Has Sting done anything for TNA? Put anyone over?

[TheMainEvent]

Been thinking alot about TNA lately and the topic of Sting and the impact he has had with the company was brought to my attention. Namely whether he has actually attributed anything to the growth of the company and if he has really put anyone over. I remember when he returned to TNA a few years ago he stated that he was coming back to work with some of the younger talent and help TNA out but has that really happened? All I can remember of Sting is him constantly feuding with Jarrett, Angle, and Abyss. Sure some could say he put Abyss over but really Abyss hasnt advanced any since that horrendous feud. Sting hasnt had any longstanding feuds with any upcoming talent like James Storm, Samoa Joe, Morgan, Pope, Anderson, Roode, Daniels, etc. He had a match with Daniels at Slammiversary few years back but it was 3 weeks of interaction that he won the match and Daniels disapeared. Storm thought was gonna feud with him after he attacked Sting with bottle but again next week match Sting wins and no further development.

Now im not saying its Stings fault and is likely booking wanting to pit old stars with old stars for star power matchups but Sting should have been used as the aging Icon with an upcoming heel wanting to take him out and take his spot by beating the almighty Sting. AJ kind of got that with his World Title win but he is already champ before and wasnt gonna gain much form the Sting feud. Anyways this seems more like a rant than anything but wanted to know your thoughts on Sting in TNA and his impact/legacy. Should he have been used differently? heel or face? Why the heel does he always wrestle in a damn T-shirt by the way?

 

[MancMark]

Well I imagine the T-shirt is because he's let himself go a bit. That's the only thing I can think of. Too many Pot Noodles or something.

I love Sting and he's my favourite wrestler of all time, but it's hard to disagree with you. It's probably more down to bad booking, because he's never struck me as a guy who wouldn't put someone over. He worked hard with Vampiro years ago trying to do the impossible and make the bloke a star. Now after all these years, it's just leading towards him wrestling Flair once more and calling it a day.

 

[Marcesto Del Santos Vega]

Well I started watching wrestling in 1998 i was only 8-9 then and i only watched WWE. the first match I ever witnessed of sting was him vs Ric Flair on wcw's last night he lost the match. so now when I see sting in his TNA days they try to pass him off as a flair. Im sorry but Flair was doing at stings age now that sting can't ever possibly accomplish I am really trying hard not to bury him. Sting should have went to WWE for the invasion angle but from what I seen he was scared of the rock....... i think sting needs to dropthe paint its too 15 years ago. its almost 2011. I dont see anything great about him now.. hes old has minimum move set. he should have been involved in the NWO invasion backin 02-03 All I ever hear about is how great sting used to be an sure I do see old clips when he was in top physical peak. but thats about it.....

 

[WCWMondayNitroOnYT]

I really wish Flair and Hogan would learn a thing or two from Sting and wrestle in a damn t-shirt as well. With his part-time schedule and the poor booking, Sting has put over as many as he possibly could. He has put over Styles, Joe, Abyss and probably a few others if you look back at his career in TNA. The only one that has done a better job has been Angle and TNA's booking pretty much wipes out any rub that the main eventers try to give to the younger talent.

 

[WCWMondayNitroOnYT]

Well I started watching wrestling in 1998 i was only 8-9 then and i only watched WWE. the first match I ever witnessed of sting was him vs Ric Flair on wcw's last night he lost the match. so now when I see sting in his TNA days they try to pass him off as a flair. Im sorry but Flair was doing at stings age now that sting can't ever possibly accomplish I am really trying hard not to bury him. Sting should have went to WWE for the invasion angle but from what I seen he was scared of the rock....... i think sting needs to dropthe paint its too 15 years ago. its almost 2011. I dont see anything great about him now.. hes old has minimum move set. he should have been involved in the NWO invasion backin 02-03 All I ever hear about is how great sting used to be an sure I do see old clips when he was in top physical peak. but thats about it.....

Scared of the Rock? Are you fucking serious? Sting has never went to WWE because of their smut that used to permeate the screen for so long. I'm sure, deep down, he just hates Vince to no end as well.

You need to do yourself a favor and watch old NWA/WCW ppv's and shows. You've only seen Sting when he's past his prime. You're doing yourself a grave disservice by not catching up on the entire career of Sting.

 

[rko57]

Scared of the Rock? Are you fucking serious? Sting has never went to WWE because of their smut that used to permeate the screen for so long. I'm sure, deep down, he just hates Vince to no end as well.

