LaBar: 'The Icon' Sting "Isn't an Icon in Pro Wrestling; Needs WWE to Be Considered"

[BaconBits]

Sting is absolutely an "icon" in professional wrestling. It's not even debatable. The only people who would think otherwise are either a: morons who hate on everything just to hate or b: like 18 years old and were still loading their diapers full of baby diarrhea when Sting was at his best and don't know any better.

I have to say, I like how people think Sting hates the WWE, when he's said multiple times that he's cool with Vince and has come very close to signing on multiple occasions.

 

[Lowdown]

Look, I've heard that Sting has had opportunities to go to WWF/E for years. The man is considered by fans the world over a legend, icon, however you want to call him. We're talking about one man's opinion of one wrestler; I doubt that LeBar's words are law in the wrestling world. He could be a major WWE mark. Even though WWE is the biggest promotion in the world, I wouldn't considered it the end all be all in professional wrestling (not sports-entertainment). I'm not bashing WWE in regards to Sting. Chances are if he wanted to reach out to Vince to work for him, he would. I wonder if LeBar considers Abdullah the Butcher an "Icon" being that he's in WWE's HOF, even though he didn't wrestle for them. Sting's resume speaks for itself.

 

[CasualWatcher]

I dunno if anyone saw this, but on that toolbag LaBar's Twitter, Sting actually responded.

Sting wrote to LaBar: "For the record: I did not name myself "The Icon Sting", nor do I consider myself an "Icon". I'm the Stinger... Take a deep breath..."

Now we know why LaBar said that... I bet he's now peeing his pants, because "OMGOMGOMG, Sting tweeted me directly! I'M SO MARKING OOOOOOUT". Just like he's probably chillaxing in his couch, thinking "whoa, I'm like, ubercontroversial, people are all hatin' on me in the wz forums".

 

[BeeCeeGee]

Then what about the NWO? WCW's concept
Then what about the 4-H? Again, not WWF product
Who gave HHH, Austin, Undertaker - among others their start? WCW/NWA

The problem is that Labar claims Stinger needed to step on the WWE platform...

WHY?

He said yesterday his Mt. Rushmore would be Hogan, Vince, Andre and Austin...

Really? Andre over Flair? He was big and he wrestled 1 WM match...

Mike Tyson was in WM, so was Pete Rose... are they then ICONS?

read this and you will see all you need to ...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...stling-all-others-needed-wwe-to-be-considered IT IS THE REBUTTAL to LABAR

 

[mlp420]

Every person in a competitive enviroment wants to reach the pinnacle of their sport, and when they don't, many feel a sense of not achieving everything they want.

When did you start watching wrestling? Sting DID reach the pinnacle of his "sport". He was a multi time World Champion for the most popular wrestling promotion in the World at one point.

 

[willross]

Type "Rock","Stone Cold","Hulk","Macho Man" in a search engine you get the wrestlers everytime. The odd non-wrestling related result will pop up but 99% of the results are wrestling.

Do the same with "Sting" and you get 50/50 at best mixing results with The Police singer Sting. Plain fact. Sting is popular amongst wrestling fans, he is a WRESTLING icon, he is not a POP CULTURE icon. BIG DIFFERENCE.

Most of the time when someone speaks of an icon, they are referring to people like Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Muhammed Ali, Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenneger, etc. Putting Sting in the same category as those men is just wrong on so many levels.

A WWE stint will never change that because at 50+ yrs old, he has no relevance outside of working Undertaker at WM29 or 30

 

[WolfNyte]

I dont care what anyone says STING IS AN ICON.

I believe he was the first wrestler to trademark the name Sting, yes folks Gordon Sumner pays to use the moniker, and he was the man all the laides loved and the kids adored.

I remember back in the late 80's and thru the 90's Surfer Sting and all the little Stingers at ringside with their faces painted like their superstar. He had the Spiked bleach blonde hair and his face painted various colors that never seemed to be the same. He would yell out his battle call and all the little stingers would yell it back.

His matches with The Great Muta were LEGENDARY. His first match a 6 man tag with PS Michael Hayes and Gorgeous Ronnie Garvin against Zybisko, one of the Stiners and I dont remember the third was ass kicking amazing.

