Cageside Quote: Dixie Carter thinks 2012 is Sting's last year in pro wrestling
by Geno Mrosko on Jan 13, 2012 12:00 PM EST
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In a recent interview with the Daily Star, TNA President Dixie Carter talks about Sting heading over to the U.K. for the first time in a decade and thinking it signifies the beginning of the end of his pro wrestling career:
"In his mind, I think this is his last year as far as the wrestling is concerned. When we booked this, that's the way he was talking about it - ‘I haven't played there in a decade, and before I retire I need to come back there and wrestle.' Based on where he's at and what he's saying, barring something extraordinary this is the last time. And for me it's great to be able to bring him back there. He's spent such a big part of his career helping to build our company, I'm very proud we can bring him over. It feels very final. It's going to be an emotional night."
Of course, there have been multiple instances in the past number of years in which Sting has either attempted to retire or openly spoke of doing so. And really, at 52-years-old (soon to be 53), he's living on borrowed time in his career. TNA has at least taken care of him as far as booking him goes, putting him in an on-screen authority figure role instead of having him actively wrestling each week. The travel schedule is also as light as possible, so he's endured much longer than he likely would have if he was in WWE.
It's natural, though, to wonder if 2012 is really going to be his final year in professional wrestling.
To this day, Sting is undoubtedly the biggest star in the history of the business to never work for Vince McMahon and the WWE. In some ways, that's admirable and something he should be applauded for. He never sold out because he was always worried about how he would be treated, both character and person. After all, being made in WCW or TNA doesn't mean you're made in WWE. Quite a few wrestlers, like Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page, learned that the hard way.
If Sting does leave TNA after this year, it will be impossible to escape the inevitable rumors that WWE would attempt to lure him to the company for a big money match, possibly at WrestleMania. Just look at the buzz created by the viral videos last year leading up to Undertaker's return that many thought to be Sting. It was huge. And it gave birth to one of the greatest photoshop jobs in the history of pro wrestling (image after the jump).
Not unlike the Stinger himself, I don't necessarily trust how WWE would use him. It would be entirely too easy to bury him and make him look like a fool, which a petty and vindictive man like Vince McMahon -- and Triple H, for that matter -- would have no problem doing. But I can't help but salivate at the thought of Sting in a WWE ring for a match at WrestleMania. Even if he jobbed, it would be a thrill and a true mark out moment.
Any Cagesiders out there hoping for a miracle like me?
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I'm certainly hoping for a miracle
Undertaker vs. Mystery opponent at WM
Sting entering would be one of the greatest moments in wrestling history
Greatest lover ever during the day, Trainyard Sleeper at night.
never
last year was the only time this could have ever happened, and it barely even came close. At both of their ages, who would want to see it next year or the year after?
I never got Sting’s apprehension about coming to WWE…he’s clearly not DDP or Booker T in terms of star power, and even they eventually rose from their initial spots.
Sting is a respected legend and I’m sure Vince would treat him as such. Old NWA mainstays were almost always pushed hard….see: flair, luger, brainbusters, roadwarriors, steiners, vader….
If he is offered a huge payday and takes it, that’s perfectly understandable. But I don’t want to see it. Sting is probably my favorite wrestler ever. But the Sting I marked out for has been gone since 1996, and unless he’s going to de-age by 10+ years and come out with the bright colors, it will be much more sad than exciting. He did what he thought was best when he went to TNA, he has been there a long time and I’m sure he has been well-rewarded. He should finish up there.
Or, if he wants to wrestle Adam Pearce in his final match and go out as NWA champion, that would be ok with me too.
I don't know if this is the right way of wording it,
but I think if he jumped ship and worked in the WWE, it would take away some of his allure, some of his mystique.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 13, 2012 1:05 PM EST reply actions
Honestly I feel like this is a dark spot on Stings career
He never made it in the biggest wrestling company on the planet. Never wrestled in the main event of the biggest shows in wrestling. Heck, Lex Luger did why not Sting? All this talk of WWF using WCW stars wrong is just weird to me. Flair was awesome in WWF, Luger became a household name even though he didn’t become champ. Nash, Hall, Taker, Austin, Marc Mero, Jericho, Benoit, Eddie G, Rey Rey, HHH, Dustin Runnels, Roddy Piper(mid south), Arn and Tully as the BrainBusters had a really nice run in WWF. All became bigger stars in WWF than they did in WCW/Georgia/Mid South and more had good runs with Vince than Vince burying them just because they came from WCW.
DDP was really bad and Goldberg will say he wasn’t used right but he was pinned what 3, maybe 4 times in one year? From what I have ever heard about Vince’s feelings for Sting is that he respects him and thinks even now he could do huge business with Sting. I think it really is a shame that Sting feels that way and in my opinion his feelings aren’t warranted to the point where Sting should go to TNA and retire there.
