What next for Sting?

[MartialHorror]

His recent Wrestlemania match was good for the spectacle, if not for the technical quality of it, but it showed he still could do quite a bit despite his age. It was pretty bizarre, with Triple H coming out as the freaking Terminator, making me think of that "Wrestling is not Wrestling" comedy sketch that claimed Triple H was insecure so plays dress-up, presenting himself as someone who is much more badass than he really is.

DX and NWO came out and fought...for some reason...Nash and Hall were still established friends with X-Pac and Triple H, seen only a few months ago. Then Triple H shook Stings hand, suggesting a potential face turn...then Triple H came out again, boasted and played the traditional heel.

This Sting feud feels like it was designed as some sort of novelty that doesn't take place within the continuity of everything else...even though it has crossed into other storylines involving Rollins, Orton, Ziggler, etc. I thought the "WCW Vs WWE" idea was watered down by the fact that Triple H used to be part of WCW, so was arguably one of the 'rats' he derided in a promo. It annoyed me that no one brought this up. It also confused me because while the Authority were pushing that angle, Sting never identified himself as the champion of WcW. Of course, no one acknowledges his career in TNA. It seems like the first thought would be "TNA is invading".

So...is this it? I liked the match and don't mind the idea of Triple H winning if this is Stings swan song, but what was the point? It didn't add any heat to Triple H, arguably made Sting look bad for shaking his hand and screwed with the continuity of the storyline pretty magnificently.

 

[stingray11214]

Look, did you REALLy think Trips was going to job to Sting? Anyone who had even a remote inkling to what was going on knew right away that Sting was going to lose. What I did not expect, and really thought that it was just not necessary, was all the run-ins. It really took away from everything else.

 

[MartialHorror]

Look, did you REALLy think Trips was going to job to Sting? Anyone who had even a remote inkling to what was going on knew right away that Sting was going to lose. What I did not expect, and really thought that it was just not necessary, was all the run-ins. It really took away from everything else.

People keep saying that, but Triple H put over the Shield and Daniel Bryan last year. Hell, it wasn't even just a victory as not only was Triple H defeated, they took out Evolution too. So those whining about Trips never doing the job are living in the past.

 

[Canadasam]

It started as what could have been an "Rock vs Hollywood Hogan" epic match but turned into a sitcom... Have to say the fans were raped by both Sting and HHH tonight. With the handshake this was a "one and done" for Sting. With a horrible ending like that what would be the point of even consider a Sting vs Taker at the next WM

 

[stingray11214]

People keep saying that, but Triple H put over the Shield and Daniel Bryan last year. Hell, it wasn't even just a victory as not only was Triple H defeated, they took out Evolution too. So those whining about Trips never doing the job are living in the past.

Not living in the past at all. I am just stating a fact. Look, if you heard RAW over the last few weeks, they acted like Sting has done NOTHING in the 14 years since WCW crashed and burned. There was NO mention that he actually wrestled for TNA. Just by listening to what was being said, no way in hell was Trips jobbing to Sting. Think about it for a moment: How ridiculous would it be for a wrestler, according to the WWE narrative, to win a match against a top star like Trips after being on the "shelf" for the last 14 years?

 

[MartialHorror]

Not living in the past at all. I am just stating a fact. Look, if you heard RAW over the last few weeks, they acted like Sting has done NOTHING in the 14 years since WCW crashed and burned. There was NO mention that he actually wrestled for TNA. Just by listening to what was being said, no way in hell was Trips jobbing to Sting. Think about it for a moment: How ridiculous would it be for a wrestler, according to the WWE narrative, to win a match against a top star like Trips after being on the "shelf" for the last 14 years?

Admittedly it's bad writing, but no one ever brought up the possibility of ring rust. If WWE doesn't force something down your throat, more than likely we're not supposed to think about it. Why does Triple H support Rollins when he's displaying the same behavior that Orton did- which pissed Triple H off- a year ago? Because the writing team doesn't want us to think about it. Why do they keep bringing up Stings WcW past, but no one brings up Triple H's WcW past? Because the writing team doesn't want us to think about it.

