WWE Hall of Famer reveals why Sting dropped the Surfer gimmick

WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff recently revealed that movie roles prompted Sting to drop his popular gimmick back in the day.

During his long and illustrious career, Sting brought numerous changes to his character. One of the most intriguing gimmicks was his Surfer character which helped him become the face of WCW. Despite its rising popularity, Sting decided to switch it up with a gimmick inspired by The Crow.

With his colorful outfits and matching face paint the “surfer”Sting was WCW’s top babyface while feuding with the likes of Rick Rude, Ric Flair, Cactus Jack, The Great Muta and Vader before reinventing himself as the “Crow” Sting in the battle against the NWO pic.twitter.com/t7wUs7yRxC

— SnarkmarkDusty (@SnarkmarkD) July 8, 2021

Speaking on the latest episode of the 83 Weeks Podcast, Eric Bischoff discussed numerous topics, most notably why Sting stopped dying his hair blonde. The former WCW president stated that Sting believed that having blonde hair would prevent him from getting movie roles:

“[Sting] wanted to do movies. I was the executive producer of Stings’ very first movie called The Real Reason Men Commit Crimes. I put the deal together and made it happen with Turner and funded it. Sting was taking acting lessons right around this time and working in that direction. Sting made up his mind, he didn’t want that blonde hair because you can’t get a movie, you can’t get a T.V. role with that look so he wanted more versatility,” Eric Bischoff said (H/T- WrestlingInc).

As the Surfer character, Sting became the biggest babyface in WCW. Even though it was hard for fans to see the WCW legend dropping that gimmick, it eventually paved the way for him to adapt to the Vigilante Crow persona. Had Sting stuck to the same Surfer gimmick, people wouldn't have witnessed his storyline with the NWO, which still gives fans goosebumps to this day.

What's next for Sting in AEW?

A look at how Sting’s debut on Dynamite came to be, and why he is a better fit in AEW than he ever was in WWEhttps://t.co/PWrL6Oj8tV

— Justin Barrasso (@JustinBarrasso) December 8, 2020

AEW's Sting and Darby Allin are engaged in a heated rivalry with 'Men of the Year' Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky. Both teams even wrestled at the Double or Nothing event, which saw the WCW legend deliver a stunning performance to seal the victory for his team.

Since then, the storyline has shifted towards Darby Allin and Ethan Page, as both men will collide in a coffin match next week.

Goosebump moment. @sting#AEWDoN pic.twitter.com/858QH0eMrz

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 31, 2021

The WCW legend may physically get involved in the match if Scorpio Sky interferes. As far as Sting's next official match is concerned, fans will have to wait until the next pay-per-view to see the Icon step inside the ring one more time.

Did you like Sting's surfer gimmick? Sound off in the comment section below.