What made Sting finally step in a WWE ring?

[President Evil]

Im surprised more Sting threads haven't popped up since his debut at Survivor Series. This is a dream come true specially for fans of the 80's and 90's era.

Before now the closest Sting came to signing with WWE was in early 2011, when they ran those vignettes of 2-21-11. And most of us have seen that Youtube clip where Sting himself says he was very close to signing, but at the end he didn't trust how he would be used.

My question is what do you think made Sting sign on the dotted line, for live appearances and likely more than one match in a WWE ring. I doubt it was money, Sting has never been known to be one of those who "money matters" to him, he's set financially anyway. Its not dates like Lesnar is concerned, Sting is a worker. Most likely his concern has always been creative, since he's a homegrown WCW original, he always feared coming in to WWE he would be made to look weak and foolish. Likely he has a good say in creative control of his character. Though a humble man compared to others he must care how his character is treated on script, a character he's spent over 20 years creating and maintaining.

What are your thoughts.

 

[rbv13]

To lay it out there as simple as possible this is all about legacy and status in the industry. He stayed away to protect it. Now he is here to cement it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The same reason Bret Hart came back to work with WWE after vowing not to. Because he fears for his legacy. Wrestlers are fragile people and want to be remembered. WWE has the ability to stop a new generation of fans from discovering certain wrestlers.

 

[Reflection]

There was a time when TNA was an alternative to the WWE. A time when they were considered to be on the same level (not financially, of course). The importance of working in the biggest league wasn't that high because there was another big league that could give you legend status or maintain your legend status. Then things took a turn for the miserable road ahead and TNA clearly became a poor man's league. It could no longer make legends. If any legend went there, his status took a beating. The scenario went from Parker pens vs Pierre Cardin pens to Parker pens vs Use-and-throw pens. Sting didn't want to retire with a use-and-throw pen in his pocket. He had to come to the biggest... no no no, not just the biggest, but the only big league.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

He realised he was destined to be remembered as a B legend. A guy who mattered in the 90s, but had festered away in irrelevance for over a decade. He needs this current run to cap off his career in style and go down as one of the elite.

 

[Wald]

The same reason Bret Hart came back to work with WWE after vowing not to. Because he fears for his legacy. Wrestlers are fragile people and want to be remembered. WWE has the ability to stop a new generation of fans from discovering certain wrestlers.

This basically. Everyone who thought Bret came back to bury the hatchet with Vince & co. were wrong I think, main reason was because Vince owned Bret's career and, to an extent, life's work. Better to play ball with the guy and get your story told in a complimentary fashion so that future generations can look back at what you did than go the other way.

I remember reports months before Bret's Hall of Fame entry and DVD package that stated that a Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior style DVD was in the works for the Hitman called something like Screwed: The Bret Hart Story. I genuinely think Bret was pretty much told that would be his legacy unless he came back and that's what swung it.

For Sting I guess he has a choice of working with them and getting a Sting: Definitive Collection style boxset or probably he gets nothing at all. Sting is just packed away as just a part of the WCW story and in about twenty years time most have forgotten he ever existed.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Allegedly, the reason why Sting didn't come to WWE along with WCW was because he was worried about his legacy. He knew that the rivalry between WCW & WWF had become a bitter one, though that had more to do with the actions & taunts of Bischoff, Hogan, Hall & Nash rather than anything Sting did or said. All the same, Sting was reportedly worried that he'd wind up being buried by the company and that his overall legacy would wind up being tarnished.

I might be completely wrong on this, it's just a guess, but I'm thinking one reason why Sting went to TNA was because he was hoping that TNA would become a viable and genuine competitive threat to WWE. As a result, he could finish his career in a top tier promotion that was on the same level, or at least a close level, to WCW and his legacy would've been secured without having to come deal with WWE in any way, shape or form.

However, TNA hasn't become a viable competitor to WWE, it's been pretty damn close to going out of business for over 1.5 years now, it's had trouble drawing a million viewers regularly for quite a while and has had a devil of a time securing a television deal. Again, this is just pure guess work on my part, but I think that Sting saw that since TNA wasn't gonna have the juice to help him secure his legacy in the way he was hoping, there'd still be something of an asterisk, metaphorically speaking, concerning his career: he never set foot or wrestled once in a WWE ring. He was a big star in WCW, he was sort of the unofficial flag bearer for WCW when you think about it, he was a big fish in the little pond that's TNA, but there'd always be those who could say "yeah, Sting was great, but he was never in WWE."