They did, however, emphasize that Triple H isn't as strong as he used to be. Ric Flair even outright says so and discourages him from being baited by Sting, even though by his logic, Sting should be weaker. This might actually be a reference to Stings TNA career, albeit done in a way that they don't have to acknowledge TNA openly. But the writing team doesn't want us to think about it.

So you have a point of criticizing the feud for its writing, but falling back on the "Triple H never does the job" line of thought doesn't hold up. He has been losing often enough that if anything, defeating him no longer means as much.

 

[rge2010]

I thought it was a little strange that Triple H 'went over' but I think Sting coming to WWE has 'over hyped' by many. It is a whole 14 years since WCW closed and while it was great for nostalgia reasons, Sting has very little to offer WWE here.

The D-X vs NWO moment was sweet and just makes me wonder if Sting will get his win in a rematch? How about Triple H, X-Pac, Gunn and Dogg vs Sting, Hogan, Hall and Nash at Extreme Rules? All 8 of them can go in a tag match no problem. Sting avenges his loss and then maybe has a tune up match (and wins) at Summerslam, Rumble before he faces Taker at Wrestlemania 32.

I don't think this is the last we will see of Sting, unless he takes his bat and ball home because he lost.

 

[relentless1]

Sting losing was a joke plain and simple. Why does Vince have to keep shitting on WCW? We get it. You won, they lost; the whole idea of having DX and nWo out there; while awesome, was to just prove again that WWEs Kliq stable was better than WCWs. Let it go old man, let it go, you know WCW put on better wrestling matches than you ever have so let that eat you up inside Vinnie Mac

 

[OYDK]

I was pretty pissed off when the ref's hand came down for the 3. First of all, as a big fan of Sting, I feel it made him look pretty damn weak to all the people who were not 100% familiar with his earlier work. He came in riding a huge wave of momentum, with the mission of taking down The Authority anddddd... he failed? What the hell was the point?

Looking back now, if this leads into some sort of major program between HHH and somebody else (The Rock perhaps?), AND Sting retires, than I can't complain with the logic in the booking. However, if Sting is still involved in WWE storylines going forward, than HHH going over is completely moronic. This really could have been handled better as it didn't make anybody look particularly strong and the story was left kind of on a cliff-hanger. I hope this isn't the last we see of Sting... that would really suck.

 

[tak161]

As a huge Sting fan, I was and am upset that he lost. There was no way he should have lost that match, it completely negated everything he has done. However, we still got to see Sting at Wrestlemania, so while I really hate that he lost, seeing him at Wrestlemania, getting that much support and admiration from the crowd was amazing.

If this was it for him, then I am happy he got to experience this before he ended his career. But hopefully, he sticks around, and gets his revenge on Triple H, and DX. There's an obvious story that gets him back in the picture, and that is he wants another shot at Triple H, but to get it, Triple H makes him go through DX and The Authority to get it.

In the end though, looking at this match, it took Triple H, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels, and a sledgehammer to beat Sting. There's something to be said about that.

 

[Seosa]

Sting losing shocked me, though I felt beforehand we should've been ready for it if it happened. I marked out for DX vs nWo I won't lie; in one match we had mini contests like Sting vs HBK, Outsiders vs Outlaws, etc.
The post match handshake would've packed a punch had Haitch not reverted to heel mode later on. Speaking of that segment, I was convinced Shane was on the way out given the way Steph & Haitch were talking. I wouldn't be surprised if Vince told Cole to acknowledge the chants either.

As for where Sting goes now, last night I was hoping that was his last. Same goes for Taker, I don't subscribe to the view that Taker was on form last night, I thought he struggled, though he may have been selling well. If they can come up with something decent for Sting then good, but I think he's had his last dance.