You need to do yourself a favor and watch old NWA/WCW ppv's and shows. You've only seen Sting when he's past his prime. You're doing yourself a grave disservice by not catching up on the entire career of Sting.

I couldn't agree more. Sting is my favorite of all time, me being 20 now, I started watching wrestling with the whole Sting/nWo angle, and once I got a little older, I decided to look up some Sting matches and everything, they are amazing and he is one of the greatest of all time.

Back on topic, Sting has put over talent, he put over Abyss as the Champion then, he put over Christian (Christian was already over, but he helped him more over), Samoa Joe, and definitely AJ Styles, especially by having AJ pin him cleanly at BFG09, a PPV he never lost at. The list may seem little, but think of all the people Sting has really had a feud with, Angle and JJ are throughout the years, but look at the younger talent in between the feuds with those two, and he has put them over

 

[rko57]

It's not being scared of the Rock, its being scared of how he would be booked in WWE. He didn't wanna be used like all the WCW guys were at the time of the Invasion. He didn't want WWE to make a joke outta of him like they were to Booker T as soon he walked into a WWE ring when the Rock went "who are you?" Listen to the whole interview and not just what you wanna hear.

 

[iamcountrymusic]

i've only been watching TNA for about 3 years and the only time i can think of is Bound For Glory last year with AJ. Including the buildup when he was putting AJ over and saying he's the future. But AJ was already the company star, so it's not like it was more of a push than he's used to.
Other than that, not really. He's taken a lot of time off and even in The Main Event Mafia, he was fighting for power with Angle.
He's had matches with the younger guys and may have complimented them, but seriously, i haven't seen him do anything to put anyone over who wasn't already over.

This current angle he's in is with the same people as a few previous angles. Sting could be used to put over a bunch of people. He's The Icon. TNA has deserving talent and Flair jobbed to Jay Lethal a couple times so Sting would put someone over.

And if Sting's injuries have kept him from doing his normal excercises, then he may have man titties and needs a shirt.



About Sting in the WWE, if he were in the company the same time that Nash and the other WCW guys. He wouldn't have been the same. Look how they used DDP. He stalked Undertaker's nasty wife which even at 14 years old i thought was a stupid angle.
Raw was on TNN and how crazy the majority of storylines were (HLA, Katie Vick, Eric Bischoff getting poon tang pie from Mae Young, etc).
He may have worked on Smackdown, but he would have been released or weeded out like Tommy Dreamer and the others.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

I think Sting has put people over in TNA, but I can only remember him putting over the stars that didn't need to be put over; Samoa Joe, Aj Styles and Abyss. I can't remember him putting over guys like Eric Youg, Jay Lethal etc. But I don't know why he hasn't put guys that need putting over, over. He wouldn't lose any of his credibility, I don't mean for him to get beat most weeks like Jericho does, I mean just have a feud with someone like Jay Lethal (like Flair was recently doing).

Anyway I think Sting wears the t-shirt during matches because he's let himself go abit.

 

[ABMorales787]

Sting helped the company since it's younger days back in 2003. It was thanks to him many see the company as an up and coming second promotion. Sting has only helped put over AJ Styles, Daniels, Abyss, Hernandez and Matt Morgan. Maybe most of those feud's aren't well remembered, but to say he hasn't done much for TNA is pretty far-fetched. He helped give the company legitimacy in its earlier days. He's already falling into a supporting role and giving Samoa Joe a feud to work with. He's done quite a lot for TNA. Maybe not as much as Kurt Angle or AJ Styles, but he's played a very substantial role in it's growth.

 

[barclayteo]

first thing i got to say is jericho is the best at putting the younger stars over he does it cause he wants to help them not cause he has to. second jericho could lose 9 out of 10 matches but he will still be the best in the world at what he does.

another thing is its the booking plain and simple its tna we are talking about and easy e is the same as he was in wcw what would sting have to gain by not putting people over he is not in his prime anymore im sure he only has a couple of years left iv always been a hugh sting fan but we all know easy e only cares about putting over the veterans he did it hugh time in wcw he is just doing it a little bit less in tna.

i agree with wht u guys said about him not wanting to go to wwe cause everone who went from wcw to wwe were made a fool of and humiliated look at ddp it would have been the same but i bet worse for sting.

 

[CyDeez]

Well I started watching wrestling in 1998 i was only 8-9 then and i only watched WWE. the first match I ever witnessed of sting was him vs Ric Flair on wcw's last night he lost the match. so now when I see sting in his TNA days they try to pass him off as a flair. Im sorry but Flair was doing at stings age now that sting can't ever possibly accomplish I am really trying hard not to bury him. Sting should have went to WWE for the invasion angle but from what I seen he was scared of the rock....... i think sting needs to dropthe paint its too 15 years ago. its almost 2011. I dont see anything great about him now.. hes old has minimum move set. he should have been involved in the NWO invasion backin 02-03 All I ever hear about is how great sting used to be an sure I do see old clips when he was in top physical peak. but thats about it.....