I think a big part of Sting dragging his feet in so long was that he wanted to be absolutely certain that he was treated well if he signed with WWE. He doesn't want to be made to look like a joke or some clown, plus he's seen how much stroke Triple H enjoys with the company as an executive now and knows that Triple H is a genuine, life long fan of him both as a professional and as a fan. So, I think Sting may have been able to secure a deal that worked out well for everybody in the he comes to WWE, is used in a quality way and he's able to ultimately hang up his boots without that pesky "he was never in WWE" dragging him down.

 

[MrGameTime]

Ive been watching and been a fan for Sting for well over a decade and a half, honestly I think the reason he is finally here is two reasons, to put the cherry on top of his career by having his wrestlemania moment and to face the undertaker,

As said its definetly not money, I think Sting has been conditioned by the fans over the years who constantly have pounded and pounded the undertaker question and when are you going to WWE etc to where he thinks he needs to and Sting must be influenced by the flairs/hogans who have all went and had there big moments in the biggest wrestling company in the world.

I think hes here because hes got what he wanted, the wrestlemania match with undertaker. I don't think he would be here if he was just facing HHH no disrespect but it's not his desire only Undertaker is and we know this by hearing sting himself wanting the match in countless interviews especially 2011+

So in summary, hes here for taker and mania moment then he's done it all.

 

[Darkshadow1234]

Sting came to the wwe just for the match with undertaker. That's it.
He didn't come to face hhh or anyone else. But the undertaker. He probably wants to face undertaker before he retires.
IMO. Im not a fan of sting returning to wwe at all. I wish he never went to wwe.
It was a great moment for him to go to wwe.

Sting is A+ legend with/without the wwe.

I just hate how most fan or wwe marks say he isn't legend.
OR a big star without wwe.
Or he is a big fish in a small pond.

There have been many wrestlers who are legends or stars without wwe.
Get that brainwashed wwe mentality out your head.
WWE isn't that great of a company.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Sting came to the wwe just for the match with undertaker. That's it.
He didn't come to face hhh or anyone else. But the undertaker. He probably wants to face undertaker before he retires.
IMO. Im not a fan of sting returning to wwe at all. I wish he never went to wwe.
It was a great moment for him to go to wwe.

Sting is A+ legend with/without the wwe.

I just hate how most fan or wwe marks say he isn't legend.
OR a big star without wwe.
Or he is a big fish in a small pond.

There have been many wrestlers who are legends or stars without wwe.
Get that brainwashed wwe mentality out your head.
WWE isn't that great of a company.

With the exception of a very, very, very, very small number of wrestlers, it's just the mind set of the VAST majority of wrestling fans that if you want to be thought of as an "all time great", you have to have at least had some measurable degree of success in WWE. Why? Because like it or not, WWE is the largest and most well known wrestling company in the world. Does that automatically mean it's the best? Not at all because that's something that any fan or number of fans can debate & discuss from now 'til doomsday without answering it definitively because it's subjective. But WWE being around and thriving while all of its contemporaries are gone, most of them being owned trademarks of WWE, isn't subjective. WWE is synonymous with pro wrestling in the minds of most Americans. Even Americans who've never watched pro wrestling in their lives at least know what WWE is as it's the first thing that springs to mind when they hear pro wrestling. You can dislike WWE all you like, that's all well & good, but it doesn't make it any less true. But when it came to Sting in TNA, he was the very definition of a big fish in a small pond.

Personally, I think Sting's legacy would be just fine with or without WWE. That's just my opinion as he had the sort of career in WCW that any wrestler would love to have. MAYBE, and I do mean MAYBE as I have no idea what Sting thinks, Sting himself doesn't see it that way.

 

[Prince Vee]

To be honest Sting could've made his appearances on any PPVs but WWE is now building up a new era so if needs more hype than normal!
And Hunter always knows how to sell things! and ofcourse Evetything is money for Vince!! In the recent months we had seen The Rock, Mick Foley and Vince making surprising returns and cutting steaming hot promos and made top class stipulations and the Raw rating has been going over the roof!!
It was going down since Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns and Barrett being injured! Now Sting made a return and the fans will be hoping for his appearance!!
It was just to push the ratings and making more hype!

 

[MERPER]

From things I have read it is, in fact, all about legacy and a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame...