I think Sting is a little afraid to add anything to his legacy. He is old and looking old in the bright lights of the only Wrestlemania match of your career is not what you want as your lasting image. Fans will forget everything he did in TNA. No one would forget his one and only appearance in WWE.
Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...
Agreed mostly
But I’d say that not going to WWE is a bright spot. In a business that sees records created and surpassed seemingly on a weekly business, Sting’s avoidance of WWE is very unique.
He’ll go down in history as undoubtedly the biggest star not to work for Vince, but more than that, he’s the biggest star to have not been “made” by the WWE machine.
Hogan, Taker, Austin, etc all owe a huge debt to McMahon, but not Sting. He’s a legend independent of Vince, and likely the last of that kind. And that’s not even mentioning the professional integrity he has shown in not ever jumping, something nobody else can claim.
I was never dazzled by Sting so it was no loss to keep him in WCW
and was Booker T REALLY so poorly treated by Vince & Co.?
Sting's career...
…is validated regardless whether or not he works for Vince. He was a star with WCW for it’s entire run which (at points in tme) was the number one wrestling company.
While I personally would like to see him on a professional stage that only WWE can provide in 2012, it’s un-necessary for him to do so and I don’t find a matchup with the Undertaker or any current WWE roster member to really be compelling.
An Undertaker/Sting match would be absolutely awful.
First of all, the average WWE fan hasn’t heard the name “Sting” mentioned anywhere in years unless they bought one of the Ric Flair DVD’s, and the other fans that have heard his name think he’s a washup for being stuck in TNA.
Second, is there any question that he wouldn’t win a match with Undertaker? Undertaker’s one of my favorites ever, possibly #2 behind Shawn Michaels, but much as I love him, Undertaker treated the WCW/ECW castoffs worse than anyone in the company. The only WCW/ECW guy Undertaker didn’t outright bury was Hulk Hogan, why expect any different here?
Not to mention that Sting hasn’t had a great match since 1994. I don’t know why anyone wants to see this match if they’re thinking of it even in a semi-realistic manner.
Elaborate and/or links to Undertaker treating folks poorly. I’d like to read up on it bc it’s not something I’ve had a chance to check on.
by 8bitDan on Jan 13, 2012 4:00 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions 1 recs
I don't have many lockeroom stories, but whenever Undertaker faced a WCW guy, he went out of his way to make them look terrible.
When DDP debuted, he was put in an angle to be a stalker for the Undertaker’s now ex-wife Sara. Immediately upon his debut, Undertaker no-sold every shot DDP threw at him, including a shot to the testicles. DDP and Kanyon would then team up to face Undertaker and Kane in tag matches, and were humilated each time they faced those two.
Later on, Undertaker and Kane would not only win the WCW tag titles, but would later face KroniK in one of the worst matches of all time where both Undertaker and Kane no sold constantly. Granted, there was nothing anyone could do to hide how bad KroniK was, but it was still mean spirited.
Eventually, Undertaker would go on to beat every single member of the WCW/ECW Alliance Survivor Series Team in either a singles or handicap match, where he was the one who was handicapped, with the exception of WCW Icon Shane McMahon.
The sad part is, it didn’t even end after the Invasion, in 2004, Undertaker had a feud with Booker T where he continuously made Booker look like shit despite WCW having been dead for 3 years.
I’m not saying Undertaker’s the only guy who made WCW look like a joke in 2001, from what I can gather, everyone in the WWF at the time hated almost everyone from WCW, and the only people who got off who hadn’t dropped their contract before WCW went under were Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, but from everything I heard, Undertaker hated the WCW guys most, and there’s no way he’d make their most prominent face look like anything other than shit.
I hope it happens
It would be an event. It wouldn’t matter if the match was any good. Was Rock/Hogan a good match? No, but people still talk about it because of the audience reaction. Sting/Undertaker would get the same response, even if all they did was circle the ring for 5 minutes. And after watching Nash work himself back into good enough shape to put on a decent match against HHH, I have no doubt that Sting could do the same for his one time on the biggest stage in the business.
Yeah
I wouldn’t mind seeing it if he could get in a little bit better shape, I remember watching a match with him a month or so back and it was just wasn’t pleasant. But the crowd would mark out like crazy.
