Why has Sting never gone to WWE? Did WCW have him locked into a long contract? Was he just too loyal to jump ship? Does he like playing for the underdog (hence the TNA move)? Was Vince not really impressed with Sting? Was he too expensive? Was he ever close to going to WWE? What's the story?
Basically yes, he was too loyal to jump ship, and had a much better deal in WCW than he would have received with the WWF anyway. He has long stated that he didn't agree with the product presented by Vince and didn't want to participate in it, although the last time his contract was up with TNA there was some pretty serious negotiations to bring him in for Wrestlemania as Undertaker's opponent. I believe that was either the second Shawn match or the "first" HHH match that was supposed to be Sting. There wasn't much in the way of details at the time, it was just one of those "Oh, by the way, this almost happened" things that came out later on.
Could you imagine Sting coming in now to face Taker at WM and wrestling in a fucking t-shirt? Christ that would suck, but I'd still watch it.
ReplyDeleteThe last legit shot WWE had at sting was in early 2011, when everyone speculated that the Taker promos were for Sting. Sting himself stated they came "very, very close" to a deal. I think that was the last time we'd ever have a chance at the Stinger in WWE.
ReplyDeleteSting has always been pretty bad when it comes to hitting the gym... but he has really let himself slide in recent years
ReplyDeleteAlso, since we're talking about Sting, can we get some love for Sting vs Matt Morgan? Easily worst match of the year so far.
ReplyDeleteHe was fine when he was Surfer Sting but yeah when he stopped wrestling for over a year he also stopped going to the gym
ReplyDeletesince QOTD screwed the pooch on wrestling due to the vast wrestling knowledge of the author.
ReplyDeleteSwap Sting and Warrior in 87... Does Sting become an even bigger all time great?
I've always wondered this. Greatest what if ever. No doubt in my mind, Sting becomes the GOAT.
ReplyDeleteAnd would Hulk have put over Sting in 90? Maybe not, because I think the main reason he put over Warrior was because he knew it wouldn't last. I'd guess Hulk would view Sting as a legit threat.
ReplyDeleteAnd QOTD is fucking terrible.
i have the same thoughts abt WM6.
ReplyDeletebut in my Bizarro World, Sting has Warriors Career up to the title win and then it goes into another timeline.
Sting unquestionably becomes THE GUY until Attitude era.
If you read the latest Observer, there's some stuff in it about Sting and WWE. There were never any "serious" negotiations, according to it and Sting. They were never "very, very close" as mentioned below, according to it and Sting. It was basically this: they ran the Undertaker-house promos and everyone thought it was Sting. When that happened, people from WWE sent feelers to Sting. Sting said no. The end. Nothing serious or whatever about it.
ReplyDeleteI think Hogan undermines him and that he's never "The Guy". Sting also doesn't spend years under the Horsemen's learning tree developing as a worker.
ReplyDeleteWith his charisma and athleticism he was gonna be a big success wherever. But i say NWA/WCW was best for him.
Warrior, on the other hand, would have been LOST in the NWA.
I'm no Hulk apologist, but you have to know that AT THE TIME, there was a distinct possibility that Warrior's victory at WM6 would cement him as the New Hulk and Hogan would slowly fade away a la Bruno.
ReplyDeleteSwap Sting and Warrior in '87... Warrior is done with the business by '89 and Sting ends up as a "hand" in WWE until about the mid 90s, probably jumps to WCW, and has a solid career as a midcarder.
ReplyDeleteSwap Sting and Warrior in '90... Warrior sticks around long enough to piss off Bill Watts and get fed to Vader on a nightly basis until he quits. Sting ends up carrying the WWE banner for nearly a decade as THE guy in the business.
He'd be a bigger all-time great simply by virtue of being in WWF, which has revised history to the point where anything that happened in their promotion mattered, but didn't as much everywhere else.
ReplyDeleteHowever, he may not have been at Warrior's level circa '89-'91. He wasn't jacked up like he was, and admittedly didn't have the same larger-than-life, Hogan-like persona. He wouldn't have been pushed as hard, and he doesn't even wrestle Hogan at WM6.
