Sunday
Often dubbed “The Franchise of WCW,” the man called Sting is one of the most recognizable and unique faces in sports-entertainment history. It was that distinction that made him the backbone of the Atlanta-based organization throughout the late 1980s until the end of WCW in 2001.
Beginning with his NWA debut in 1987, Sting brought an enormous amount of charisma to the ring with his bleach blond hair, colorful face paint and neon ring gear. However, at the inaugural Clash of the Champions, a 45-minute time limit draw against NWA World Champion Ric Flair proved The Stinger was on his way to becoming one of sports-entertainment’s elite. Eventually, Sting defeated Flair for the NWA Title, and would later add six WCW World Titles, three WCW Tag Team Championships, two WCW International World Titles and two United States Championships to his resume throughout his career.
While the charismatic competitor was wildly popular with WCW fans, it was a shocking transformation in 1996 that made Sting even more memorable. With The New World Order imposing their will over WCW, The Stinger adopted a darker personality with white and black face paint and attire. He became a silent warrior who lurked in the rafters of arenas all over the country, ready to strike The nWo at a moment’s notice. For more than a year, Sting never spoke or competed in the ring, captivating audiences until finally he squared off with and defeated WCW Champion and nWo leader, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan.
Sting escalated his efforts against The nWo by joining longtime friend Lex Luger as part of The nWo Wolfpac, changing his white visage to red. However, when The nWo began to disband for good, Sting retained his dark look but adopted an attitude more in line with his flashy "surfer" days.
As WCW’s days became numbered, Sting remained loyal to the organization, engaging in memorable rivalries with Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Vampiro. Fittingly, Sting and Ric Flair squared off in the final match on the last episode of WCW Monday Nitro.
Remembered for his colorful charisma and struggle with The nWo, Sting has become synonymous with the Atlanta-based organization. Although he had never competed in a WWE ring more than a decade since the demise of WCW, he remained one of the most popular and respected competitors of all-time.
Setting foot inside a WWE ring to compete for the first time at WrestleMania 31, Sting nearly defeated Triple H on several occasions. However, when he locked in his patented Scoprion Death Lock, The Game's DX cronies made their way to the ring to try to take out The Stinger. Surviving the inital onslaught, Sting nearly met Triple H's sledgehammer before The nWo made their way to the ring to take out DX. As the chaos between the WWE and WCW factions erupted, Sting regained control of the match. However, Triple H managed to get his sledgehammer and knock Sting out before The Vigilante could capitalize on a second Stinger Splash. Although The Game and WWE stood victorious in the final battle against WCW, WWE's COO showed his respect by shaking Sting's hand after the match.
It would be Triple H's protege, Seth Rollins, who would next face off against the face-painted legend at Night of Champions. The two would battle for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with Rollins squeaking by with a roll-up on The Stinger.
Though The Stinger often likes to say "the only thing sure about Sting is that nothing is for sure," there is one thing nobody can deny - that Sting has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career. That was confirmed on the eve of WrestleMania 32, when he joined the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2016.
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Sting Professional Photo Op :: Photo Op Area - Booth 2Steve (Sting) Borden
Sunday March 24, 2019 :: 2:00 pm
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Details Buy Photo Ops Here! |
