Why did WCW lose interest in Sting so quickly?

[The Eighties]

You run an 18 month angle with Sting and Hogan that has the business buzzing and then you book a screwy finish to the pay-off match? Business suicide or Hulk Hogan politics? you decide.

Basically Sting's momentum died that night, it was wrestling booking 101, you book a huge angle between the top face and the top heel, the top face then wins the match on your companies biggest PPV, but the choices made totally ruined any chance of a strong title reign in 1998. Contrast this with WWF's booking of Mania 14 just a few months later, their red hot face went into the main event against the companies top heel, hit his finisher and pinned him clean. The booking of these two PPV's were the start of turning of the tide back in WWF's favour.

If Sting had won the WCW title match at Starrcade with a strong clean win he could have went into 98 with money feuds agaisnt Savage and Nash, instead the main focus of the show stayed on the NWO and the civil war between Hogan, Savage and Nash over who should lead, in the end Sting just faded out and then became tomato Sting, forgot the past 2 years and joined up with the NWO Wolfpac.

 

[ilapierre]

Ovaltine: I actually disagree with every single thing you've had to say. What you're saying is blatant misinformation. Show me where in the world in reality where Nash and Hogan were at each other's throats? Perhaps in the storyline but they were friends in reality. There was never ever any decision made for Hogan to end the streak. There was never an understanding. Where do you get this information? Nash wanted Hogan's spot at the top of the card? Seriously? That was a storyline. Nash was a part time booker and had enough influence to become the one to beat Goldberg. And it was because Hogan was out of the picture for a few months that Nash had enough sway to get into that position. You did not hear that on bullshit documentary Death of WCW or Controversy Creates Cash. I watched that documentary and read that book twice. It's not in either so what you're saying does not sound right to me or anyone.

I could go into great detail about your comment of how WCW started dying right after Starrcade 97. The absolute highest high point in the history of any wrestling organization ever. I could go to great lengths to ridicule the fact that you think WCW was starting to go in the right direction two months before it was shut down for good. But you saying that is embarrassment enough.

Now to Hogan never letting Sting shine. That's the biggest bull of all. Hogan has made a career out of stealing the thunder of wrestler's that threatened to take his spot on top of the business. Warrior, Savage, Hitman, Flair are the first few that come to mind. Still, these wrestlers got over big time when they worked main event programs with Hogan (Hart didn't as Hogan wouldn't work with him on a major PPV). But when it comes to Sting, this idea Hogan wouldn't let Sting shine is bull. Hogan became the biggest wrestling villain ever because of Sting. Hogan's career was jump-started with the NWO and encounters with Sting.

Sting never got a legitimate pinfall over Hogan? This line is funny. No wrestler in wrestling history has as many pinfalls and submissions over Hogan. Go check it out on the various wrestling databases out there. Sting either locked Hogan in his Scorpion Deathlock or pinned him around 9 different times. I think the next closest wrestlers had 2 definitive victories and that would be the Undertaker and Andre the Giant. If Hogan had to lose to anyone it was going to be a villain. A monster. Someone larger than life. During their time in WCW, Hogan realized Sting was larger than life. He respected Sting more than anyone and it's obvious in how he let him beat him time and again.

If we're going to talk about who got 'legitimate' pinfall victories over Hogan in his career, then we're looking at a very short list. In 1997 at the point in time we're talking about, Hogan had only been pinned legitimately at a PPV or Nitro once ever by the Ultimate Warrior. So to say that Hogan wouldn't do a clean job for Sting is outright disrespect to Sting is to ignore the fact that Hogan just never did clean jobs for anyone except flavours of the week like Warrior and Goldberg. At that point in his career, he would never ever lay down cleanly for anyone who lived and breathed the business in fear that they would take his spot. So if we're gonna whine about stuff let's get stuff straight. It was Savage who had the real life beef with Hogan. It was an NWO civil war after Starrcade that was HUGE for ratings because the heat between the two was real. Hogan cockblocked Savage as the top dog at every stop in his career including being the top dog of the New World Order. Hogan even screwed up Savage's marriage. Hogan would never let Savage pin him or beat him by submission although he let Jacques Rougeau. Countouts and DQs yes but nothing else for someone as deserving and as over as Savage. Ever. If there was ever a wrestler who deserved a definite victory over Hogan it was Savage. Say what you want about whatever, but if there was ever a wrestler that Hogan actually took a back seat to in his glory days it was Sting.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Sting lost all momentum at Starcade 97. Sting had to go over clean in that match but Bischoff let his buddies fuck it all up. Once that happened it made Sting look weak and the rest is history. That match was the Hogan vs Andre match for WCW. But EB allowed Hogan to go into business for himself.

No no no no no no FUCK no. Sting is lightyears ahead of Chris Jericho. He has been and still is a legitimate draw, something Jericho never has been. Sting was THE man in 1997, moreso than Austin or Hogan. Jericho could never make such a claim.

At the very least, Sting is second tier star with the likes of Triple H, Michaels, Hart, and Taker. I'd rank above any of them with the likes of Flair, Cena, Rock, Austin, and Hogan. He was a legit top star. Jericho never was.