Best case scenario until 1991: Savage-like, but would probably be packaged with a cartoonish gimmick like Steamboat and midcards.
Best case scenario 1991-1997: Bret Hart, HBK, Undertaker and Diesel's level. He'd be hanging at the top.
In conclusion, he made the best choices for his career at the time, but if he had joined WWE in '87 he'd have made a shitload more money.
He turned out OK.
Well... dude is 54 years old. Hard to imagine that considering we only see him in paint... but yeah... dude is 54 years old.
ReplyDeleteFollow up on the Warrior/Sting debate below...the beginning of my wrestling viewing came during the NWO/Sting Starrcade 97 payoff so I never got to see surfer Sting. This being said, I always found him overrated, his mic skills were average, I don't ever recall seeing him being a great worker, and can't think of a good storyline he was in after the NWO payoff. He's getting alot of love on this post some tell me why Im wrong on this. Was he a better character/worker as surfer sting?
ReplyDeletehindsight...
ReplyDeleteill say i found him boring as surfer sting... until i got tired of crow sting... which he played from 96 til like 2-3 years ago.
ive gone back and can appreciate surfer sting now.
but ill say the 92-94 run was mostly great. then and now.
As an outsider, yeah. But Hogan knew how much of a flake Warrior was.
ReplyDeleteI've always compared the early 90s Sting to '05 John Cena. Sting was my favorite guy in WCW, but looking back, he was very well protected. Flair and other great hands covered his lack of skill in the ring. Sting carried the match by his intensity. Looking back at the matches, Sting was in the same boat as early Cena... carryable. Put him in there with someone who can work and you'll get a classic.
ReplyDeleteCena then developed into a great worker in his own right, and has carried many lesser opponents to great matches of different styles...and the longer it goes, the more it's evident that Cena at this point was better than Sting ever was.
Oh, and to answer your question, I'm not sure if he was a better worker, but his passion for his matches and intensity was top notch. Everyone in the crowd (even though they came dressed as empty chairs) was into him. His match quality is tied directly to the quality of opponent. As he went on, he lost that intensity, and honestly if you put any other person in Sting's matches from '97 forward... no-one would give a shit. It was the respect for Sting that has led to his longevity.
We'll have to agree to disagree.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm Hogan and the company is prepping another guy in your likeness to beat you in the biggest match of the year, I'm feeling threatened.
I'd say Sting handily wins the workrate contest against Cena because he was *at the very least* competent in the ring and was a babyface you could root for.
ReplyDeleteCena's best matches are based on some kind of ultimate X-Pac Heat where people are begging his opponent to cave his head in with a hammer and take his shitty belt.
I will say this: Ten years from now, Cena will still be having ****+ matches. Physically, he's unmatched.
Shawn Michaels is seven years younger and definitely looks older.
ReplyDeleteSay no to drugs.
Say yes to Jesus.
Ill say this for Sting....I was the biggest Hulkamaniac ever right in the WWF prime and yet my favorite wrestling moment as a kid was when Sting beat Flair in the 1990 great american bash.
ReplyDeletethat'd be a good one.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen Foley's latest DVD? Vader steals the show, he's fantastic. WWE needs to use him more as a talking head.
ReplyDeleteOn some level he's doing the wrestling world and himself a disservice if he never makes the jump (and faces Taker). But then on another level how many wrestlers have reached true legend status without even being in WWE?
ReplyDeleteThe WWE does have personal trainers. If he got with one for a few months and really put in the work I can see it working.
ReplyDeletenope what is it?
ReplyDeletei tend to stay away from wwe produced stuff nowadays
Which Sting would be in the WWE?
ReplyDeleteCrow Sting?
Surfer Sting?
Joker Sting?
It's called For All Mankind or something, came out a few weeks ago. It's really good.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying the guy is incapable of getting into shape... but he works for a televised indy promotion, doing minimum dates, probably making more than anyone else there, and he's 54 years old.
