12 Awesome Wrestling Gimmicks WWE Didn’t Know How To Handle
2. Sting
Virtually any incarnation of Sting would have made a suitable addition to the WWE roster when Steve Borden finally agreed to work for Vince McMahon, but a 'vigilante' tasting defeat to Triple H as WCW's last defender was a ludicrous mishandling of a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Having created a second career for himself in TNA, Sting had shown versatility in the decade-and-a-half since WCW closed its doors, navigating through an updated version of his 'Crow' persona as well as an unhinged 'Joker' gimmick before settling on the dignified legend who embodied the best qualities of all of his prior identities.
Rather disappointingly, it became clear during his warmly anticipated WrestleMania 31 match that WWE's insecurities over WCW's brief reign of dominance in the 1990s had still somehow not yet been dealt with, and the pairing was designed to be an unwanted afterword on the Monday Night Wars.
It'll never be known if the company had grander plans for 'The Icon' following this, as injury in his next high profile match against Seth Rollins forced his retirement the following year. Maybe hindsight will prove that to be a lucky escape.