The Stinger was the "FACE " of NWA/WCW from like 1988 or 89 I want to say til the end of WCW in 2001. Be it Surfer Stinger or Crow Sting he was the Hulk Hogan / Rock / John Cena of the NWA/WCW orginization for over 12 years. To say he is NOT an Icon is stupid.

Now lets see LaBar we all know is an idiot so take his words for what its worth he doesnt know squat about wrestling and it shows in everything he says.

What gets me is Animal saying it as he teamed with Stinger years ago in WCW. WHy kick your friend in the balls like that? I just dont get it cheap chair shot Animal.

Side Note Sting started in a Tag team called the Blade Runners with Jim " Warrior" Hellwig. They were first Flash and Justice then became Sting and Rock as heels.

Yea I am a Sting MARK I was a big fan of Surfer Sting...and of Crow sting prior to Wolfpack crow sting but now I cant even watch him. The hiding in the rafters was the shit back then. But I will always perfer Surfer Sting.

 

[Xumer]

It's hilarious to me that Labar considers one of the main qualifiers to be considered an "Icon" is that "most people" (ie non wrestling fans) would have to recognize the name if asked and yet he includes HHH as an example of what an Icon is. Most people who do not watch wrestling wouldn't have a CLUE who HHH was. Name recognition wise, most non wrestling fans would know the name "Hulk Hogan", probably the Rock and maybe Stone Cold because they have bled out into popular culture, independent of wrestling. HHH? Not really.

Labar was just talking shit to get hype for his first bleacher post. Even he probably doesn't even believe sting isn't an icon which is sad. It's one thing to talk shit to get heat and hype if you are cutting a heel promo but if you are a journalist, you should have ethics and only give an opinion you really believe in. If however he honestly DOES believe sting isn't an icon, then that speaks volumes about his basic observational skills or intelligence.

Honestly I am surprised that this thread hasn't been deleted and everyone who posted on it banned.

 

[ilapierre]

Willross: If The Rock's wrestling name was Paul McCartney would that make the wrestler The Rock any less of an icon..because surely, you'd type Paul McCartney in to a search engine and get the Beatles singer first 99 percent of the time. This 'google search engine' part of the debate is tedious and down right ******ed. Sting shares the same name as one of the most popular musicians of all time who has been in the mainstream for 35 years. Sting is not as big in the pop culture realm as Sting the musician. Big deal. In the mainstream, Hulk Hogan transcends wrestling. Stone Cold, The Rock, Andre all do to a certain extent but not really. They're icons within the wrestling community. That is the whole point. I'd argue Randy Savage is just as iconic in the mainstream as anyone after Hulk Hogan although he may not be regarded as iconic by today's generation of wrestling fans.

When people speak of icons like Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Muhammed Ali, Hulk Hogan and Arnold they think pop culture icon. Stone Cold is to a lesser extent. Macho Man, Ric Flair, Sting they are known in the mainstream but are more iconic in the wrestling world. That doesn't make them any less iconic. Hogan transcends all wrestlers by a million when it comes to iconic status. Doesn't mean Hogan's the only icon in wrestling. Jordan wasn't the only icon in basketball, Tyson wasn't the only icon in boxing. They are figureheads of an era, they represent a generation of actors or athletes in a particular sport. If Tyson is an icon does that mean George Foreman or Evander Hollyfield aren't? Does that mean that Jordan is but Kobe Bryant or Shaq or Dennis Rodman or Wilt Chamberlin aren't? Does that mean that Arnold is but Sylvester Stallone is not? Everyone has a right to an opinion but I have a right to my opinion that Sting is an icon within wrestling and that is all that is needed to be considered an icon. If Sting isn't an icon, then no wrestler besides Hulk Hogan and perhaps The Rock are icons. If you count Steve Austin or Andre the Giant as icons, then you have to count Ric Flair or Sting.