ReplyDeleteOf course he's not going to look like he did back in '94.
Maybe he would have been jacked up if he was in the WWE.
ReplyDeleteHe's a little too old to be a surfer, unless he wants to look like some wrinkled old beach bum. It would have to be the Crow if he was going against Taker
ReplyDeleteill try to acquire
ReplyDeleteHonestly I'd rather have the Great Muta vs. Undertaker. The entrances ALONE would be epic,
ReplyDeletedepends on what you consider "legend"
ReplyDeletebut i dont think he is doing a disservice. if he dont wanna go, why?
Surfer Sting has ADD and couldn't stay on the subject in interviews.
ReplyDeleteSting's move were all very basic, and if he had to be in the ring more than 10 minutes, you'd see the same "series" of moves from him.
ReplyDelete"Irish whip to the corner, hiptoss out, dropkick, scream/flex."
I've also never seen Sting truly carry someone that was considered uncarryable. We've all seen Cena do that several times. Don't get me wrong, I was the biggest Sting fan throughout the 90s (I'll even admit to having a rat-tail haircut in '91)... but Cena just blows him out of the water.
only if...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqQvIHyUPHU
with Gary Michael Copetta announcing
Neither do I. The fact that he's mentioned alot and didn't do speaks volumes about his legend status.
ReplyDeleteTGGI
ReplyDeleteBite your tongue:
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/sRvFekn44dw
all this.
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing.
ReplyDeleteHe either ends up the only true legend (that i can think of) who never wrestled in WWE, which is a big accomplishment. Or he ends his career jobbing to Taker, but at least he would go out 'on the grandest stage of them all', and not at some crap TNA PPV.
ReplyDeleteIf he retires without even working with WWE, I'll really wanna know what the primary reason was
Way to cock tease, Keith! I was ridiculously excited for 2 seconds there reading the title....sigh
ReplyDeleteMuta's "Drunk uncle at the family reunion" walk really sells it.
ReplyDeleteTo each their own. I'd rather see my firstborn son run over by a drunk driver than another meaningless Cena match.
ReplyDeleteBryan vs. Cena will be off the charts, though, but that's a case of 'gravitas vs. hope'.
Which is why he didn't do it in WCW either.
ReplyDeleteSting was fantastic in his early WCW run, and I don't mean as a worker. He was generally only having great matches with certain guys. (If you've never seen his stuff with Vader, you ought to.) But for diehard WCW fans, he was our guy. They had Hogan, we had Sting. Granted, we also had Flair, but even he left. ( I know there were alit of backstage things going on, but that didn't matter to a kid in 1991.) It is strange, though, that he never made one WWF run after WCW's death. You have to think Vince would have given on the schedule, if he thought there was money to be made.
ReplyDeletei can think of loads of ppl i consider legends who havent worked for vince.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say ALWAYS. Crow era on, sure. But surfer Sting was always on top shape.
ReplyDeleteWho became legends in America? Go on then
ReplyDeleteDennis Stamp.
ReplyDeleteabby
ReplyDeletebrody
verne
Stu
fritz
jack brisco
i can keep going.
Muta
ReplyDeleteYeah, what is the deal with that?
ReplyDeleteHow about anyone a little more modern? I know Sting is nearing 60 but all those guys are of an era long gone
ReplyDeleteTajiri is the most under appreciated wrestler of all time.
ReplyDeleteohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so basically you want me to name people that matter to you that span your fandom.
ReplyDeletei thought i was just naming wrestlers, my bad.
theres only one game in town bro. i cant do it.
I was thinking in terms of an era during and post the WWF/WCW wars. As your list shows there is an abundance of 'legends' before then that never worked for Vince. But in the modern era, it's much more impressive to have become one without working for Vince
ReplyDelete..and after he's gone there probably won't be another.
ReplyDeleteIf we're to discount ever having been in a WWE ring, then you can add Samoa Joe and AJ Styles as indy darlings/legends.
ReplyDeleteThey never had a contract with Vince. No?
