WCW Nitro Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?

The first of two championship matches on Nitro’s debut show, Sting wrestled long-time rival Ric Flair with his United States Championship on the line. The match ended with Flair was disqualified for using the rope for extra leverage during a Figure Four, but Sting was spared a beatdown when Arn Anderson ran out for a post-match save.

Sting is one of the most important wrestlers in WCW history. By this point, he was already a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, but he had yet to ditch the bright colours and flattop haircut. This changed when Sting dramatically altered his appearance in 1996, and his “Crow” character was born. He’d continue playing a prominent role throughout the rest of WCW’s lifespan, before resisting WWE’s advances to sign for TNA in 2003, and eventually help put that company on the map as well.

Sting finally arrived in WWE at Survivor Series 2014. In a debut decades in the making, he attacked Triple H to cost Team Authority their big elimination match, and later wrestled The Game at WrestleMania 31. Sting fell to Triple H in an overbooked (but entertaining) clash, but his career came to an end several months later. Sting sustained a bad neck injury while wrestling Seth Rollins at Night of Champions, and he was forced to retire.

Sting was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year, and while he officially retired at the ceremony, he revealed in an August 2016 episode of Legends with JBL that he still held out hope for one last match.