Sting (wrestler)

Previously described by WWE as the greatest wrestler never to have performed for that promotion,[18] Borden finally joined the company in late 2014, making his first appearance at Survivor Series and having his debut match at WrestleMania 31 the following year.

Later that year, Sting was tabbed to win the UWF Television Championship, then held by Gilbert, until Jim Crockett of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) bought the company from Watts.

In the main event of that year's Great American Bash, Flair defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Terry Funk, who was a member of Gary Hart's J-Tex Corporation.

[3] Borden's injury forced the bookers of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the dominant promotion in the NWA, to find a new opponent for Flair for the forthcoming WrestleWar pay-per-view event.

Sting spent the second half of 1994 and most of 1995 teaming with WCW's newest signee, Hulk Hogan in his battles against Kevin Sullivan's Three Faces of Fear and its successor stable, The Dungeon of Doom.

At Fall Brawl, Sting teamed with Hogan, Luger, and Randy Savage to defeat the Dungeon of Doom, consisting of Kamala, Zodiac, Shark and Meng, in the event's WarGames match.

Hall and Nash started the bout without their third partner, but the WCW's temporary three-on-two advantage was short-lived: Luger left the match after he was accidentally injured by a mistimed Stinger Splash.

As part of this, Sting and Luger went up to rivals and Four Horsemen members Ric Flair and Arn Anderson some time after Bash at the Beach and asked them to team with him, saying that they needed to put aside their personal differences for the greater good of WCW.

This story, however, petered out at SuperBrawl VII in February; Sting and Savage had come to the ring together to watch Roddy Piper face Hogan in a match for the WCW World Championship.

However, at Uncensored in March 1997, as the nWo celebrated a victory in the main event battle royal which guaranteed them title shots whenever they desired with their newest recruit, Chicago Bulls NBA star Dennis Rodman, Sting rappelled from the roof of the arena on a vertical zip-line.

[3] Still having proven unsuccessful at putting Jarrett away, Sting defeated Scott Steiner by disqualification to earn a spot in the King of the Mountain match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary on June 18.

[3] Sting continued his feud with Abyss while trying to recapture the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, facing him at Final Resolution on January 14, 2007, Against All Odds on February 11 and Destination X on March 11 in a Last Rites match, but he never claimed the title.

Sting defeated Styles, Christian Cage, and Samoa Joe in a four-way match to become the co-holder of the TNA World Tag Team Championship with Angle, but lost it 10 days later against Adam "Pacman" Jones and Ron Killings at No Surrender on September 9.

[58] After Bound for Glory, Sting, along with Kurt Angle, Booker T, Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner created The Main Event Mafia, a stable formed by veterans and former World Champions.

[67] On September 20 at No Surrender, Sting lost a five-way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship that also included AJ Styles, Hernandez, Kurt Angle, and Matt Morgan.

[72] Sting reappeared two months later on the March 8 episode of Impact!, attacking Hulk Hogan and Abyss during a match against AJ Styles and Ric Flair, turning heel as a result.

[92][93] On the July 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sting, now dubbed as the "Insane Icon", regained the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Mr. Anderson after Fortune and Kurt Angle, disguised as his clown minions, attacked each member of Immortal, preventing them from interfering in the match.

[96] Sting continued tormenting members of Immortal with his strange new personality, and on the August 18 episode of Impact Wrestling, his longtime rival Ric Flair made his return to TNA and challenged him to a match.

[97] On the September 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sting received a rematch against Angle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated following interference from special enforcer Hulk Hogan and the rest of Immortal.

[100][101] On the October 6 episode of Impact Wrestling, after being exposed for his false claim of retiring and his secret ridicule of the fans, a furious Hogan impulsively agreed to hand TNA back to Dixie Carter, should Sting manage to defeat him at Bound for Glory.

[104] Sting returned to the ring on the December 22 and February 9, 2012, episode of Impact Wrestling, where he teamed up with Jeff Hardy to defeat TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode and Bully Ray.

[127][128] On June 2 at Slammiversary XI, Sting unsuccessfully challenged Bully Ray for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a No Holds Barred Match after an interference by Aces & Eights.

[147] On November 23, during the main event of Survivor Series, Sting made his first-ever appearance in a WWE ring by attacking Triple H with a Scorpion Death Drop and also costing Team Authority the match.

[148] On January 19, 2015, Sting made his live Raw debut by appearing backstage during the main event, before walking to the stage, causing a distraction that cost Authority members Big Show, Kane, and Seth Rollins their handicap match against John Cena; this win gave the recently fired Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan their collective jobs back.

[160] On December 2, 2020, Sting made his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut after a tag team match that pitted Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin against Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks at Dynamite: Winter Is Coming.

[169] On the August 18, 2021, episode of Dynamite, Sting wrestled on TNT for the first time in 20 years as he and Allin teamed up at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas to defeat 2point0 (Jeff Parker and Matt Lee).

[207] Former rival Hulk Hogan asserted that Sting should be mentioned in any conversation regarding the top 10 greatest pro wrestlers of all time;[111] numerous outlets have placed him in such listings.

[a] Digital Spy writer Mayer Nissim commended Sting's ability to constantly evolve his gimmick while fellow franchise players Hulk Hogan and John Cena largely failed to do so, in order to maintain spectator interest.

"[243] Pro wrestling journalist Bill Apter wrote of Sting, "His colorful face paint, piercing war cry and signature Stinger Splash electrified fans both young and old... he boasted one of the largest and most loyal fanbases of any in-ring personality in history.

His pre-WWE career included "dream" matches against former WWF stars Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart in WCW,[259][260] as well as bouts opposite names such as Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Kurt Angle and Mick Foley.

The Blade Runners in 1987
Sting in 1988
Sting in early 1990s
Sting (right) drastically changed his appearance in 1996 after the formation of the New World Order which included Kevin Nash (left).
Borden after a taping of WCW Monday Nitro in 1998
Sting at Lockdown in April 2007
Sting at Bound for Glory IV
Sting with The Main Event Mafia
Sting with red face paint in July 2010
Hulk Hogan and Sting in 2011
Sting in January 2013
Throughout his time in AEW, Sting was paired with Darby Allin . On-screen, the two were portrayed as mentor and protégé. The team went undefeated, winning the AEW World Tag Team Championship once with Sting retiring as champion.
Sting standing behind the Great Muta in January 2023. Muta made the save on him and Darby Allin at Rampage : Grand Slam , owing to their appearance at The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye"
Sting (left) and Ric Flair (right) doing a promo during Rampage at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 29, 2023
Sting with long time on-screen rival and real life friend Ric Flair
Sting performing his trademark war cry at The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye" , January 2023
During his entrance for his final match in March 2024, Sting was accompanied by his two sons, Garrett and Steven. Garrett (right) portrayed the "Surfer Sting" era of his father's career, while Steven portrayed Sting's time in the nWo Wolfpac.