There's an argument to be made that Sting's induction may not have been a certainty had he not signed with WWE. In the eyes of wrestling fans, the man has definitely always deserved it. However, there's a sense that the company always knew they'd end up working with Sting someday, which is why they held off. Fans had been calling for Sting's induction for years, but WWE resisted. The time is right in 2016 to make it happen, for a variety of reasons. One of the most important is that Sting is under contract to the company. Hulk Hogan said during a media interview in 2011 that he had begged Vince McMahon to try and sign Sting in the late-1980's, because he realised how good the Stinger was. It was Steve Borden's choice to stay with WCW. In the 1990's, the pair were in talks again, but Sting once more elected to stay put. Even when WCW found itself swallowed up by the McMahon family in 2001, Sting didn't want to sign. Later, he wound up in TNA and was even inducted into their own Hall Of Fame in 2012. Some felt this may harm his chances of a WWE Hall Of Fame honour, but both sides were simply biding their time.