Sting: 9 Memorable WCW World Title Matches You Need To See
In Order To Know Where He's Going, You Have To See Where He's Been!
On September 20th at Night Of Champions, Sting will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Even though this match seemed to fall out of the sky after SummerSlam, it's one of the most interesting title matches in years. Not only has Sting never won a singles match of importance in WWE, but a Money in the Bank cash-in hangs over this contest, along with the Rollins-HHH drama which began building recently.
The chatter among some fans is, why does Sting get a title shot? How did he earn it? Well, those are questions we are being asked to overlook, to enjoy this legendary figure challenging for his first championship in WWE. As far as being in major title matches, Sting is no stranger to competing for the highest stakes.
In WCW, Sting was challenging for the top prize as far back as 1988, and hovered around title matches throughout the rest of WCW's history.
In order to know where Sting could be headed, it's important to know where he's been. While Sting competed in TNA for much of the last decade, his WCW run is held in much higher esteem and will be the focus of this piece. In WCW, he faced a variety of opponents, ranging from cagey veterans like DDP, to monsters like Vader, and finally supreme workers like Ric Flair.
When Sting meets Rollins it will be a momentous occasion, and hopefully it will be a contest that will be written about for years to come.
9. Sting Vs. Ric Flair - Clash Of The Champions 1988
In 1988, WCW was in deep competition with Vince McMahon and the WWE. In those days, it was commonplace for each company to run events in direct competition with each other to undermine their business.
Way before the Monday Night War, WWE ran the first Survivor Series head to head with Starrcade '87, and damaged the NWA's possible reach on PPV. After a repeat of being undermined head to head, with the first Royal Rumble kneecapping the Bunkhouse Stampede, WCW decided to answer with Clash Of The Champions.
WCW would go head to head with WrestleMania IV, with World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair beginning his 13 year rivalry with Sting in the main event. With Flair needing new competition, he and Sting would wrestle to a 45 minute draw, which established Sting as the next great superstar in the NWA.
While he was still a bit raw skill-wise, Sting commanded the audience on par with any great babyface in wrestling history. From this moment on, Sting would be a regular championship competitor, and this match was used to start his two-year journey toward the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.