And just because Joe Blow on the street corner might not know who Sting or Ric Flair is doesn't mean squat. Joe Blow on the corner might not even know who Obama is. But whose to say Joe Blow wasn't a big WCW fan at one time? Most people know who Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant and Randy Savage are but a lot of people unfamiliar with wrestling have no idea who Lou Thez, Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund and Ric Flair are. Does that make Warrior more iconic than any of these guys? Maybe among the mainstream, non-wrestling folk of the 1990s-2000s. But what about the decades before the Warrior? It doesn't mean that Thez is less iconic than Warrior in the history of wrestling or less iconic to true wrestling fans. Another thing: Joe Blow on the street corner today would likely have less of a clue who John Cena is compared to Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Wrestling lost the majority of its audience 6 or 7 years ago before Cena was big. I know a lot of people who are familiar with John Cena but don't follow wrestling. But I know just as many people familiar with the Honky Tonk Man. I don't find that Cena is iconic compared to Big Bossman or Hacksaw Jim Duggan or Jake the Snake Roberts or Ted Dibiase. These are guys that a lot of non-wrestling fans are familiar with. A lot of non-wrestling fans I know have no idea who Ric Flair is but they remember hearing about, or watching a match involving, Koko Beware. So, using said logic, does that make Koko Beware more iconic than Flair? I think that just makes main event wrestlers who weren't surrounding Hogan during a certain time period a little less known compared to jobbers with really memorable gimmicks. Koko Beware had a memorable character and was around when Hogan brought wrestling popularity for half a decade. Everyone remembers guys like Koko because of their gimmicks, not for what they have done for wrestling. A lot of fans today seem to forget, or just flat out don't know because they were too young to experience it, just how big WCW was 10 to 15 years ago. The companies were equal but more people were watching WCW Nitro because that's where Hulk Hogan was. Hogan did for Sting and Luger and all the WCW guys what he did for Koko Beware and Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana in WWE 10 years earlier. Made them relevant, brought them mainstream attention even though some of these guys were already well known. Sting was already an icon of the business by the mid 90s and the mainstream caught on when Hogan showed up in WCW. Sting was the top fan favourite in WCW in its history. He was the Hogan of WCW before Hogan and Hogan had to turn heel because Sting was just so damn popular and loved. Sting was WCW, he represented the alternative to WWE. This is what makes Sting so iconic, he represents the one man who didn't need WWE at any point in his career to keep him relevant. WWE did not create the Four Horsemen, it did not create the NWO, it did not create Ric Flair or Harley Race or Chris Jericho. If WCW had of created the Undertaker gimmick and Undertaker never wrestled for WWE, I believe Undertaker would still be considered an icon if he still had an epic career battling all the legends of the NWA, WCW or TNA over a 20 year span. Being in the WWE probably made him more iconic than he would have been otherwise. So what does that say about Sting who is already an icon without the WWE stage? It means Sting is one of the biggest wrestling icons of all time. His feud with Hulk Hogan and the NWO cemented his icon status. But even in the early 90s it was clear Sting was the future of wrestling. Just look at everything he accomplished. He was as big as Flair, just about as big as Hogan and wrestling obsessed fans all knew who he was.

Bottom line: Sting doesn't need the WWE machine to make him an icon. He never did. Wrestling only became somewhat monopolized in the past 10 years. Sting was already an icon and legend by that point. WWE is not really making icons today. Even within wrestling, John Cena is nowhere near an icon yet. The Rock and Austin are self-made icons. WWE machine pushed Triple H to the moon yet he is not an icon. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels are icons to me but a lot of people don't regard them as true icons. You can't just go around throwing the term 'icon' around. Hogan, Savage, Andre, Warrior, Rock, Austin, Sting, Piper, Taker, Bruno, Thez, Flair, Inoki...these guys are all icons to me. Shawn and Bret are to me although not as much to everyone else maybe. Sting may be at the lower end of this list closer to Hitman and Michaels but he's still an icon. Hogan was more iconic as a heel in the NWO than he was in WWE, Andre was iconic as a human being in general because of his size, Warrior was iconic for his look, Piper was iconic for his amazing mic skills, Taker was iconic for his character, like Sting, Thez, Flair and Inoki were iconic in their cultures during their generations and didn't need the WWE machine. Being an icon means you transcend the platform you got your big push from. The guys I mentioned are iconic because they had larger than life personas and the most memorable and charismatic characters.