 

[supaman5279]

I didn't appreciate the DX/nWo involvement. None of these guys are gonna wrestle anytime soon. A rematch is stupid. Sting lost. HHH proved him wrong and he's the guy in charge. Should've kept it one on one. I would've been happier if HHH went over clean. nWo screwed Sting. They saw the hammer in the corner. Why would anyone want to challenge Sting. He's an old guy who lost to HHH and deemed a worthless WCW guy. What a crock. The only thing left is Sting vs Undertaker. Taker looked great this year considering last year he looked in horrible shape. Thing is I know he's not beating Taker at Mania especially after a strong showing against Wyatt. So that leaves Sting 0-2 at Wrestlemania. What crap.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Well, I loved seeing Sting at Mania - him coming out in the red coat was pretty epic, and he really seemed to be soaking in the moment and enjoying himself.

Sure, the match was booked (in a very Attitude/WCW-era way, btw) as a clusterf*ck, but done so mostly to protect Sting. For a guy his age, 56 going 57, he can still go well enough and hold his own, and HHH is a good partner to work with anyways.

But still, it was a nice touch that they had the nWo vs DX showdown (albeit about 10 years too late - that should've been the invasion angle back in the day!), I admittedly marked out when Hall, Nash and Hogan came down and had their staredown with DX. It really took me back to my childhood. Yes, that match was booked for that nostalgia moment alone, but I personally enjoyed it. Sure, they threw logic out the window since the klique just hugged it out the night before at the Hall of Fame, so why they'd suddenly start fighting over Sting as if it's 1998, that didn't make a whole lot of sense. Sure nWo vs DX makes sense, on paper... but not in that constellation. I'd probably instead had the klique come out to help Trips (HBK, Hall, Nash, X-Pac), and then Hogan intervening on Sting's behalf, alongside Booker T and DDP as some "WCW originals", alongside Randy Orton(!), as Sting helped him out on RAW. But well, that's just fantasy booking now... it was fine for what it was

Though I don't like that Sting lost... but I suppose it depends on the plans he has going forward. If they do HHH vs Sting II or Taker/Sting at Mania next year, then they should really give Sting some credible wins along the way, 2-3 should be enough, just to establish him as a force to be reckoned with. Sure, HHH sold like a merchant for Sting, but the moment was still tainted by Sting not winning.

All in all, the main issue with Sting's role in WWE so far is that he's been handled as a sideshow attraction. It seems they portrayed him as some sort of "traveller in time", who basically got frozen in cryostasis the day WCW was bought, and now awoke again to take revenge.

He got a great reaction for sure, and it was nice to see that from a WWE crowd, but it would've helped if he'd gotten involved some more over the past year, with other WWE talent as well... Sure he helped Ziggler win at Survivor Series, and came to Orton's aid; but I feel he should've had at least a handful of matches (tag team bouts would've sufficed, and could still have protected Sting) and scored a pin or submission here and there to build him up for the newer WWE audience that is not so familiar with him.

All in all a really nice nostalgia moment for me as an old WCW guy back in the day, but definitely with the wrong outcome - especially if they want to go with Taker/Sting for next year. I fully expect that to be Taker's last ride (especially since they more or less announced him already in the teaser trailer for WM32), and since it's in Texas, Taker should really go out on a high note, so he should win that match too. So if it takes place... it'd really help if Sting had at least a handful of victories under his belt before Mania next year, maybe some little feud for Summerslam or Survivor Series. We'll see.

 

[JiggaGeoff]

People who are crying about this match outcome are as short-sighted as the people who cried about the Royal Rumble outcome.

Think big picture, think long-term; this was a great match, and having HHH go over made the brief encounter with The Rock (which is probably a set-up for next year's Wrestlemania) that much more important. It also leaves room for a future encounter between HHH and Sting, in which Sting can get his win back: which also allows him to build up to other feuds.

We get it; some people get really mad that their favourite guy didn't win (again, see: Royal Rumble) - but those of us who enjoy wrestling for what it is can enjoy the story without feeling the need to run it.

 

[kumarjtk]

first of all this mania also sucks. I hate hhh beat sting. Why they give stings first loss in his first match. It kills stings wcw legacy. Then wyatt loss is meaning less. Then roman reigns road to wm is waste garbage now. They must give win to roman then brock attack him. Then rollins cash in and win is perfect way to end mania.
These things are not happend so this mania sucks.

