Say what you will about RoboCop, he's the only partner Sting ever had who didn't betray him.

The thing I love about Joker Sting is how straight TNA played it. Like, it wasn’t them going “We’re seeing a crazy unpredictable side of Sting!” It was just “Sting is The Joker now. Enjoy”

“We just wanted Sting vs Taker, Vince!” Truer words have have been been spoken

i was gonna say the jeff hardy incident but that was more embarrassing for jeff, sting handled that like a pro

I'm glad that you put in that everyone turns on Sting. The only wrestler more unlucky than him was Tommy Dreamer

The Wolfpac was such a tough one for me. I loved all the guys in it, but I just hated the faction in general. Sting in any incarnation of the nWo just seemed wrong too. Always felt like Sting, DDP, Bret, and Goldberg should have been the WCW guys and finally pull the rest of the roster together to tear apart the nWo when it was time.

I LOVED Joker Sting so much, but I completely respect your reasoning. I just think Heath Ledger Joker is such an essential part of pop culture now it can never be "played out".

I remember watched Starrcade 97 live, and the energy got sucked out of the room the moment that 3-count happened. It was a normal 3-count, sure Hogan was lightly "checking Sting's oil" but that finish was horrid. Sting's WWE run had a similar trajectory, started out white hot and failed due to politics in the end (the Triple H mania match). Two slam dunk matches for Sting with two very disappointing outcomes. Actually, given this video set...what if Robocop had come down to help Sting against DX and Triple H at Mania...

Jeff Hardy embarrassing him at Victory Road and dealing with Robocop have to be my favorite infamous moments.

I became a wrestling fan in the late 2000s and only really started caring again in 2016, at the end of Sting's wwe run. I've seen more of him on AEW than anywhere else. But I have gone back and watched his older stuff. Him and Luger have become 2 of my all-time favorite wrestlers because of it. Seeing him take a victory lap in AEW, completely overshadowing his time in WWE has been a blessing. Sting never politiced, never complained, never had a major scandle, and is liked by everyone. He is the rare wrestler who was just a likeable guy who earned his way to the top. It's exceptionally rare for someone like him to have been so successful, especially in the 90s. He had to put up with Hogan, Flair, and Nash for almost a decade. Had to deal with shitty writing and booking in WCW's dying days but his star power never faded. He was just that damn good

How the hell is Vampiro v Sting not on this list? Sting walking around for weeks not showering and keeping that fake blood all over him? For some reason? Drugged up Vampiro setting Sting on fire and Sting just…letting it go? Fire-Russo-clap-clap-clapclapclap This should’ve easily taken the Joker Sting spot.

I’d have also put Shockmaster’s debut in the honorable mentions

No one admits it, but "Joker" Sting was actually "Jim Carrey Riddler" Sting. Not his finest hour.

OK, I know that Michael Cole was just being fed an awful line by Vince but "This is what it's like Sting"...as if Sting is some rookie who hadn't been pretty much everywhere, done everything and been a main eventer for pretty much his entire wrestling career.

They had the real resolution of the entire nWo saga RIGHT THERE: Sting joins the Wolfpac to create a conduit between it and WCW, with the Wolfpac and WCW combining forces to finally end the nWo once and for all after Nash realizes it needed to die. Would've been a great, high-stakes War Games, but instead, FINGERPOKE. (Also the red facepaint was good)

Kinda crazy how two of Sting’s worst moments including winning major championships.

I hate that Sting was made to look so weak after Starrcade 97. He went from being able to beat up the NWO by himself to failing to beat a near 50 year old Macho Man Randy Savage. What a joke.

If it wasn't for TNA, I would've never seen Sting, and I'm glad I did. I loved Sting, true legend.

To this day I still cannot understand how TNA sent Jeff out there at all. I never got why they didn't keep him backstage, say he was attacked and cannot compete, and send out literally ANYONE ELSE to have a quick main event. Sting had to have been feuding with someone else besides just Hardy, no?

I think WM31 was frustrating for the fans because it felt like Vince & Triple Hs last "F**k You" to WCW. HHH didnt need the win or to show him up with the terminator entrance.

I think the worst for me is forcing Sting to represent WCW as if they don't want us to remember that the Invation stuff ever happened just because they finally got Sting

HHH going over Sting at Mania in his WWE debut match felt like a personal insult.

Shawn Daivari said on Art Of Wrestling with Colt Cabana that 2010s TNA was such a weird time capsule between Joker Sting from The Dark Knight and Robbie E’s Jersey Shore run

So you're saying their was definitely a few moments in his career that Sting-ed? I'll show myself out

Love you Brian. I've had a very shitty last few weeks & your uploads have given me something to look forward to.

