7 things 'The Icon' Sting hasn't done in wrestling

Sting and The Undertaker
Sting and The Undertaker

Sting has an unmatched legacy in wrestling. Sting was the heart and soul of WCW and once WCW went under, The Icon chose to become the face of TNA instead of joining WWE. Sting eventually signed for WWE, but his run could be described as underwhelming at best.

Now in AEW, Sting has gotten an excellent chance to rewrite the end to his long and illustrious career and he's doing just that, mentoring Darby Allin. Sting even made his return to the ring in a tag team match where he exceeded expectations as he teamed up with Allin to defeat the Men of the Year at AEW Double or Nothing 2021.

Despite wrestling since 1985, there are a number of things Sting hasn't done in wrestling. Some might seem almost unbelievable considering his career has spanned nearly four decades. Nevertheless, let's look at the 5 things Sting has not done in wrestling.


#7. Sting has never faced The Undertaker

Sting vs Undertaker may never happen
Sting vs Undertaker may never happen

It's not entirely true that this did not ever happen. Sting vs Mean Mark did take place over the NWA World Heavyweight Title at an NWA House Show in 1990. But there was no footage of it anywhere and well, it was Mean Mark, The Undertaker's character before he jumped ship to WWE.

Sting has never had a match against some wrestlers that would be the true definition of a dream match. Think of Sting vs Shawn Michaels, Sting vs Stone Cold, Sting vs The Rock or Sting vs John Cena. While simply reading them sends a tingle down one's spine, none of these matches capture the mystique of an Undertaker vs Sting match.

It is the dream match of all dream matches. The Vigilante vs The Dead Man. The Icon vs The Phenom. Two cornerstones of two companies who were involved in one of the greatest wrestling battles we are ever likely to witness.

The Undertaker perfected his role as the mystical and supernatural Deadman while Sting was the black overcoat-wearing, bat-yielding, face-painted protector of WCW.

The characters were as similar as they were different. Their auras were unmatched and when WCW went under, it seemed like we could be getting the match the whole world was desperate to see. It was close in 2011 as well, but never materialized, and in 2014, WWE decided to go the Triple H way with Sting.

By 2014 both men were past their primes so perhaps it was the right call to let the match protect its mystique rather than do a Goldberg vs Undertaker and ruin the idea of the match forever.

Still, Sting vs The Undertaker will be a match that will be one of the greatest what-ifs in wrestling history.

#6. Sting never got his WrestleMania moment

Sting at WrestleMania 31
Sting at WrestleMania 31

Sting only wrestled once at WrestleMania and lost. WrestleMania is the crowning glory of any wrestler's career. The Showcase of the Immortals is by far and away the biggest wrestling event in the world and nothing else comes close.

It's a pity that Sting's only appearance at WrestleMania will go down as an overbooked loss to Triple H that only served as a reminder that Vince McMahon prevailed over WCW.

Even the nostalgic ending lacked any rationale, as nWo was the heel stable that allowed Sting to flourish as a babyface. Sting and the nWo siding against DX made no sense whatsoever. WWE massively botched what should have been a celebration of The Icon's career on the Grandest Stage of them All.


#5. Sting has never participated in a Royal Rumble

Almost every top star in the wrestling industry and some celebrities have made a Royal Rumble appearance, yet Sting hasn't. The Royal Rumble has become such a hit that WWE has one of its biggest pay-per-views named in its honor. Which makes it all the more surprising that one of the biggest names of all time has never participated in one.

Sting has taken part in multiple Battle Royals in his career in TNA, NWA and WCW but no battle royal quite captures the magic like WWE's Royal Rumble does, and we may never see him in one again.

#4. Sting has zero championship victories in WWE

Sting never won a WWE belt
Sting never won a WWE belt

Sting has never held a championship belt in WWE and that will always sound strange. WWE's product over the past few years does not diminsh the magnitude of WWE's stature in the wrestling business. WWE was, is, and for the foreseeable future, will be the benchmark for all wrestlers.

Winning a belt in WWE remains one of the pinnacles of one's professional wrestling career. That makes it even more strange that someone of Sting's legacy in wrestling has never held a championship in WWE.

Of course, the timings never seemed to match up as Sting only joined WWE in the twilight of his career and got injured in his only championship match against Seth Rollins that effectively ended his career, until he returned at AEW.

It's quite possible that the Stinger would have lifted at least one title had the unfortunate neck injury not occurred at WWE Night of Champions, but that is all a big what-if. It will most likely go down in history that The Vigilante never captured a WWE belt and for many reasons, it will never sit right.

#3. Sting has never won on a WWE pay-per-view

Sting wrestled on two WWE pay-per-views and lost both. He left WWE with a 2-2 win-loss record and both his victories came on WWE Raw against the Big Show. It is a record WWE should be ashamed of. Sting losing at WrestleMania will always be a black mark in the glorious history of the Show of Shows.

But Sting never managing to win a pay-per-view match is a blemish on Sting's career and another testament to WWE's underwhelming booking of The Vigilante.


#2. Sting has never competed in a singles ladder match

Sting only competed in a tag team ladder match
Sting only competed in a tag team ladder match

Sting has never competed in a singles ladder match. One would assume that a wrestler who debuted in 1985 and can still go in 2021 must have competed in every match type possible.

Ladder matches are some of the most exhilarating and hence popular match types in wrestling. The first record of ladder matches dates back to 1972. In Sting's time, WCW had 9 different ladder matches but he was never part of one. Until Sting was an active part of the roster in the TNA, there were a whopping 40 ladder matches.

Sting only ever competed in one, alongside Abyss in a tag team ladder match meaning Sting has never competed in a singles ladder match. 62 years of age now, it seems unlikely he will be able to check this off his list.

#1. Sting has never wrestled Chris Jericho

Jericho vs Sting never happened
Jericho vs Sting never happened

Now, there are plenty of high-profile names Sting has never wrestled but this one stands out the most. Chris Jericho has had nearly as long and storied a career as The Icon. The two have been in three promotions simultaneously, WCW, WWE and AEW. Yet, they have never locked horns.

In WCW, Chris Jericho was part of the cruiserweight division while Sting was the face of the company so their paths never crossed. Sting was busy taking down The Authority in WWE, while Jericho was embroiled in other storylines and feuds. In AEW, Sting and Jericho have not seen eye to eye yet.

If you think about it, it seems strange that in nearly 5 decades of in-ring careers, wherein there was a lot of overlap, the two never faced off once Both legends have a claim to be on the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling, without a doubt.

If there's ever going to be one and a match between them, it could still happen since the two are in AEW right now. It would be a fitting match to cap off the careers of two bonafide wrestling legends.

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.

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Edited by Arjun