Top 8 Favorite Sting PPV Matches

As I was looking for a topic to do for this week, I was looking for something that could tie into the Road to WrestleMania. Struggling to find something, I decided to do a PPV match spotlight on the Hall of Fame headliner this year. Sting has many nicknames, including "The Icon" and "The Franchise." He was the man that carried the WCW banner throughout the '90s and is one of the most recognizable names and faces in wrestling for the last 30 years. To celebrate his legendary career, I'm looking at my favorite 8 PPV matches to feature The Stinger. Just for the record, I'm not counting any Clash of the Champions specials, since those were broadcast on television for free. It's the equivalent of a PPV match on an episode of Monday Night RAW, it just wouldn't make much sense in context with how I like to do my lists. But this list was a very challenging one to do, since Sting had wrestled nearly everyone in WCW. It's about looking at his greatest rivalries and career highlights, as well as the matches that kept me the most entertained. That being said, you'll notice in this list I have a stronger favoritism towards the Surfer Sting look than I do the Crow Sting, simply based on the match quality. When Crow Sting showed up, the roster on WCW was nowhere near as talented or near his level like it was in the late '80s and early '90s. That in mind, it's showtime so let's look at the 8 best PPV matches of The Man They Call Sting.


Number 8: Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting (Starrcade 1997)

The only appearance from Crow Sting on this list, this spot is given out of sheer principle for how big this moment was for WCW. This match was the big payoff for over a year's worth of buildup and the first time Sting wrestled in a year. Sting was WCW's last chance at standing up to the nWo heading into the match, and you can feel the audience really waiting to see these two go at it. The match is a bit lackluster in some respects and the ending is pretty badly handled, but this was the biggest moment for Sting's transformation into this new character. It's the biggest moment this new look of his would ever have and it's worth mentioning as one of WCW's most iconic matchups during the era of the Monday Night Wars.

Number 7: The Road Warriors vs. Sting and Dusty Rhodes (Starrcade 1988)

Another memorable Starrcade match in Sting's career involved him teaming with The American Dream to get revenge on The Road Warriors. As far as tag matches go, it's a good match with an ending I can't stand. But you can't deny just how much the crowd was behind Sting and Dusty Rhodes. These are two of the greatest babyface wrestlers in history teaming up to take on one of the most decorated tag teams in history. It's a recipe for a fantastic tag team encounter and it has aged pretty well by today's standards. It just all comes back to that ending that puts it this high. Trust me, if a decisive finish would've happened, this would be much higher because the formula works.

Number 6: Sting vs. Vader (Starrcade 1992)

Man, the guy really knew how to work matches at Starrcade. And how could he not? This was WCW's equivalent to WrestleMania, so you can imagine Sting always had the mentality to kick it up a notch in his matches. At this Starrcade, Sting had the opportunity to win the King of Cable Tournament by defeating Big Van Vader. Of course, this tournament didn't go down in the annals of history like the King of the Ring, but the focus here is mainly on the match. Vader was always one of Sting's greatest opponents and this match is pure action and intensity throughout. You can always hear the crowd rally behind Sting as he would show feats of strengths against the physically imposing Vader. The two just went together really well in the ring and this match served as the biggest spotlight for their feud.

Number 5: Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard vs. Sting and Nikita Koloff (The Great American Bash 1988)

Most of what I had to say about the previous tag match is relevant here, but cranked up to a much higher voltage. You can't talk about Sting's career without mentioning his long feud with The Four Horsemen, and this tag match is one of the greatest matches he had against the legendary stable. Everyone in the crowd is behind him and Nikita Koloff to win the tag titles, leading to epic boos for the Horsemen and electrifying pops for the babyfaces. The ending, while a bit of a letdown, also tells an incredible story and the commentary from Jim Ross really paints the picture of how important time is, and how a championship can be lost in a matter of moments. A really stellar effort on all involved.

Number 4: The Steiner Brothers vs. Sting and Lex Luger (SuperBrawl I)

By now, you can see that Sting was a tag team specialist in some regards. His most famous tag team partner was probably Lex Luger and this was their best tag team match on PPV. For 10 minutes, it's just pure action between the two teams, momentum constantly switching. All 4 men look strong in this match, and there's a little bit of shenanigans at the very end but it really works for the match, especially in the Sting component. This run in moment had context heading into the match, but it changes the outcome of the match, and leads to a future storyline with Sting. That's fantastic long-term booking if I've ever seen.

Number 3: Ric Flair vs. Sting (The Great American Bash 1990)

Any time you win a major World Heavyweight Championship, it's going to be considered a career highlight. Sting's strongest title win came in a classic match with one of his most famed opponents, Ric Flair. The Stinger and The Nature Boy have had many great matches together, but I really felt this was the most crucial match in Sting's career on a booking standpoint. Keep in mind, had I decide to include Clash of the Champions, their match that really put Sting on the map would've probably clinched the top spot. It's THAT good. But, as far as PPV matches go, this served as a huge passing the torch moment. The commentary said it best. Flair was the top superstar of the '80s and Sting was the guy that would be carrying WCW throughout the '90s. The result is one of the most important matches in The Icon's career, and I very much appreciate it.

Number 2: Sting vs. Cactus Jack (Beach Blast 1992)

I knew this match was good, but I didn't know it was THAT good. In a matchup that came out of nowhere for me, Sting went up against Cactus Jack in a Falls Count Anywhere match. At the time, Sting was the World Heavyweight Champion and this was a non-title match. For a nice little match, this has fantastic quality to it. It took a man the crowd could get behind like Sting and put him in an environment that his opponent was best known for. You'd expect it to probably be a pure hardcore brawl, but Sting knew how to bring the fight to the ring and add some actual wrestling to it, blending the two styles spectacularly. It's a great Mick Foley match. It's a great Sting match. It's a great match, period.

Number 1: Sting's Squadron vs. The Dangerous Alliance (WrestleWar 1992)

But the crowning PPV moment in Sting's career was in the famed WarGames match against the Dangerous Alliance. I'm not normally big on this gimmick match. I'm more of a Hell in a Cell guy personally, but this match really had me hooked. The components for it were just too good to pass up on. For starters, the Dangerous Alliance is possibly the most underrated stable ever. Managed by Paul Heyman, featuring Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, and Bobby Eaton, this stable came to win against Sting's Squadron, comprised of The Stinger himself, Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, and Nikita Koloff. There's never a dull moment in the match, at least 4 competitors bleed buckets, and it features a stacked roster of the best competitors WCW had to offer at the time. It's a match that just screams instant classic and one I can revisit over and over.

Are there any that I'm forgetting? Is there one on this list that you think isn't deserving of a top spot? Well, let me know in the comments and also suggest what type of wrestling countdown you'd like to see me do next.


All rights and images are copyrighted and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment