9. Starrcade 1989 - Sting Wins Tournament To Earn A Shot At Flair's World Title
At the Great American Bash in 1989, Sting lost to the Great Muta in controversial fashion. Later in the night, when Muta attacked Ric Flair after the main event, Sting ran to his former rival's aid triggering an alliance between the two superstars and further cementing Sting in the main event picture. At Starrcade 1989, an Iron Man tournament was booked to see who would earn a shot at the NWA World title . The tournament was structured where each participant would wrestle a round-robin style, with a certain number of points being awarded for a victory or a draw. In one night, Sting lost to Lex Luger after Luger put his feet on the ropes and earned the pinfall, but later in the show, Sting came back and beat the Great Muta. By the end, Sting needed to defeat his new buddy Ric Flair to earn the title shot. Flair went for his patented Figure Four leglock but Sting rolled him up in a small package to earn the win and the title shot. Unfortunately for Sting, that meant he was no longer welcome in the Four Horsemen. If I know anything after watching wrestling for almost 30 years, I know you never want to be an enemy of the Four Horsemen.