Sting as a heel

[Ovaltine]

So I read Mark Madden's new editorial about how Randy Orton is pretty much done as a top draw in the WWE. Many of the people who responded to the editorial said Randy needs to go heel since he works better as a heel. Likewise many people refuted that by saying the mark of a great Wrestler is their ability to switch back and forth. This leads me to Sting. Now Sting came in with Warrior as The Bladerunners who were managed by Eddie Gilbert. So, Sting Spent his early days as a fairly successful heel. Now, when Warrior left the UWF Sting was on his own and after that the fans would not (no matter how hard he or managment tried) boo him. The biggest example was his last heel turn in 1999 when he clobbered Hulk Hogan over the head to win his final WCW world title. The fans lept to their feet in excitment. A few weeks later he came to the ring and clobbered Brian Knobs over the head with his bat and the fans ate it up. You can even go back to his nitro match against Goldberg for the world title. This was a face against face match and in the beginning the fans wouldn't stop cahnting Goldberg, but by the middle of the match the audience began going wild everytime String turned the tide. So, much so that by the end of the match wehn Sting locked Goldberg in the Scorpion Death Lock the audience went crazy. So, why won't people boo him. They have booed every big name I can think of. Hogan, Flair, HBK, Rock, and Austin. Hell, even the Undertaker was booed at times. So, what was it about Sting that fans simply refused to boo or even refuse to acknowledge when he turned heel. And to add one more tidbit some years back Lance Storm posted two articles on his websight about this. The first was when Sting was a member of the Main Event Maffia and the second was when Sting protested that Hogan and Bischoff were going to take over TNA. Storm wrote that it is pointless to try to ever turn Sting heel because the fans NEVER buy it.

 

[Toroc102]

Sting won't work as a heel to me Sting just projects goodness, he might be the most natural face of all time, I remember when he joined the Wolfpac and started doing crotch chops thinking, WTF 6 months ago Sting was the biggest face in the world challenging Hollywood for the title at the biggest event in the company, now he's playing lackey to Kevin Nash trying to act like a punk when he should be the World Champion. Basically if you are in a company that wants Sting to be a heel you know that company is a sinking ship.

Also, heel and face turns done at the pace that WcW did them back in the day was pathetic. Their attempt at a surprise, really it was just pure laziness and stupidity.

More in depth answer to why Sting doesn't get booed, I'd say Sting comes off like an honest character. I remember him cutting that promo where he turned his back on WcW and became a "free agent". if someone else had done that promo it might've been a heel turn or come off like he was whining but Sting came off honest like he was truly hurt. Also if you listen to basically any shoot interview ever, or read any book, I don't think anyone has ever said a bad word about Sting, so he probably is a good face because its true to his real character.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

I think that the feeling that WCW fans had for Sting back in 1999 is much like the feeling that WWE fans have nowadays for people like Undertaker, HBK, Triple H, Ric Flair, etc. The fans respect and love these guys so much that turning them heel is pointless at this stage. The fans are absolutely not going to boo these guys no matter what. WWE fans have invested so much in these wrestlers over the years that we respect them too much to not cheer for them. Sting is another one that is at that level now. I think pretty much most of the legends at this point won't be booed at all.

But anyways, Sting was pretty much already at that level back in the late 90's. He was a God to WCW fans, the franchise, the most beloved wrestler in WCW history, I'd say. The fans were never gonna boo him, especially that late into his career. Yeah, Sting is a natural babyface (like Ricky Steamboat and Tito Santana), but I don't think it was so much the fact that Sting couldn't come off as a credible heel, but just that the fans loved and respected Sting too much and had such a personal feeling towards him that it just wasn't going to work.

 

[DirtyD79]

Sting just doesn't work as a heel. He's just on such level as a face that the fans have far too much respect for him and they just can't boo him anymore. For him it would just come off as too forced. About the only way he could really get booed is if he's facing a cool heel stable who is as popular as the nWo was.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Sting didn't work as a heel due to his effectiveness as a face in his early days, coupled with the fact he spent the majority of the late nineties battling the new World order, so when he eventually turned and joined them it was more-so fans realizing it was shoddy booking and less, "well this guy is bad now, so we might as well boo him." In WCW Sting was never going to work as a heel, he'd became too associated with the fan favorite label.