He badly wants in there and WWE wasn't going to just put him in having never done anything in WWE, so now he's doing something.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Does the guy really have such an ego that he is worried about his legacy? I don't think so. That is the thinking of someone like Bret Hart. Legacy sounds cool and all but he has had over ten years to make the jump to WWE. He spent the last few years wrestling in a shirt. He held on to his relationship with TNA at a lot of times when it was clear TNA was not going to reach such a respectable level to help cement any so called legacy but was still paying big bucks. He changed his character for TNA and took risks. He was part of the Main Event Mafia.

I think this is a guy that still wants to be involved and still (heavens to Betsy!) make money. I'm not calling him Ric Flair level sad, I'm just saying that he doesn't want to walk away and that is OK. It is no mystery that TNA couldn't pay him enough or guarantee they would still exist past 2014 when they may have been negotiating months ago. Sting wants to continue his career and he also wants a reasonable income to do that, WWE certainly offers that income. They even offer a pretty decent income post in ring career. He doesn't have to go to autograph signings and shake hands with 30 year olds who don't know how use a tissue if he needs a few bucks for a surgery when he is 70 if he builds this relationship with WWE.

Like Jack Hammer said, this guy has an amazing career and legacy whether he showed up in WWE or not. He is doing this gig with WWE because he wants to continue to compete and continue to make good money on his own schedule. Be mad at me if you want for not assuming Sting's motivations are so noble, I just don't have faith in professional wrestlers.

 

[Navi]

it's a win win for Sting here. If he hasn't signed he would be forever known as the one certified superstar the WWE was never able to get into their ring. Now that he has shown up in the ring, he can have his feud with whoever, a Mania moment and enter the Hall of Fame.

So it didn't matter what he did, his legacy was cemented because of what he did with his career, not because of anything the WWE has done for him. What he does in the WWE will only add to it. I would go as far as to say, they need him more than he needs them. Now he can work a limited schedule for the biggest wrestling organization, and his credibility will stay intact.

Ten or eleven years ago, he might not have had the same pull he has now. And I really believe that it has always bothered Vince that he could never sign Sting. It took HHH to be the go between that got it done. In a way I kind of wish he had stuck to his guns, but he's not a stupid man and did what was best for him, and not anyone else.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Didn't Sting say it himself that he didn't want his reputation destroyed by being booked as a joke or something? Like how they treated Booker T when The Rock asked him "Who in the blue hell are you?" Although, I have to say that Booker T had one nice run with the WWE and even became World Heavyweight Champion there. Another reason why I think Sting finally decided to sign on the dotted line was because it was a "better late than never" situation where he knows he's getting old and he doesn't want to regret anything such as never having performed at WrestleMania. I think he made a good decision because now the WWE fans will have a chance to know who Sting is and his legacy will be broadened to more fans. At the end of the day, I think he knows that the WWE is the company to work for at least once in order to be remembered among the most recognized wrestlers. There's just no other place like the WWE.

 

[bko]

My guess would be the same reason he came back to save WcW from the nWo, he saw the Authority slowly eating away like a cancer at the WWE and came back to rid the WWE of this cancer. Either that or he realized by staying with TNA he was throwing away a nice little Legacy he built pre-TNA days by ending his career by becoming irrelevant. I'm sure like all those other stars who jumped to TNA, thought TNA was going become something legitimate by now Hogan, Angle, Christian etc who brought into the hype machine...

Plus Sting seems like a guy who truly loves his fans and probably wants to give them that one final moment his fans want from him before he hangs up his boot on his hell of a career, and WWE is the only place he can do that.

 

[RustyBoot]

I would hope to try and change things, not so much to change things back to the way they were. But to create a bold new taste to identify our great sport.


Or maybe he's just a glory hound.

 

[L@RISANO]

With the exception of a very, very, very, very small number of wrestlers, it's just the mind set of the VAST majority of wrestling fans that if you want to be thought of as an "all time great", you have to have at least had some measurable degree of success in WWE. Why? Because like it or not, WWE is the largest and most well known wrestling company in the world. Does that automatically mean it's the best? Not at all because that's something that any fan or number of fans can debate & discuss from now 'til doomsday without answering it definitively because it's subjective. But WWE being around and thriving while all of its contemporaries are gone, most of them being owned trademarks of WWE, isn't subjective. WWE is synonymous with pro wrestling in the minds of most Americans. Even Americans who've never watched pro wrestling in their lives at least know what WWE is as it's the first thing that springs to mind when they hear pro wrestling. You can dislike WWE all you like, that's all well & good, but it doesn't make it any less true. But when it came to Sting in TNA, he was the very definition of a big fish in a small pond.

