Sting in a nutshell

[QBall111]

I know everyone has their own thread on Sting but seeing that TNA is making a Best of Sting DVD I went and reviewed some of Sting's matches in TNA, then I looked back at my Sting DVD and now I have every RAW and PPV saved of Sting's WWE career. I will say since January 19th when I was at RAW all the way til now, I have been very excited about This WM31 match. I know there is a lot of negativity posted, I get that, Sting is old, his time is basically done. But being a follower of Sting since he was in WCW, I wanted to list off what I have seen in Sting as a performer, what I see in this match and his future and what I fear. I welcome you add things.

1). Sting and Taker would've never worked this year. Not that we didn't wait for Takers health condition but Sting would've never been welcomed with open arms into the wwe as he has had with his huge pops. My kindergarten-5th students get excited everytime I turn my computer on and my RAW pic of him is on my desktop so The fans including the young generation know him. With Taker we would've never seen the need for the bat and possibly we wouldn't hear him speak. It'd be the silent mystic Sting vs the silent Phenom. WM32 is definitely a place for them to go.

2). Other than the first TNA year, Sting was just out of shape. Part of this had to do with his aging, part was sometimes what he wore (that red singlet with the black legs looked horrid) He looked tired, he looked old, he looked like he never wanted to be there. I worried at SS and Fastlane that we were seeing that same Sting. I didn't feel he looked good even though he did look like he was in better shape physically. These past two RAWs, Sting had life, he looked excited to be there. He physically moved better in the ring which made me wonder how good his year off did for him. He could possibly go a few more matches and may not need to be carried as much in this match as thought.

3). He cuts a better promo than most now. I felt we saw Sting WCW and Sting TNA in his RAW promo. I even felt Steph tried to reference his TNA joker gimmick when she called him a freak. I was hoping he would've ran with that more.

4). I'm afraid this WWE run with HHH mirrors Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior at WCW Halloween havoc where warrior came to fight the corrupt nWo version of Hogan. He had an aura around him and everyone knew he'd win at Halloween havoc but Hogan burried Warrior.

 

[MrGameTime]

To be honest Sting is one of the main reasons I am excited and am watching the WWE product alot more then usually lately. To understand you have got to know your stuff about him, Sting is a 15 time World Heavyweight Champion (covering over 5 total promotions) Has one of the best gimmicks in all of wrestling history and yet keeps on evolving his character to not become stale through the years be it blonde beach boy - crow- joker, he has fantastic charisma and promo abilities and solid wrestling skills, he is a veteran in the ring and knows how to tell a story, he has beaten the Hogans/Flairs, he has been there and done it and yet is still so very humble.

Sting was the last of the very top names that WWE could never sign, he always turned them down no matter how many times Vince tried, but HHH is the bridge fixer again he did this for Bruno, Warrior and now finally Sting.
I am really impressed and glad of how much freedom and respect WWE has for Sting when comparing how they treated past WCW stars like DDP/Goldberg/Booker T etc They have gave Sting the respect his career and legacy deserves.

I can't wait for WM31 when Sting and HHH lock up it will be such a great moment. I am certain Sting will go over he has to in his first match in WWE.
I too will look forward to the end of the night or more likely the next night on RAW when Sting and Taker are rumoured to stand off and set there match in Texas at WM32 to help break the attendance record. I think we will see a year long build just like Rock and Cena did at WM28.

Sting will wrestle HHH and then Taker and I think he will be finished because there is nothing left for him to proove, yes he could have a quick WWE title run later this year to put the cherry on the top but to be honest I don't think he needs to, that level he is in with the Takers/HBK's/Rocks/Stone Colds don't need the belt for there matches they are beyond it and on a higher level.

 

[Wald]

Yeah I never understood how anyone thought Sting v Undertaker was an obvious match for Wrestlemania. There's no way Sting was coming in to WWE as a heel to lose to Undertaker at Wrestlemania and there's no way Undertaker was getting booed in, potentially, his last Wrestlemania match ever. Even with the Streak gone I also couldn't see Vince booking his creation to lose to the WCW version, because that's the way Sting has been positioned by the WWE.

It just didn't make sense and I'm glad they didn't go with it. Triple H v Sting is the right feud and it has been the best built match on the card. I'm looking forward to their match the most on Sunday night.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Yeah I never understood how anyone thought Sting v Undertaker was an obvious match for Wrestlemania. There's no way Sting was coming in to WWE as a heel to lose to Undertaker at Wrestlemania and there's no way Undertaker was getting booed in, potentially, his last Wrestlemania match ever.

Exactly. Isn't it ironic that the attractiveness of the match-up was also the factor that prevented it from happening?

Who loses? Steve Borden doesn't want to finally come to WWE after all these years and get beaten in his first.....and possibly only.....ring appearance. Meanwhile, before last year's streak-ending loss to Brock Lesnar, Undertaker had never lost at Wrestlemania.....and, in fact, hadn't lost anywhere else for a number of years. Someone had to lose because they weren't going to stage a match as significant as Sting-Undertaker and give it a half-assed ending like a DQ or count-out.

I think both men will win their WM31 matches and be ripe for a year-long build toward WM32, in which they'll finally meet.

And yes, it's great finally having Sting in WWE. He really did seem to move around the ring better Monday night than in the past few years.....and facing Triple H, a guy who knows how to work a match without hurting his opponent, I'll bet this is going to be a better spectacle than many think.

By the way, I think TNA is smart to capitalize on Sting's current standing by producing a DVD featuring his time with them. Hell, why not put out the product while WWE is paying to keep the man in the spotlight?

