It can be argued that the greatest rivalry in NWA/WCW history was the one between babyface Sting and Ric Flair. If you're talking about Flair, you could make a case for Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes or Ricky Steamboat as his greatest rival too. For Sting, though, it was definitely Flair. Their most famous match was the match that turned Sting into a major star. It was 26 years ago at the first Clash of the Champions event. They wrestled to a 45 minute draw. Fans were rabid for everything they did. Flair held on. Sting would beat him eventually, but on that night Flair was able to escape as the champion. Who did Sting beat for his first major title, the NWA World Heavyweight Title? It was Ric Flair at Great American Bash in 1990. If it was somebody else it wouldn't have meant as much. Since it was Flair, it was a big deal and it made Sting a bigger star. One of the highlights of the last Nitro in 2001 was that they did one more Ric Flair vs. Sting match. It wasn't their last match ever because they had a match in TNA, but it was symbolic when they did it on the last Nitro. It's that feud that helped build up WCW. The rivalry was nearly 15 years old at that point. Every good hero needs a villain. For Sting, it was Ric Flair. It doesn't get much better than that.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
