7 WCW Champions Who Never Became WWE Champions (And Why)

2. Sting

WCW Champion: Six times (1992-1999)

Signed: 2014-2016

Reason: Sting was 55 years old when he finally started working for WWE in 2014. Initially, his appearances were for promotional purposes only, as he was used to market the new 2K15 video game. From there, Sting would delight fans by showing up at Survivor Series to kick off a feud with Triple H that would culminate in his first WWE match at WrestleMania 31.

What could go wrong? The answer: a lot.

Sting can't have any hang ups about his run in WCW. A six-time World Champion in the company, he was the promotion's top babyface of the 90s, earned millions for feuds against Ric Flair, Hollywood Hogan and others, and successfully reinvented himself from flat-top hero to face-painted antihero in 1996.

In WWE, things weren't so progressive. Sting lost to Triple H at 'Mania 31, then fell to defeat in his second major pay-per-view match against Seth Rollins at Night Of Champions. Worse, serious injury meant that would prove to be his first and last crack at the WWE Title.

Sting's WWE run happened too late in his career to be fruitful in terms of winning titles. He should have been signed at least a decade before, and he's certainly someone who could have helped the flagging Invasion fiasco.