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Sting is undeniably a once-in-a-lifetime superstar and hails among only a handful of wrestlers who weren't required to work under the WWE umbrella in their prime to carve an everlasting legacy.
One of the biggest reasons behind Icon's massive success was his creative genius mind. His ability to embrace a unique persona has helped him stay unique and relevant over the years.
Though he has portrayed various characters in his lengthy pro-wrestling career, his evolution from the 'Surfer' gimmick to the 'The Crow' persona captivated millions. It was a peculiar character, which probably not many people would've seen or heard before. Sting started wearing a trench coat and grew long hair while painting a black and white color on his face, thus becoming The Vigilante.
The 62-year old star even carried a baseball bat that became his signature weapon to this day. His entire appearance changed from being a lovable babyface to an intimidating character. But one question still pops up in everybody's mind today: Why did Sting start wearing paint on his face? What was the root cause behind it?
Not too long ago, Sting went into detail to rationalize the motive behind his face paint. The WCW veteran cited thriving business and higher-up demand as a driving force that made him undergo significant changes to his persona.
The AEW star even credited Scott Hall for initially coming up with the idea:
"They wanted something dark and dirty. I thought my character had to change before fans started sticking their finger down their throat. I was trying to figure out what to do and Hall says, ‘You know what you should do? Get a trench coat, man. Paint your face white. Put some black around your eyes. Something mysterious. That’s what I would do, man."
It's worth noting that Sting's 'Crow' gimmick was inspired by Eric Draven's character from the Crow movie. He first debuted that character to fight against the members of NWO, who were terrorizing the WCW organization back in the day.
It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that Sting's rise to stardom began after he started embracing the sadistic persona.
What's next for Sting in AEW?
Sting is currently enjoying rewriting conceivably the final chapter of his legendary pro-wrestling career at AEW. Since joining promotion last year, the WCW Icon has yet to be pinned or submitted in the six matches he has competed in so far.
Sting last wrestled this week during the Holiday Bash edition, where he teamed up with CM Punk and Darby Allin to defeat MJF and FTR in a trios match. As the year 2022 fast approaches, it will be interesting to see what the company has in store for the 62-year old wrestler.