This is quite possibly the dumbest post I have ever read on this site. I have said that before, but I think this time, we have a TRUE winner!!

First of all, it is just simply illiterate as it is written!! From capitalization to punctuation and everything in between (like facts!!). It hurts my eyes just attempting to read it.

WTF are you doing shitting on Sting compared to Flair? No one has ever tried to pass Sting off as Flair. He has his own legacy! He has had epic, one of a kind moments and matches, NUMEROUS times over in his career, without Flair even in WCW. As well as World Titles.

Flair is 61 and Sting is 51. Sting can definitely do more and is better in the ring at this point in his career than Flair. Go back 10 years ago. 2000... Sting is much better right now at 51 than Flair was at 51. So Idk what you're smoking when you watch youtube vids of Sting & Flair. Since you didn't even watch WCW to truly even comment on either one of these guys in the first place!

Sure Sting's body has grown old with age (obviously). But, he can still wrestle a lengthy, entertaining and relevant match. That goes with anyone as his opponent.

A minimum move set? Are you kidding me? Sting has a deep playlist regarding his in ring abilities. Sting rivals even the world's best at this moment, with how he matches up with them in the ring.

Lose the makeup? Sure Sting... Shed your whole gimmick and start over at 50! LOL... I'm gonna just let the loss of makeup comment end there...

LMMFAO @ him afraid of Dwayne Johnson. You took it too literal. He meant he didn't want to be downgraded, made fun of, and disrespected. Others from WCW and other companies had been ruined or crapped on by creative. Notably Booker T and also Dusty Rhodes.

It wasn't anything that was directed as how The Rock would treat him, but how The Rock would be a guy creative would use to embarrass and verbally pick Sting apart.

It would have been stupid if he joined the NWO Invasion angle in 02. He and Hogan aligned in WWE? Sting and Hogan's characters have always hated each other and been at odds. Sure, Sting joined NWO Wolfpac. But that was at a different point in the whole structure of NWO and WCW. Plus, The Wolfpac had nothing to do with him and Hogan being a team at all. Hogan was NWO Hollywood.

**On topic...

I don't think he has put people over in a traditional match, win/loss, kind of a way. But I think a lot of TNA's talent has learned from him. He seems like a guy that would try to help people when it is possible.

I think he did a lot for guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and even Christian (Cage)...

 

[nbkush]

NO..Sting hasnt drawn money since the early 90's...his "Crow" gimmick sucked back then and continued to suck in TNA. He should cut his hair and go back to the gym so that he doesnt have to wear a T-shirt when he wrestles.

 

[nbkush]

"Flair is 61 and Sting is 51. Sting can definitely do more and is better in the ring at this point in his career than Flair. Go back 10 years ago. 2000... Sting is much better right now at 51 than Flair was at 51. So Idk what you're smoking when you watch youtube vids of Sting & Flair."

I agree with everything you stated except for this. Sting hasn't been a good worker in over a decade. Flair has always and (unfortunatly) continues to work his ass off.

 

[TellMeWhy]

What has Sting done for TNA. Well Sting was the big name who helped TNA land their TV deal with SPike because Spike required a big name star and Sting was there for that. Sting also helped the company have notoriety and legitimacy in the Asylum days of TNA with his appearances. So yes, Sting's presence has done lots for TNA. Hell, Dixie even spoke on how a guy like Sting has helped them get licensing deals and whatnot so beyond the ring Sting has done plenty for TNA including making guys who are over more over in putting guys like AJ, Joe, RVD, Abyss, and Christian over.

And supposedly Sting wears the T-shirt now because his shoulder is bandaged. I don't think his body looks that much different than how he looked at BFG 09 when he faced AJ. It's only because of his nagging shoulder injury that he wears a T-shirt to cover the bandages.

 

[nbkush]

"What has Sting done for TNA."

NOTHING...Angle is what got TNA a Spike tv deal, Sting got them a syndicated FOX sports deal that didnt even last a year. He hasnt been relevant in the last ten years, and hasnt been consistently good in the ring in the last fifteen years. So NO, Sting hasnt produced for TNA, but then again, he hasnt done much in years.

 

[Prolific]

Umm... is this REALLY a topic about Sting putting someone over in TNA?

