Greatest Rival #3

[Tech N9ne]

Most of the time when a thread is made about someone, especially in a way that focuses on looking back at someone's career. The questions that are asked usually revolve around "What Was Their Best Match" or "What Was Their Best Moment" or something similar.

But in this thread I ask the question, Who is a person's greatest rival? Maybe you base that on a series of matches they had together. Or the amount of matches they had in their careers. Or maybe when these 2 get together, they bring the best out of each other. Or maybe you think 2 guys are rivals because their careers ran parallel to each other or revolved around one another.

In this edition, I ask, who is the Greatest Rival of Sting? His career has spanned 4 different decades. So, there are many guys Sting has embroiled himself in deep, deep feuds with. Guys like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Kevin Nash, Lex Luger, Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett and so many others.

Flair or Luger would be an easy choice I guess. But, I think it was Hogan. After each of them were basically the Face of rival companies in the late 80's and mid 90's. Hogan joined Sting in WCW after leaving the WWF. There was always the buzz about "who was better" and "who would win" and "who was more popular?"

So after Hogan turned Heel, and Sting went AWOL, it seemed like it could possibly happen. But Sting's appearances over the next year and a half were to strictly beat up and foil the plans of Hogan and The NWO.

So, the hype really began years before their match at Starcade 97. The rivalry remained after that match as well, and has continued on to TNA now.

I am sure Flair will get a Hell of a lot of votes, but mine goes to Hogan.

Who is your choice? Do you agree that it is Hulk Hogan? Someone else on the poll, or someone I left out? Thoughts?

 

[Mr_billy]

Honestly, if Flair wasn't such a great heel, no one would have cared anything about JCP, and Sting would have been seen as warrior make up and a rat tail, and would never of became the legend that he is. Everyone wanted to see Flair beat, because he was a tremendous heel. Secondly, I'd have to go with Vader, he was an awesome monster, and it would have made anyones career to beat him.

 

[kronikfish666]

I voted other, because I noticed Great Muta wasn't on that list. For me when I think of his rivalries that who comes to mind first, the painted face warriors from Japan and USA going toe to toe in awesome bouts. Thank god for being born into a good era of wrestling

 

[legendkiller1979]

The answer is easily Hulk Hogan. All you have to do is look at the winners for most hated wrestler of the year in the history of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

1986: Paul Orndorff. His feud with Hogan was the hottest of the year.

1988: Andre the Giant. For most of the year, he feuded with Hogan. Their feud set up wrestlemania IV. It lasted most of the year along with Ted Dibiase and Randy Savage

1989: Randy Savage: The mega powers exploded in '89. This feud lasted most of the year and was among the best of the year.

1990: Earthquake: Attacked Hogan and "nearly ended his career".

1991: Sgt Slaughter: The American turncoat who was defeated by Hogan at wrestlemania VII. This feud also lasted for most of the year.

Bottom line, feuding with Hulk Hogan guaranteed a wrestler a top heel spot, if not the top heel spot. Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy,and Earthquake never did anything close to what they did when they feuded with Hulk Hogan.

 

[gbaby_steve25]

The answer is easily Hulk Hogan. All you have to do is look at the winners for most hated wrestler of the year in the history of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

1986: Paul Orndorff. His feud with Hogan was the hottest of the year.

1988: Andre the Giant. For most of the year, he feuded with Hogan. Their feud set up wrestlemania IV. It lasted most of the year along with Ted Dibiase and Randy Savage

1989: Randy Savage: The mega powers exploded in '89. This feud lasted most of the year and was among the best of the year.

1990: Earthquake: Attacked Hogan and "nearly ended his career".

1991: Sgt Slaughter: The American turncoat who was defeated by Hogan at wrestlemania VII. This feud also lasted for most of the year.

Bottom line, feuding with Hulk Hogan guaranteed a wrestler a top heel spot, if not the top heel spot. Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy,and Earthquake never did anything close to what they did when they feuded with Hulk Hogan.

ummmm...... i do believe it wasnt who had the greatest fueds... it was who was Stings Greatest Rivalry... .

