When WCW went out of business in 2001, one giant name after the next eventually showed up in WWE. Scott Steiner, Goldberg, Ric Flair and the NWO all signed contracts with Vince McMahon. Heck, even mid-card guys like Johnny The Bull, Vito, and The Cat showed up in WWE too. But one big star always stayed away: The Man Called Sting. Over the years, there were plenty of rumors that Sting was about to sign with WWE. There was a planned feud with Steve Austin that fell through, and potential dream matches with The Undertaker that seemed to pop up ever year. Nothing ever came of it. Sting stayed in TNA where he was earning a healthy six-figure salary to work a limited number of dates. When TNAs seemingly endless funds started to dry up, perhaps he saw the writing on the wall and finally decided to go to WWE. Or so it seemed. For months, we kept reading reports that Sting had finally signed with the company, but there was no visual proof. There was licensing deals in place, but nothing that put him on air. Maybe he was getting cold feet. Maybe he just didnt want to wrestle anymore. Then at Survivor Series, he showed up in the main event. Thirteen years after WCW went under, Sting finally showed up in WWE. He was the last of the big names to enter the company. It was a surreal sight that well perhaps never witness again. The next mind boggling image in wrestling will probably be when he actually competes in a WWE ring.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