It's like how The Rock tried playing the bad guy in 2003, but alas no matter what he did fans refused to hate him. Yet when you revert to 1998 he was a heel and was over as such, not as much as other top heels of that time such as Taker or Triple H, but definitely over. By the time 2003 rolled around he'd became so recognized as the good guy everyone loves it just wouldn't work.

Second example is Austin's turn in 2001, even he admits it was a poor decision and looking back on it, going in he should have known it wouldn't work. Austin was to WWE as Sting was to WCW, he was the top good guy the fans loved, turning them bad can be done, but turning the fans on their favorite wrestlers can't. It's like Punk and the WWE audience nowadays - half the fans who boo him would probably admit they love him.

 

[HBsam31]

I agree with everyone else in that Sting was just so loved by the fans that they would not hate him no matter what. I agree with Dragon Saga too that Sting spent the whole of the NWO's existence fighting them that it just didn't make much sense when he joined them. It was because of them that his friends doubted him before he left and returned with the crow gimmick. He hated the group, and no one was buying in to him joining them. Sting was/is one of the greatest faces ever imo.

 

[dsotm5150]

Sting doesn't work as a heel(in the fan's eyes) because his character has always been very charismatic, flamboyant, colorful. Even as the silent crow Sting, he still retained the charisma of the old Sting, the flamboyance and colofulness were replaced by a crusade to take back WCW from "intruders"that were hikacking the company, a fight that fans could get behind. Even in more recent years in TNA his attempts at a being a heel were derailed in the fact that the things he was fighting for were to bring respect, honor, and dignity back into the sport of wrestling, again something fans could get behind. I'm pretty sure the only thing that could have ever gotten Sting over as a true heel in the eyes of the fans, would have been if Hogan backed out of the nWo thing, because I've always heard that if Hogan wasn't going to be the 3rd man, that Bischoff wanted Sting to do it. I think that is the only way that WCW fans would have ever viewed Sting as a heel. Even during late 1999 when Sting was attempting a heel run, and this recent attempts in TNA, at best it felt neutral.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I agree with everyone else in that Sting was just so loved by the fans that they would not hate him no matter what. I agree with Dragon Saga too that Sting spent the whole of the NWO's existence fighting them that it just didn't make much sense when he joined them. It was because of them that his friends doubted him before he left and returned with the crow gimmick. He hated the group, and no one was buying in to him joining them. Sting was/is one of the greatest faces ever imo.

He joined the nWo Wolfpac. Which was the face spinoff of the original group. So him joining was never meant to be a heel turn.

The entire Wolfpac angle was badly done though. It went on too long in my opinion, and should have been focused on Nash vs Hogan over who the real leader of the group was. Sting should have been the babyface champion for WCW while all of this was going on.

To the original question though, I agree, Sting was always so charismatic and flamboyant... always seemed to be the smiling high flying baby face, that fans were just drawn in.

 

[GameOver]

Sting didn't work as a heel due to his effectiveness as a face in his early days, coupled with the fact he spent the majority of the late nineties battling the new World order, so when he eventually turned and joined them it was more-so fans realizing it was shoddy booking and less, "well this guy is bad now, so we might as well boo him." In WCW Sting was never going to work as a heel, he'd became too associated with the fan favorite label.

It's like how The Rock tried playing the bad guy in 2003, but alas no matter what he did fans refused to hate him. Yet when you revert to 1998 he was a heel and was over as such, not as much as other top heels of that time such as Taker or Triple H, but definitely over. By the time 2003 rolled around he'd became so recognized as the good guy everyone loves it just wouldn't work.

Second example is Austin's turn in 2001, even he admits it was a poor decision and looking back on it, going in he should have known it wouldn't work. Austin was to WWE as Sting was to WCW, he was the top good guy the fans loved, turning them bad can be done, but turning the fans on their favorite wrestlers can't. It's like Punk and the WWE audience nowadays - half the fans who boo him would probably admit they love him.

No. The Rock was so over because he looked cool, he was a good talker and he had easy catchphrases to sing along too, did matter what he did tho, he was still a heel and still getting a mixed reaction when he started getting the fans playin sing along with the champ, Austin i'll agree with, the even when he was doing his darndest to be hated he was still remembered as Austin 3:16 and he ended up being a comedy heel more then a hated heel and an insecure face more then a I hate the fans heel. That was the issue, but he was never really hated, soon as Bret Hart started fueding with Austin was getting cheered cause he was kicking ass and not wining, taking cheapshots and complaining like a typical heel and his whole run as face of the company was the same, he was an ass kicking machine that spoke his mind so he was doomed to be loved.

