Although many wrestling stars are called iconic, Sting is one of the few stars who has earned the nickname "The Icon." At 63 years old, Sting is still competing at a shockingly high level at AEW. Despite his success, there are only two major promotions that can truly be attributed to Sting's success as a wrestler.
RELATED: 10 WCW World Champions: Who Did They Beat For Their First World Title?
He was one of the most important wrestlers to ever compete at WCW but was also a crucial part of helping Impact Wrestling become well-known in the early 2000s. It's fair to say his impact at both companies is tough to measure, but an argument can be had as to which company he was "better" at. This will examine why Sting was better at WCW and why he was better at Impact.
8 Why Sting Was Better In WCW: Feud With The nWo
The nWo changed the landscape of wrestling and the profile of WCW. Although the nWo had many great rivalries, it's hard to argue against Sting as their greatest rival. He was the one hero in a sea of villains at WCW. Audiences had never seen anything like it before.
The nWo story cannot be written without Sting Vs. Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade 1997. When WCW was on top of the wrestling world, Sting was one of the major faces at the company thanks to the nWo. The faction offered Sting the greatest rivalry of his career and their feud is one of the greatest wrestling stories ever told.
7 Why Sting Was Better In TNA/Impact Wrestling: The Main Event Mafia
During the peak of Impact Wrestling's early 2000s viewership, veteran legends like Sting and Booker T had begun to outshine the Impact originals. Sting went from being the "hunter" his whole life to being a veteran legend who was hunted at Impact.
It was one of the first times in his career that Sting was a true heel on a wrestling television program. He played the role extremely well and feuded with future stars like AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, and Samoa Joe. They also had a great feud with Aces & Eights. Sting went without face paint, which helped sell the most villainous time of his entire career.
6 Why Sting Was Better In WCW: Rivalry With Ric Flair
Ric Flair and Sting is not only one of the best rivalries in the history of WCW, but it's also one of the greatest rivalries of all time. It's hard to argue that Sting ever encountered an opponent who was his polar opposite at the level of Ric Flair.
RELATED: 5 Wrestlers Whose Careers Flourished When WWE Bought WCW And ECW (& 5 Careers That Died)
Their match at the inaugural Clash of the Champions in 1988 is what turned Sting into the main event superstar. Flair was also the first person Sting ever defeated to earn the World Title. The pair also, fittingly, competed against each other in the last match Nitro ever aired before it was purchased by Vince McMahon.
5 Why Sting Was Better In TNA/Impact Wrestling: Rivalry With Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle and Sting deserve a ton of credit for how high they raised the bar at Impact Wrestling. The pair was always a dream match-up, and they ended up having great feuds in the company. Angle arrived at Impact with few major obstacles until he clashed with Sting.
Their rivalry that led to Bound For Glory 2007 is still one of the best storylines ever showcased by Impact. The pair was equally as brilliant as a tag team, but Kurt Angle is up there with Vader and Hogan as one of the best rivals of Sting's illustrious career.
4 Why Sting Was Better In WCW: The Crow
The Crow, Sting's dark mysterious gimmick, helped him become a magnetizing enigma at WCW. Most fans associate black-and-white face paint and a bat with Sting thanks to this gimmick. He still uses that persona to this day at AEW and even briefly used it at WWE.
RELATED: 10 Bret Hart WCW Matches You Forgot About
Yes, the gimmick was strange, but it felt so real. The nWo took over his company and he was no longer a "go happy" bright-colored wrestler full of optimism. He was a dark knight who fought for his spot and managed to build a legacy as "The Crow" that no fan of wrestling in the '90s can ever forget.
3 Why Sting Was Better In TNA/Impact Wrestling: The Joker
Sting has innovated his gimmick multiple times in his career. One of the biggest swings he took was adopting "The Insane Icon" character at Impact, which was essentially his take on Heath Ledger's Joker. There were a million reasons why the persona could have been contrived or lame, but Sting performed the role well.
The Joker was Sting's Impact Wrestling version of The Crow. He was a vigilante who was taking Immortal (Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Abyss, Jeff Hardy, and Jeff Jarrett) out one by one. He was the hero every fan wanted and is one of the best gimmicks of his entire career.
2 Why Sting Was Better In WCW: He Helped Establish The Company
When Sting was in his prime at WCW, the company was in its prime as a wrestling program. A ton of credit is due to Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hollywood Hogan, but Sting is on the "WCW Mount Rushmore" right next to the three of them.
It's easy to call WCW "the nWo show," but not even they could keep fans entertained for three hours, and Sting helped entertain an entire sector of the audience on his own. He was always one of the best wrestlers on the roster and made a ton of less talented wrestlers look good. He was also very unselfish and put over a ton of talent at WCW. He put over more wrestlers than all three members of the nWo combined.
1 Why Sting Was Better In TNA/Impact Wrestling: He Revitalized The Company
Sting had many opportunities to join the WWE after WCW became defunct. He, instead, chose to wrestle at Impact, which worked very well in the company's favor. All of his fans, WCW purists, and people seeking something different from the WWE followed him to Impact when he joined in 2003.
Much like his time at WCW, Sting competed at Impact through the highs and lows of the company. He did his best to constantly reinvent himself and helped Impact stay relevant even when the star power waned for other opportunities. His importance to the company is tough to measure, but it's hard to argue Impact would be as well known as it is without The Icon himself having graced their ring with his presence.