HH went into business for himself and told Nick Patrick to count normal. HH has said this in the past, and then backtracked on it.

Joker Sting was a ton of fun I loved it tbh.

The Wolfpac was the best thing, WCW had turned on him too much, and Luger showed Sting that he could battle nWo Hollywood with them without having to worry about WCW leaving him behind.

It's gotta be Victory Road 2011. To Have your main event match ( Sting vs Jeff Hardy) end in under 1 minute due to Jeff Hardy being high as kite has to be the worst. Seriously you could see the disappointment on Stings face like he robbed the fans of a main event yet it wasn't his fault.

His match against Triple H at Wrestlemania is definitely a sign of disaster. It really make no sense that the NWO came to his aid against DX, and of course he lost to Triple H. The guy who beaten former WCW guys during his reign of terror as World Champion.

Yeah, watching that match between Sting and Hogan made me feel awkward deep down The match restarting even though Sting got pinned for a clean 3 count was super bizarre

Most people know all of sting's partners turn on him, but they often forget he started it all when he broke up The Police.

His 2015 match against Seth Rollins probably deserves mentioning given that the match was what we thought was Sting's last match due to that horrifying injury due to the Buckle Bomb. Or maybe you can just add his entire WWE run.

The whole Robocop moment was pretty silly. But I know the most disappointing to me was his WWE run especially his match at WrestleMania with HHH

Sid wearing trunks and knee pads with no boots on the beach was hilarious looking😂

Its amazing that sting became probably the most beloved wrestling icon, despite being repeatedly screwed by creative.

I’m gonna defend that Flair turn at Halloween Havoc. Was watching religiously at the time and conventional wrestling storytelling would’ve had Flair actually hold up his end of the bargain and gain Sting’s trust at the end of the day. I did not see that shit coming at all given the build, and it might be one of the more shocking turns I can remember.

Flair's Halloween Havoc 1995 turn on Sting is still one of the funniest bits of wrestling to ever exist.

8. Joker Sting was awesome 6. Mini movies were hilarious 5. The Sting "I agree" on the ramp after the match was pretty revealing 4. Red and Black was my favorite. Whether it made logical sense or not. It was the closest we ever got to an outgoing Sting and Wolfpac is my favorite group. 2. The NWO vs DX bit(Nash faking a quad injury was great) was awesome but him losing was dumb especially since he lost via weapon and then shaking hands. At least have the "faces" stand tall at the end or something. 1. Meh. I didn't care how it happened but finally ending Hogan's reign(minus the Luger Nitro to Road Wild reign) was awesome and with all the ways Hogan/NWO won by cheating he deserved to lose and the Bret preventing another screw job was a good story. I was already used to overbooked WCW main events it would have more surprising if it was a clean win.

Joker sting was amazing , sting loved it and im pretty sure it was his idea and was the best thing on tna at the time

The commentary during Sting vs Triple H lets you known how petty Vince is.

I cant fathom the hate that the Wolfpack gets. When it was happening everybody and their mom had the red and black on. Literally my all time favorite faction.

Funny story - Sting was the first wrestler I ever had a dream about.

I really never had a beef with Sting losing at WM 31... He was what, 56?? It's not like HHH "Buried a young and promising talent". On top of that, it was an overbooked (fun) mess, and it could have gone one way or the other. It just never bothered me.

I would say that despite my nostalgia for Seek and Destroy, my most embarrassing memory for Sting has to be late WCW when he was feuding with Vampiro and all the stupid booking by Vince Russo. I felt so bad for the guy. He had stayed loyal to the company through some tough years, right up to the end and they rewarded him with some booking that rivalled Tony Khan’s work in AEW.

While part of me enjoyed the idea of DX vs. nWo in the Triple H vs. Sting match, it felt very hollow and had this bitterness about it especially when Triple H won

I may be remembering this wrong, but I believe Sting said that he just felt bad for Jeff and really loved him and his work. If so, I can understand knowing what Sting went through early in life. While it was a crap situation, Sting really did seem like a super great guy and handled it like a true professional. He may seem like a disappointed dad, but it's because he cares.

I'll be completely honest here: As someone for whom Sting isn't necessarily in his Top 10 of all time (still hold a ton of respect for him), I've always felt the most invested and entertained by his Joker Era. A ton of fun character work. Although I absolutely see your reasoning on this Gimmick, Brian.

Joker Sting was a perfect fit for TNA at the time and fun to watch too.

IT'S STINNNNGGGGGGG!

