Everybody’s Talkin’ Bout The Man Called Sting

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we look back on the legendary career of Sting.

How has Sting’s run in AEW been?

Chad Gelfand: Sting’s AEW run has been great so far. For being in his 60s and coming back from a career-ending injury, he’s in better shape and moving better in the ring than I could ever have imagined.

Steven Jackson: Sting’s run has been awesome! His debut was historic. His partnership with Darby Allin has been wonderful. Most of all, the interactions he’s had in matches has been amazing!

John Corrigan: It’s as good as you’d hope it to be. He doesn’t do much and I’m still not sure what the relationship between he and Darby is exactly, but when he does get involved or even compete, it’s exciting. Sting, like Konnan in MLW, is one of the rare instances of a legend being utilized correctly.

Jack Goodwillie: It’s been great. Low key, Sting has been a massive get for AEW and while I thought I’d never like to see him back in the ring again, it’s apparently safe for him to do so and he can actually still hold a tune for his age. I guess he’s just one of these guys who is going to look like he’s 45 for 30 years. I’m shocked that he was able to get cleared, but judging by what we’ve seen of him so far, there’s good reason for that. He can still go, he’s still Sting and now he finds himself in a company with CM Punk and Bryan Danielson. When you’ve got that kind of star power between guys or gals who haven’t touched before, it really allows you to open up the playbook creatively.

Should Sting have went to WWE sooner than he did?

Gelfand: 2011 would have been a good time for him to go so that he could’ve been the one to have that match at WrestleMania XXVII against Undertaker instead of Triple H. Sting vs. Cena and Sting vs. Punk were also matches that I would have loved to have seen around that time.

Jackson: No. Sting will never be a WWE guy. It didn’t bother me when he eventually arrived, and it was fun for what it was, but this AEW run is truly the Sting we all know and love.

Corrigan: Nope. Sting wasn’t a Vince McMahon creation, and as we’ve learned, that’s a hill too massive to get over. Unless he bypassed Jim Crockett Promotions and went straight to WWE in the ‘80s, he would always have ended up as fodder for Vinnie Mac’s chosen ones.

Goodwillie: Without a doubt. People will probably say Sting should have never went to WWE to begin with, but I have a different thought. His involvement would have completely changed the complexion of the Invasion Angle, and regardless of whether he came over in 2001, 2003, 2005 or 2007, the matches were there to be had. I know Sting went on to wrestle Triple H in his only WrestleMania match, but what if we say… swapped Kevin Nash out for Sting as an opponent for Evolution Triple H in 2003? All of a sudden, that Sting-HHH match becomes a lot more appealing.

What if Sting, and not Mark Henry, had been The Undertaker’s opponent at WrestleMania 22? All of a sudden, we’d be talking about that show as maybe a top-10 Mania between that match, Foley vs. Edge and the Michaels-McMahon spectacle. Obviously better late than never, and I liked the way WWE brought him in, but the answer to this question is a clear yes for me.

What’s your favorite version of Sting?

Gelfand: “Crow” Sting. While I do love “Joker” Sting as well (“Surfer” Sting was before my time), “Crow” Sting is the version I was introduced to and is the most iconic version, too.

Jackson: I’m really into “Surfer” Sting. “Crow” Sting was the first iteration I saw on TV, but “Surfer” Sting was the one I saw on posters and merchandise. The face paint and colorful attires, coupled with his matches, got me straight away!

Corrigan: “Surfer” Sting. The variety of his vibrant looks were fun and that’s when he had his best matches. Meanwhile, “Crow” Sting lost all steam as soon as he walked out at Starrcade 1997.

Goodwillie: It’s tough to say, because no matter what version he portrayed himself to be, he succeeded at every turn. This may be controversial, but I really enjoyed Sting in the Main Event Mafia. It added new layers to his character that we had yet to see up to that point and kind of made him a true tweener, a role in which he’s succeeded at many times. A good tweener is extremely rare in wrestling, particularly these days, as a character who is neither good nor bad without being bland or overcommitting to one side.

Usually if a wrestler sets out to be a tweener, they eventually find more solace as either a face or heel and quickly become whichever fits them better. Sting, while wanting to see the veterans of the sport get the respect they deserve, never compromised what made Sting “Sting” during this angle, and that’s what made him so interesting during this period.

What’s Sting’s greatest match?

Gelfand: Sting vs. Cactus Jack at Beach Blast 1992, falls count anywhere. It’s fast-paced and action-packed from the start, showing just how tough Sting was to hang with Cactus Jack in this type of match. Foley also takes some sickening bumps on concrete, which I’m sure he unfortunately feels to this day.

Jackson: Sting vs. Ric Flair – Clash of the Champions. I love that match. What a roller coaster ride! It’s perfect. Sting helped Flair so much more than he is given credit for. It’s a sensational slice of NWA/WCW history.

Corrigan: War Games 1992, but if we’re talking just one on one, it has to be vs. Cactus Jack at Beach Blast 1992. Mick Foley considered this his best match for a long time. After all, Sting put Cactus Jack on the map with this performance, and Cactus gave the Stinger a much-needed edge. Brawling around ringside, both men took some gruesome bumps on the concrete. (Bill Watts removed mats during his tenure.) The chaos was unlike anything seen in WCW or WWE at the time.

Goodwillie: As much of a legend as Sting is, there are guys who lead the dance and guys who make up the main event and work with the top guys, but don’t lead the dance. That is by no means a knock on him. Those guys are in short supply these days, and all-time the list of talents who fit what I’m talking about are very short.

Think of it as having a franchise quarterback in football vs. having a hall of fame wide receiver. Some teams have both, but the path to having a hall of fame receiving career is made much easier by having the franchise QB throwing you the ball. The 49ers had both in Steve Young/Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, and WCW had both in Ric Flair and Sting. That’s also not to say Sting didn’t have great matches with wrestlers not named Ric Flair, but I’ve always believed Flair vs. Sting from 1988, as far as pure wrestling matches go, to be his career highlight. It’s the match that made him, after all.

What’s your favorite Sting moment or angle?

Gelfand: His Starrcade 1997 entrance. The little narration at the start, the lighting strikes, the crappy animations, it was perfect. Of course, the match was anything but perfect, but the entrance lived up to the hype of being WCW’s biggest storyline of all time.

Jackson: Sting taking on the nWo and being in the rafters is definitely the best angle of his career. MUST-SEE TELEVISION…IT’S STINGGGGGG!!!

Corrigan: The end of Uncensored 1997. Sting finally makes his allegiance known, rappelling to the ring and cleaning house on the NWO with his trusty baseball bat. Fans would have to wait eight more months for him to wrestle again, but when he did, it drew the biggest buy rate in WCW history.

Goodwillie: Sting’s later WCW character, which was loosely based on Brandon Lee’s “The Crow” character from the eponymous movie, had these in spades. Sometimes these moments had a hint of humor, but they all, for the most part, accomplished the goal of elevating Sting. Anytime he would come down from the rafters to annihilate the nWo, people would go bananas.

Then, there’s the time he sent a mannequin down from the rafters to spook the nWo, or the time he impersonated a mannequin, or the time he came out with a Sting mask on, only to reveal it to have been himself all along, or the time he did it again in TNA. There’s been too many moments to count, but the remembrance of any of them can serve to celebrate one of wrestling’s most distinguished careers.