O.K. Well help me with my memory here...
Who did Abyss beat to have his ONLY World Title reign in TNA?
Who gave Mick Foley his last "shining moment" at Lockdown '09?
Who put Samoa Joe over last year when he was barely even over in the company?
Who had one of the few TNA angles worth seeing at Bound for Glory '09 and put over a diminishing AJ Styles?
Who did RVD beat in his first match in TNA?

So I ask again... why is this a topic worth even considering?

 

[T2KFreeker]

Asking if Sting has put anyone over is a problem. The reason being is that he isn't a booker, making it not his decision. As for saying that AJ Styles was already over so Sting didn't need to put him over at Bound For Glory, well that is somewhat crazy as well. Reason being is that, again, Sting is a known name. MANY fans know who Sting is and there is the real possibility that there were several fans who had never seen TNA, or who just started watching TNA that saw that match and either just barely knew who AJ was or had never seen AJ, so for those of us that knew who he was, we had a great match and for those of us fans who didn't know who AJ was, they got a taste of who he was and what he was about because they saw him beat Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on TNA's biggest PPV of the year. Saying that Sting Didn't Need To Put Over AJ at BFG because we all knew who he was is like saying that Andre the Giant didn't need to put over Hogan at Wrestlemania III because we already knew who Hogan was. Adding credibility to an established star isn't a bad thing especially when you can say that you beat a guy at a PPV they have never lost at. Just my thoughts at least.

 

[Bobby B]

Umm... is this REALLY a topic about Sting putting someone over in TNA?

O.K. Well help me with my memory here...
Who did Abyss beat to have his ONLY World Title reign in TNA?
Who gave Mick Foley his last "shining moment" at Lockdown '09?
Who put Samoa Joe over last year when he was barely even over in the company?
Who had one of the few TNA angles worth seeing at Bound for Glory '09 and put over a diminishing AJ Styles?
Who did RVD beat in his first match in TNA?

So I ask again... why is this a topic worth even considering?

Well, I haven't been watching TNA long enough to really argue with the topic in terms of what I've seen.

But looking at that list, do any of those names actually need putting over? RVD, Abyss, Foley, AJ Styles, Joe (what can you do with any of these names to get them any more over). None of them are young at all, with the execption of Styles (who's won everything in TNA).

I'm not trying to argue the general point, but losing doesn't automatically equal putting someone over.

 

[mvalley]

Sting put Styles over clean last year in the middle of the ring. He also put over Joe about a year ago as well as recently. Don't forget him losing clean to RVD twice -- both within seconds of RVD's debut and also for the world title.

Aside from that, Sting has stayed away from the world title picture, letting others get their chance, and instead focusing on his feuds with Hogan and Jarrett. One could make the argument that each of those men could feud with some new star, but on the same token by putting all of the established "older" talent into one match, that leaves the card open for the younger talent.

 

[Caitiff]

Well, I haven't been watching TNA long enough to really argue with the topic in terms of what I've seen.

But looking at that list, do any of those names actually need putting over? RVD, Abyss, Foley, AJ Styles, Joe (what can you do with any of these names to get them any more over). None of them are young at all, with the execption of Styles (who's won everything in TNA).

I'm not trying to argue the general point, but losing doesn't automatically equal putting someone over.

To TNA diehards who have been watching the promotion since Day 1: No. None of those names need to be put over.

However, to the uninitiated, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles may need to be put over in matches with more established mainstream wrestlers, such as Sting.

The thing is, outside of TNA and Ring of Honor, exactly where can you point people who are hesitant to watch unfamiliar wrestling toward to see Samoa Joe? No. Seriously. That's not rhetorical. I want an answer. Especially if it's better than "youtube."

AJ Styles is a bit easier to show off, since he was in WCW for a cup of coffee, and had a couple good matches in WWE. So, it's much easier to find a match or two with AJ Styles against someone who has name recognition with the typical wrestling fan. I'm not saying that those are his best matches, but there are something to look at.

Abyss is a special case, however. Even to diehard TNA fans, he's been a joke for a significant portion of his tenure in TNA. And, for the record, Sting anted to put the belt on Abyss clean. It was Russo (Big fucking shock) who decided against that, and put in a short lived "lose the title on DQ" rule. (Cue the Cornette Face.)

Abyss needs to get a major rub from someone. If Flair is willing to lay down for Jay Lethal, a legendary babyface needs to lay down for Abyss. I have no doubts that Sting would be willing to do this, since he's done it before. However, Russo and Hogan, in their "infinite wisdom," decided to turn Sting heel, to protect Hulkamania.