 

[rge2010]

first of all this mania also sucks. I hate hhh beat sting. Why they give stings first loss in his first match. It kills stings wcw legacy. Then wyatt loss is meaning less. Then roman reigns road to wm is waste garbage now. They must give win to roman then brock attack him. Then rollins cash in and win is perfect way to end mania.
These things are not happend so this mania sucks.

Sting killed his own legacy by turning WWE down time and time again and making them wait 14 years until he decided he wanted to show up. The guy is a 56 year old man now and he offers very little to WWE apart from the nostalgia.

 

[bioshock]

I think the match was good, and to a point you have to imagine WWE wished they could of done this back when the Invasion storyline happened, but Triple H was out with a injury, the NWO hadn't yet joined WWE and Sting was nowhere near joining. So at least years from now we can say we finally seen the real NWO and the real DQ in the ring battling, with Sting in the middle.

Only bad part was that HBK showed up, but that Goldberg didn't show up. I really think WWE tried to get him for that moment, I mean in terms of former WCW talent he would be the best that could come out and actually do something, outside of DDP and Booker T.

I really wouldn't of minded maybe WWE keeping the story going for another month and book a lumberjack match, ex WCW vs ex WWE all stars from the Attitude era, I hate lumberjack matches, but outside of a Survivor Series match, that makes total sense.

 

[gravedigger]

I would have preferred a Sting victory but let's go with what we were given.

I felt The Undertaker was telling a story last night in his match. Someone who is on the brink and feeling his own mortality. I actually found it sad watching him, not because he didn't perform but because I was convinced that was the story being told and I was invested in it. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a 'retirement announcement' soon, maybe even on Raw tonight and Sting interrupts and says he still has something to prove in WWE. He wants to taste Wrestlemania one more time and he wants to do that next year with The Undertaker in a double retirement match.

While I wanted Sting to win, I do believe Triple H needed the victory more than Sting if it is indeed Triple H and The Rock at next year's Wrestlemania. Triple H has spent a year building up other stars (Bryan / The Shield / Sting). He needed to win to regain some credibility.

Reading through the forums, I often feel fans often speak without thinking and don't understand that there's an ongoing story. Yes, there are conclusions to story lines and characters within but the fundamental story is constantly evolving. Wrestlemania should always simply be viewed as the end of one installment in an ongoing series.

So if Sting losing is what was required to make Sting vs The Undertaker and Triple H vs The Rock for Wrestlemania 32, I look forward to seeing how the next twelve months play out to reach that point.

 

[Weems2k]

I had a bad feeling about this match when it was before the fricking Diva's match, Sting coming out first, and then that horrid Terminator intro by Triple Roids. This was exactly why Sting never signed to The E 14 years ago.

 

[Straightfromthehart]

The strange fact is Sting signed up to do this. He could easily have had a non-lose clause in his contract for this match but for some reason seems to have wavered it. it's as if this was booked to be the very final nail in wcws coffin. And this could have waited. Give the guy his wrestlemania debut win, and take him down at a later date. I know actually hope this was a one fight deal, as any feud other than with HHH seems totally unbelievable, and the handshake at the end seemed to put an end to that. They've really messed with the mystique and aura of the sting character with that result....but he went along with it, which is the most surprising, massive payday I suspect.

 

[Woodstuff]

I thought the run-ins kinda took away from the action happening inside the ring, and maybe the handshake at the end didn't make much sense, but I don't have a problem with Sting losing. Sting/HHH was this years Undertaker/Lesnar.

I thought the match itself was great. Sting said he was going to take HHH down, much like WCW said about WWE back in the day. It was a poetic finish that meant something on more than one level. WWE could've gone a different route, but this was bigger than just a match. Sting's debut saw two of the industries most iconic factions finally get into it with each other, and of course, one had to lose. The only thing I didn't really like was the way this match became WWE vs WCW despite Sting specifically saying it wasn't about WCW. But I'm just a fan, I watch the show and react. Loved the 'Sunday Night War', loved the finish. If nothing else, we know that we definitely haven't seen the last of Sting.

