It’s Showtime!
For the last time.
Wrestling legend Sting performed in his last match at All Elite Wrestling’s Revolution in Greensboro North Carolina on March 3. Sting, whose real name is Steve Borden and tag partner Darby Allin remained undefeated by beating the Young Bucks in a grueling brawl that saw both sides inflict physical damage to their opponents. The match marked the end of a nearly 40-year career for the 64-year-old Sting. Historically, a wrestler of Sting’s magnitude goes out with a loss. A passing of the torch in a sense. This time AEW opted to do this differently, having Sting go out on top as one half of the AEW Tag Team Champions.
Sting, Allin and the Young Bucks put on a show for the ages. Despite being 64, Sting proved he is still tuff as nails. The legend went through two tables and had his head shoved face first into glass. Allin performed the stunt of the night, jumping off of a ladder and missing his target while crashing into four steel chairs and glass. Sting introduced the glass to the match. The Young Bucks had other plans for Sting and Allin. Greensboro, North Carolina happens to be the location of one of Sting’s most legendary matches. On March 27 1988, Sting and Ric Flair faced off at the inaugural Clash of The Champions. Flair and Sting put on a show for the ages. The match ended in a 45-minute draw that saw both men push their bodies to the limit. At the time Flair was already a household name. Sting at the time had never been in the marquee match in primetime.
Matching Flair’s intensity and work ethic in the ring was no easy task. Sting got the job done.
On that night, Sting proved to the world he had what it took to be the lead guy on the card.
During the 1990s, Sting carried the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) banner as one of the promotion’s premier attractions. Before the arrival of Hulk Hogan in 1994, Sting was the number one baby face character in the promotion. Someone of Hogan’s magnitude joining a new promotion is a big deal. Sting and Hogan would lead WCW in a lengthy battle for ratings with Vince McMahon’s rival World Wrestling Federation for the remainder of the decade, as eventually the two would become bitter rivals as Borden morphed from “Surfer String” to the ominous “Crow Sting.”
Household names such as Hogan, Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Kevin Nash and Bret Hart all wrestled for both WCW and WWF while both promotions battled for supremacy. Sting showed true loyalty to WCW sticking with the company through the best and worst of times. he’d eventually join McMahon’s promotion for a short time in 2014, long after WCW went out of business.
Sting brought a unique style to the squared circle. The Stinger Splash, Scorpion Death Lock and Scorpion Death Drop were all signature moves Sting would use to get either a three count or force an opponent to submit. The 6’2″ 250 lb. bruiser featured the power of a heavyweight and the illusiveness of a man half his size. Football and basketball were Sting’s sports of choice before dabbling into body building which ultimately led to a lengthy career as a professional wrestler. Often, Sting would completely shift a match’s momentum by connecting on a Stinger Splash.
Sting is one of the performers responsible for face painting becoming what it has within the wrestling world. From Sting’s original appearance to all of the changes he’s made over the years, one thing that’s remained the same is the facial art.
On Dec 28, 1997 WCW held its yearly flagship pay-per-view “Starrcade”. The main event featured Hogan who’d recently become the leader of the NWO. The bad blood between Sting and Hogan had been building up Since Hogan and his NWO cronies began their hostile takeover of WCW at “Bash at the Beach” on July 7, 1996 in Daytona Beach Florida. Hogan and the NWO tormented WCW wrestlers on a weekly basis. Sting defeated Hogan with the Scorpion Death Lock, winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The event would go down as the most watched program in WCW history. This was the first time the NWO showed any weakness since becoming the most powerful faction in professional wrestling. The NWO’s takeover is one of the most famous storylines we’ve ever seen in wrestling. Sting standing opposite the hostile takeover had wrestling fans on their heels for months. Sting made the ordeal all the more realistic. It was must see TV at its finest.
On April 2, 2016 Sting was inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall-Of-Fame. WWF changed its name to WWE which retained the rights to all of Sting’s WCW footage. Despite never being a long-term member of the WWE locker room, his contributions were still recognized by the WWE community.
Sting has held titles in WCW, TNA and most recently AEW. He carried the WCW Heavyweight Championship on six occasions. The best performers in wrestling possess the ability to control the crowd’s emotions. Sting would famously place his hands around his mouth and let out a screeching signature call to his fans. This would send fans into a frenzy. The connection Sting had with his fans was unique. Grown men would show up to the arena in face painting chanting Sting. The ordeal was similar to a cult following. People actually wanted to be Sting. For an individual that knew nothing of the wrestling business at 24 to garner such a following speaks volumes on how fast Sting shot up the ranks.
Flair has retired on numerous occasions only to return to active duties. Knowing when to retire seems to be an issue amongst professional wrestlers. Many hoped to see a Sting vs Undertaker dream match, but it wasn’t in the cards. And after Ric Flair’s last match spectacle, few knew what to expect. But Sting performed well in what is believed to be his final match. If this was indeed Sting’s last match, he most certainly capped off an impressive hall-of fame career with a bang.