Obviously I would expect Sting to be jobbed out, and I think he knows that too and why he would be hesitant to even bother. Taker has too much political power (rightfully) to let him break the streak. Rock/Hogan is probably a good comparision because even though it was silly of Hogan to be able to win that….I think most fans went in knowing that Hogan’s ego would not allow him to go along with losing.
by The Name is Dalton on Jan 13, 2012 3:57 PM EST up reply actions
Sorry not The Rock
Meant Michaels vs. Hogan match.
by The Name is Dalton on Jan 13, 2012 4:01 PM EST up reply actions
It wouldn't be about political power
but rather the prestige of The Streak itself. It would make no sense for them to break it for someone who isn’t going to do business for them in the future. It’s the same reason why those early Goldberg/Taker ideas for last year’s Mania would have undoubtedly ended with Taker’s 19-0; if WWE was going to end The Streak, it would have to be for someone who would carry the company for years to come.
There is no one like that right now except for perhaps Punk. Since he is over enough and we’re closing in on a nice round number, The Streak will live forever. I think that’s the right thing.
Fish Stripes, a Florida Marlins blog
Author, Baseball Prospectus Fantasy
by Michael Jong on Jan 13, 2012 4:25 PM EST up reply actions
There's no reason to have it broken
Hell, you literally need ten years to have something half as prestigious/impressive.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 13, 2012 6:26 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
There's a reason to have it broken
And that would be to greatly put someone over in a way that almost no one has before. The problem is that there are really only a few guys who could be put over that big and not be a guarantee to disappoint afterwards. I think its pretty much just Ziggler or Rhodes who could use that huge of a push and not drop the ball, but its also tough to build any sort of angle with those guys with Undertaker not being around for more than a couple of months before Wrestlemania each year.
Rock/Hogan was actually pretty solid from a technical perspective.
Not to mention that both guys were huge names at the time. Even people who never watched wrestling in their lives still know who both guys are.
The last time WWE fans heard of Sting was either on one of the Ric Flair DVD’s, or they found out he was in TNA, either way, that won’t leave their perception of the guy that high.
And sure, Nash had a decent match with Triple H, but both guys are old friends, and from every report that’s been given out, Undertaker hates WCW more than anyone else in the locker room, and the only WCW people he ever made look good either left the company before it died, or were Hogan and Flair, both guys who worked in the WWF at one time or another. The Dead Man won’t make Sting look good, as much as I love him.
Not to mention, as bad a shape as Nash is in, the last great Nash match (Michaels/Diesel ’96) occurred long after the last great Sting match (Vader/Sting ’94).
You make little to no sense.
Constantly and consistently.
by thejasten on Jan 14, 2012 1:13 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I want to see Sting in the WWE
but the problem is that there is no good match for him. Sting/Undertaker just can’t happen at this point with the shape both guys are in and the expectation of that match. It would be nothing but a huge letdown.
I’d like Sting to sign a legends contract with the WWE and get in the HOF there because he’s earned it and should go in. At that time, they can hopefully find some story that will let him get some ring time in, but it can’t be hyped up to be something like Sting-Undertaker. That match would be hyped up to be something like the greatest match-up that has never happened. I would just like to see Sting in a good story with some younger guy that can carry him as needed (Paging Cody Rhodes?), but it wouldn’t be something to essentially be the main event of Wrestlemania.
He could get a measure of creative control if he wanted
And if Vince wanted him bad enough. Whether that would be enough…
Hopefully he’d recognize he’s done. I’d rather not see him than see him embarrass himself.
Gillberg...Gillberg...Gillberg...
Triple threat at WM
Lets get this thing done!
So go forth, my brethren, and proceed to mark the f*ck out
by C. J. Bradford on Jan 14, 2012 12:58 AM EST up reply actions
New to the blog but I’ve reading this for several months now. I’ve been watching wrestling off and on for over 25 years now (not so much for the last 5). I’m 28 and started watching in the 80s and grew up on mostly NWA and WCW on TV and would pester my mom to rent me all of the WWF tapes.
So there were two guys I absolutely marked out for as a kid no matter what they did: Hulk Hogan and Sting. When I was a kid, Hogan was my favorite but as I aged his schtick grew old while Sting developed.
Developments in recent years has only further soured me on Hogan but Sting will always be my favorite. I would love to see him WWE if only for a small stint to get his due. He is a legend and he unquestionably had some of the best matches in history with Flair. I still mark out hard watching their first Clash of the Champions match, even though Sting didn’t win the title there.
Hopefully he gets the legends treatment from WWE someday. He deserves the recognition.
by DustinH(oo) on Jan 15, 2012 1:52 AM EST via iPhone app reply actions
Don't do it Sting...
WWE and McMahon ruined the business, they would dick Sting over too…turned it into the crap it is now that gets 1/3 of the ratings as it did in the Monday Night era…
TNA blows but you know what, WWE can have fun with their 2.8 ratings and their marginal PPV buy-rates.
Much respect to Sting for staying out…what good would come out of it for him to come? Money is obviously not an issue for him, and you’re aren’t going to gain any notoriety ‘wrestling’ nowadays.
Conewalker
www.lordyuanshu.com
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