Joker sting was an absolute hoot! Loved that version and it didn’t outstay its welcome, served its purpose and then made went away, a rare case of the Bischoff era telling a story and not overdoing it or botching it completely

"I might get some pushback for this one" Joker Sting was so damn great and the best part of Impact for a long while.

Oh come on joker sting was literally the best thing on tna at that time

I’ll be shocked if Darby doesn’t eventually turn on Sting

While I don’t think Sting in the Wolfpac was his worst time, I will say the red face paint mad him look like an embarrassed mime.

I think the reason Sting lets himself get betrayed all the time is because he is such a good guy, he will give his enemies infinite chance to change

Maybe Sting losing his WrestleMania debut? That was pretty bad.

As a massive Raven & Billy Kidman fan, can I request we have Flocktober? Would be fitting for spooky season and all🐈‍⬛

Damn, Zane. No "Top 8 Best Moments of Sting's Career" video next week? Oh well, I'm always intrigued when Brian Zane says,"And this week, I'm gonna rank 'em ( 0:58 )". :)

Sting's entire So-Called WWF Run late 2014- Night Of Champions 2015

Shocking to me that Jeff Hardy ever had a career to go back to post Victory Road. I appreciate that addiction is hell and it's best not to treat addicts like criminals or failures, but at the same time Jeff's one night of recklessness discredited an entire roster/company for a decade, which inadvertently robbed people of their check or their push.

To me, as a 90’s kid, golden/attitude era wrestling fan, Sting joining the NWO is the #1 “worst of Sting” moment by far

I may be in the minority, but “Stupid Sting” is one of my all time favorite characters. Fall Brawl 95 being the Magnum Opus.

I still think Sting looks like buff Jim Carrey, and Joker Sting just amplifies how goofy he can be, like Carrey

Apart from the condescension of the WWE commentators, and Hunter going over, I really enjoyed Sting's Wrestlemania match. Logic be dammed. In a career spanning four decades, there are bound to be many low points. But Sting's longevity is incredible. Especially his AEW run, it's 2023 and just a few weeks ago Sting was wrestling in front of 80,000 people at Wembley, and putting on the kind of performance no 60 year old should be capable of, yet he is.

Can anyone recommend Sting's best matches? I never saw him as a great ring worker, but I've heard from other people that he was actually pretty solid. I've heard he had some great matches in Japan, so I'd like some suggestions of what to look up.

I feel like most ppl including myself love the concept of Sting from his early WCW days with his goth aesthetic, silent aura & ambiguity that provided great tension for stories, more than his evolution since then. ofc he's still loved & appreciated for his longevity and what he adds to shows but the character could have been greater if it maintained consistency of its origin. I'm not a fan of his evolution, He quickly went from being the silent, lone rebel with his own agenda against power hungry alliances and their lack of morality to joining forces w/ factions, abandoning everything the character stood for, along with his supernatural presentation and virtuous intentions. I give him credit for trying to change up and try something different but they never felt natural & definitive, they were just your everyday gimmick changes. Its why I feel a feud w/ The Undertaker probably wouldn't be as great as we think it would be. Though they're 2 icons The Undertaker built a legacy & aura from decades of adding layers to the character, only refreshing his look but never his purpose. Even the American Badass ended up adding another layer to The Phenom when he was buried alive. So I think Taker would completely overshadow Sting who has gone through refreshes and inconsistent character developments, that often deviated or was a complete flip flop from his origin. The match sounds like a dream in concept but in reality I don't think Sting could add as much dimension or nuance as The Undertaker, he has a lot more to work with.

The mini-movie for Beach Blast 93 was the moment that made me finally admit that wrestling was...not as real as I had always believed it to be. Kayfabe died for me that day...

WCW botching the Sting vs. Hogan feud will never not be astounding to me.

I actually like Joker Sting. It lets him cut loose and harass Hogan.

When it comes to Joker Sting there are just two sides: "It makes no sense. I hate it" or "It makes no sense. I love it"

It was supposed to be Al Perez as The Black Scorpion. When he found out he’d have to lose and be unmasked, he quit WCW.

i just think its always a shame, when youve got a great performer like Sting, who was never really given a chance to Shine because the other guys were too busy hogging the spotlight...like, if Hulk Hogan never went to WCW, or if TripleH never got his push, then Sting couldve easily been "the face" of both franchises...but in THIS particular timeline, Sting was just a step or two behind, and that offsync led to being booked in matches like Hogan '97 or Hardy '11...in an alternate universe, i think Sting couldve ended Undertaker's WM Streak...i think Sting couldve seen John Cena...i think Sting couldve been cookin what the Rock was smellin...but "Couldve" is a pretty dangerous word sometimes...