So, who's left that can actually put Abyss over? Well, Hogan would be a big enough deal, if Abyss were to destroy him in a match. But, here in reality, that's never going to fucking happen. So, we have to look elsewhere? EV2.0? Exactly who in that group is still worthwhile? No. Seriously.

Frankly, I think that Abyss' character truely depends on the identity of "they." "They" need to be someone major and sinister. But, I honestly expect "they" to be Bischoff. And, if it is, I have every right to be very worried about the only real alternative to WWE in the mainstream.

Please, HDNet, come to Philadelphia Comcast, already! With a cherry on top!

 

[johnbragg]

To TNA diehards who have been watching the promotion since Day 1: No. None of those names need to be put over.

However, to the uninitiated, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles may need to be put over in matches with more established mainstream wrestlers, such as Sting.

Anyone who is aware of TNA found out somehow--either word of mouth, or through the internet. So the names "Samoa Joe" and "AJ STyles" are almost as closely associated with TNA as "Jeff Jarrett". Samoa Joe had that undefeated streak, the AJ-Daniels-Joe match, and the matches with Angle. (Sting who?) Sting did put over AJ Styles, big time, at the end of last year.

Unless they just tuned in on January 4. 2010, in which case Samoa Joe is a directionless midcarder and AJ Styles was World Champion a few months ago. (The ratings say there aren't many TNA watchers in this category, but that's another thread.)

Former WWE world champions RVD and Foley didn't need to be put over by anybody in TNA.

Which leaves Abyss. Sting lost his title to Abyss, lost clean in a rematch (3 way with Christian). TNA screwed Abyss up, but I don't know if anyone can blame Sting.

Still, five years and one, maybe two TNA stars put over.

 

[jccool420]

This is probably one of the most offensive and disgusting threads I have ever read on this forum...

The ignorance and plain out disrespect for a man who is 51 years old and truly has a passion and a love for the business is digusting... Sting has always been selfless... He was huge in putting AJ over as a main eventer and Huge in putting Abyss and Joe over... Not to mention RVD WHO HAD NOT BEATEN ANYONE IN 3 OR 4 YEARS!!!

Sting is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time... For the damn young ass marks that don't know shit past 2002, if you in some way need proof of that... Check out WWE Classics OnDemend... Fucking Sting has NEVER worked for Vince and his banners are all over the place when Matt Striker is talking and they show his damn matches all the time even though he works for TNA...

Sting scared of The Rock... OMG I think that is the most ******ed statement I have ever heard... As others have pointed out, it had nothing to do with Dwayne Johnson, it was him knowing that Vince was going to make him look like shit because that's what Vince did to all the stars that he didn't make... Sting will without a doubt one day go into the WWE Hall of Fame without even stepping into a WWE ring... How much more proof of his star power do you need?

I just really can't believe some of the posts in this thread... Makes me feel old and I am only 25... God Damn Kids....

 

[rko57]

"What has Sting done for TNA."

NOTHING...Angle is what got TNA a Spike tv deal, Sting got them a syndicated FOX sports deal that didnt even last a year. He hasnt been relevant in the last ten years, and hasnt been consistently good in the ring in the last fifteen years. So NO, Sting hasnt produced for TNA, but then again, he hasnt done much in years.

Are you that ignorant and stupid that you're gonna post this without knowing your facts first? Angle came to TNA a year after Sting was there. TNA was on FSN 2004-2005, and they came to Spike after BFG05 where Sting's hints at coming to TNA were at the end of 2005. His PPV debut at Final Resolution 2006 was TNA's biggest PPV buy they had ever had at that point all the way up until BFG06 that year I believe. I'm not a diehard TNA fan and even I know this. Gets your facts straight before you post dumbass.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Well as some have said before Sting has put over a majority of people both young and old in TNA. He is the locker room leader that has put over as many people if not more then the Undertaker in his short reign in TNA. Everyone seems to be forgetting that Sting put over AJ Styles hugely at Bound For Glory last year. He even contemplated retirement after the match. Don't get the heel gimmick confused with who he really is. He just recently tapped to Samoa Joe at the PPV, and lost cleanly again to him on the Impact before then. Not to mention the other numerous times he put Joe, Hernandez, Abyss, and Morgan over.

This argument is pretty ridiculous considering that Sting hasn't won a match in months. He has done a major part as a veteran to help TNA come to where they are now along with Kurt Angle. Even though it may be time for him to hang up the boots, at his age he can still wrestle better than most people half his age.