Jumped The Shark Week: Sting

In honor of Shark Week still existing, I will be discussing moments in certain wrestler’s careers where they “Jumped The Shark” (no, not John Tenta) and lost my interest.

First up: Sting.

As a kid Sting caught my eye with two things. His charisma and his good guy attitude. He always stood up to the bad guys. With amazing face paint that changed every week and gaudy ring jackets, he would come out every week and captivate me. When the New World Order showed up on the scene I knew that he would take them down, even if WCW had turned it’s back on him.

As a kid I could not fathom Sting turning heel and joining them. I would have probably joined a gang and broke light bulbs on various streets around town leading to a life of crime and drugs if he had joined them at this time. Much to my liking, Sting beat Hogan at Starrcade, hijinks ensue, but in my eyes Sting was on top of the world but could he go higher than this? No.

Time goes by, people get older, the New World Order splits into two factions. The Wolfpack, with one of the great themes songs of wrestling, became the good guys of the two groups, although they still weren’t boy scouts by any means. NWO Hollywood and The Wolfpack both began vying for Sting but he wouldn’t join either side, would he? Sting wearing any form of NWO insignia would be against everything he ever fought for, right? As a kid these were my thoughts. Then that night came.

Sting came out in an NWO Hollywood shirt only to rip it off to reveal a NWO Wolfpack shirt. My heart sank. While they weren’t necessarily the bad guys they were still the NWO. The very thing he reached his peak fighting against. Knowing what I know now Sting would never be as interesting as he was leading up to Starrcade ’97.

Him joining The Wolfpack, to me, was when Sting jumped the shark.