The Vigilante They Call Sting
By Shin-Blade
twitter.com/ShinSationalOne
Up until 2014, Steve Borden AKA Sting was considered to be the greatest wrestler never to step in a WWE ring or WWE period. Slowly but surely that all finally came to an end Spring 2015 when he made his debut against Triple H at Wrestlemania of all places to attempt to make a mark.
It merely all started when WCW closed it’s last edition of WCW Monday Nitro for the last time thus ending the Atlanta based company after 11+ years of being independent of the National Wrestling Alliance. As the next day began, uncertainty also started as well. People were uncertain who was WWE were to acquire after the buyout. Unfortunately for them, Sting wasn’t one of them due to the layered details in their Time Warner Contracts.
In many interviews that followed, Sting didn’t have any desire to join the machine known as WWE for reasons known & unknown such as television content, further exploiting the former rival company for what it was on WWE TV whether it was losses, degradation of character or even burial. Instead he joined an upcoming NWA affiliated company back then known as TNA. From there he was again like in 1991, NWA World Heavyweight Champion again and TNA World Champion many times over as somewhat WWE fails to recognize or the fact that he wrestled for another company that wasn’t either of the two “Monday Night War” enemies, which is beyond me as well as another famous future wrestling hall of famer saying the same thing.
In the beginning of 2014, Sting had started making his appearance known to the fans of WWE as he was doing many conventions and marketing his likenesses on video games, DVDs & even action figures. This led me as well as others to think that “The Stinger” had signed a WWE Legends deal, solely in a marketing aspect as well as, if anything, face The Undertaker in a match for the ages as he expressed in many interviews over the years. (Extreme MARK OUT for me if this was ten years sooner than today.)
Then in November 2014, the man who NEVER stepped in a WWE ring shook the world as he made his appearance debut on international TV while also engaging Triple H in the middle of the ring for a Scorpion Death Drop heard around the world that somewhat the San Andreas could not touch in a lyrical aspect. This led a great storyline all the way to Wrestlemania 31, then the ball totally dropped…
As Sting was making his debut match against Triple H at the “Showcase Of Immortals,” the storyline of Sting taking down The Authority fell in shambles midway through the match as unneeded nostalgia of the NWO & DX turned the match into a three ring, “OldStar” Hip-Hop circus spectacle. And afterwards Sting lost…
Flash forward to many months later, late August. Sting returns to face Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. (Timeout)
Who did Sting beat to become #1 Contender to the belt. NO ONE, Because he lost at Wrestlemania to Triple H and stupidity of over creative booking. But you know what beat every other wrestler in the locker room of being in that “spot?” M&M: Money & Marketing.
The child aspect of me cheered and cheered until I realized, “What happens if Sting actually won? And what would that do for his character, let alone the aspect of wrestling & sports entertainment?” Also, how would he be booked as champion and how would he lost it while retaining character integrity, dignity and stature?
WWE’s answer? Either they don’t know or there isn’t an answer…
Thus, I call it the Wile E. Coyote Train Of Thought…
Although Sting is a first ballot hall of famer in wrestling as well as ceremony headliner, his booking in this once credible company reminds me that of a man-servant character in real life that shall remain nameless shamelessly milking the company of it’s money and just throw away/not care about the direction of character, as would LOTS of entry level/jobber/naive wrestlers we would know in our lives. Again to me, the “Stephin Fetchit” state of mind but I’m just saying…
Hope WWE does something to salvage the character Sting in the eyes of many…
— Shin-Blade