5 Best Matches From Each, Ranked

Sting is a legend for having one of the best career resurgences in professional wrestling. After becoming a top star with his brightly colored surfer-inspired face character, he would eventually start to bore audiences.Instead of simply trying to weather the storm, Sting took a huge risk, and it paid off handsomely.

Sting is a legend for having one of the best career resurgences in professional wrestling. After becoming a top star with his brightly colored surfer-inspired face character, he would eventually start to bore audiences. Instead of simply trying to weather the storm, Sting took a huge risk, and it paid off handsomely.

RELATED: WCW: 5 Reasons Surfer Sting Is Best (& 5 Why The Crow Version Is Superior)

Sting completely overhauled his look, copying that of Brandon Lee's in the action-horror film The Crow. The new Sting would reach even higher popularity than he had before, and the gimmick would ultimately be the way most fans remember the icon. Here are the best 5 matches from both sides of Sting's career.

10 CROW: Sting Vs Jeff Jarrett (Bound For Glory 2006)

Sting showing up in TNA was the moment the show cemented itself as an actual alternative to what WWE was putting out. While it would never truly compete with the powerhouse of wrestling, the show would survive and make a name for itself as the number two wrestling show.

Sting's arrival and work in the company is a major part of making that happen. His first big singles match and his first world title win came from this match with Jeff Jarrett. The two put on a surprisingly good match for their age and included some antics from Kurt Angle to make the whole thing feel like veterans showing how good they still are.

9 SURFER: Sting Vs Vader (Superbrawl 1993)

Sting and Vader had a feud that is widely remembered as one of pre-crow Sting's best. Both men were main event stars by the time they started locking up, giving every match they had some importance.

The best match of their rivalry was a strap match weirdly sponsored by White Castle. Vader would win after a stiff and impressive match by both men. The win cemented Vader as a dangerous man to compete against.

8 CROW: Sting Vs Bret Hart (WCW Mayhem 1999)

Sting had been stripped of his world championship and then made it to the semi-finals of a 32-man tournament to crown a number one contender when he faced The Hitman.

The two had a great match, both trying to win with their similar submission finishing moves. When Sting finally put Hart into his patented Scorpion Deathlock, Hart reverses it into a sharpshooter and got the victory.

RELATED: 10 Best Years Of Bret Hart's Career, Ranked

7 SURFER: Sting Vs Cactus Jack (Beach Blast 1992)

This match would be a title defense for current WCW champion Sting. The falls count anywhere match-up is a series of brutal and impressive spots by both men, with Foley of course taking the worst of it.

The match was a great outing for both men, as it showed Sting as a fighting champion that could do whatever it takes, and it also elevated Foley by having him go toe to toe with the champ.

6 CROW: Sting Vs Triple H (Wrestlemania 31)

While not a standout wrestling match on the technical end, the legendary match-up was one that defined what pro wrestling was during Sting's prime, and still is sometimes today. A chaotic mess. The build-up to the match was incredible, with Sting making his debut at Survivor Series to help topple the authority.

Then there was the match. With interference from a series of 90's superstars, things would quickly devolve into a cluster leading to Triple H getting the win with his sledgehammer. A fine showing of two of the greatest to ever do it, proving they can still wrestle, but more importantly, they can still tell a story. Besides, having a great story-line turn into overbooked insanity was the perfect way to homage Sting's career.

RELATED: Time To Play The Game: 10 Potential WrestleMania 36 Opponents For Triple H

5 SURFER: Sting and Lex Luger Vs The Steiner Brothers (Superbrawl 1991)

Sting has had a surprising amount of great tag-team matches. One of his most common partners was the other blonde baby-faced heartthrob Lex Luger. The two had their best outing against tag-team champions Rick and Scott Steiner.

While the Steiners would still walk out champs, the match had a main event feeling that was rare for tag-team bouts during the time. All four men were elevated by the match, but more importantly, so was tag-team wrestling.

4 CROW: Sting Vs AJ Styles (Bound For Glory 2009)

AJ Styles has proved time and time again that he can have a fantastic match with almost anyone. He was in the middle of a dominant world championship reign when he had to face the icon.

Sting had started to slow down in TNA and he wasn't putting out any five-star matches, but this match with Styles proved that he could still go with the younger superstars. After one of the best matches to come from Sting's decade in TNA, Styles retained his championship.

RELATED: 10 Best TNA Wrestlers Of The 2010s

3 SURFER: War Games (Wrestlewar 1992)

The most beloved gimmick match in WCW, War Games matches, are team elimination matches where two rings are surrounded by one massive steel cage.

This war featured Sting's Squadron, consisting of himself, Nikita Koloff, Dustin Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, and Barry Windham against Dangerous Alliance, a team made of Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Steve Austin, Larry Zybyszko and Rick Rude. The match is pure pro wrestling chaos perfection, even getting a rare 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer.

2 CROW: Sting Vs DDP (Nitro 1999)

The fact that later WCW's matches, especially on regular TV, were often short and filled with shenanigans makes this match even more special. Sting challenged world champion, Diamond Dallas Page, for his title on an episode of Nitro, and the match didn't disappoint.

Both men showed how good they are at just wrestling. The crowd was hot for Sting, screaming every time DDP kicked out right before the three. Finally, after a fantastic reversal, Sting pinned Page to one of WCW's biggest reactions.

1 SURFER: Sting Vs Ric Flair (Clash Of Champions 1988)

Sting was a rising star in WCW, and he was quickly becoming the fan-favorite, so WCW did the obvious thing. Let him fight Flair. The best heel in the company by a mile and the current NWA champion would defend his title against Sting at the first Clash of Champions event.

The match is considered by many, including Flair himself, as one of the best that either man ever put on. After 45 minutes, the match would come to a time limit draw, but the fans' support of Sting made it clear that he would be champion soon enough.

NEXT: WCW: 10 Best Starrcade Matches Ever, Ranked

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKeoqqSowaa%2BjZympmenp7K0wMuipaBno6q%2Fp7HRZqqtoZ6cere%2FjJypqK9dqMGqusZmmZ6rpGK6osDCoZysZaKWu6yxw2ausJ1dqbuiew%3D%3D

 Share!