Every 'Next Big Thing' In Wrestling History: Where Are They Now?
6. Sting
Sting, in the second half of 1987 and the first half of 1988, was stomping through pasty losers in under two minutes as a shrieking, hollering, explosive - but very raw - overnight sensation.
By March 27, he was effectively made: that was the night of his legendary draw opposite Ric Flair, the successful goal of which was to prove that Sting possessed staying power across its 45 mettle-testing minutes.
Despite being marketable and amazing in the ring - those matches against Vader will stand up to 3024 standards, just timelessly brilliant - he never quite became the Hulk Hogan-sized face with which WCW competed with the WWF. In the early-to-mid-’90s, he was cursed with the same omni-atrocious creative as almost everybody else in that era. Even in 1997, his best year over, he was - to reduce a very complex story - an all too easy political victim of Hulk Hogan’s. He gave Hogan an excuse, almost, by not quite being as on it as a top star should be.
Sting, of course, is now happily retired, having recently wrestled the best retirement match of all-time. The AEW Sting match was already a magical experience. Adding peril and overwhelming emotion to the formula elevated it to a level above perfect.
He retires as the best living superhero the industry ever produced.