For me it is Ric Flair... they started feuding in NWA and had the last match ever for WCW... in fact one great match comes to mind... (it was either WCW Thunder or WCW Saturday Night)... it was Sting (Still blonde surfer) vs Flair... it was a nice 20 minute match that had huge spots in it. The match itself was a 4 star match and for a Non-Nitro event it was huge. It ended up that at the end of the broadcast it was cut short and the ending was not known until Nitro the next week. In fact the match was so great I was in awe and I couldnt wait for monday night... turned out Flair won by cheating of course, but that was the match that made sting my favorite all time, and is one of several reasons I believe Flair is his greatest Rival. I mean damn, it started in the 80's and even now in 2011 this two still have a rivalry...

 

[RickRockwell]

Without a doubt it's Ric Flair.... Flair put Sting on the map back in NWA... Flair turned on Sting with the Horsemen... Flair turned on Sting against Anderson and Pillman... Flair and Sting wrestled on the last WCW Nitro... These are just a few of the moments that defined this rivalry... There's no doubt that Ric Flair is Sting's greatest rival.. God, I wonder if some of these people on here ever watched wrestling before Austin 3:16 and the NWO.....

 

[steinerscrewdriver]

I voted Ric Flair, when you say Stings carrer has spaned 4 decades such has is rivalry with Ric Flair. from the JCP days through WCW til now in TNA these men have always been fighting and bring out the best in eachother. Look at the last match in the history of WCW, it was these two men who were the epicenter of WCW from its beginnings til its end.

 

[EastCoastFan]

Ric Flair, hands down. The rivalry with Flair MADE Sting. The match at the first Clash Of Champions proved to the fans that he could hang with the world champion and Bash 1990 solidified it when he beat Flair to become the champ. Without Ric Flair, Sting would not have become the icon he did.

 

[legendkiller1979]

Oh wow!! I should have read more carefully. I saw that most people voted for Hulk Hogan and I just assumed the topic was speaking in general terms. My fault.

Of course it's Ric Flair. Stiog was already well established by the time Hogan got to WCW.

 

[Shakin' Abe]

Flair all the way because back in the day, Flair made Sting matter by being such a great heel. That's back when there were good guys and bad guys, and Flair never had a problem losing a match like Hogan did. Flair did what was right for business and Hogan did what was right for Hogan. Sting was the best Face NWA/WCW had in the 80's/90's.

 

[The_Gene_Genie]

Ric Flair. Period.

Wrestlers often endure different feuds and rivalries throughout their careers and your answers to the questions often depend on your time spent watching wrestling. However, nothing can detract from wrestling history.

For me, a feud has to be personal and be full of history. Sting-Hogan rivalry was bound to be hyped to the hilt due to the respective stature of both men within the industry. When Hogan came to WCW it was an inevitable sell that there would be a feud there. But Sting-Flair surely surpasses this. They were rivals in WCW before Hogan made his egotistical and financially motivated move to WCW, and even before that in the NWA. They were booked for the last Nitro to close the curtains on a long and respectful rivalry and the respect shown between the two at the end of that match sums it up completely. Where were any of the others on the list at the time of the last Nitro?

 

[Lucha-Libre is wrestling]

The only rival Sting has had in his career is Ric Flair and no one else. They started their feud in the NWA and what was WCW last match ever Flair vs Sting. And why Sting haven't join Immortal the answer is Flair. Sting had many feuds with the other guys mention on this thread but they all were in one promotion none of those guys fallow Sting and pushed him like Flair did. If Sting would had wrestled in the AWA or WWE then this would had been a hard question. Sting legacy is WCW and thats promotion greatest champ was Ric Flair.

 

[MancMark]

It has to be Ric Flair. He made Sting back in the day. They had a fantastic rivalry, right up until they wrestled on the last Nitro. Aside from Flair, probably Hogan because of the whole NWO thing.

 

[Dyno Kid]

Oh this is Flair easily and Sting would probably agree himself. It was his feud and pursuit of the WCW title against Flair that put Sting on the wrestling map ! This should really be a no-contest in my opinion.

 

[nwocongo]

I gotta go with the popular choice here of Flair. Like Mr. Billy said it, Flair was such a great heel, I think without Flair Sting would not have become the super babyface he was. I grew up hating the 4 horsemen and watching Sting get jumped all the time, for me that was the main reason to tune it to WCW I wasn't really into what Hogan was doing in WWF or when he came over to WCW. The Sting Hogan feud was a pretty big deal at the time, but I don't know if Sting would have been "the chosen one" to thwart the NWO if not for all the face build up feuding with Flair earlier.