10 things you probably didn't know about Sting

Sting’s WWE debut was an iconic moment that was awaited by pro wrestling fans for more than a decade. Ever since WCW went out of business, the fans were desperate to see him in Vince McMahon’s promotion. But for one reason or the other, it all ended up being a bit more delayed than it should have been.The wait, however, was worth it and at the end of the day, the fans got to see an excellent bout between Sting and Triple H (even though it was a bit overbooked). The best part about all this is: there is still some fuel left in the icon. We might get to see him once again in WWE’s squared circle. But before that, let’s take a look at some of the lesser known things about the legend.

#10 Sting is a former bodybuilder

Believe it or not, Sting was not interested in becoming a professional wrestler. He didnt have access to any television in his early days and it apparently kept him away from the wrestling business.

At the same time, he was someone who excelled in Basketball and Football before ending up as a bodybuilder. His bodybuilding career saw him own a health club of the famous Gold's Gym chain, but all of that changed when he went to watch wrestling event in Los Angeles.

He was immediately impressed by the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and the British Bulldogs and decided that it was the career path he wanted on the longer run.

#9 He was Flash

Almost all the professional wrestlers out there have had some ridiculous names at some point of their career and Sting was no different. Before he became Sting, he wrestled under the name of ‘Flash’ in the Continental wrestling association back in the late 80s.

He was teamed up with a similarly built wrestler (We’ll get to that soon) and together they were part of Team USA. Despite his brilliance in the ring and charisma filled performance, Sting’s career in the CWA never took off and he soon jumped ships to Universal Wrestling Federation along with his partner.

He changed his name from Flash to Sting in UWF and the rest, as you know is history.

#8 His Blade Runner Partner

A lot of people might be wondering who his partner mentioned in the earlier slide was. The guy wrestled under the name of Jim ‘Justice’ Hellwig back in CWA (where Sting was known as Flash). Their tag team had an uneventful run in the promotion and just like Sting’s luck changed after UWF, so did Hellwig’s.

He changed the name to Rock in UWF and together, Sting and Rock ended up being ‘The Blade Runners’. Hellwig however soon got a call from WWF and he did not hesitate even a bit before accepting it. WWF took him and turned him into a major star. Still wondering who he is? He is The Ultimate Warrior.

#7 He was a victim of substance abuse

Wrestlers struggling with steroid, alcohol and drug abuse is not a rare sight in the wrestling business and Sting was also a victim of this. He was known to use steroids during his bodybuilding days as mentioned earlier and once he got into the wrestling business, he had a battle with alcohol and painkiller addiction as well.

The addictions of Sting soon resulted in a failed marriage and Sting was struggling personally despite his professional career going strong. After a lot of help from his family members, Sting finally overcame his demons and managed to put a hold on his addictions in 1998, how? That story deserves a new slide.

#6 And a missionary in his church

What stopped Sting’s addictions was his discovery of God and this apparently helped him to change his life into a more ‘moral’ path. Despite his dark character, Sting went on to be a hardcore Christian and was even a missionary in his church.

Sting went on to host the famous ‘Praise the Lord’ Show in TBN on three separate occasions and tried to promote what he learnt whenever he got the chance to. Things might have toned down a bit recently, but Sting is still a Christian by beliefs and he never rode back to the path that almost destroyed him back in the 90s. His beliefs, however, were a big loss for the wrestling fans. Why? You will find out.

#5 Sting was in the main event of the first and last WCW Nitro

Sting is sure to be a mainstay in the discussion which involves WCW. He was one of the biggest performers for the promotion and the fact is underlined by this rare achievement. WCW Nitro was the biggest competition for Monday Night Raw back in the days and Sting along with Ric Flair headlined both the first and last episode of WCWs weekly flagship show.

The first episode of Nitro aired back in 1995 and it was also the official beginning of Monday Night Wars. The last episode of the show happened in 2001, where, for the one last time, Ric Flair and Sting blew off the roof from a WCW ring.

#4 He has wrestled Steve Austin

A match between Steve Austin and Sting today would draw a big crowd no matter when or where it happens. If it had happened in the Attitude Era, it would have been the ultimate WWE vs. WCW match since Austin was the top name of WWE and Sting was the franchise in WCW.

For a lot of people out there, this still is a dream match that did not happen but the truth is, these two men have wrestled in the past. The match happened during Steve Austin’s run in WCW and the United States Championship was up for grabs back then. Sting came out winning the match and they never crossed paths again.

#3 Inaugural inductee into TNA Hall of Fame

Just like WWE, TNA also has their version of Hall of Fame. TNA’s Hall of Fame started back in 2012 and the inaugural inductee into the hall was none other than Sting. After his WCW career came to an end, Sting took up TNA ahead of WWE. Having a big star like Sting in their roster helped TNA to establish their name in the wrestling map and Dixie Carter has not been hesitant in admitting this.

"Sting came to TNA when we needed a major superstar to help establish the company. It made a statement when he signed with us, and he helped pave the way for other major names to join the roster,” Dixie said during the press release. It was a great token of appreciation from the side of TNA and Sting thoroughly deserved it as well.

#2 Most Popular Wrestler of the Year on four occasions

The awards given by Pro Wrestling Illustrated are a great benchmark in the wrestling business and when they say that you are the most popular wrestler in the business, and then there wouldn’t be any more credible argument than that.

Sting has won the accolade the most number of times with four and the only wrestler in the world to pull off a similar achievement is John Cena. Sting won the awards back in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1997 while Cena won it on 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2012. It might not sound like a relevant stat, but trust me, it is. And if you are wondering who the last year’s winner was, it was Dean Ambrose.

#1 The reason why he didn\'t sign with WWE

From the moment WCW went out of business, the wrestling fans were dying to see Sting work with the WWE. He entered in negotiations with Vince McMahon back in 2001, but it came crashing down because of his Christian beliefs mentioned earlier.

According to many sources, the product that WWE had back in 2001 were contradicting big time with the new beliefs that Sting took up in 1998 and this is what made him stay away from WWE. Seeing the product, Sting concluded that it wasnt the place he belonged in and went on to wrestle in World Wrestling All Stars and TNA afterwards.

The current PG product might be the reason for Stings new contract with the WWE as well. There you go, one reason to like the PG Era.