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WWE.com Names Sting Greatest Non-WWE Wrestler of All Time

Posted: Jun 6th 2013 By: mikeiles

Somebody at WWE must have decided there weren't enough "Sting to WWE" or "Sting to Hall of Fame" rumors swirling around the Internet these days. The company posted a new list on their website today that is sure to have wrestling geeks spinning in their office chairs. The list from WWE.com is titled "The 10 Greatest Wrestlers Never to Compete in the WWE."

The list followed a single but sticky criterion. The wrestler listed must never have competed in the WWE in any shape or form. As the introduction states, this disqualifies TNA/ROH legends A. J. Styles and Samoa Joe. Decades ago during the territory days, legends like Nick Bockwinkle and El Santo did make brief appearances with the company.

The list is certainly to cause some conversation with names from various companies throughout the last 40 years. The biggest on the list, of course, is the man called Sting.

Sting's name has been bandied about in dream match scenarios going back more than 20 years. I recall sitting in my living room with a new copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated that my dad bought me. My mind was racing as I read an article about the possibilities of a Shawn Michaels vs. Sting match.

With the two men as up-and-coming stars in rival companies, the contest was a pipe dream at best for young fans.

Since then, though, the industry has transformed. Ted Turner's deep pockets led to many WWF stars jumping to WCW. We did, however, get some dream matches out of this move. When WWF bought out WCW, we thought we'd get even more dream scenarios. The decision by most of WCW's top stars to sit-out their guaranteed deals, though, left us without Goldberg, Kevin Nash and others until years later when they were past their primes.

We've seen Stone Cold vs. Scott Hall, Hogan vs. The Rock and Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels. In the last two years, we saw The Rock vs. John Cena. Unfortunately, the pool for "dream matches" in a mainstream, grand scale term is quickly vanishing. Without a legitimate rival for WWE with its own big stars, we don't have the opportunity to day dream about clashing champions in never-before-seen matches.

Sting, though, is the only one left standing from the bygone era. Sure, he's losing his hair. He does wear a T-shirt while wrestling matches now. He's slower, plodding and doesn't bump the way he used to. But he's still Sting, and given the right storyline in the right environment, he could draw a lot of money for WWE were he ever to relent and work for Vince McMahon.

The WWE.com article suggests The Undertaker as an opponent. This has circulated for years and was even rumored to be close before Sting re-signed a multi-year contact with TNA.

It's been reported that Triple H sees Sting as the one that got away. If his full-court press to get Bruno Sammartino to bury the hatchet and enter the WWE Hall of Fame is any hint as to the lengths he will go to get what he wants, I wouldn't count out a Sting appearance in a WWE ring some day.

Do you think Sting will ever appear in the WWE? What dream matches would you like to see?