Was Sting In WWE?

Many people believe that Sting, the iconic wrestler, was never in WWE. However, this is not the case! Sting actually had a very brief stint in WWE back in 2014.

Introduction

Sting is a former professional wrestler who is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016. Sting was never signed to WWE, but he did have a very memorable match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 in 2015.

Early WWE Years

Sting was one of the most popular wrestlers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He started his career in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion six times. He was also a two-time world champion in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

The formation of D-Generation X

In the summer of 1997, the McMahon-Helmsley Regime began to take shape. Vince McMahon appointed his daughter Stephanie as the new WWE Commissioner, while his wife Linda was running for office in Connecticut. At the same time, McMahon anointed Triple H — Stephanie’s real-life husband — as the new WWE Champion, with fellow D-Generation X members Shawn Michaels and Chyna by his side. This created a lot of tension within DX, as Michaels was typically the leader of the group.

On the October 13, 1997 episode of Raw, Triple H shocked everyone by turning on Shawn Michaels and joining forces with Mr. McMahon. The new DX was short-lived, however, as Chyna quickly turned on Triple H and aligned herself with Shawn Michaels once again.

The Montreal Screwjob

In November 1997, at WWE Survivor Series, Bret “The Hitman” Hart was scheduled to defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels. Due to backstage politics, as well as issues with WCW, Hart agreed to leave WWE and forfeit the title, rather than lose it to Michaels in his home country of Canada. However, on the night of the event, Vince McMahon ordered the match to continue and for the referee to call for the bell when Michaels applied Hart’s own submission hold, The Sharpshooter, despite Hart not submitting. This event became infamously known as “The Montreal Screwjob.”

The New World Order

Sting is an American professional wrestler, actor, and retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Sting. As of 2020, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a backstage producer. In WWE, Sting held the WCW Championship three times and the WWE Championship once. He is a 14-time world champion, having held the NWA, WCW, TNA, and WWE World Heavyweight Championships. He is also a one-time United States Champion, a one-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, and a one-time NWA World Tag Team Champion.

The nWo’s arrival in WWE

In late 1996, Scott Hall, who had been appearing on WWE television as Razor Ramon for nearly four years, began acting increasingly erratic. On the October 21 episode of Monday Night Raw, he attacked WWE owner Vince McMahon and aligned himself with “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. The following week, Hall teased the debut of a new stable called the New World Order (nWo), which was a take-off on then-president Bill Clinton’s “New Covenant” foreign policy initiative. The nWo storyline was a huge success and quickly became one of the most popular angles in professional wrestling history.

The nWo originally consisted of Hall, Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan. Nash and Hall were former WCW World Heavyweight Champions, while Hogan was a three-time WWE Champion and a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. The trio quickly took over WWE’s programming, with Hogan defeating Sycho Sid for the WWE Championship at Madison Square Garden on November 9. The nWo began to grow in numbers in early 1997 when Scott Steiner, Miss Elizabeth, Rick Rude and The Giant joined the stable.

Over the next few months, the nWo continued to dominate WWE programming. However, by summer 1997, cracks began to show in the stable as Hogan and Nash began to butt heads over who was the true leader of the group. This culminated in a match at Bash at the Beach 1997 where Nash turned on Hogan and aligned himself with Eric Bischoff’s rivalWCW promotion.

The nWo’s rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin

The New World Order’s rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin is considered one of the most iconic feuds in professional wrestling history. The nWo was at the height of its power when Austin arrived on the scene, and their clashes helped to define the Attitude Era.

The feud began at WrestleMania 13, when Austin defeated Bret Hart to win the WWE Championship. The next night on Raw, Austin was attacked by nWo members Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. This led to a series of matches between Austin and the nWo, which culminated in a steel cage match at SummerSlam 1997.

The feud continued throughout 1997 and 1998, with each side scoring victories over the other. The turning point came at WrestleMania XIV, when Austin defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan to become WWE Champion for a second time. This signaled the end of the nWo’s power in WWE, and their feud with Austin soon faded away.

The nWo’s final days

After the nWo’s final days, Sting went on to have a successful singles career. He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship four times, the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship twice, and the WCW World Tag Team Championship five times. Sting was also a member of the Four Horsemen and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.

Sting’s final WWE appearances

Sting made his final WWE appearance at Extreme Rules 2015 in a losing effort against Seth Rollins. He was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the following night by Ric Flair, and made one final in-ring appearance on the Raw after WrestleMania 32 to raise Rollins’ hand in victory.

Conclusion

Sting was never officially signed with WWE, but he did have a couple of matches with them. He wrestled Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV and Team 3D at Bound for Glory in 2006. Sting was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.