Cena however could turn heel and all it would do is change the demographic of who likes him from kids to adults cause he is only truly loved by the kids and the ladies and the marketing team.

Sting just doesn't work for me period cause he is a lousy talker, he wont say anything contriversial, he wont tarnish his religion and all he is good at is sticking up for the good guys. You forget tho he has turned heel twice now. once in WCW and once as the Joker in TNA and maybe as part of MEM tho he wasn't really part of them. They are all forgetable times

When he was the surfer Hogan/Bret Hart mix then yeah he was pretty good but since he went Crow for the most part he's gone downhill.

He could turn heel tomorrow and i wouldn't give a shit. Then again the same could be said for any of the heels in TNA atm they are just annoying heels there aren't any have to hate them with a passion heels.

 

[I Heart Cena]

Sting as a heel was such a ridiculous idea. It added to the downfall of WCW. Bookers need to know when to fold em or hold em. You can't just keep turning people every coupla months.
If Sting was getting naturally booed, then turn him. But he wasn't. Poor decision by Dub Cee Dub

 

[IWC's AntiChrist!]

I think that the feeling that WCW fans had for Sting back in 1999 is much like the feeling that WWE fans have nowadays for people like Undertaker, HBK, Triple H, Ric Flair, etc. The fans respect and love these guys so much that turning them heel is pointless at this stage. The fans are absolutely not going to boo these guys no matter what. WWE fans have invested so much in these wrestlers over the years that we respect them too much to not cheer for them. Sting is another one that is at that level now. I think pretty much most of the legends at this point won't be booed at all.

But anyways, Sting was pretty much already at that level back in the late 90's. He was a God to WCW fans, the franchise, the most beloved wrestler in WCW history, I'd say. The fans were never gonna boo him, especially that late into his career. Yeah, Sting is a natural babyface (like Ricky Steamboat and Tito Santana), but I don't think it was so much the fact that Sting couldn't come off as a credible heel, but just that the fans loved and respected Sting too much and had such a personal feeling towards him that it just wasn't going to work.

you pointed it out pretty well. Its a fact that Sting never left those fans, when every other people left them. He was the living franchise of WCW. How could a fan of WCW boo their own franchise! Sting was THE MAN of WCW. He was projected as a man who can never be owned by any force. He was a true portrayal of "Hustle, loyalty and respect" to WCW fans. He was their storyline savior and a real life ICON.

 

[lowandmighty]

I can't comment on the UWF stuff because I never saw it so I have no idea as to why fans didn't boo sting if he was meant to be a heel or even if they actually did or did not.

As far as stings last wcw title run and the fans jumping for glory goes, it didn't happen like that, don't be silly. It was a mixed reaction. The die hard Hulkamaniacs were booing but the long time wcw fans were cheering and the reason for that is because sting was the main opposition to Hollywood Hulk Hogan and his nWo who turned his back on the wcw fans and betrayed the wcw good guy sting, and it was also a way for Hogan to once again be the top guy in wcw when his Hulkamania thing wasn't really cutting it with the wcw fans and they were still more loyal to Sting they never forgot that. But we'll get to more about how the WWF and wcw fans react differently later.

As far as the fans chanting "Goldberg" relentlessly goes, that chant was actually a recording played not so secretly over the PA system and some fans couldn't resist doing it and it was them who the camera would show on TV.
The fans went nuts for sting when he locked on the scorpian deathlock because thats who they were rooting for, the wcw fans always wanted sting to win face or heel, he was just their guy.

Now remember when Hogan came back to WWF as Hollywood Hogan and stood face to face with the rock? Even though he left and almost killed WWF by starting the nWo in wcw the fans still showed their loyalty to him and chanted his name over The Rock's.
It all comes down to who the real guy is for a particular company and its grass roots, there would be no WWF without Hogan but there could still be a wcw.

That is the reason why the wcw fans liked sting over Hogan and the WWF fans liked Hogan over The Rock.

If sting actually showed up in WWE today he may not actually get that great of a reception, but thats just speculation.