I still don't know what that means. Explain.
ReplyDelete"Acquire"
ReplyDeleteSting is a hypocrite or a liar when he uses the excuse that he didn't agree with the product presented by Vince. TNA has language, beer drinking, scantily clad women, etc and I don't see Mr.Born Again complaining.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is he'd rather big a big fish in a small pond than the other way around. If he went to the WWF/E, he would have made a big splash, but in the long run he would have been downgraded to an mid-card to upper main event level with the occasional spot in the main event when someone else got injured.
Yeah true though as u say theyre more indy legends than massive superstars like Sting. I think there was something recently on the WWE website about Samoa Joe working for them once, not too sure
ReplyDeleteVince became the king of wrestling in 84. and became the god of wrestling in 01.
ReplyDeletenobody worth their salt in gonna go against him now unless they have enough money to say fuck you.
but back then there were mofos outright saying fuck you like ole and brody.
Sting is the exception, not the rule.
you right
ReplyDeleteTGGI= zanadude's way of saying "this guy gets it"
in his defense, when he was talkin about it, the whole promotion was geared towards that and he was recently born again.
ReplyDeleteJoe had a tryout.
ReplyDeleteHe'll go down in history as the only major player to never wrestle for Vince. This is an incredible feat considering how dominant and large the WWE has been, that covers all of Sting's career. Kudos for never going to WWE, proving that you can become a major star without going to Vince's carny show.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, they're the closest you can come to being legends in this era.
ReplyDeleteTNA's the closest thing to WWE's competition, and they haven't made a splash, relatively speaking, in 11 years.
Ah.
ReplyDeleteI know, but do tryouts really count in this day and age?
ReplyDeleteHe was a job guy on Velocity a few times.
ReplyDelete"The truth is he'd rather big a big fish in a small pond than the other way around. If he went to the WWF/E, he would have made a big splash, but in the long run he would have been downgraded to the mid-card level with the occasional spot in the main event when someone else got injured."
ReplyDelete...Yeah, that's pretty much the point he made himself.
Part of the character. Every version of Muta is different.
ReplyDelete'TNA has language, beer drinking, scantily clad women, etc and I don't see Mr.Born Again complaining.'
ReplyDeleteLanguage, eh? Last time I checked, it was nigh impossible to speak without using some form of language. I'd venture to guess cutting a promo would be impossible without it...
Only kidding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W-3C0ynbaE
ReplyDeleteSting and Muta vs The Road Warriors
'The truth is he'd rather big a big fish in a small pond than the other
ReplyDeleteway around. If he went to the WWF/E, he would have made a big splash'
that pond/splash thing works on a few levels when it comes to sting even though it prob wasnt intentional
sting was like macho mang they were high flyers before there were high flyers
ReplyDeletebut after there were -the high flyers-
yeah
hey remember when tna did similar vignettes for sting after that
ReplyDeleteALL THE FACE PAINT! This is the greatest bad match off all time. LoD absolutely no sells everything, it's awesome.
ReplyDeleteHe's never been directly involved in those type of angles, IIRC.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh9sTvp0Wiw
ReplyDeleteSting and Vader's first match from 92. Yeah, I'm just gonna use this thread to post random Sting matches. Suck it.
I have no problem with this.
ReplyDeleteSide note: It's a travesty Vader didn't get ONE title run in the WWE.
I'll bet you his career in the WWE would have lasted longer if he was taller.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXtV9Z3Rne8
ReplyDeleteSteve Austin vs some dude wearing pink and black and uses a Sharpshooter finish.
Agreed. But Sid's title reign was awesome.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOsFUIyeXnc
ReplyDeleteHOLY SHIT Sting vs Kane when he was a job guy in WCW. Youtube is the best.
I dunno how close it was to actually happening, and Sting is certainly no great shakes in the ring anymore, but you must admit....
