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Sting's Legacy Hinges on WWE WrestleMania 31 Match with Triple H

Posted: Mar 1st 2015 By: Erik Beaston - BleacherReport.com

Over the course of his career, Sting has garnered the nickname The Icon, and rightfully so.

With all that he has accomplished in World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, there has always been a twinge of doubt cast over his legacy, thanks to the fact that he has never competed in Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment.

For decades, fans have dreamed up some phenomenal matchups involving the legendary figure but never have they had the opportunity to see those contests play out on the grand stage that the company offers.

That will all change Sunday, March 29, when Sting squares off with Triple H in one of the marquee matches on the WrestleMania 31 card. And win, lose or draw, the match will forever alter the way fans see and remember the franchise player of WCW.

At age 55, the Stinger is far from the prime of his career. In fact, he has been on the downside of his athletic life for the last 15 years, but his presence and aura alone have continued to captivate fans, leaving them to hope and dream about one day seeing him at the Showcase of the Immortals.

With all of the hype and anticipation that is being built up to the moment he battles Triple H at the biggest event of the year, anything less than a performance that meets expectations will go down in the history of professional wrestling as one of the biggest busts, disappointments and bombs of all time.

Sting has kept fans waiting for so long that his advanced age and a lack of the universally desired match with The Undertaker has added unnecessary pressure on him to make all of it worth it.

Luckily, he has a dance partner in Triple H who is coming off of a phenomenal match against Daniel Bryan last April, not to mention a series against The Shield that netted at least one Match of the Year candidate, proving that The Game can still produce when it comes to big-match situations.

While the contest is unlikely to look like a pretty, beautiful, technically sound match, it will have tremendous heat behind it, courtesy of the two men waging war between the ropes. It will be that heat, the excitement surrounding the contest, that helps make up for the deficiencies of the combatants at this stage in their careers.

At least it better.

If not, WWE could be looking at a scenario in which, for the second consecutive year, one of the supposedly historic matches on the card will leave fans underwhelmed.

And Sting's legacy will be tarnished forever, his first opportunity to leave his mark on WWE and influence a new generation of fans ruined.