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5 Ways Sting Has Changed Throughout His Wrestling Career (& 5 Ways He Stayed The Same)

Posted: Jan 29th 2023 By: Aiden Pena

Sting is a wrestling legend who earned his nickname, "the Icon." With a career that transcends multiple decades, countless championships, and critical acclaim in every facet of wrestling, it's fair to say Sting is one of the greatest of all time. Even in his 60s, Sting is still competing in AEW at a high level.

Sting is best known for his time in WCW and TNA/Impact Wrestling. Although Sting has been able to evolve his character to new levels as the culture around him changed, there are many aspects of Sting that remained the same practically his whole career. This list will examine 5 ways Sting has changed throughout his career and 5 ways that he's stayed the same.

10 Way He's Changed: Gone From Mentee To Mentor

During his time in WCW, Sting was a main event attraction. Although it wasn't easy for anyone to shine next to the likes of the Four Horsemen or the nWo, Sting always managed to be a part of "big time" moments and game-changing storylines.

He spent most of his time in WCW working alongside legends who helped him become an eventual legend himself. After leaving WCW, Sting spent most of his career helping other talents in multiple capacities. Whether he was helping AJ Styles in TNA or Darby Allin in AEW, Sting has spent the last 20 years as a mentor, which is an evolution and also a change in Sting's career.

9 Way He's Stayed The Same: His Finishers

The two iconic finishers that helped Sting become an icon are the Scorpion Death Lock and the Scorpion Death Drop. Although both moves are seen as more subdued in the three decades since Sting made his debut, he's never strayed away from the finishers after they helped him get over with audiences. Even his signature move, the Stinger Splash, is associated with the legacy of Sting. These moves have been unchanged practically his entire career.

8 Way He's Changed: The Rafters

In WCW, fans never knew where they would see Sting enter the ring from. His ability to seemingly appear out of nowhere helped sell the appeal of Sting. One of the most common ways that he shocked audiences, in his early years, was his arrival through the rafters. Although most of those moments are remembered with high regard by WCW fans, Sting got away from the rafter appearances in the late '90s and has gone most of his career without reverting back to the move.

7 Way He's Stayed The Same: Putting Others Over

Sting has never been one for backstage drama. It didn't matter if he was the World Champion or barely making any television appearances he was always a positive force. Sting always seems to be working for the benefit of the business and his fellow wrestlers. He's put wrestling stars over during his time in WCW, TNA, and AEW. His selflessness is a virtue that has followed him his entire career.

6 Way He's Changed: Played The Bad Guy

When most fans remember Sting, they remember him as a babyface. He was such a beloved fan favorite that it was often difficult to book Sting in a heel role in WCW. During his time with the Main Event Mafia in Impact Wrestling, Sting did spend some time working as a heel. It was one of the more memorable aspects of his career and one of the ways that he changed after leaving WCW and explored wrestling away from major promotions.

5 Way He's Stayed The Same: His Entrance

Sting's entrance has remained very similar for a large part of his career. After he stopped using a large color palette on his face paint, Sting entered the ring with a more stoic walk that was perfectly accompanied by his entrance music. Although he has deviated from it in a few instances, for the most part, Sting has kept his stoic entrance for most of his career and uses it during his current run in AEW.

4 Way He's Changed: Gone Away From The Mystique

Early in his career, Sting was much louder and over the top with his gimmick. When he turned his face paint black and white and became a more mysterious being, he blew up as a wrestling superstar. Although he has reverted back to the mystique that made him world-famous, he's also gone away from it at different points in his career. In Impact Wrestling, Sting was unafraid to be more grounded and even became a Heath Ledger Joker-like character that was more insane than mysterious.

3 Way He's Stayed The Same: Played The Role He Needed To Play

Along with putting other stars over his entire career, Sting has never been afraid to play the role necessary for the fans. This unchanging aspect of Sting has helped him resonate with so many different generations of wrestling audiences. When he had to play the role of foe to the most famous faction in wrestling, the nWo, he did it well. When Impact needed him to lead a group of older superstars in his late 40s he also did it well. Sting has always played the role he needed for whatever company he competed for his entire career.

2 Way He's Changed: Became Known For His Wrestling Skills

Sting made his wrestling debut as one half of the Blade Runners with Jim Hellwig (The Ultimate Warrior). Sting was not well known for his wrestling skills early in his career and even struggled to put on a solid performance against good wrestlers when he debuted in WCW.

As his career progressed, Sting has become known as one of the better technical wrestlers ever to ever compete in a wrestling ring. Although he'll never be remembered for skill at the level of Bret Hart, not a single person remembers Sting as a "bad wrestler" which was a huge change from his early years in wrestling.

1 Way He's Stayed The Same: A Focus On Intimidation Away From The Microphone

One of the most unique aspects of Sting's career is his work on the microphone. Early in his career, he did over-the-top promos like everyone else from the era, but as he began to build out his own legacy, Sting strayed away from using the microphone as a way to sell his persona.

For a large part of his career, Sting has become well known for how he's able to tell a story without using many words. Even in his time with the Main Event Mafia, he wasn't a promo machine that helped get the faction over but instead used his actions to tell the story of their rise.