People always complain WWE is too predictable, but I guarantee NO ONE expected HHH to win last night. Obviously, there are some lonely people that feel like they've got something to prove by saying they knew it all along, but no one outside of their own bedrooms gives a s*** about them lol.

As far as Sting's next move, I doubt we'll see him for a long time after (maybe) Raw tonight. I'm thinking maybe a promo tonight, where Sting says he's down but never out. There were always Sting/Undertaker comparisons back in the 90s, and Sting is gonna say there's still one more thing he wants to do. Finish The Undertaker once and for all (and if this doesn't happen, I won't spit my dummy out and say WWE sucks lol). I reckon 'taker v Sting in Texas next year will be the next (and maybe last) time we'll see Sting and Undertaker on WWE TV.

As for HHH, he won the match. He's still the all powerful boss-man in WWE. Given the Ronda Rousey promo last night, it's fairly safe to say he's gonna be taking on Rock at 'mania next year.

 

[strangephish]

I was very disappointed with the outcome of the match knew in the back of my mind that Triple H/Vince couldn't put their egos aside and let a WCW guy win at WrestleMania. If this was one of the lower ranked PPVs I could see letting Sting win.

But as one mentioned it took HHH, DX, Shawn Micheals, and the slegehammer to take out Sting (nWo didn't get involved with HHH, just DX).

Since HBK came out, wouldn't it have been amazing to have Goldberg come out, spear and jackhammer HHH to even the odds

 

[Mustang Sally]

Sting/HHH was this years Undertaker/Lesnar.

If so, I have trouble with that. Apparently, the goal for handing Undertaker a shocking and unexpected loss last year was to build up Brock Lesnar toward an eventual world championship run. Okay for that.......but what on earth was the purpose of Sting losing last night? No one needs to build Triple H as a contender, do they? If there was anyone on the WWE roster who could more easily afford a loss......as far as career development, reputation, planned programs.....it was Triple H. I truly don't get it.

Of course, Sting's loss suggests this is not to be his only WWE in-ring effort, although what kind of gate they expect to attract by matching these two guys again seems problematic, at best. But okay, say they do have a rematch.....that's fine.....but what then for Sting?

I can't believe they've set up a series of matches for him. As good as he looked last night.....and I loved the way he SlimFasted away that gut of his.....he's still 56 and.....well, that says it all.

Worst thing of all; so many folks waited so many years for him to make his way to WWE......and his ring record is now 0-1.

Ugh.

 

[QBall111]

The match didn't make sense at all. Did the TNA writers write this match? I have no doubt Sting was aware of the ending but why agree to such a match unless he was given something bigger. Like a big win somewhere down the line if he stayed longer. Clearly he could go still. He showed some great moves even though he had a few rough shape times but even Triple H looked a little rough shape (anyone see the huge bruise he was getting on his back hamstring).

It went from not being about WCW to it becoming WCW. Before the match even started I was saying the only run in Id like is if HBK came in but helped Sting. If they try to book a rematch it'll be on HHHs terms which usually when HHH wants to seal the deal he goes with hell in a cell. I wonder if they go that way and allow Sting score a victory on HHH in Hunters playground.


Honestly. I think next year should be it for Sting. It's a selfish thought but being that I'm already getting tickets.

 

[Vader]

This match was useless and just further exasperates the perception that HHH has slept his way to any outcome he wants.

Is Sting over the heel? Yes. But HHH is past what prime he had as well.

Sting's promos highlighted Hollywood Hogan's character as analogous for how HHH got to be where he is, and yet Hollywood and the NWO come out to help him? Sting says the match isn't about WCW, yet the NWO who were his arch rivals come out to help him?

The ending was interesting, but poorly written.

Michaels coming out to help HHH, and setting up an ICON vs. ICON match is the only thing remotely acceptable out of that altercation. I would even accept Michaels helping HHH, but Flair coming out to help Sting, but the rest of it was a wash.