saw chairs, trash cans, tables, and all manners of weapons. Per the script, it was Mrs. Foley's baby boy who took the sickest bump, an unprotected shovel shot to the head that ended the bout.

This iteration of the legendary gimmick match saw Sting, Brian Pillman, the Steiners (Rick & Scott) battle Ric Flair, Sid Vicious, Barry Windham, and Larry Zbyszko. And Pillman was apparently left temporarily paralyzed thanks to a low cage roof and Sid powerbombing him not once but twice!

Related: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Barry Windham

If that was not enough, Windham was busted open almost from the start, meaning blood stained the ring, ropes, and cage. Mercifully, especially for the physically stricken Pillman, El Gigante comes down to the ring and threw in the towel, not ending the match on its planned finish.

A match that hurt just to watch, these two threw punches as stiff as they come throughout. Big Van Vader and Cactus Jack told a wonderful yet brutal story, with the notoriously stiff Mastadon deciding to spare no change when throwing hands.

Fighting from underneath, a battered and bloodied Cactus Jack had the crowd firmly behind him, while Vader bled later. It was undoubtedly one of the most violent bouts seen on WCW TV.

Hailed by many as the best bout from WCW's failed Hardcore Division, Hak and Bam Bam Bigelow put on quite a show during their Spring Stampede 1999 clash. Hak, more popular as ECW legend The Sandman, never really felt at home elsewhere, but this was one of his best showings outside of Paul Heyman's wild brawling promotion.

These two just went hell for leather here, throwing weapons at each other and making a right mess of the ringside before Bigelow finally prevailed. They used kendo sticks, trash cans, and lots more weapons to beat the tar out of each other, wrestling quality be damned.

Another bout that had fans squirming from the off was this tag bout between four hard men. The Cactus Jack/Nasty Boys feud was getting hotter, and the former had Kevin Sullivan replacing Maxx Payne here.

RELATED: 8 Backstage Stories About The Nasty Boys Fans Should Know

It had some gruesome spots, with the four hitting each other over their heads as hard as possible. Again, Mick Foley starred here, sporting a massive gash on the right side of his head, further cementing his status as a hardcore icon.

A match for the vacant WCW Hardcore Championship saw one of the more unlikely matches provide superb entertainment to fans. Despite reservations, Norman Smiley and Terry Funk had an enjoyable bout all around the park at Spring Stampede 2000.

At this point, the legendary Funk was still making do with his hardcore character work. Smiley, a rising comedic act during his time in the Hardcore Division, played his part to put up a rare gem of a hardcore battle between two unlikely opponents.

Two men who didn't like each other and had one of the worst feuds were allowed to fight. And they somehow put on a decent affair, contrary to prior anticipations.

With WWE firmly ahead during the Monday Night Wars, these two behemoths put on one hell of a brawl, with Sid Vicious getting busted open early. Bill Goldberg targeting his head repeatedly also made it an uneasy watch, with the former bleeding so much he was almost unrecognizable by the end.

On one side was a worker notorious for doing anything to keep himself safe during matches. On the other was a bonafide legend and perhaps the greatest to ever do it in the ring who didn't mind the red stuff now and then.

Related: Hulk Hogan Vs. Ric Flair: 8 Things Fans Forget About Their WCW Feud

Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair didn't put on a clinic, but this match did see the latter perform one of his notorious blade jobs. Despite losing buckets of blood, the Nature Boy walked away victorious, obviously thanks to shenanigans.

Shortly after beating Terry Funk on Nitro for the WCW Hardcore Championship, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas put his title on the line on WCW Thunder against Norman Smiley and Ralphus. This three-way Hardcore match turned into a kind of Handicap Match, as Smiley and Ralphus were allies.

The catch here was that Ralphus was wearing a ridiculous gorilla suit. By the end of the match, after Douglas put Smiley through a table, Chris Jericho's sidekick/bodyguard suddenly got in on the action. With the help of a steel chair, Ralphus pinned Douglas, only to reveal after the match that it was Funk under the costume all along, as the hardcore legend regained his strap.

WWE/pro wrestling fan who loves himself some good ol' wraslin', sports management, former sports journalist!