Should TNA Keep Sting From Retiring?

[A.J.]

Source: Wrestling Observer

- TNA World Champion Sting has been telling people that he will be retiring at the end of this year.

Some people within TNA believe Sting has been using the retirement card as a way to get a raise from the company. Dixie Carter wants to keep Sting around TNA, even though Jeff Jarrett wasn't big on re-signing Sting last year.

Sting has a very nice contract with TNA, as he doesn't have to work the house shows or international dates and still receives premium pay.

You know Sting is not the wrestler he once was, but he can still pull a decent match out when needed it. But I think there is no point in keeping Sting if he isn't willing to help the expansion of TNA with house shows and international tours and Fan Fests as he was the only one to miss the Fan Fest for BFG. I know why Dixie wants sting its because of name valve and hell any average wrestling fan knows Sting.

In his time in TNA he hasnt put anyone over as he been in the title picture and ya you could say he helped put Abyss over as a face but was that due to Sting or just Abyss turning on Mitchell. I like Sting, but his time has come and gone. If he wants to stay and help the expansion of TNA then great if not i say its time to go. He should also be willing to put guys over and I mean not all the time but offer himself too.

 

[Shocky]

I think Sting is a great asset, and the only "megastar" that TNA has on it's roster. Angle is a superstar, but he still isn't in Stings league yet.

I think they need to keep Sting. The guy makes the young talent around him work while they are in the ring with him. He pulls out good matches every pay per view I feel. I don't have a problem with Sting. Sure, he's not the wrestler he once was, but neither is Shawn Michaels, or Triple H, or any superstar from ten years ago.

Plus, if Sting is a free agent, and ratings as low as they are, you don't want Vince McMahon calling at Sting's door. Do you honestly think that Vince won't throw a huge 7 figure contract at him on January 1st 2008 going into Wrestlemania without John Cena being at that event. The WWE is in desperate need of a recognizable face that they haven't utilized, and that main face is Sting.

TNA has to keep Sting until he retires for good, or until there is no threat he jumps ship, which I don't think he would do, but hey, look at the Angle situation.

 

[Agrex]

I personnaly think they should let him go. He's not the old WCW Sting, now he's just washed up. Sure he can still put on a match, but TNA could do good without him. I'm also not too happy with him winning the gold, I would much rather see it on a younger TNA star or at least Angle. His time is up, he should call it a career. There's no need to worry about Sting going to WWE since he said he would never want to work for Vince.

 

[MR.SCOTT]

remember never say never in this business, hes had a good run and would free up some cash and a main event spot so why not let him go, after this last run hes practically done everything, hes won the nwa title, wcw title in all its forms, now tna title, its a win win really, and there is no reason to keep him on theres no motivation

 

[RVDgurl]

They just put the belt on him! Of course they should keep him from retiring. I don't know the ins and outs of his contract, but I'm assuming that he will be around at least for a few more months. I think Sting is just serving as a transition champion anyway. TNA need to let him put over one of the younger guys as the next champion. Sting still has enough left in him to really elevate someone else to legitimate championship status.

 

[TheOCsMVP]

I don't think they could afford to not sign him.
He is 1 of there top 5 draws.
I'm sure alot of WCW or just Sting fans watch TNA just because of Sting.
Plus i think he is TNA 1 big Legend and brings credibility to there company.
I don't consider Double J a legend not Nash. If i'm leaving somebody out please correct me.
Plus i feel he can still work in the ring. To me he is fun to watch in the ring.
He plays the Sting character awesome. With such great passion. Plus he is
probably a big locker room influence. So in my mind i think TNA can't afford not to re-sign Sting.

 

[jeremythedestroyer]

tna is wcw made over if they didnt mess up with the hogan deal tna would be a major player in the wrestling industry they really need to sign more wcw pro wrestlers to get bigger and on a bigger timeslot maybe on a monday night i should know my father tried to buy the company WCW from vince mcmahon 2 years ago Vince wanted only 22 million for the WCW brand at the time wich is very cheap and he would not sell because we would have the NWO and a whole bunch of old wrestlers like lash leroux,rey myserio,and bill dundee for one and bring back the nwo and the sting rivalry that is my opinion

 

[kenfuu]

Hogan is more washed up than Sting, TNA should not ever bring him in he just hogs the spot light and will not ever put anyone over, and i love Sting and all but I think after this run he should be finishing up soon but i want this run to be a decent one cause his last one ended to soon.