ReplyDeleteSting facing Undertaker at WM27, with Stinger defending his old company's memory one last time, IN ATLANTA, on almost the 10-year anniversary of WCW going out of business....I mean, that's a great storyline. I would've much preferred that to HHH's egofest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY6GlyuCWcg
ReplyDeleteThis is random. Sting and Savage vs Harlem Heat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl9ngsKxOLM
ReplyDeleteHulk Hogan and Bret Hart vs Sting and Ultimate Warrior. Yeah, I think this one has some name value.
Some of that has to do with genetics too. Shawn had to be roided to the gills to get up to 235. Sting seemed pretty natural at around 250.
ReplyDeleteOne way in which Sting is superior to Cena, and most everyone else in this role - playing a vulnerable Superman.
ReplyDeleteHe sold Vader's offense like no one else. He took abuse, made it look powerful, and then hit some incredible desperation power move. He didn't become Super Sting when he made his comeback. He was a fatigued cowboy with one bullet left in the chamber. It made both guys look like bad asses.
I loved Sting as a character, but his wrestling left a bit to be desired. His in-ring arsenal needed more, either amateur wrestling or martial arts. His no sell/punch/clothesline/pose/press slam got a bit repetitive, and his best comeback moves weren't actually moves, just no-selling Flair's offense.
ReplyDeleteHad he gone to Vince back in the day, I bet he would have developed into a much better promo guy, but I can't see him being treated any better than Ricky Steamboat.
Never knew Kane was in WCW...
ReplyDeleteHere's the story from Sting himself, on why he never went to WWE:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktxW0vidElE
Only major player? What about....Zema Ion?
ReplyDeleteThoughtful, respectful, reasonable response by Sting. Listening to him tell it got me annoyed all over again at how Booker was introduced.
ReplyDeleteInteresting video. Good post.
ReplyDeleteSomebody book this guy
ReplyDeleteTotally valid concern. I'm sure they would have misused him too
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember this one well. WCW was a shit-show at that point, but I remember being pretty impressed by the name value
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. If Shawn wasn't a bitch back then, they had a tried-and-true comeback story lined up, with Vader winning the belt at SummerSlam and dropping it back in San Antonio.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a cool piece of his legacy for sure. Never working for WWE at all
ReplyDeleteDid Tajiri ever tag with Muta in Japan? That would be tits
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure it would be a huge deal at this point. Would there be any suspension of disbelief with Sting challenging the Streak? Especially now?
ReplyDeleteEarly Sting had an awesome entrance theme
ReplyDeleteJack actually *did* work for Vince briefly. His last match was in the WWF.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Anyone remember that one version that got a girl pregnant with the green mist and then she laid an egg that hatched a fully grown Akebono?
ReplyDeleteNo?
Robot Takada, then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V68c3-0j6RU
Awesome find. And that bothered me, too. Booker T was the easiest, feelgood, slam-dunk of a face. From his entrance music to the spinarooni, fans just loved him. WWE misused him from his debut all the way up to when he was kicked out of the nWo and finally was turned loose as a face.
ReplyDelete"I'm just a Booker... Booker T!
I'm not yo' sucka... SUCKA!"
Wut n d fucking fuck of fucktastic aquamarine blue fucks is dis fuckery pon mi screen?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteWhen did Owen get the rattail haircut?
ReplyDeleteEven an IC title reign would have been cool.
ReplyDeleteWhy as a matter of fave they have:
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/u6Vcl7IrYc4
exactly. it's the same reason why Roddy Piper has said on some interviews that in a way never winning the world championship is making him stand out.
ReplyDeleteif the question: "who is the biggest star that was never world champion?" (or most of the time even "... that should have been world champion?") comes up, the usual answer given is "Rowdy Roddy Piper".
Sting was a star who should have been an even bigger star. WCW just never quite let him be "The Man". He never held the title for long, always got laid out by his friends, and when he DID get to be the face of the company (1997), they botched it at Starrcade.
ReplyDeleteThe logical conclusion of sports entertainment. Takada just decided to take what Vince tries to do and actually go all the way and do it.
ReplyDeleteInvisible lasers, the power of love being weaponized, cyborg villains...