5 Reasons Sting was WCW's biggest legend

Sting is the first name that comes to mind when many people think about WCW.During its run, World Championship Wrestling saw periods of success where it overcame WWE in television ratings during the Monday Night War.While there were plenty of factors for WCW’s brief dominance, perhaps no one played a bigger role than the man known as Sting. The promotion was certainly home to some of the biggest names in pro wrestling for stretches – Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Bret Hart, to name a few – but none were bigger legends than Sting for WCW.Here’s a list of five reasons why that is.

#1 Fans love him

Even though he’s past his prime, fans still love to see Sting in action.

As any good babyface will tell you, fans are the most important people in professional wrestling. If you’re a good guy, the fans need to cheer and cheer loudly when you walk in the arena. If you’re supposed to be a heel, you need to draw heat – or audible disapproval – from the fans.

Well, for more than 25 years, Sting has been a fan favorite. Kids and adults across the wrestling world come to the arenas wearing whatever facepaint style he’s currently wearing, and the mention of his return generated excitement in the WWE, even though he had never performed there.

#2 Versatility

Sting has worn the black and white and even the red, white and blue.

From a character standpoint, Sting could fill a variety of roles.

Through the early 1990s, he had bleach blond hair, wore bright colors and had almost a party-boy mentality. He was WCW’s go-to guy as a babyface and was the young, exciting star.

Then came the NWO invasion, and Sting was accused of joining their forces and not being loyal. From there, he became a brooding, silent vigilante whose appearance always brought mystery and intrigue. In both roles, Sting shined and entertained the fans without compromising the character he was playing.

#3 In-ring talent

Sting fought several matches against all-time great Ric Flair.

This isn’t to say that Sting was the most talented WCW performer in the ring because there were plenty of ring legends on the roster at times. But what Sting brought to the table was the ability to wrestle competently with a variety of opponents and a variety of styles.

He put on good matches against behemoth Paul Wight, then known as The Giant but now The Big Show, which required heavy hitting and power. Then he could also match wits and technical skill with guys like Ric Flair and Bret Hart and put on a blockbuster with Hulk Hogan.

#4 He drove the story

Sting’s rivalry with the NWO was a key part of the Monday Night War.

This one might be up for debate because there are people who would argue that Hulk Hogan was the “main character” for WCW during its heyday. But Sting drove the storyline as the promotion moved into the NWO era and its big battle with WWE.

Of course, that story kicked off with the appearance of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash along with Hogan’s turn to join them. But as soon as that happened, the focus shifted to where Sting would align himself. Entire shows seemed to center on Sting, who did nothing more than sit in the rafters and watch at times. That’s a powerful character.

#5 He was there all along

Sting was with WCW down to its very last match.

From before the promotion was even called WCW down to its very last match, Sting was on the WCW roster. He was the world champion, a tag team champion and even joined the babyface iteration of the NWO, the Wolfpack.

That made his character a WCW original, which couldn’t be said for most of the other stars like Hogan, Hall, Nash and Hart. His black and white persona may have been inspired by a movie, but there was always something about Sting that made him feel like a central element to WCW, and that is why he’s still loved to this day