10 Great Sting matches every wrestling fan should see
The 1980s and 1990s are now looked back upon as a sort of pro wrestling renaissance. With the territorial systems in a shambles, promoters quickly tried to consolidate power in the sports entertainment industry.
Of course, the most dominant promotion was the WWE (then called the WWF) but this was also the heyday for many great wrestling federations. Most fans are familiar with the National Wrestling Alliance, the bulk of which was owned by Jim Crockett Productions. JC Productions sold their share of the NWA to Ted Turner, who used it to build WCW in the early nineties.
It was during this era that the career of the man called Sting began. Born Steve Borden, he and friend Jim "Ultimate Warrior" Hellwig were bodybuilders who were drafted into pro wrestling in the California territories. With little training in the sport, they were quickly turned into a tag team called Power Team USA.
Hellwig would head to the AWA, while Borden wound up working the NWA territories. His mix of athleticism, cardio conditioning, and surprising strength and agility quickly put him on the pro wrestling map.
It was Ric Flair who came in to mentor the young Sting. Flair saw in Sting a future world champion, and worked a program with the rookie where they wound up wrestling on the first-ever Clash of the Champions.
Though Sting came up short on that occasion, he was cemented as a legit contender for any championship in the NWA. From there, his star continued to rise, and he forged a unique path in sports entertainment which would eventually culminate in his first, and only, Wrestlemania appearance.
Along the way, he had some pretty excellent matches. Some of them are still talked about today. Here are ten Sting matches that every wrestling fan should see.
#1 Sting vs. Nature Boy Ric Flair: Clash of the Champions I
In 1988, the WWE prepared to offer Wrestlemania IV, featuring a tournament to determine a new WWE World Champion. On the same night, Jim Crockett Promotions aired the first-ever NWA Clash of the Champions live and free on the TBS Network.
The main event of the first Clash featured Ric Flair vs. Sting for the NWA World Championship. A match stipulation had judges at ringside, so that a winner would still be determined even if the match went to a time limit draw.
Sting is honestly pretty raw and green at this stage of his career, but Ric Flair does an excellent job of covering up the Stinger's shortcomings in this fierce clash. While many believe this was their first match, they actually faced each other before but the bout was not televised in its entirety.
In the final moments of the match, Sting had Flair trapped in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Flair manages to hang on without submitting until the time limit expires. The judges at ringside render a split decision, awarding the bout to Flair.
Why this is a must-see match: This is the genesis of Sting, the match that made him a main event star. While Sting is green at this stage, you can see that he will become great.