How Sting Should Have Returned

[MrAnderson123]

This is my first thread, and what a thread I'm starting off with.

Just a quick recap on how Sting returned:
Steel cage match with Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe against Devon and Masked Man later to be revealed as Mike Knox.
Kurt and Joe got the win. Aces & Eights gave them a beat down, and without music, with the lights shining bright around the Impact Zone, out comes Stinger with his bat and gave his contribution on the fightback. He breifly stared down Doc, which given that you all know how the wrestling world works, means a match and a feud.

TNA could have done so many things with the return of the Stinger.

I liked when the bat dropped from the rafters when Doc was in the ring. (Shame about Doc's acting)
I thought about this and one of the things that stuck in my head was this:

They did the Steel Cage match and Kurt and Joe got the win. The beatdown from A&E started. Doc then locks the cage door behind them. He chucks the key so Sting cannot get in.
The lights go down. Sting's music hits. The lights start flickering. Doc's panicking.
The lights go up. Sting is sat on the cage, looking down at Doc. Aces&Eights are all still beating down Kurt and Joe. Sting gets down, smashed the cage door open with the bat and out comes Magnus, The Pope and Anderson to get the save.
This way, this gives the impression that Lockdown could feature ANYONE.
You know it's gonna be Team Sting against A&E. But whoever is on Sting's team, it will be a surprise.

Now, if you could have booked it, how would you have done it?

First thread, remember? Be nice

 

[Zeven_Zion]

How would I book it? Any way BUT what TNA did. It was just lazy.

I mean, come on, they didn't even play his damn music. For a moment I thought he'd come down from the ceiling like he did in WCW, while Aces and Eights were locked in a cage but nah - that's too cool.

It was a stinky return in general. It got the rating up but I hate bullshit like this. WWE has a lot of it and that's one of the reasons I stopped watching. They hype the shit out of something with vignettes and whatnot, then it ends up being nothing like they promised but they still got the rating so fuck the audience.

Shitty move, TNA. Shitty move.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I agree completely with Zeven here. The key to how to do this was to do just about anything other than what TNA actually did, which was hype of this tremendous return, just to have a guy stroll to the ring, casually, no music, no lights, no nothing.

I'm not one for fantasy booking, but you already foreshadowed exactly how to bring him back when you dropped the bat from the rafters with DOC in the ring, and you set things up perfectly with the main event cage match. Logic, and historical success rate dictates you kill the lights, have Stinger rappel from the rafters into the center of the ring, detach his harness, flip the lights back on and voilà – instant pop.

I mean, think back to when Sting returned the last time in 2011 to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship! Do you not remember the fanfare? The robe he wore? The three-screen titan tron at the top of the ramp that flickered with the scorpion icon?

[YOUTUBE]Juyl4w22AWk[/YOUTUBE]

This is how you handle a return, folks. You don't just casually let the guy walk out as though no one would notice.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Doc should have locked the door, the Aces should have continued with the beat down and Sting's music should have come on. When everyone expects him to enter from the normal tunnel; this should have happened:

Go to 2:58 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9r8SsDkc_k


Obviously into the ring though seeing how the door would be locked. Also in his black jacket. For 2 years he has been "joker Sting" which I don't think suits him. He's always been known as the man in black and even Undertakers alternative because of his gimmick and look. That was cool in my opinion and the drop from the rafters would have also been.

This return was rubbish. No music, no black jacket and no full entrance, the first look we got was when he was already at the door which was opened, it was as if DOC wanted an ass-kicking.

 

[UrUp]

I think something went wrong and Sting was suppose to come down from the rafters. Even the promos said 'He will descend upon them.'

I also believ he should of returned in all black and with the black jacket.

The way it all happened it seemed like something may have went wrong with the harness or there was last minute concern and Sting had to rush to the ring. We only saw Sting enter the cage, only the fans in attendance know where he came from. He may have come from the side of the arena after coming down from the rafter steps or was suppose to come threw the ring but something happened.

I can't imagine what happened was the way it was suppose to happen. If anything, why wouldn't they play his music? Also what was Mr. Anderson's role suppose to be outside the ring?

If I had booked it, I wouldn't of done the rafters from the Impact Zone, I'd be saving that. I would of at least had him return in all black with the coat and either had the lights gone off - maybe something went wrong there - or had his music hit and when he came out.

 

[unknown6181]

I cannot recall Sting repelling since Owen Hart died. He has been up in the rafters, but I cannot recall him repelling. At his age I wouldn't be shocked if he never wanted to do it again.

Honestly I have to agree that it would have been extremely cool to have Sting repel. The non-joker makeup would have been better. Honestly, if the lights went out and Sting magically appeared in the ring that would have been enough to satisfy me.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I cannot recall Sting repelling since Owen Hart died. He has been up in the rafters, but I cannot recall him repelling. At his age I wouldn't be shocked if he never wanted to do it again.

Honestly I have to agree that it would have been extremely cool to have Sting repel. The non-joker makeup would have been better. Honestly, if the lights went out and Sting magically appeared in the ring that would have been enough to satisfy me.

Well that's the thing, though. The idea of having him rappel was great, but even if he didn't want to do it, all it would have taken was a simple lights out, lights on, "holy shit, it's Sting!" moment to make it so much more interesting than how they had it happen. Hell, even having his music play, and him walk down the aisle in the old Stinger face paint with the black leather trench coat and baseball bat would have worked. Instead, he just walked to the ring in a TNA t-shirt, no music, no lights, no nothing. Awful.

 

[Spinebreaker]

While we're at a little fantasy booking...

Exactly the same up to the Aces and Eights beatdown...

After a little while one of the members steps back, leaving the others stomping Angle/Joe facing the other way... that member takes off his mask and it's Sting. The crowd pop, A&E's turn around to see Sting and in true heel fashion try to escape, Anderson stands by the door, holding it open as all the A&E's leave... Until he slams the cage door on DOC & Knox (still masked.) Anderson enters cage and holds the door closed, stopping Aces and Eights getting back in, while giving D-Von the finger... Sting gives DOC a beating, Joe & Angle unmask Knox.

The crowd goes wild!

 

[Ovaltine]

What a waste of a return! The camera didn't even catch him coming down the ramp. There was no pyro, no music- NOTHING! Sting ended up strolling to the ring at the end of the night. The camera didn't even catch his entrance. This had to be one of the laziest booking jobs I have EVER seen. I am not a WWE fan, but every time that they have someone return it is completely epic. The return of Flair a few weeks ago- EPIC! The return of the Rock-EPIC! TNA presents the return of Sting... dud! I am really dissapointed in how this was handled because I was REALLY looking forward to it. Like many others have said it could have been presented so much better. Hell, even something as simple as the lights going off, music playing, the lights turn back on and BAM-Sting is in the middle of the ring and then he takes apart Aces & 8's. See how simple that was?! However, it was completely epic. I just don't get TNA sometimes. They always seem to be on the right track and then they kill a huge return of big angle by either hotshot or lazy booking. They have killed the Aces & 8's angle which started off great. Now they killed the return of Sting. I just don't get it.

As for Stings return on 3-3-2011 THAT is how you book a return!