Sting's Best WCW Matches

Publish date: 2024-05-07

Sting is one of the most legendary stars to have ever graced the professional wrestling world, and he is a rare case of someone who achieved timeless stardom almost exclusively outside of WWE. He rose to prominence in NWA and WCW, becoming one of the leading stars of the 1980s and 1990s. During his time in WCW he had several great matches, and TheSportster’s rating system will determine which of these are the very best of the best.

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These ratings will also be compared to those from cagematch.net and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

To learn more about how we rank wrestling matches on TheSportster, please check out our match ranking criteria guide here.

10 Sting Vs. Ric Flair (WCW Starrcade 1989)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.25/10

Close

Storytelling

2/2.5

Technical Ability

1.75/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

1.5/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2/2.5

Sting & Ric Flair clashed at Starrcade as part of the Iron Man tournament, and after both competing earlier in the night, their tiredness was on show and it did slow things down. There was a nice callback as Sting won the match out of nowhere - something which Flair did in one of his matches earlier on in the night, which added to the storytelling. The action was good although some bits did feel rushed at times. It wasn’t their best match together, but it was still a strong showing.

9 Sting, Brian Pillman, & The Steiners Vs. Four Horsemen & Larry Zybyzko (WCW WrestleWar 1991)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

Close

Storytelling

2/2.5

Technical Ability

1.75/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2.25/2.5

Crowd Reaction

1.75/2.5

Sting was involved in a few WarGames matches in the early 1990s, many of which are considered to be among the greatest of all time. Although Sting played a strong role in this match, this was memorable thanks to the inclusion and performance of Brian Pillman. He flew across the ring, jumped from the cage, and showed an unmatched babyface fire and passion to get the crowd pumped up to add so much energy to this match. In some ways, this match does feel a little overrated overall due to the slower portions and the repetitive and characterless brawling.

8 Sting Vs. Ric Flair (WCW Saturday Night 08/21/1993)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

Close

Storytelling

1.75/2.5

Technical Ability

1.75/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2.25/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2/2.5

Sting & Ric Flair are both iconic rivals and tag team partners, though it must be said their list of classic matches in WCW isn’t extensive. This match is arguably up there with their best ever one together, and it came on free TV on WCW Saturday Night! The slower pace allowed for more character work and psychology, and it didn’t affect how well the match connected with the audience. Sting’s babyface performance was great, though it must be said that Sid’s interference in the finish was a poor decision and left the match on somewhat of a dud despite everything which came before it being great.

7 Sting Vs. Ric Flair (WCW Great American Bash 1990)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

Close

Storytelling

2.5/2.5

Technical Ability

1.5/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

1.75/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2.25/2.5

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Sting’s babyface aura heading into this match was untouchable, and this blow-off between two friends turned enemies did carry the electricity of WWE’s Mega Powers storyline. Sting finally overcame Flair and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a great moment. Sting’s allies fending off the Four Horsemen made for a strong plot point, as the story carried this one. The in-ring action itself wasn’t actually too special, but the occasion allowed this to still thrive. The crowd was hugely invested and went crazy for Sting’s comebacks and the result.

6 Sting Vs. Cactus Jack (WCW Beach Blast 1992)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

Close

Storytelling

1.75/2.5

Technical Ability

1.75/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2.25/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2.25/2.5

At Beach Blast 1992, Sting and Cactus Jack went to war in a Falls Count Anywhere match, and the stipulation made for some chaos and brawling. The question will always be posed as to why there were no mats protecting the concrete outside of the ring, but this did add so much more authenticity to some of the spots taken in this brutal match. At the time, much of this was new to the WCW audience and they reacted with shock at some of the violence they saw. Cactus Jack looked like a much bigger star coming out of this, looking fearless and dangerous. Perhaps the one downside was an underwhelming finish, as the end came out of nowhere.

5 Sting & Lex Luger Vs. The Steiner Brothers (WCW SuperBrawl 1)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

Storytelling

2.25/2.5

Technical Ability

2/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2/2.5

The WCW World Tag Team Championships were on the line at SuperBrawl as The Steiner Brothers defended their belts against Sting & Lex Luger. This may have only lasted for just over ten minutes, but the four men managed to fit a lot in to make this a memorable tag team match. There was a very unique dynamic as both teams entered the match as allies, but as the shackles were shaken off and the match escalated, they began to hit each other with their best shots as the action got more physical and relentless. The pacing of the match ended up being breakneck, and it was great! The distraction interference felt a little lazy, taking away from what was a wonderful tag team encounter.

4 Sting Vs. Big Van Vader (WCW SuperBrawl 3)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10

Close

Storytelling

2.25/2.5

Technical Ability

2/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2.25/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2/2.5

The feud between Sting & Big Van Vader escalated to the point where they battled in a strap match at SuperBrawl 3. The entire match just saw these two men beat the hell out of each other, and the strap felt like a brutal weapon in their hands. This followed the “four corners” gimmick of the strap match, but they used Vader’s size advantage over Sting to create a strong dynamic and story. The visuals of both men bloody was fantastic, though like some other matches on this list, a screwy and underwhelming finish got in the way of it being even better.

3 Sting Vs. Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Nitro 04/26/1999)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

Storytelling

2/2.5

Technical Ability

2/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2.25/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2.5/2.5

This great match took place on free TV as Sting ousted Diamond Dallas Page as the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Although this would be undone later in the night, in a vacuum this proved to be a pretty good moment. Sting’s performance was top tier here, showcasing his range of great skills in the ring, running circles around DDP. As the match progressed, the pacing was fast, and the crowd went wild for the many great near-falls and exciting sprint towards the finish. A truly brilliant match that is unfortunately tainted by Sting losing the title by the end of the night.

2 Sting Vs. Big Van Vader (WCW Starrcade 1992)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10

Close

Storytelling

2.5/2.5

Technical Ability

2/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2.25/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2.25/2.5

Sting & Big Van Vader had many great matches together, showcasing incredible chemistry and perfecting the monster heel vs. fiery underdog babyface formula. This clash at Starrcade 1992 was arguably their best against each other.

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With no title on the line, this focused on their rivalry and feud with one another, and it made for a brilliant match. It was a very stiff and hard-hitting encounter, and Sting gradually wearing down the bigger man made for a strong story, and it led to Vader getting worn out and making mistakes, allowing Sting to pull out the victory.

1 Sting’s Squadron Vs. The Dangerous Alliance (WCW WrestleWar 1992)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10

Close

Storytelling

2.25/2.5

Technical Ability

2/2.5

Character Work/Psychology

2.5/2.5

Crowd Reaction

2.5/2.5

Sting’s greatest match in WCW came at WrestleWar 1992 inside the WarGames structure in what was one of, if not the best War Games match of all time. Sting’s gang of babyfaces took on the Four Horsemen in a chaotic, violent, wonderful match full of old school brawling and hard-hitting action. There was a lot of blood and the crowd was invested in every second of this. It didn’t drag on for too long at just over 20 minutes, ensuring that the match delivered and never tired.

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