10 Reasons WWE Are Inducting Sting Into The Hall Of Fame

4. Pulled The Biggest PPV Buyrate In WCW History

The match would end up disappointing some, but Starrcade 1997's main event felt massive. It's difficult to properly explain to fans who weren't there at the time, but Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan was the single biggest match of the entire year. Starrcade was a bigger draw than WrestleMania 13 had been, and ended up being the biggest selling pay-per-view of 1997. Sting vs. Hogan was the reason, fans were giddy over the prospect of the former's first match in well over a year. Eric Bischoff and Sting had managed to keep anticipation building, never once being tempted to pull the trigger early on the blockbuster encounter. By the time the December event rolled around, the wrestling world was at a fever pitch. Starrcade wound up pulling in a monstrous 1.90 buyrate, which was WCW's biggest pay-per-view rating ever. Sting's character shift had been an undoubted success story, something WCW wanted to trumpet as loudly as possible. Rolling into 1998, the company was hot, and few stars were shining more brightly than that of Sting.