The 11 faces of Sting

#6 The Advent of "Crow" Sting

The silent but violent 'crow' Sting.

In 1996, Eric Bischoff had a problem; Sting was the most widely loved babyface in WCW, and the company really couldn't stand to lose him. However, Sting had already used up all of his wrestling appearances for the year.

Strapped for cash because of huge money hires like Hall, Nash, and Savage, Bischoff came up with what is often referred to as the "Crow" Sting gimmick, so called for its resemblance to Brandon Lee's character in the namesake movie.

Sting hung out in the rafters, and rarely spoke. Part of this was to build mystery as to whose side he was on -- WCW or nWo. But it was also to conceal the fact that the wrestler Steve Borden was actually sitting at home! Body doubles were used for many of Sting's appearances.

When the year was up, Sting was available to compete again -- but the angle had picked up so much interest and momentum that it was kept going. Sting came out as the dark vigilante who regularly disrupted the nWo's schemes, culminating in his victory over Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade 97.

Sting would undergo another change a year later...