 

[jback]

I would like them to keep Sting around for a couple of months and let him hold the belt for 4-5 months to make it more worthy, then let him put over a guy like Robert Roode and have Rood defeat sting for the belt. That would propel Roode into superstardom and allow Sting to retired quietly. He is a Huge name but i honestly dont think he brings in too many more viewers, IMO.

 

[jackhammer_27]

I've always been a huge Sting fan, so I personally love the fact that he's getting another title run. That being said, TNA stands to lose a huge star if he retires. There's only one problem. If Sting wants to retire, he will no matter what TNA does. He can still put on a great match and I would imagine he is a huge locker room influence. As far as Hogan goes, love him or hate him, he could potentially put TNA waaaay over. I'd love to see a heel Hogan vs. Sting with Sting going over(Title Match) then a Hogan face turn(a la post Rock match) to feud with Christian's Coalition w/ Sting. Could be cool and short term enough to keep Hogan from getting power mad. he might even put over a few people like he did toward the end of his run w/ WWE after he won the title just to help TNA get some much needed cred over WWE.

 

[kenfuu]

When Sting loses the belt, it should be in my opinion to Joe. It would be a true passing of the torch and i do not want so see joe/angle again for at least a year possibly longer. I think Sting should hold it until Lockdown and actually have the world title defended in the six sides of steel or lose it in the king of the mountain at Slamiversary, either way to Joe.

 

[jackhammer_27]

When Sting loses the belt, it should be in my opinion to Joe. It would be a true passing of the torch and i do not want so see joe/angle again for at least a year possibly longer. I think Sting should hold it until Lockdown and actually have the world title defended in the six sides of steel or lose it in the king of the mountain at Slamiversary, either way to Joe.

This idea could play out well also. Joe absolutely deserves a title run.

 

[justinsayne]

I say If Sting wants to retire then TNA should respect his wishes and let him go, I can understand why they would want Sting to stay, he is a big name, and can draw mainstream fans that would normally not watch, but the guy doesn't put people over, doesn't work house shows or other events such as the Fan fest, and is costing the company alot of money, who knpows if Sting leaves maybe that could free up enough cash to bring in somebody like Lesner, or RVD and for me that would be a far better way to spend their mony then on Sting

 

[kenfuu]

no Hogan ever unless he's gonna job which will never happen so no Hogan he ruins the WRESTLING aspect of a show, i don't care how big a pop he gets because of what he was he is washed up guy who charges $70,000 for an AUTOGRAPH session, not to wrestle that's just to sign a few items for the fans. Hogan would ruin TNA both on screen and financially so no he should stay where he is.

 

[MrBurgess]

You know what I like Hogan. I think alot of people would tune in to see Hogan. The problem with Hogan is that he only wants to be the center of attention. he would want the tilte, and creative control.Plus Hogan refuses to put anyone over. Everyone complains about how much Sting, and Angle make, but Hogan would want a 7 figure deal from TNA. While Hogan would more than be willing to help get TNAs name out in the mainstream. It still wouldn't be worth it. And as evryone knows TNA has a different fan base from the WWE, TNA fans want to see a good wrestler. hogan can barely walk, he can't put on a good match anymore. Overall I think the negatives of signing Hogan outweigh the positives. I would much rather TNA sign RVD if they want to get another name on the show because RVD is still in his 30s and he can put on a good match, which is what TNA needs mainstream stars who can put on good matches like Christian or Angle. They don't need anyone like Test or Rikishi,which Hogan would equal out to be. I think TNA should extend his contract till Slammiversary and let him go out huge, by putting over someone, and showing that the person has earned his respect.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Meh. Let him retire. While I don't like him I appreciate that for TNA he is a big name. But quite frankly he's bored me to tears throughout his current run. His matches have been pretty average. And his series with Abyss went on far too long.

Let him retire. Put the money they are saving to good use. there's plenty of talent out there, TNA should capitalise on it.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I think it's only right that this is Sting's last hurrah. Personally, I'd like to see him retire the same time he loses the belt at it. It'll just make it massively significant. And I don't want any of this "I'm actually Steve Borden" crap, I want Sting disappearing from the ring mysteriously or something like that. He's not an awful wrestler but I don't think he's that great either. He has massive name recognition but so do several other of the ex-WWE/ex-WCW wrestlers, even some of the TNA originals by now. With him out the way, other people might finally be pushed into the main event and it can vary a fair few times a year, something which would make the show more watchable. For me anyway.