Sting's loss to Triple H at number 2 feels widely out of place compared to the rest of this, like not even close.

I will argue Wolfpac Sting. As a 5 yo that look was amazing to me! It was a great vibe and somethin different. Sting had to switch it up. You can’t be the silent crow forever. Granted his matches were dirt and his star power dipped. It was a cool aesthetic.

I remember being so hyped that Sting was joining the wolfpac. Then he came out with the red paint, his character changed and he didn't do much. I grew to hate it and was happy when he went back to the black and white. Also Flair stabbing Sting in the back for like the 4th time at Halloween Havoc 95 had me in hysterics. Yeah Sting looked really dumb by that point.

I think Sting's defection to the Wolfpac can be justified as, ever since being betrayed by WCW in 1996, Sting's fight against the nWo was never about saving WCW, but about beating those who put dirt on his name. And during the Wolfpac vs Hollywood phase, everybody, fans included, knew how ineffective WCW was. So Sting had the choice between staying with people he hated and were losing, joining other people he and the fans hated or joining the third group of people he hated, but the fans liked. There was no right answer, so he might as well go for the pop.

There is no reason for Sting vs Triple H to be on this list LET ALONE NUMBER 2!!!!. Like wow really.... its not like storyline wise he recruited the NWO to be his back up. And it's not his fault WWE built the match as WCW vs WWE nearly 15 years after WCW died. The match was good. It was Stings first match in WWE. It was definitely a spectacle.

If non-kayfabe moments count, could Sting's role in accidentally ending Rick Rude's in-ring career be on the list?

Hhh vs Sting was such a heartbreak! It proved that Sting was valid in his apprehensions all along about not joining WWE!

Sting joining the Wolf pack and changing his face red was just odd, considering how he spent literal years feuding with the nWo, him joining any variation of it would just be kind of dumb. Controversial opinion, I've never been the highest on Sting. I recognize his status as legend and I think the year long build up and early Crow stuff was great, but idk, something about him never clicked for me. Like HHH, he always seemed like a step below the other greats of his time and after.

Definitely disagree with number 8. It was a good change for a little while in my opinion

Have to agree on Joker Sting. The Crow was a cult hit but not really a widely known character. He definitely took inspiration from it, but I wouldn't call it a rip off. Joker Sting is a direct take(you could say rip off) of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. It wasn't an homage, it was a direct copy. While it did show us a different side of Sting which was cool, it came off like he was trying to directly copy a successful character...which he was.

Sting and Jake the Snake. That rivalry lasted all but one match in a coal miners glove match where Jake was pretending the snake was biting him

His entire AEW run

1. getting completely buried by HHH at Wrestlemania looking like a clown (WWE) 2. begging "Hogan, help me!!!" (TNA) 3. the Robocop stuff (WCW)

I would have had Robocop saving him as the worst moment.

With Robocop, they should've had him drive a cop car down the ramp & smash through the side of the steel cage later in the show. Bonus points that his legs wouldn't even be on camera for this.

I’m more of a casual fan, but Sting vs Triple H was a great moment. A this is awesome chant, several huge pops, and just all the nostalgia.

After his match with Luger, and Svage against the Outsiders. When they were beating up Savage at the end, with Hogan leg dropping him and Sting just kept getting knocked out of the ring by Hall every time he tried to help, when he finally crawled into the ring to pull Savage out, he looked so defeated. But more then that, he was made literally irrelevant in that moment. The Franchise of WCW became a nothing. I know it led to him becoming a megastar with the crow make over, so it turned out ok, but that moment? Oof.

You crazy, Joker Sting made perfect sense, unlike Foley. Surfer Sting = naive youth, Crow Sting =Jaded Adult, Joker Sting = His Middle-aged and crazy phase.

Let’s not forget Sting was involved in that horrible chamber of horrors match at Halloween Havoc 1991

I loved Joker Sting! It refreshed him at a time where he needed it and it was obvious that he was enjoying the role too. It's a shame it was short lived.

Sting and Prince Nana was hilarious

That red paint alone was his worse and my depressed moment

30 year old Steve: "Why would the NWO help Sting, that doesn't make sense?" 12 year old Steve: "HOLY SHIT IT'S THE NWO!!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!"

Hang on. How did him ending Rick Rude's career not make the list? And before anyone jumps down my throat, yes it was an accident, and yes these things happen. But that has to be one of the worst moments of Sting's career.

I saw this and immediately thought, "Alright, Zane's gone off the deep end"... Watching the video anyway 🤣

14:10 "Pride & Survival" would be a killer PPV name.

Sting Vs Triple H should of been the final matchup for W31. It also should of been an iconic trilling match up like Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker at W25