Personally, I think Sting's legacy would be just fine with or without WWE. That's just my opinion as he had the sort of career in WCW that any wrestler would love to have. MAYBE, and I do mean MAYBE as I have no idea what Sting thinks, Sting himself doesn't see it that way.

Not only in America, JH, around the world actually, to the majority, Pro-Wrestling itself is basically called "WWE".


I do think Sting just wants to leave a little bit of his legacy with the WWE, not that he needs it, but with the Network, etc... He maybe sees the opportunity for himself to be immortalized in WWE folklore on a larger scale and the fact that TNA has been faltering for a while probably pushed him towards a short run in the WWE.


Also, That match with the Taker is something he has been rather vocal about, and I, personally, do hope it can happen...if not this year, then at Mania 32 which is going to be in Dallas,Texas in front of a Huge Capacity crowd of reportedly 100,000. That would be EPIC!

 

[Terry Silver]

I grew up watching sting and I was a wcw kid as well as a wwf one and wven though sting was a star I never thought and still dont think hes a superstar. Hes not hogan or flair, not hbk or stone cold or the rock, even triple h I think surpassed sting. While those guys I mentioned are A caliber star power...sting is B level star power. Hes just a southern wcw guy. I didnt get goosebumps watching survivor series, was just kind of like "oh stings here..." with no pop.

 

[DCLXVI]

I don't know, I was never even a Sting fan but when I was a little kid a lot of my friends were crazy about him while I liked guys more like Vader... in WCW I didn't even like Crow Sting. When he came out at Survivor Series it was still badass and I marked out. He is the biggest star that WCW generated without Vince's help. As a poster above mentioned he had already held out so long he didn't want to be treated like a joke when all of that was going down - he saw Booker T basically treated like a nobody and didn't want the same fate while Vince was showing off the fact that he had conquered WCW. In years past TNA was considered a "WCW-like" program and was an alternative for wrestlers... I think he wanted one more time in a major promotion before he was 60. From what I've read and the way he seems, he is not an egomaniac and has never been a party guy like a lot of that era's wrestlers. I also imagine he got a fat check and is due his one last go.

 

[subsouljah82]

For what its worth i met sting at wrestlecon this year in new orleans and asked him more or less this exact question his answer to me then was a new challenge something to get excited for and that he wanted to wrestle at a wrestlemania atleast once before ending his career

 

[Terry Silver]

Sting wasted his career in wcw and tna. I dont consider his career a success. But now at his age he now can get some validity.

 

[aaronmb]

Much better to end your career in front of +100k people, rather than, at most 1,000. That's not even counting the millions watching.

 

[BuriedByCena]

He probably didn't want to get buried like all the WCW stars did when they came to WWE. He took a wait and see approach and noticed Booker T, Scott Steiner, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, DDP and everyone else were all buried.

They were all booked to look weak against WWF at the time. They had to get Stone Cold to join WCW because Vince thought the Invasion lacked star power. Soon after, HHH from late 2002-2004 BURIED everyone especially WCW stars on the RAW roster. Which is more than enough reason to stay away.

After 2004, he just accepted he had no chance with WWE as pretty much every WCW star that came over was gone and failed. Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan were the only 2 guys who had decent final runs in WWE.

So he went to TNA and waited. TNA paid him good enough money to keep him from jumping ship. TNA recently started failing pretty bad and losing money. Sting is old now and he knows it. He wants that big Mania Paycheck. He knows that one match in WWE can pay him more money than he could have made in 2-3 years in TNA.

Add in T-shirt sales, DVD sales, Appearances, Toys, Video games and potential other matches.....He is going to make mad bank. He would be crazy to say no.

 

[FromGlasgow]

Only person who knows is probably Sting himself, Money?, Wanting one last run in a major company and end his career on a high? For his own Legacy having never wrestled in the only major company? For the fans constantly asking him when are you going to the WWE? His own desire to wrestle somewhere he's never wrestled before which happens to be the main company of wrestling now or the Wrestlemania match he's never had?
Maybe it was a mixture of all those reasons combined but I'm glad he's here I think its the last big name I can feel excited about debuting in the WWE.