Sting joins the WWE Hall of Fame

Congratulations to Sting for officially becoming a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. It is a great honor for WWE to recognize his contributions to the sport of professional wrestling itself and reward him in a fantastic way. Sting was not only the face of WCW, but he was the backbone of that company. He was the ultimate constant when others came and went through the revolving door of WCW as the times changed. Sting initially received his big break in the NWA when he wrestled Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions I to a 45-minute draw. That match put Sting on the map as a major player in wrestling. Sting would feud with the likes of Ric Flair and Great Muta along with Lex Luger.

At the Great American Bash in 1990, Sting reached the mountain by defeating Ric Flair for the WCW Championship. When Flair left for the WWF in 1991, Sting stayed to keep things steady. During that time, business in WCW was pretty tough but Sting made the best out of what was given to him. He feuded with Luger over the title and did what he could to make his friend look better. The best feud that Sting had in Flair's absence was with Vader from 92-93. Sting would reinvent himself during the dawn of the Monday Night Wars in the mid-late 90's as he became the Crow. As the Crow, Sting would be chosen to save WCW from the NWO when he defeated Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade 1997. Sting would enjoy a decorated legacy in WCW. He was to WCW what Undertaker was to (WWF) at that time.

However, there have been some detractors lately that feel as though Sting does not "deserve" to be in the WWE Hall of Fame because he was not a "WWE guy" and because he "lost too many matches". First of all, if Drew Carey, Pete Rose and William "Refrigerator" Perry can go to the Hall of Fame, there should be NO complaints about Sting. Apparently, today's fans either have never seen Sting, were too young or just plain forgot how good Sting really was. When it comes to stars that built legacies without Vince's help, Sting is the greatest. Abdullah the Butcher has NEVER, EVER stepped foot inside of Vince McMahon's ring, but he is in the HOF. His career was nowhere near Sting's level. Nick Bockwinkel was predominantly an AWA Star. Yet, he is in the Hall of Fame because WWE respects his AWA legacy. Why can't people appreciate Sting having that same kind of honor? Nothing against Nick (RIP) or Abdullah, but they did not have the same level of impact that Sting has had. Sting was something special and unique during his heyday as I grew up watching him. He had what it took to survive and thrive as the culture started to shift in wrestling. However, Sting spent quite a number of years in TNA. In a way, that did not do his legacy any favors when it comes to the modern fans that couldn't care less about TNA. For years, Sting kept holding off making his move to WWE because he was skeptical about Vince's track record when it comes to WCW talent. He had a point to an extent. In the end, he came to realize that no matter what, WWE is the place to be for his career to fully receive its ultimate recognition as the Hall of Fame would be his final reward.