Favorite Sting Moments

[FlairFan2003]

With the debut of Sting in WWE becoming more of a certainty (though he still hasn't appeared on TV) I thought Id start a thread looking back at his "Greatest Career Moments"...or your "Favorite Sting Moments" as it is. I placed this in the "Old School" section as it relates to material that in many cases will be decades old instead of WWE since it doesn't really relate directly to any storyline use for him on today's TV.

So what were your Favorite Sting Memories..... I don't remember much of him in the UWF (where he teamed with The Ultimate Warrior in The Blade Runners Tag Team) but I remember the first time I noticed him, at Starrcade 87, in a random 6 man tag match that was low on the card. Seeing a man his size (260 plus lbs) dive over the top rope, outside the ring, and body press a guy was pretty impressive.

Not long after he got his first push vs Ric Flair. I actually remember his "party crasher" moment that started the whole feud when he busted up Flair's celebration with The Horsemen of his big World Title Win at Starrcade 87. Of course a match was set for the following week so Flair could "teach him a lesson" and I expected a short match with Sting acquitting himself well ending in some Horsemen beatdown. Instead Sting thrashed Flair all over the ring and locked him in The Scorpion Death Lock, refusing to let go, even after Flair reached the ropes! Arn Anderson had to save Flair from being crippled. It was an unusually strong display, and ruthless by an Fan Fave circa 1988, I would have expected a cheat like Flair to lock in The Figure Four and not let go but seeing Sting be this aggressive was like a breadth of fresh air... Finally a "hero" who could fight like "the bad guys" do.

Of course Clash 88 was a great match, not much to add there. Over the years I enjoyed his work vs Rick Rude (very under rated I feel) & Great Mutah, as well as Vader (something different, Sting against a monster type villain that had many of the "unbeatable" qualities he had, instead of cunning heels like Rude, Flair, & Barry Whyndam).

The build to Hogan-Sting was exceptional, one of the best ever, the whole storyline was so well done, even if the match disappointed (I travelled from Pgh to DC to see that show). However, the whole "Crow" transformation" was unique and added a new, more adult like dimension to his character that was lacking previously. Some very good matches with Savage, Flair, & Brett Hart during this time as well (97-99). The whole "From The Rafters" thing was excellent, even thiough WWE's attempt to mimick the gimmick ended in disaster (Owen Hart RIP).

His SuperBrawl 92 World Title win over Lex Luger deserves some mention, as does him & Luger teaming to beat their arch nemesis Four Horsemen buds Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson in the 1988 Crockett Cup Tournament.


That about covers mine... So what is your "Favorite Sting Moment", match, promo, or fued....

 

[James2293]

I had 2 favorite sting moments that i go back and watch regularly. First is when he saves the giant from the nwo after the match with Hennig. It gives me goosebumps when i see him throw the bat out and fights off the nwo on his own as the show ends with bischoff pissed off. My second favorite is his 97starrcade entrance and the staredown before the match with Hollywood. To me that was just epic

 

[Makaveli31]

When he ripped off the back and white and reveal the RED and BLACK! Nash said it was THE loudest pop he had ever heard!

 

[Creepy Old Man]

I enjoyed seeing Sting vs. Bret. It was a dream match for years, the respective faces of WCW and the WWF, both using the same hold. Their first match at Halloween Havoc 1998 (I believe they had a previously booked Nitro match which became a backstage brawl) was meant to be a classic, but was rendered a merely good contest due to overbooking. They had a slightly better match for the title on Nitro in October 1999, which was sullied by interference.

Their match at Mayhem 1999, I really enjoyed; because it was part of a world title tournament on pay-per-view, it had a "big fight" feel that their other bouts lacked. It started with both men nose-to-nose, talking trash, and then shoving each other a la Wembley 1992 - a great visual. As always in WCW there was interference, but Bret showed respect for Sting by saying he didn't want to win that way and asked for a restart, so it made for a great story. Sting tapped out clean to the Sharpshooter in a classy move, showing ultimate respect to Bret. Sting called Bret back to the ring, ostensibly to fight, but extended his hand to Bret and hugged him. A great moment, and a fitting end to the rivalry since it was the last time Sting and Bret faced each other. Also one of WCW's last truly enjoyable and affecting moments in my opinion, as the company was almost beyond redemption at that point.

 

[Stingersplash89]

The sting army on nitro that time. The nwo was picking off all the fake stings until Buff ran into the real deal and got nailed with the Scorpion Deathdrop. Huuuuge mark out moment for 7 year old me.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Sting vs Vader, Luger and the Dangerous Alliance was a great period in WCW. It was just unfortunate that they didn't get behind their homegrown guys at that time; instead waiting for Hogan, Savage et al and Bischoff's aspirations to take on the WWF at their own game.

