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2014 looks to be the answer, finally, as to when Sting will make his in-ring debut for World Wrestling Entertainment. He’s free and clear of obligations elsewhere and has slowly but surely been integrated into WWE’s licensing and marketing, the most recent example of which is the company’s latest DVD and Blu-Ray release “The Best of Sting.”
Formatted similarly to the Billy Goldberg release last year, the set steps away from WWE’s usual documentary-oriented main feature and instead takes the viewer on a chronological journey that starts with Sting’s beginnings in California and ends, appropriately, with the final match broadcast on WCW Monday Nitro.
I say appropriately because more then any other in-ring personality, Sting epitomized and was the living embodiment of World Championship Wrestling- to the point that even today, the idea of Sting entering a WWE ring seems like a wild idea that gets fans talking about dream matches.
Fittingly, Sting appears to discuss his career via archival interviews shot by WCW in the 1990s. There are no modern-day clips of Sting looking back on his younger days. Such reflections will have to wait for the inevitable documentary or WWE Hall of Fame induction, but what are featured is a very entertaining collection of matches from the different eras of Sting’s run.
The true highlight of the set may be the first disc, which features a ton of material that not only has never been released on DVD but likely hasn’t been seen since they originally aired in the 1980s. While the Ric Flair match at the first NWA Clash of Champions has been rightfully celebrated over the years as putting Sting on the map, this set featured a January 1988 TV bout between the two that helped set the stage for that rivalry and it’s a great example of not just the pure electricity that Sting generated for wrestling fans.
On the DVD, it’s said that Sting was the first “character” for the NWA/WCW and I think there’s a great case to be made for that. While he wasn’t the first wrestler to paint his face for that promotion, his bright, spiked blonde hair and neon outfits certainly set him apart from the more traditional boots and tights professional wrestlers that roamed the hallways of the Techwood Drive Studios where bouts were taped for WTBS.
Watching the WCW bouts from that era, there is no doubt that Sting had the intangible “it” that only a small percentage of professional wrestlers could ever hope to have. What he may have lacked in “traditional” wrestling skills, he more than made up for with boundless energy, incredible charisma on the mic and incredible raw athleticism.
The first disc is also a silent tribute to that early era of WCW, just after Turner Broadcasting had taken over Jim Crockett Promotions. While much of WCW is remembered for the Nitro era or even perhaps the sad remnants of the company’s final days/WWE Invasion storyline, the first disc shows off that “NWA: We Wrestle” era with good matches featuring Sting against The Midnight Express’ Stan Lane, Mike Rotunda, The Great Muta and Butch Reed, among others. Listening to Jim Ross, Bob Caudle and Jim Cornette calling these bouts made me think back to watching this era growing up in Flushing, NY. It was a warm feeling.
The first disc is topped with Sting’s NWA World title win over Ric Flair at the 1990 Great American Bash PPV, which was certainly treated as if it was the end of Flair’s run on top. History would show that was certainly not the case, but as the 1990s were welcomed, Sting’s stature as the top babyface in WCW could never, ever be questioned.
The second disc continues to showcase Sting as the centerpiece of the company, which sadly failed to find traction for the early portion of that decade. However, even in the pre-Nitro era, there was a lot of great wrestling that at times, wrestling history has overlooked and failed to celebrate. Similar to the NWA TV bout against Ric Flair, this set features a really good bout against Big Van Vader from February 1992, taking place several months before Vader wins the WCW title from Sting in July of that year to truly kick off their excellent feud. Bouts against Barry Windham, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson Nikita Koloff and a tag bout with Great Muta against The Steiners are also good highlights of the second disc, showcasing the athletic wrestling style of WCW from that time period.
Really, the only head-scratchers here is the lack of anything from Sting’s program against Mick Foley or Lex Luger.
The Nitro era begins to be showcased towards the end of Disc 2 as we start to see the influx of former WWF stars Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan, as well as the return of Ric Flair. Disc Three really dives into the black and white era of the Sting character as inspired by James O’Barr’s “The Crow.” While Sting’s loyalty to WCW was questioned in the storylines, he once again becomes the promotion’s greatest hero, with the final disc showing off bouts with and against Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Booker T, Ultimate Warrior and Jeff Jarrett, and of course Flair.
As WWE inches closer to Wrestlemania season, the anticipation remains high that Sting will debut for the company (hey, there are ALWAYS surprises in the Royal Rumble, right?) but until then, this set will do a great job at satiating the curiosity for fans who didn’t grow up during his era or fans who did and miss the old days of the Stinger being one of the biggest heroes of their wrestling fandom.
Absolutely a thumbs up collection here.
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