Sting (wrestler)
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Sting (real name Steve Borden; born March 20, 1959 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a professional wrestler who has wrestled with several wrestling leagues, such as NWA, WCW, and TNA since the early 1980s. The longest - and most famous - of these three runs was with WCW, where he had been a world champion.
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Profile
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 250lbs
- Birthday: March 20 1959
- Hometown: Venice Beach, California
- Trained By: Red Bastien
- Professional Debut: November 1985
- Previous Identities: Blade Runner Flash, The Man Called Sting
- Quotes: "It's Showtime, Folks!", "Whooo!", "This - is - Sting!", "riddle me this, riddle me that.. who's afraid of the big - black - bat"
- Movie(s): The Real Reason (Men Commit Crimes) (1998), Shutterspeed (2000)
- Previous Managers: Eddie Gilbert, Missy Hyatt, Miss Elizabeth
Finishing/Signature Move(s)
Signature Illegal Weapon(s)
Early career
Sting started out as a part of a tag team with the wrestler later known as The Ultimate Warrior. Sting and the Warrior were called The Blade Runners (a probable reference to the film of the same name) in the UWF. Warrior soon left the UWF, leaving Sting to turn face and win the tag titles with Rick Steiner.
Sting was one of the wrestlers who joined World Championship Wrestling when it purchased the UWF in late 1987. Sting's legendary feud with Ric Flair began when he and Flair fought to a 45-minute time limit draw at 1988 Clash of the Champions. However, when Sting later began a feud with Keiji Mutoh, Flair and Sting became friends and they stood together against Mutoh's stables. When Flair formed the Four Horsemen, Sting joined it, but was soon kicked out after he demanded a title shot from Flair, thus restarting their rivalry. Sting was injured in a cage match soon thereafter.
On his return, Sting focused on taking out the Four Horsemen and at The Great American Bash, he finally defeated Flair for the NWA Heavyweight Title. He went on to feud with Lex Luger, though later they would become good friends and a successful tag team.
WCW career
When WCW broke away from the NWA, Sting was recognized as the first WCW World Heavyweight Champion. However, he was knocked out of the top babyface position by Hulk Hogan, who joined WCW in 1994. The two would team up, this time to face off against the notorious Dungeon of Doom. At this time, Ric Flair sought Sting's help in a match against Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman, but in the match, Flair turned against Sting, and along with Anderson and Pillman, reformed the Four Horsemen. Sting and Flair continued to feud, and when it appeared Sting was on the losing side, Lex Luger came to Sting's aid.
In 1996, Sting stood up against The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) from WWF, and in an eventful match at Bash at the Beach 1996, Sting, Luger and "Macho Man" Randy Savage were fought to a draw by Nash, Hall, and their third ally, which shockingly turned out to be Hulk Hogan - these last three eventually formed the nWo.
The nWo soon introduced an Imposter Sting, which led the crowd to believe that Sting had turned his back on WCW. When the real Sting returned he was upset by the crowd's reaction, and so he left WCW. However, at certain events, he appeared mysteriously in the rafters; his new persona was quite obviously inspired by The Crow. He would shortly return to WCW, showing his true colours and helping to fend off the nWo with a title match against "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan at StarrCade 1997, winning controversially due to a decision by special guest referee Bret Hart. He later lost the title to Randy Savage in 1998, who was revealed to be a member of the nWo.
Later in 1998, nWo split up owing to differences between Hogan and Nash. Nash formed the nWo Wolfpac, which Sting joined a couple months later. Sting would go on to win the tag titles and the U.S. Title as part of Nash's stable.
Sting unsuccessfully tried to turn heel in 1999 when he defeated Hogan to win the World Title, but this heel turn was a poor decision by WCW and he was soon turned face once again. He then went on to defeat Lex Luger. In 2000, Sting had an intense feud with the rookie Vampiro, which sparked Vampiro's popularity. He was "injured" by Scott Steiner in 2000, leaving WCW TV for good. However, he would return for the last episode of WCW Monday Nitro, to defeat Flair.
Sting was one of the few high profile wrestlers in WCW who did not work for the WWF at any point throughout the 1990s, and who remained with WCW in the late 1990s when dozens of other wrestlers "jumped ship" to the WWF.
After WCW
After WCW folded, Sting returned to professional wrestling with the WWA in 2002, winning the WWA World Heavyweight Title in the process. He was defeated by Jeff Jarrett in March 2003, in a match which reunited the WWA and NWA World Titles.
Sting would return in June 2003 in the TNA annniversary show, siding up with Jeff Jarrett against A.J. Styles and Syxx Pac. Since then, he has made numerous appearances for TNA, mostly against Jeff Jarrett, who has turned heel. His last appearance in TNA was as a special enforcer in a World Title Number One Contender match.
It is well known that Vince McMahon has for many years wished for Sting to sign with the WWF/WWE. However Sting has never signed, he is one of the few famous wrestlers to have never worked for the McMahon owned WWF/WWE.
Outside of wrestling
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Steve Borden has been a devout born-again Christian since August 1998. He is a church deacon and spends time with his family. He has two sons, Garrett and Steven, and a daughter, Gracie, with his wife, Sue.
He does occasional appearances for the wrestling/religion shows that fellow born-again Christians Ted DiBiase and Nikita Koloff put on.
He has filmed a movie about his life titled Sting: Moment of Truth that came out on DVD in 2004. His other movies include 1998's The Real Reason Men Commit Crimes, and 2000's Ready To Rumble and Shutterspeed. He has also made appearances on the TV series Thunder in Paradise and Walker, Texas Ranger.
The Manifesto
During a Clash of the Champions event in 1997, during Sting's new entrance music, the following message was spoken to the nWo embedded in the music.
When a man's heart is full of deceit it burns up, dies, and a dark shadow falls over his soul.
From the ashes of a once great man has risen a curse, a wrong that must be righted.
We look to the skies for a vindicator, someone to strike fear into the black heart of the same man who created him.
The battle between good and evil has begun.
Against an army of shadows comes the Dark Warrior, the purveyor of good, with a voice of silence, and a mission of justice.
This is Sting.
Books
- Autobiography: Sting: Moment of Truth with George King in 2004
- Christian Wrestlers: Wrestling With God, 2001, by Chad Bonham
Titles and Accomplishments
- 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
- 2-time WCW International Heavyweight Champion
- 2-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
- 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (1-time with Kevin Nash, 1-time with Lex Luger, 1-time with The Giant)
- Winner of 1991 WCW Battle Bowl
- Winner of 1994 WCW European Cup
- Winner of 1992 WCW King of Cable
- 1-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time NWA World Television Champion
- Winner of 1988 NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament with Lex Luger
- Winner of 1989 NWA Iron Man Tournament at Starrcade '89
- 1-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion
Universal Wrestling Federation
- 3-time UWF Tag Team Champion (2-times with Eddie Gilbert, 1-time with Rick Steiner)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 15 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003. He was also ranked # 52 of the best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Lex Luger.
- Sting won several PWI Awards over the years. He won Most Improved Wrestler in 1988, Wrestler of the Year in 1990, Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year in 1990 and Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1997. He was also involved in the Match of the Year in 1991 (Sting & Lex Luger vs. Rick & Scott Steiner).
External links
- Official website (http://www.therealsting.com)
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