 

[LittleJimmy]

Type "Rock","Stone Cold","Hulk","Macho Man" in a search engine you get the wrestlers everytime. The odd non-wrestling related result will pop up but 99% of the results are wrestling.

Do the same with "Sting" and you get 50/50 at best mixing results with The Police singer Sting. Plain fact. Sting is popular amongst wrestling fans, he is a WRESTLING icon, he is not a POP CULTURE icon. BIG DIFFERENCE.

Most of the time when someone speaks of an icon, they are referring to people like Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Muhammed Ali, Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenneger, etc. Putting Sting in the same category as those men is just wrong on so many levels.

A WWE stint will never change that because at 50+ yrs old, he has no relevance outside of working Undertaker at WM29 or 30

Again, using the results of a web search engine is a lame argument and carries no weight at all.

BTW, we are speaking of icons in WRESTLING, not POP CULTURE so again your point fails all over.

Why does Sting have to do what we want him to do? He doesnt. I think the argument that Sting is not an icon because he has never been in a WWE ring actually helps his case for icon status. He never needed the WWE marketing machine to become hugely popular. i can argue he was the most popular wrestler in the entire industry from the late 80's all the way till Austin 3:16 took off.

 

[GI Cake]

I remember yesterday booting up my computer, checking the news. And being absolutely thrown into delight at the sight of Brandon Marshall being traded to the Chicago Bears. Then as I stumble onto the Wrestlezone main-page, I see this horrid title. "Why Sting isn't an Icon by Justin LaBar. But I decided to hear him out and read his article. And by god that article killed my buzz for the day. The air wasn't as fresh, my drink wasn't as tasty, the pip in my step was taken away from that one Justin LaBar article.

Sting is an icon, period. When WCW was beating the WWF in ratings, Sting was there with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Goldberg. Sting has done all that their needs to be done in Professional Wrestling. His character has evolved from a surfer dude, to where he is now. Whenever he was in the ring, he gave it his all. Week in, and week out he showed his love for Professional Wrestling.

Sting doesn't need the WWE to solidify his legacy. And at his age, the WWE doesn't need Sting taking the limelight from someone that can better use it. To think you need to have a WWE title can outshine anything Sting has ever done is completely, and utterly stupid.

 

[NINO990]

wow u guys are funny labar opinion cant be wrong cause its just his damn opinion. so dont get all upset about it lol. i like sting i disagree with labar sting is not define by where he worked and where he did not work he is a wrestling legend and the guy who compared rock to sting thats shit cray. cause rock is know where near a sting in terms of wrestling

 

[ilapierre]

Nino990: I'm not quite sure if you are making fun of the argument against Sting or if you actually think LaBar's opnion can't be wrong. If it was my opinion that the sky is black during the day and blue at night, would that then make my opinion wrong? Under some reasoning in this thread, it is my opinion therefore it can't be wrong although for the majority of us is most certainly is wrong. Some people here think that there's too much flame throwing going on and that people shouldn't get worked up over an opinion. I disagree. If someone says something extremely stupid to purposely mislead today's younger wrestling fans who may not know better, then it is the job of the people who know better to rectify the something stupid said and have their voice heard. I have many opinions that a lot of people wouldn't agree with. Doesn't mean I'm wrong or right or that they're wrong or right. But when I put forth an opinion to stir up reaction, that's not really even an opinion. It's just something you could never really believe, but say to stir up any kind of reaction. There's no better way to get a bunch of idiots to start watching your hokey show.

 

[Nate DaMac]

What a giant crock of shit. So the top babyface working for the top company in an era where more people were watching than ever is not an icon?

I'll admit that I want to see Sting in the WWE, but I don't try to justify it with this sort of half assed nonsense. It comes from a purely selfish place with me; I don't like TNA, I don't want to watch TNA, but I like Sting and I want to see Sting. Seeing him in the WWE is pretty much the last great "mark out" moment left to be had for me.

 

[sfury2005]

Sting not an ICON?

When the WWE vignettes came out last year at about the time of Takers return the whole wrestling world was practically peeing their pants at the thought of Sting vs. Taker at WM 28 in Atlanta. Some wrestler no one cares about doesn't garner as much chatter as Sting did during that few week period of time.

