10 Genius Ways Wrestling Companies Kept You Watching
4. Whose Side Is He On?
That phrase is tied to Bobby Heenan's infamous call at Bash At The Beach - not that it should be infamous, since Heenan questioning the motives of a babyface was so delectably in-character - but it also distills Sting's awesome story arc across 1996 and 1997.
He declared himself a free agent after Lex Luger fell for the nWo's ruse and doubted Sting's loyalty around the time of Fall Brawl '96. Enraged on Nitro in the aftermath, Sting hinted at the mystery to come, revealing that he might visit "from time to time". This was as fascinating as it was audacious; expensive contracted stars didn't just ghost in and out as they pleased, unless they had outside commitments. WCW used its tremendous buzz as security to embark on a new frontier of pro wrestling storytelling with the ultimate objective of creating as popular a babyface as Hollywood Hogan was as reviled a heel.
Sting fully transformed into his Crow persona around this time, taking in the events from an enigmatic distance. The layers of mystery were sumptuous; whether Sting would even appear was a pressing question, and whether through design or serendipity, that he mirrored the nWo colour scheme cast doubt over the outcome you most wanted to see. You wanted the Stinger to represent WCW because he was WCW through and through. He wanted to represent WCW, you were encouraged to suspect, when he tested the loyalty of its wrestlers.
It was as if, perhaps, that Sting wanted to prove there was even a WCW worth saving in the midst of such disloyalty and corruption.