 

[Vader]

^this. WWE has basically reintroduced Sting to a younger audience, and reminded the older ones. Now you're going to see TNA DVDs getting picked up at the expense of the WWE's push.

I've said in previous threads that I do like Sting vs. Taker, but there are other wrestlers I would have preferred him work with about 10-15 years ago like HBK.

Sting's performance in TNA did start to suffer in the last couple of years. Hopefully Sting was in a situation where he realized that a second tier promotion didn't demand top conditioning. Given that he is not on a demanding schedule, it's entirely possible for him to get in good enough shape to yield a strong performance even at his age. It certainly won't be his best, but hopefully he has realized that his final couple of matches in the WWE will be what cements his legacy in pro wrestling, not his performance in TNA.

 

[FlairFan2003]

I would loved to have seen Sting come in circa 03-04 during the height of Evolution, he would have been a natural opponent for HHH as World Champ and the whole group and a great ally to HBK. We also could have seen a lot more matches with him and possibly some really good feuds with Batista, Edge, Orton, even one last run vs Flair. Alas it didn't happen....

Sting is still in good shape and knows how to work a crowd (he learned from the absolute best ever) and HHH is nothing if not an excellent performer, I expect a very good match, competitive, with a lot of legit looking selling (you don't seen enough of that from these fast paced stunt monkeys) and some great storytelling. I expect a very good match.

 

[QBall111]

I forgot to point out that compared to some who were WCW coming into WWE, Sting has been treated like royalty. He got placed into a major storyline real quick since his debut and now he is a major player in that. Booker T, Scott Steiner, shoot even nWo Hogan didn't get it that big.

 

[ECW Sandman]

A lot of us older fans who grew up on Sting in NWA/WCW always wondered would he jump to WWF he was one of the loyalist wrestlers in WCW history, There is a saying in Wrestling or WWE Expect The Unexpected and Never Say Never, Fourteen years after WCW was bought by Vince McMahon Sting made his debut at Survivor Series yes he is the last of the old WCW stars to go to WWE I am like a lot of fans who grew up watching Sting are pumped , It is fitting that Stings first official match in WWE is at The Greatest Sporting event The Granddaddy of Them All WrestleMania XXXI .

 

[goalieman31]

Personally I'm glad sting vs taker isnt happening and i hope it never does. This match just couldn't live up to the hype. It would have such a big build up that even both wrestlers in there prime. This match will even further disappoint with the age factor bring put in. HHH is the perfect opponent for sting as he is the one guy that represent WWE vs WCW.

 

[wwesux]

Exactly. Isn't it ironic that the attractiveness of the match-up was also the factor that prevented it from happening?

Who loses? Steve Borden doesn't want to finally come to WWE after all these years and get beaten in his first.....and possibly only.....ring appearance. Meanwhile, before last year's streak-ending loss to Brock Lesnar, Undertaker had never lost at Wrestlemania.....and, in fact, hadn't lost anywhere else for a number of years. Someone had to lose because they weren't going to stage a match as significant as Sting-Undertaker and give it a half-assed ending like a DQ or count-out.

I think both men will win their WM31 matches and be ripe for a year-long build toward WM32, in which they'll finally meet.

And yes, it's great finally having Sting in WWE. He really did seem to move around the ring better Monday night than in the past few years.....and facing Triple H, a guy who knows how to work a match without hurting his opponent, I'll bet this is going to be a better spectacle than many think.

By the way, I think TNA is smart to capitalize on Sting's current standing by producing a DVD featuring his time with them. Hell, why not put out the product while WWE is paying to keep the man in the spotlight?

I have been saying it all along and now with TNA releasing Best of STING DVD part 2 shows STING maybe indeed done with wwe I see HHH winning over STING even though I don't want to see STING job profitship outsells sportsmanship I guess! As for the Eldertaker underfaker your beer bellin, leather claddin, mascara wearin, cripplin wearin, bone tearin out of shape,broken down & wheelchair bound old man he needs to start putting talent over as Y2Jobber Chris has been doing. The only thing that remains is to officially pass the torch of his character, of his aura, of that spot, to Bray Wyatt. That can't happen without a loss, unless Wyatt finishes Taker's career in the afterbirth, which doesn't make sense. The general consensus is that Undertaker wins and it doesn't really hurt Bray Wyatt. Last year, the thought was Bray would beat john semen, and he didn't, even though that should have been a DQ win after semen used the chair. It was the original plan, changed when the Taker decision was made. The cena program damaged Bray, the Jericho program flopped, and the Ambrose program arguably hurt both men. Bray right now is on the precipice of either being pushed toward the main event or solidified as a mid-carder, potentially forever. Last year's loss to Brock was Taker doing the right thing for the future of the top of the card. This year's loss would be the first-ever "passing of the urn" to his immediate successor. Bray Wyatt, an amalgam of Taker and Mankind, whose promos have become monotonous, needs a shot in the arm. If Harper and Rowan come out to assist him, I'll be pleased. That needs to happen. Maybe they lay Taker out after the match and that's the passing of the urn. I know they'd love to have him and Sting end their careers together in Texas next year, but my head tells me this will be the final match of Undertaker's Hall of Fame, epic, iconic,
I believed Bray Wyatt was the right choice to go over, but that I couldn't predict it. Bray doesn't seem to fit the company mold right now atop the card. I hope to be wrong. A second thing I hope to be wrong about: This will not be a good match.

 

[LuckyLouie]

While I like Sting, for me this just isnt doing it. While its not bad at all or even close to it. This just isnt that interesting to me. This year the logic shifter to the unknown in the WWE. Undertaker would have been a better choice to be if this is going to be his last match. It feels more as a consolation prize then a gold medal. Seeing their styles in the ring is going to be amazing.