I will be truthful and say I'm not a fan of WWE and never watch any WWE wrestling shows so I wasn't really wanting it. But if you put up a poll and asked wrestling fans what dream match they want to see or wanted to see over the years I'd bet a large amount of those replies would be Taker vs Sting. That along with the fact of how many WWE/F fans have wanted Sting in the WWE over the years tells you Sting is an ICON no matter what anyone says.

 

[LittleJimmy]

When the WWE vignettes came out last year at about the time of Takers return the whole wrestling world was practically peeing their pants at the thought of Sting vs. Taker at WM 28 in Atlanta. Some wrestler no one cares about doesn't garner as much chatter as Sting did during that few week period of time.

And guess who wet his pants the most, yep Justin LaBar!!! Funny and ironic isnt it? LaBar is one of those guys who overreacts and jumps to conclusions way too soon rather than let things play out.

 

[Schwing]

A Google search on the name Sting is an even more pathetic argument than whether he has wrestled in WWE or not. I mean come on, come up with a better point then post.

Sting has gone through is career on his own terms and not going by what other people say or think about him. It is not a requirment of every big name wrestler ot go to the WWE.

It wasn't my argument... As my full post said, I was clearing it up for another poster who had only speculated. Further posts in this prove Google to be immaterial as the America Google page somebody posted earlier has Steve Borden first. The UK Google page shows Sting the musician. I used the UK version. If I might play devil's advocate again, this could be used to fan both flames.

For the argument that Google has no relevance in this debate; Google changes depending on who makes the search and where the search is made from.

For the opposing side; If the UK gets the musician first on a Sting search but gets Austin and The Rock first time then that means that Stone Cold and The Rock have a wider international reach than Sting does.

It also could mean that we're fortunate enough to have a singer from England called Sting... OF COURSE HE'D BE FIRST OVER HERE. Germany will probably get the wrestler.

I never even mentioned the fact that he was never in WWF/E and as for coming up with better points... just read the rest of my post. It's full of them. I'll repeat the most important bits. Icon's have to be known by everyone. Fan and Non Fan alike. Why does it even matter?

 

[MB1025]

I just see this as a guy who thinks if it doesn't happen in the WWE it doesn't count. There are a lot of people like this out there and it is sad really. I see a lot of people talk about his time in WCW, but he did amazing work in Japan for years in front of enormous crows and was over. If anything Sting is very underrated by many because they just know of his post 1996 stuff.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

Animal is wrong, plain and simple. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot who doesn't appreciate pro wrestling, a blind WWE mark, a WWE shareholder, or some other asinine assumption I can think of. Wanna know why?

Spoiler

Even WWE acknowledges Sting as an icon!

Here's the proof.

P.S. Don't think I didn't notice my post being deleted. Classic case of quantity over quality. O:

 

[DirtyD79]

I just see this as a guy who thinks if it doesn't happen in the WWE it doesn't count. There are a lot of people like this out there and it is sad really. I see a lot of people talk about his time in WCW, but he did amazing work in Japan for years in front of enormous crows and was over. If anything Sting is very underrated by many because they just know of his post 1996 stuff.

Saying Sting isn't an icon because he didn't work in WWE just smacks of moving the goal post and fanboyism. An ROH fan can use the same argument, so can a CZW fan, a fan of the original ECW, or whatever fed. It'd be like saying Joe Louis isn't an icon in boxing because he never fought Mike Tyson or Star Wars isn't an iconic movie because it wasn't made during the "Golden Age of Hollywood."

 

[IT Factor]

Road Warrior Animal is just brown-nosing WWE to try and get a job again. Anyone who looks at Sting's career from NWA, WCW, and TNA can honestly say Sting is indeed an "icon". Show me one wrestling fan who doesn't know Sting and I'll show you a liar. Sting is recognized as an icon because of everything he contributed to the sport of pro wrestling over the years.

