What if WWE never bought WCW?

#3 Sting’s debut in doubt

Sting may never have come to WWE at all had they not bought out WCW

There are a number of wrestling talents who crossed WWE and WCW lines relatively fluidly, and are more or less equally associated with each brand—guys like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Curt Hennig. There were also those relative loyalists to WWE like The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels who stayed with WWE for periods of decades and only truly starred for that promotion.

On the flip side, we have Sting. While he worked other places, his legacy is inextricably connected to WCW, where he spent the prime of his career and attained his greatest fame and kayfabe accomplishments. It’s telling that, even with the buyout, he still didn’t go to WWE for over a decade. Had WCW hung around as it’s own entity, even with a much lower profile, there’s a chance he never would have crossed over to WWE for a video game or Hall of Fame induction, let alone a brief series of matches.