Hulk Hogan versus Sting had the opportunity to reach Hogan vs. Piper levels of iconic status as a feud. However, it fell short of that level of legacy because the feud's initial payoff at Starrcade 1997 was far less than the clean "Sting taps out Hogan in the Scorpion Deathlock" finish that needed to occur. In Hogan -- possibly at his "drunk with power in WCW" best -- deciding that the best finish would be "play off of Bret Hart's WCW screwjob and have him replace the first referee," it convoluted what was a match that literally deserved ONLY one best finish. "Best for business" has become a cheapened catchphrase for WWE's top heel stable in 2015. However, nearly 20 years ago, something being done that actually was worst for business arguably set off a series of bad business decisions for World Championship Wrestling that ultimately put the company out of business just over three years later. That's a definite f*** you to the fans.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