Sting is no longer a legitimate draw. Really the only time in his career he was a legitimate draw was in the feud vs the nWo. How much of that was Sting and how much was the nWo? He's not doing crap for TNA.

Sting was nowhere near as big as Austin was...ever. Austin was bigger than nWo and that is saying something. Hell Austin at his time was bigger than Hogan.

As far as Jericho goes, he did draw money. Not like Hogan money but he did draw some good stuff. Now he never drew what Sting did in that 18 months against the nWo but Sting never drew that kind of money again. Around the globe it's not even close. Jericho outdraws Sting worldwide by a wide margin. Jericho is big in Europe and Mexico and does very well in Japan. Right now Sting is irrelevant.

 

[Toroc102]

"Sting was nowhere near as big as Austin was...ever. Austin was bigger than nWo and that is saying something. Hell Austin at his time was bigger than Hogan."

You might be able to say that he wasn't as over as Austin, but no where near close? That is crazy. Sting in 97 was one of the top ten most over guys in history.

Austin bigger than the nWo? To me that is just revisionist history on the side that won. I don't think there has ever been a time when wrestling was more hot than when the nWo was out. EVERYBODY was talking about that, by the time Stone Cold arrived the wrestling business had been revived.

Also, of course Y2J is more over than Sting is now, Sting's basically been off TV(as far as most former wrestling fans know)for 12 years. I don't doubt however that he could go to WWE right now and probably outsell Jericho for a while based on nostalgia alone.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

It wasn't only in 1998.

Sting barely ever had lengthy World Championship reigns in WCW despite being their top face or second top babyface for about a decade.

He had one six-month reign in 1990 and a four-month reign in 1992. From that point onwards though, all of his reigns were short. 1-2 weeks, 1 month, etc.

You would expect more from a 9 time World Champion (not counting TNA), especially in a time period like the early 90's.

Considering how over he was, they missed many opportunities to really build the company around him. The belt was always on Flair and then later Hogan. Personal issues aside, it's a shame he didn't get a long reign in 1998. It should have been at minimum a six-month reign while the nWo imploded. He was Austin level big at the time.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The problem Sting had was no matter how hot the angle was... he didn't speak or wrestle for over a year... How do you keep in ring shape when you don't ever wrestle? Could he not have done some indy shows under a mask? It wasn't cos he couldn't... he was just being held back... so inevitably he'd be overweight and rusty by the time the match rolled around, today Taker can do it cos he has a WWF ring at home, Booker T can supply guys in Texas for him to get rid of the ring rust with and he has a long lead in time... in 97 Sting was required for a full WCW TV schedule, just not to wrestle...ever...for a year... on full pay... that there is the best example of the craziness of WCW. They didn't lose interest in him, he was used but not as what he was paid to do...and over time they forgot he was a a top 5 in the world wrestler and he became "rafter guy"...Bookers would be more worried about him rapelling down or making sure he hit the right NWO members with the rubber bat than what to do with his talent in the ring.

He'd also be unfulfilled and bored... if you're a wrestler performing every night, you get into that routine, the norm then was to party, perform, party perform... you stay motivated to perform well because of the buzz you get out of working a good match... but if you're just sitting backstage or in a hotel room all night then going up to the rafters for 5 minutes or doing a run in, that's a lot of time to keep occupied and away from temptations.

Some ask if Sting was "affected" at work, if he was it was likely cos he knew he wasn't gonna work a match so he could show up later to the shows, be out earlier than the others and again... if someone is working matches everyday and they are the wrong side of messed up it will show - if they're not in the ring and all they have to do is walk/talk straight and appear the same as yesterday it's far easier to hide if there are problems and at the end of the day who's gonna notice is Sting is messed up when you have guys like Hall staggering around?

Ultimately Hogan did for Sting, there was only ever room for one big man there and once Savage came in it was over... he should have jumped to the WWF when Hogan left and brought along Rude... both guys were top stars then and that would have translated their epic matches into the WWF style. Vince would have gotten his new "hero" without having to resort to Lex Luger or Diesel and Rude's career would have been prolonged. The NWO wouldn't have happened, neither probably would Kevin Nash and WCW would probably have folded a lot sooner.

In the WWF in 95/96 Sting would have been able to work with guys like Foley, Vader and of course Bret Hart. Make no mistake, as over as Sting was, Vince would have made him a megastar.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

In the WWF in 95/96 Sting would have been able to work with guys like Foley, Vader and of course Bret Hart. Make no mistake, as over as Sting was, Vince would have made him a megastar.

If Sting came to WWF in 95, Luger wouldn't have left as he was Sting's BFF. Luger would've been pushed down your throat even more. Luger would've ended up in the Kliq because he would do anything to stay over. Shawn would've backstabbed him and TOLD him to lay down for him thus leading upto Luger's depression-tight-tassle induced O.D in 97.


You make me sick sir! Imagining such things.


I don't concur with the logic that if you don't wrestle how can you stay in shape. They had a developmental region in the Powerplant, he was always in shape and quite frankly I would never call him sloppy. There is more to this than just Sting. In WCW, Hogan's stache was always upto something.