WNS Column: The Legacy of Sting

For years, hell, decades at this point, the wrestling rumor mill has continuously churned about whether or not Sting will be coming to the WWE. And although it appears imminent that one day soon Sting will descend from the rafters on Monday Night Raw, nothing is a done deal until we actually see it happen with our own eyes. Now surely if that happens, it will be a big deal… until Sting has to wrestle. I think Sting is one of the greatest of his generation, but it’s a generation that has very few active competitors left.

The way I see Sting’s WWE legacy playing out is as follows:

1. He arrives. Big deal. Very exciting. We’ll make a Sting shirt.

2. He wrestles. It’s not as impressive as the hype. Internet whines. Hilarious memes ensue.

3. One last match. Goes out with a puff of smoke instead of a bang. Hall of Fame. That’s not much of a fitting finale to a true legend of the ring.

So the question shouldn’t be “Is Sting coming to the WWE?” but rather “SHOULD Sting come to the WWE?” Despite my bleak prediction for his curtain call, I think he absolutely should. Jake (the other half of Top Rope Tuesday) and I disagree on the matter as to whether or not Sting should sign with the wrestling juggernaut that is WWE. Jake, like nearly every wrestling fan (myself included), admires Sting for never signing a thing with Vince and his independence from the WWE should be his legacy.A valid, and very popular point.

The fans who cheered for Sting back when he was covered in 80s facepaint before he began his Crow cosplay stage will always remember him with reverence for sticking to his guns and never signing with the WWE. But what about everyone else? What about the new fans? What about our kids and grandkids? WCW isn’t around to keep Sting’s legacy alive for the next crop of wrestling fans and without signing with WWE, Sting’s legacy may fade away like Marty McFly’s brother in Back to the Future.

Take Bruno Sammartino for example. The greatest champion in the history of professional wrestling in nearly every aspect was hardly mentioned when he was at odds with WWE for decades. Then one day he buries the hatchet, the powers that be educate us on his unmatched career and now every single fan in attendance, not just grandfathers who grew up in New York, know the name and legacy of Bruno Sammartino. If Sting never makes it to the WWE, his career will be lost to time. Sure, they have the bulk of his matches available to watch on the network whenever and wherever you like, but wrestling requires maintenance and reminders to work properly. Without wrestlers reciting their accomplishments every so often, we forget exactly why they deserve our attention. More than likely, you put a Cena loving 10 year old in front of the network and play a Sting vs. Disco Inferno match, he’d have a tough time telling who the jobber is. Without the build up, without the pomp, without the merchandise and DVDs, legends will fade. Which is why I believe Sting needs to bite the bullet and sign Vince’s contract ASAP.

Now whether or not you like Sting, when his Monday Night Raw entrance does happen (if it does), please take the time to enjoy it because it will probably be the last time an already well established wrestler makes their WWE debut. Wrestlers building their reputation in one promotion and jumping ship to another with fanfare hasn’t existed for years. Even the most popular of indie wrestlers have been spending years in developmental before making their WWE debut. The closest we get to it now is someone being called up from NXT but even then, the reactions are nothing like they when that Y2J countdown hit zero. I held out a small amount of hope that AJ Styles was going to show up at the Royal Rumble and when that didn’t happen I knew that the days of popular and talented wrestling going straight to a WWE main event were long gone. I’ll leave with a simple request from the internet. When Sting does show up in WWE, go easy on him. He’s just there so that your grandkids won’t make fun of you when you call it a Scorpion Deathlock.

Derek Lindeman

@TopRopeTuesday

TopRopeTuesday.com