Pretty much the whole transformation from surfer to crow and his whole part in the nWo storyline. From getting in Scott Hall's face, to cleaning house at War Games, to "the only thing that's for sure about Sting is that nothing's for sure!" to the silent presence in the rafters, to the building of a WCW army, to decimating the nWo and outwitting them at every turn (all the while, not issuing a single word). Anyone who thinks that Sting didn't draw should go back and study the period WCW stuffed the WWF - Sting's facepaint was all over it!

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

My favorite Sting moment was his feud with Cactus Jack that led to one of the greatest Falls Count Anywhere matches of all time at Beach Blast. The two of them put on an intense match, and it felt like one of the first times I had seen Sting come back with some of his old quickness after his 1990 knee injury. That injury slowed him down quite a bit, and forced him to change his wrestling style. But he and Foley went balls to the wall for Beach Blast.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I always preferred late 80's/early 90's surfer Sting. Maybe because I was a kid and a fan of wrestling around this time, but I never really watched WCW much. But when I did, Sting always stood out to me. He was instantly my favourite WCW wrestler and gave me a reason to watch this brand.

I guess my favourite moments would be Sting / Flair at Clash of the Champions 1988 - the match that really put him on the map as a main eventer. Sting / Flair at Great American Bash 1990 - his first NWA Championship. Entire feud with Vader, notably their strap match at SuperBrawl 3. Fall Brawl War Games 1996 vs nWo... which lead to the transformation into the crow, one of my favourite angles of all time from September 96 to Dec 97 (WCW shows their lack of faith in Sting, Sting gets dark and disappears, Sting returns even darker, no one knows what side he's on, WCW tries to "sign" the free agent, Sting finally takes on the nWo on his own, all leads to Hogan at Starrcade 97 and SuperBrawl 8.)

 

[mildewygenie89]

My favorite Sting moment was his feud with Cactus Jack that led to one of the greatest Falls Count Anywhere matches of all time at Beach Blast. The two of them put on an intense match, and it felt like one of the first times I had seen Sting come back with some of his old quickness after his 1990 knee injury. That injury slowed him down quite a bit, and forced him to change his wrestling style. But he and Foley went balls to the wall for Beach Blast.

Beach Blast 92 is one of my favorites. That entire event kicked ass imo. I have so many great memories of Sting. From his fueds with Ric and the horsemen all the way to Hogan and the NWO.

Does anybody remember Sting and Flair vs Muta and Terry Funk in an electrified steel cage match in the late 80s? Maybe 89 halloween havoc or it may have been Clash of the Champions? I loved his matches with Big Van Vader, Cactus Jack, and remember his spin the wheel make the deal match with Jake Roberts. Sting did it all he held every title and fueded with every top name or tag team that ever came to WCW.

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

Favourite Sting moments

Great American Bash 1990 - Sting beats Flair for the title, this was an unbelievable match, the main reason it worked so well is the build up to it. The match itself was also a cracker and seeing Sting win the belt was incredible.

Superbrawl - Sting/Luger vs The Steiner Brothers - one of the best tag team matches of all time, it was immensely paced (maybe should have gone a few minutes more tbh) and was just absorbing.

WCW Nitro - DDP vs Sting, this was the natch where Sting beat DDP for the world title only to lose it later in a fatal four way. It was a shame he lost it so quickly but I thought it was excellent booking. The Sting/DDP match was a superb match, one the crowd was massively into aswell.

There are more (Starrcade 89 comes to mind) but those are my three favourites.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Does anybody remember Sting and Flair vs Muta and Terry Funk in an electrified steel cage match in the late 80s? Maybe 89 halloween havoc or it may have been Clash of the Champions.

That was the very first Halloween Havoc in Oct 1989, in an electrified cage match with special guest ref Bruno Sammartino. The match actually wasn't as great as it sounds, although you have to remember WCW at this time had issues between Turner Network people and the talent regarding how far they could go in their matches violence wise. A short time after this Flair & Funk got in trouble for a Clash Of Champions Tag Match where Funk attempts to suffocate Flair with a plastic bag (until he is saved by Sting).

I also thought the talent wasn't sure what to do with electrified cage (how much voltage was there, it was only the top to keep the wrestlers in but how safe was that ??) - The bout is OK, the ending is great, with Mutah incapacitated, Funk trapped in the Figure Four, and Sting diving off the top onto him, squashing him like a bug, a violent, definitive ending.