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Jim Ross Rips WWE Over Their Poor Usage Of Sting

Posted: May 26th 2020 By: Alex Hoegler - TheSportster.com

Former WWE and current AEW play-by-play commentator Jim Ross criticized WWE over how they used Sting.

For over a decade, Sting was widely considered to be the greatest wrestler that never worked in WWE, until he signed with the company in 2014.

Sting debuted at the 2014 Survivor Series pay-per-view, confronting Triple H while helping Team Cena get past Team Authority in the main event. That set the stage for a showdown between The Icon and The Cerebral Assassin at WrestleMania 31, where Triple H emerged victorious.

The Vigilante wrestled his final match at the 2015 Night of Champions pay-per-view, losing to Seth Rollins in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship showdown. Sting suffered a legitimate neck injury during the match, and he officially retired at his Hall of Fame ceremony -- thus cutting his WWE tenure very short.

On his Grilling JR podcast (h/t SEScoops) former WWE and current AEW play-by-play commentator Jim Ross criticized WWE for their usage of Sting, believing they failed to maximize the opportunity.

"I was underwhelmed by Sting’s WWE run. I thought that he should have come in guns blazing and had to give the fans a chance to tap into his passion and his emotions. He was a big star. I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was.

And many speculated, it may have been because you know, the WWE didn’t ‘create’ Sting...they didn’t give him his name, they didn’t give him this persona. Nothing. And if that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing. I thought we could have done a lot more of that situation...

I was very disappointed in Sting’s run. He deserved better. Sting deserved better than he got in WWE, but I’m sure he got paid very very well."

Sting was the No. 1 babyface in WCW during the Monday Night Wars. But when the company was bought out by Vince McMahon in 2001, Sting was among the few WCW talents that opted not to sign with WWE.

Instead, Sting signed with the new TNA promotion, and he spent over a decade as one of the company's premier stars -- even earning a Hall of Fame induction in 2012. He stayed with TNA until 2014 before finally landing in WWE.

For what it's worth, recent reports have suggested that Sting has been cleared for another match. Last year, Sting also reportedly stated that he would come back to wrestle again for "the right price."

Sting Truly Deserved Better, But It Was All Worthwhile

It was extremely disappointing to see Sting get underused by WWE. Fans were rightfully critical of the booking decision to have him lose to Triple H. The fact that Sting never won a singles match in WWE was also inexcusable. But at the end of the day, fans have to be thankful that they got to see Sting in WWE anyway, because for the longest time, it felt as though it would never happen.