10 WCW Rip-Offs That Helped WWE Win The Monday Night War
4. The Badass Lone Wolf
When you talk about one man fighting the system, battling against the odds and doing it on his own, it's easy to immediately assume that you're describing 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. However, that description can just as easily be applied to Sting when he returned to WCW in 1997.
After initially fighting the nWo by the side of Luger and the Four Horsemen, the distrust among the group following the nWo's introduction of a Sting lookalike caused the real Sting to leave WCW and declare himself a "free agent". When he returned a month later, he had a new look and began a self-imposed vow of silence, frequenting in the rafters thereafter.
Over the next year, the new-look Stinger began a crusade against the rebellious nWo, culminating in World Title victory at Starrcade '97. Steve Austin would adopt a similar approach when he began feuding with DX in early '98, opposing the group largely unaided until he overcame the odds to win the World Title at WrestleMania.
As 1998 wore on, WWF began to utilise the lone wolf concept to far greater effect than WCW and overtook the Atlanta company in the process. While Steve Austin transitioned into a solo battle against the Vince McMahon led Corporation, Sting became a member of the nWo Wolfpac and faded into the background, while Goldberg took centre stage in the World Title hunt.