 

[Moneymaker_90]

TNA can't allow Sting to go away. Nobody doubts that he isn't the wrestler that he was 10 years ago, but he is the only huge name on TNA. If you didn't notice he was the only wrestler that when was brought to Tv actually increased the ratings. Neither Angle or any other wrestler was able to do that.
Sting leaving TNA is one of worst things that can happen to the company.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

TNA can't allow Sting to go away. Nobody doubts that he isn't the wrestler that he was 10 years ago, but he is the only huge name on TNA. If you didn't notice he was the only wrestler that when was brought to Tv actually increased the ratings. Neither Angle or any other wrestler was able to do that.
Sting leaving TNA is one of worst things that can happen to the company.

I completely DISAGREE with this. To say Sting is the "only" huge name on T.N.A. is directly slapping stars like, but not limited to.. Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash, & many more.

While Sting may still have fan support.. keeping him around longer may only turn him into a similar result of Hulk Hogan, or Ric Flair.. in the understanding that its time to step out of the spotlight. Sting is fine as a mid-carder, or someone who'll help better a younger guy.. but allowing him to run as the Champion for a long period of time, is only holding the "glass roof" over every other young, HIGHLY talented star.. that they have.

Furthermore, Sting's return to T.N.A. boosted their ratings because people loved them at that time, for NOT being similar to W.W.E. -- when Angle came in, T.N.A. was more adjusted to copying W.W.E. in a lot of ways, so fans didn't care to watch as much.. as its basically watching W.W.E. storylines & characters, with different names.

My answer to all this.. NO! T.N.A. should NOT attempt to plea with Sting to stay. Let him retire while he still "looks good" in the ring. Don't beg him to stay, all the while pissing your younger, future talent off.. ultimately causing them to leave & sign with the other guys.

 

[Crippler4ever]

If Sting wishes to retire then they should let him.. i will miss him cause he has been one of my favorites for so long but i just wish Sting would have had a longer title run and eventually lose the belt to somebody like Joe, Daniels, or Styles.. so they get put over to the point where they would be legit title contenders instead of being not used right... especially daniels and styles

 

[cobain]

Owen Hart wanted to leave wrestling and Vince McMahon tlaked him into staying. Look where that got him...

I'm not saying Sting is going to die, what I am saying though is wrestling is tough. It wears down your body and you can only take so much.

That's why Mick Foley doesn't wrestle full tiem, they guy can hardly walk.

Sting ha da long great career. He has nothing left to prove.
TNA shold let him go be a father and husband. He's done his time

 

[neep20]

Ok i been a Sting fan since i can remember n loved all his WCW work,plain and simple it up to Sting what he does i mean what more has he got to prove in the wrestling industry,yea people can say he never won nething in WWE but that because he knew he be wasted there and after he helped build WCW why would he go to WWE n be wasted,if he does decide to retire i think he should do it after another title run and in my opinion my dream match would be Sting and AJ Styles for the title with some sort of stipulation.the 2 them in a big time main event match and not some tag match like u see on impact would in my opinion be a match of the year candidate no problem

 

[RabidChihuahua]

I say let him retire. I've never been a real big fan of Sting. Sure he's great with the kiddies, but I never really got the attraction.

Sting's best days are well behind him. Let him drop the strap to Kurt in a loser leaves TNA match and go on about his life outside of wrestling.

 

[Andy G]

Keeping Sting around would be a good idea for the caving TNA. I don't think that he should be around the championship title as much as he is, but I do think he should be there to set the example for the stars of the future. Keeping him around will kep ratings up.

If they use him correctly he could put over stars and make them huge. Only TNA/Sting can decide how he wants to finish out his career, but I say he stays.

 

[seymore]

yea, i agree that it is really not up to tna. if sting wants to retire he'll retire, and if he wants one more ride, he'll get that too. personally, i'd love to see sting get one small run in the wwe, and retire after winning the wwe championship just 1 time. no wrestler in the world deserves that more than sting (among the veteren stars that have never held wwe gold). if he stays in tna, it can only help tna b/c sting is not like hogan or others in that he isn't selfish nor does he refuse to job. however, i don't think sting can just put over anyone in tna. there is a very small subset of up and coming superstars that are worthy of sharing the spotlight with sting (or angle or cage) - at least for now. Sting staying does nothing but benefit tna. Several years into the future, then it might be too much and time for sting to step down. but if he doesn't want to retire, tna is still in a situation where it needs someone like the stinger to help keep the company moving forward.