Is the impossible actually possible? Can WWE bring in one of the most Iconic Pro-Wrestlers of all time, even for a short period of time?
Part of the allure with Steve Borden, better known as the character Sting in WCW and TNA, is that he never worked for the number one wrestling brand in the world known as WWE. Now this was not without the company trying to bring him in. On several occasions, Vince McMahon himself has reached out to Sting about coming into the company, even offering top money and light scheduling to fit the Icon.
Sting is a loyal man, which is why he never left WCW for WWF in the Attitude Era period despite having a contract on the table basically. When several went to WWE after WCW folded, Sting decided to take time off instead of jumping over. In TNA, he has done anything asked of him and there have been periods where he could have left due to issues with certain people. Still however, despite some leaving TNA to join WWE or several other WWE names joining the promotion, Sting has been the only loyal one.
Admirable of course, but even some TNA fans have wondered why Sting has never even tried a WWE run.
He does one year contracts currently with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, or now we as they want to be called “Impact Wrestling”. He always seems to renegotiate a contract with Dixie Carter and said in a recent interview that he takes his wrestling one month at a time. He easily could leave whenever he pleases and live a comfortable life. He has made a lot of money in his over 20 years in the business. So he would never need to go to WWE like some due to money issues.
His contract ends in January with TNA, and I am not sure if a no compete is attached to it. Obviously WWE will once again try to reach out to Sting about coming in for a small stint. But they may hold off if the no compete is there. I still think talks will happen, but nothing major until they know he can sign at any time. The average is 90 days for a no compete, which would push his ability to debut with WWE to sometime after Wrestlemania, and Sting himself has said he would love to compete there.
You easily could build Undertaker vs Sting at Wrestlemania and I guarantee no one would want to miss it. The deals Sting would be able to do with WWE and the fun he could have with them would be massive.
Every single top WCW star has been in WWE. Sting is the only one yet to cross the Northern threshold. Some find it admirable. Some however, find it annoying.
I myself am in between. His legacy will not be tarnished if he never goes to WWE. But it will not be complete either. He would be one of the few to be in 3 top wrestling companies and be a top star. And obviously WWE would treat him with respect as they know it is a privilege to get him.
Sting is now in his 50s. He doesn’t have to go any longer, but he has said in numerous interviews that he would one day like to join the WWE. And he would also love to face the Undertaker just as much as fans want him to.
I just want you to imagine this however. Imagine if WWE were to get Sting at any point, whether it be the night after Wrestlemania or in the buildup or even on a random summer angle. This is a guaranteed ratings boost. There is no denying that. The average rating for the Wrestlemania build is anywhere between 3.0 and 3.7 for RAW. With Sting coming, a 4.0 to 5.0 is not only possible, but I’d guarantee a possible 6.0 if people knew he’d be there on the night of his debut. If a surprise, which is how I’d like it to be personally, I’d estimate a major channel flip rating. We would all remember where we were the night an Icon came out to the ring.
How can WWE make this magic happen though? How can we take the loyal Sting away from TNA and bring him to WWE?
Here is the way I feel WWE would go about it. They would have both Triple H and Vince McMahon talk with him personally. Even come down to his home and talk with him and his family. They would be like Head Coaches in college trying to recruit the best player in the country.
They would offer him most likely a blank check on the money end of things. WWE can pay him just about anything he’d want to a reasonable amount. Floyd Mayweather made 20 million for Wrestlemania. Do you think WWE is going to be playing games with Sting?
They would offer him the Hall of Fame obviously. And multiple deals with his name, which he would still be allowed to own and WWE would pay him to use it. They would then do as they are doing with Bruno Sammartino, basically have him do as many media things as possible for them. They would possibly even offer him a WWE Films role if he chose as he does want to do more movies.
They would offer him a lot of creative control over anything he does on WWE TV and PPV. His scheduling would be similar to Brock Lesnar in that he would only work televised events and any other live event he wanted to do. He may have an option to do Wrestlemania Press, but I’d imagine he’d want to do this seeing as it’s his first Wrestlemania.
The light schedule would be of interest to him, as he works more with TNA than he would with WWE. They would also most likely try and do this all in secret. If they signed him, I would not expect any sort of announcement or any video vignette.
WWE would want to make this a shocking announcement to happen on live TV. They would even try and hide it from WWE staffers and Wrestlers.
If they were able to get him during the Mania build, then I imagine they would automatically go for Undertaker/Sting. I mean, can we really NOT do this one?
They could set it up like this. Undertaker comes out as a surprise to build for Mania like usual. Then he claims to have beaten everyone there is to beat. That “The Streak” would not mean anything if there was not a worthy opponent. He would go on to talk of the legends he beat, and claim that no longer could he compete at Wrestlemania due to this. BOOM, we hear music. Possibly new music, we don’t know how well his old WCW music would be known to new fans.
Sting would come out, most likely to the loudest cheer you have ever heard on live TV. Then walk to the ring, go face to face with The Phenom. He would then point his trademark bat to Wrestlemania. Undertaker would respond with his classic “Cut to the Throat”.
Number one, if you don’t get goose bumps just thinking about a Sting debut, then you’re either a new fan or dead inside. Number two, Sting coming in now is far more likely than ever. Because it seems in every interview where he is asked anything related to WWE, he talks highly of them and how close he was to signing with them the last few times they came calling.
Finally, this could also be the perfect send off for The Undertaker. He needs to retire big. Whether he won or lost against Sting, even tied really. He easily could leave with nothing to regret. He would have given the people everything they could have asked for. And everything he would have wanted to of done would have been done. Obviously Taker is a legend, but so is Sting. I don’t care who wins between the two, I just wanna see it. And really, I don’t know any wrestling fan that doesn’t.
In the end however, none of this happens if Sting says no. WWE has to make him feel comfortable signing with them. TNA is like family to him and he is in the twilight of his career. While he is still good in the ring and can be effective. I feel it all comes down to if he truly feels the need to go or not. Sting obviously has impressed interest before. But, again he would not lose anything by saying no. Once his deal is up in January of 2014, expect speculations to once again grow. Some will even claim he signed.
But to me, you shouldn’t believe anything you read when it comes to Sting until the man appears on WWE TV.
Maybe I am being a mark about it all. So let me know your opinion. Do you want Sting in WWE? If so, how would WWE go about doing it and what do you feel he should do OTHER than face The Undertaker? Let me know in the comments below.
Follow me on Twitter: @JoeBurgett_WE
