Would Sting coming to the WWE been bigger than the Rock's return?

[RockFan89]

So when the promos about Undertaker's return started popping up, many people thought that it meant that Sting was coming to the WWE. As it turns out, he didn't. Instead, he's on TNA wrestling 2 minute pay-per-view championship matches against Jeff Hardy.

Now the Rock's return has been huge, especially since it has resulted in the long awaited feud between him and Cena. So I ask:

If Sting had jumped to the WWE, would it be a bigger deal than the Rock's return?

(Now let's assume that each would happen on their own, meaning the Rock wouldn't return if Sting debuted, and vice versa.)

 

[Dave]

Probably not.

The fact of the matter is that no one can electrify the people quite like The Rock and even the younger members of the audience are getting on board with what he has to say. I seen a kid wearing a Rock shirt when I watched Raw and was blown away by just how successful The Rock has been in rallying people to his cause over the last few weeks. Given that he has been out of the WWE for the last seven years, you would have been excused for thinking that he could not capture the imaginations of the fans this time around and that sentiment goes doubly for the fans who were not watching wrestling when he was stealing the show.

Sting coming to the WWE would have been big news, to be honest. People like you and I, the marks of the business, would have made a lot of noise over the move and I think it would have caught on with the crowd pretty quick, especially if they were going to throw him into the main event of WrestleMania with The Undertaker. However, what I have said about The Rock is not true of Sting. Let's face it, his best days are past him and I would be very surprised if he could carry a promo as well as The Rock could and can. The Rock was turned doubters into believers and the same kids who wear his merchandise, you have to feel, would not do the same for Sting. Given that they may never have heard of him before and that he cannot be as entertaining on the stick as The Rock, I fear that he would only have been successful with people like you and I and perhaps the WWE are not interested in that.

I have to believe that Sting would have been a big deal if he had come to the WWE but there is no way on Earth he could have been as successful as The Rock in such a short period of time. The Rock has all the attributes to get people on board quickly and Sting just doesn't.

 

[Boondocks]

I think not. Rock is still very easily somebody who, with the proper dedication, could be involved with the WWE for a LONG while. Easily in some microphone only role for 10 years, if he wanted. If you compare that with the long term potential for Sting, Rock is bigger. Sure, Sting would produce a lot of buzz upon debut, since it would be his FIRST debut, but half of the kids in crowd have never even heard of him. And he wouldn't be able to be around very long. He's 51. He can't move too insanely well, and he doesn't want to be doing what Ric Flair is, and stay with the business way past his time. I guarantee it. So short term or long term, The Rock's return was and would've been bigger than Sting's.

 

[Max Headroom]

No. Simply put there is not many returns that actually would be greater than The Rock's, if any at all. Now, I never really followed Sting personally, but he seems to be a pretty cool fella both on and off stage. But that doesn't matter right now, we're talking The Rock.

The Rock can get a crowd going like no other, it's like he feels so at home when on the mic in front of a live audience. He can pull a hilarious promo, and keep a straight face the whole time as if he is dead serious. Not to mention he brought out the best in Cena that we've seen in a while (promo wise).

Sting coming to WWE would have been huge as he apparently never worked for Vince before in WWE, but in the long run he would not have made as big of an impact, and I would argue to say the pop when first seeing him would not be near as big as The Rock's.


The fact that The Rock actually showed up, not just came up on the tron, really got everyone buzzing and going nuts. Hell I couldn't sleep that night I was so damn excited, I couldn't belive he was actually there.

So no. Sting jumping ship would have been huge no doubt about it, but it would not be as big of a deal as The Rock.

 

[Calderownz]

For that night, yes. In the long run, no.

For that night, the one guy that was never on live WWE television Vs. one of the biggest stars is an easy debate. Sting would simply be bigger. I won't say it'd be bigger in terms of ratings (which I do factor in when discussing this) but in terms of a spectacle and how insane the boards like these would have been going.

However, Sting isn't great on the mic. If he were just talking it up at this point, it'd be a let down. Also, what could he have had in terms of a angle to work with? So, it's hard to assume that it would have lasted.

Even if you assume that he would have wrestled... he's getting up there. How well could he have performed? (Though, his match with Hardy on Impact last week was pretty solid for what it was.)

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't think so. For long time wrestling fans it would be, but for the vast majority of the WWE auidence, they will not have watched Sting in WCW and be as familiar with his legacy as those who have watched Sting do his thing for 25 years.

The Rock is a WWE institution, and everyone who watches WWE knows him as he is a huge part of WWE history and has the benefit of a film career making him better known to newer fans. Alot of the young WWE fanbase, who have only ever watched WWE will know Sting as that facepainted TNA wrestler.

So overall I do not think a Sting debut would be as big as The Rock returning. Huge yes, but not AS HUGE for most.

For fans like us though, I would say it would be. I would fucking love Sting to have a run in the WWE, or even just 1 match

 

[stasheroo]

I think it depends on one's perspective and what, if any payoff ultimately results from the Rock's 'issues' with Cena and to some extent, the Miz.

If there's no real in-ring match, then it's a lot of talk for nothing. If it's another Mike Tyson/Stone Cold rehash, it's another disappointment. So if by some chance, the Rock competes again, great, that would be huge. If he doesn't, it's just a lot of talk leading nowhere.

If Sting had come in, we'd have a Wrestlemania Dream Match to look forward to, instead of the Plan C Wrestlemania Rewind match that we're now stuck with. And we'd also have a year's worth of future Sting matches against the Cenas, Ortons, Punks of the WWE Universe.

From a personal perspective, I think Sting would be making a ton more money, selling a huge amount of merchandise to a new audience, and contributing to a career-retrospective DVD set as well.

Now? Getting embarrassed working for the Trainwreck of Nonsense and Absurdity.

Ah, what could have been...