I respect Sting's decision not to join WWE. If you objectively view WWE's history of using former WCW stars, it's not pretty. Just about every former WCW star wasn't used or at least not to their fullest potential. Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan are perhaps the biggest exceptions to that. Aside from them, maybe Guerrero, Mysterio, and Jericho. But even then, those guys had to be stuck in mid-card obscurity for years before finally breaking the glass ceiling into the main events. Sting is smart to notice this trend and think he'd be used the same or maybe worse. WWE is known for punishing people who don't toe the company line. Even though it'd be cool to see matches like Taker/Sting or others, it's not needed for Sting's career to make him a hall-of-famer. He'll eventually be in it whether or not he ever steps foot into a WWE ring or not.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Man's entitled to his opinion and all but, to me, it's just this sort of statement that really destroys whatever sort of credibility of dirtsheet writers. Steve Borden, AKA Sting, is one of the biggest stars in wrestling history. Most of the guys Sting was in the business with back when he was a young man are either out of wrestling altogether, irrelevant, walking embarassments, never had his talent or some combination of any or all of the above. Sting, on the other hand, is still not only relevant but he's also still a big star. When you look at things overall, aside from Kurt Angle, Sting is the biggest and most respected guy that's ever been through TNA.

I'll be the first to agree that Sting isn't what he used to be inside the ring. At 52 or 53 years of age, who the hell is? But he's still relevant and still gets people tuning into see what he does. Even though I'm personally not really into him all that much these days, I'd deserved to be justifiably laughed at and ridiculed if I tried to seriously declare that sting isn't a true icon and legend in pro wrestling history. Couple his longevity with the fact that he's had the feuds, he's had the matches and he's had the title reigns, how can he not be looked at as an icon?

 

[LittleJimmy]

It wasn't my argument... As my full post said, I was clearing it up for another poster who had only speculated. Further posts in this prove Google to be immaterial as the America Google page somebody posted earlier has Steve Borden first. The UK Google page shows Sting the musician. I used the UK version. If I might play devil's advocate again, this could be used to fan both flames.

For the argument that Google has no relevance in this debate; Google changes depending on who makes the search and where the search is made from.

For the opposing side; If the UK gets the musician first on a Sting search but gets Austin and The Rock first time then that means that Stone Cold and The Rock have a wider international reach than Sting does.

It also could mean that we're fortunate enough to have a singer from England called Sting... OF COURSE HE'D BE FIRST OVER HERE. Germany will probably get the wrestler.

I never even mentioned the fact that he was never in WWF/E and as for coming up with better points... just read the rest of my post. It's full of them. I'll repeat the most important bits. Icon's have to be known by everyone. Fan and Non Fan alike. Why does it even matter?

You are right, I did misread what you but while you stated it was "immaterial" you also stated it strengthened the argument against Sting.

Now, one to the only other point you made in your first post (while you did have a lot of examples it still was only 1 point), whether or not an average person knows who Sting is doesnt matter. We are speaking in terms of the world of pro wrestling, not pop culture. I can argue that since his epic worked shoot last summer and his twitter battles with Chris Brown and Shawn Merriman that CM Punk is more well known by the mainstream than The Undertaker or even Ric Flair. Does that mean Punk is better? HELL NO!!

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Excuse my laziness but I felt it made a good enough counter in Mr LaBar's controversial post and I think it'll do the same here...

Me:

Most wins of PWI's Most Popular Wrestler? Sting (with 4 over Dusty, Hulk, HBK & Cena with 3)

Most appearances in the PWI Most Popular? Sting (13)

Names that define... WWWF? Sammartino; WWF? Hogan; Attitude? Austin; WWe? Cena; NWA? Flair; WCW? Sting

Wrestling's most famous feuds of the last quarter century? I defy anyone to leave out Sting versus Flair and the Four Hoursemen or Sting versus Hogan and the nWo.

The dominant storyline of WCW's 84 week dominance of the Monday Night Wars? The descent of Sting from surfer dude to become the nWo's worst nightmare.

The reason TNA has a television contract with Spike? Sting

The most famous wrestler never to lace them up for the WWe? Sting

Think I'll go with that being Iconic even without the WWF/e or crossing over into mainstream media (plus point, he's never appeared in a tutu).

On the Google kerfuffle, first off to clarify something...

It wasn't my argument... As my full post said, I was clearing it up for another poster who had only speculated. Further posts in this prove Google to be immaterial as the America Google page somebody posted earlier has Steve Borden first. The UK Google page shows Sting the musician. I used the UK version. If I might play devil's advocate again, this could be used to fan both flames.

For the argument that Google has no relevance in this debate; Google changes depending on who makes the search and where the search is made from.

For the opposing side; If the UK gets the musician first on a Sting search but gets Austin and The Rock first time then that means that Stone Cold and The Rock have a wider international reach than Sting does.

It also could mean that we're fortunate enough to have a singer from England called Sting... OF COURSE HE'D BE FIRST OVER HERE. Germany will probably get the wrestler.

I never even mentioned the fact that he was never in WWF/E and as for coming up with better points... just read the rest of my post. It's full of them. I'll repeat the most important bits. Icon's have to be known by everyone. Fan and Non Fan alike. Why does it even matter?

I believe this is what you are referring too...

Oh, and for the record:

Young Master Sam is just as British as you and I.

Secondly (and on topic), music is bigger than wrestling, people will get Gordon Sumner ahead of Steve Borden because everyone in the civilized World has heard a Police / Sting song. This Sting is a big enough icon in his field to have appeared at the halftime show at the SuperBowl...

[YOUTUBE]tRC7tFmQQoI[/YOUTUBE]​

I think music is a good argument for Sting's Icon status though, quick test - name as many musical icons as you can (I'll wait)... .... .... .... Still going? Okay... ... ... ... That'll do, I do have a bed to go to If we can name many many many musical icons, then why can't we have more than two (Hogan & Austin) or four (Mr LaBar's Mount Rushmore) in wrestling?

 

[New Hot Fed]

Sting will never be an icon. Sting was an legend in WCW/NWA/TNA, but that is as far as it will ever go. When people think icon, they think large, big, lots of money, fame, fortune, success, big matches...but most of all, they think WWE.

For instance, the Rock is an icon, but the Rock never wrestled for WCW/NWA. Why is he still an icon? Because he DID wrestle in WWE. Sting is a legend. He will always be a legend, but Sting's legacy will be left in TNA, as a failed attempt to save save the sinking ship that is TNA.

He could have worked so many programs in WWE. So many storylines and angles and characters. He didn't, he chose his morale highroad, and you know what? That's okay, because he did what was in his heart, and he never "sold out". I'm sure he's fine with that. Sting is one of the legit good guys, and stood up for what he believed in.

I hate TNA with a passion, so the fact Sting is there, irritates me to death. I mean, I grew up on watching Sting in NWA/WCW and he had tons of great programs: vs Flair, taking on The Horsemen 1 by 1, teaming with The Road Warriors vs The Russians, Teaming with The Bulldog, becoming a Horseman, vs The Great Muta (my favorite), vs Cactus Jack, Lord Steven Regal, Vader, etc. I went to so many Starrcades and Clash of the Champions JUST to see Sting.

I've always cheered for and admired Sting. I don't watch TNA, even Sting can't change that. I gave it a chance, I watched, purchased ppv's went to a few shows, but nope. Didn't work. I hate their product (not their wrestlers). I hated it when they tried to force that stupid 6-sided ring down our throat, or those stupid ropes above the ring. I hate the fact they repeated the SAME mistakes that ruined WCW by bringing in Hogan, Bischoff, Russo and gave them the power.

As much as I hate TNA and the fact Sting works for them, I respect his decision to not make the jump. Why? Because he did something very important by honoring his word, he did what he needed to do to be Sting: He remained true to himself, his morals and his word. If he had jumped ship, I would have been ELATED to see him in WWE and watch his stuff, follow his angles, etc...but I wouldn't have respected him 1/2 as much as I do now. So no, he's not an icon. At least not to me...a 30 year wrestling viewer, he's something more important than just being an "Icon", he's a Real Man that honors his word because it's what he feels is right. Kudos Stinger!!! I'm proud of ya!

Anyway...that's my two cents.

Wrong The Rock is not and never will be an Icon. Now Rock is a bigger star than Sting but Rock is not an Icon while Sting is. It's about longivity, what they meant for the business, etc...Sting is more like Taker.