A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: October 13th 2014
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £ 19.99
Blu-ray £ 22.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD (3 Discs)
(Also Available on Blu-ray (2 Discs)
I
am happy to report that Review Corner is back. I have received review discs for
every release until the end of November and so there will be no more breaks or
omissions from this blog. Normal service has been resumed my minions. Read on.
What It’s About:
A
compilation of what is meant to be Sting’s greatest matches throughout his
career. Ranging from the beginning of his wrestling career in 1986 to WCW’s
closure in 2001, ‘The Best of Sting’ aims to hammer home why the real life
Steve Borden was so important to the wrestling industry, interspersed with
interviews from Sting from 1995 and 1998 as well as insights to his character
and career from those who knew him best.
Strengths:
The
release’s introduction is a nice trip down memory lane for fans of the era. The
voice over guy describes Sting as “The Regular Face of WCW” which is a true
statement; he was the most loyal subject they ever had. There’s excellent
footage of his time in The Blade Runners which then transforms into his most
successful bleach blonde character before Sting turns into The Crow for his
eventual evolution. Very well done.
‘Bringing
the Game Up a Level’ explores Sting’s entrance into the business, from owning
Gold’s Gym and not knowing what wrestling was to becoming a wrestling legend
it’s a hell of a journey and story, one which deserves the documentary
treatment. Hulk Hogan is a highlight as a talking head, when he relays the
story of heading to Sting’s gym and someone telling ‘The Stinger’ that Hulk
Hogan was in his gym, Hogan’s comment that Sting didn’t know what a ‘Hulk
Hogan’ was is a laugh out loud moment. Quickly turning its attention to his
Blade Runner days, it’s not packed with information but does cover the basis
and mentions his time as Flash in the Continental Wrestling Federation before
changing to the name we know and love today. John Laurientis rightly states
that Sting “Worked his butt off” whilst Sting in a 1995 interview puts forth
the trust he had in himself, stating that he knew he had the talent to pull it
off.
Sting
and Rick Steiner vs Ron Simmons and Mike Rotunda (NWA Southern Pro Wrestling,
May 19th 1987) isn’t brilliant but it’s at least watchable, much more so than
The Blade Runners bout which comes before it. There a lot of wrist locks but at
least it moves at a pace even if Sting looks like a poor version of what he’d
eventually become whilst his offence is very weak. Rick Steiner and Mike
Rotunda carry the bout of which its final minute is sterling stuff.
Sting
vs Ric Flair (NWA Pro Wrestling, January 2nd 1988) isn’t a patch on any of
their pay-per view bouts but is still a worthy entry into their series. It’s
clear how much Sting has improved as a wrestler and sells Flair’s offence well
whilst Ric Flair does what he always did with Sting and that’s make him look
like a star. There’s a gripping story on display here and it’s quite dramatic
whilst it lasts even if Flair’s Figure Four goes on a little too long. When
Sting make his comeback and appears to have the match won, the bout takes a
turn into tense realms whilst the only gripe with the bout is that we don’t get
to see its finale. As television time ran out, the match just cuts off. WWE had
the footage of what happened after the show ended so show us. Don’t leave us
hanging when we get into a match.
Sting
vs Stan Lane (WCW Main Event, October 2nd 1988) takes a little while to get
going and features a bevy of rest holds as mostly every match in that era did.
However, once it gets going it’s a very talented technical war which features
some decent high flying and back and forth. It doesn’t last a great deal of
time but on this occasion it serves the bout better. It’s not the thrill ride
it should have been but does show what a great singles star Stan Lane could
have been had WCW invested more in him. The finale in which Sting reverses a
suplex back into the ring for the victory is particularly succulent. Jim Ross
takes a pot shot at The Ultimate Warrior who was on the rise in WWE at this
point, by stating he held Sting back.
Sting
vs Butch Reed (WCW Main Event, March 26th 1989) may not be the match many
people flock to first, but refreshingly it’s a solid technical battle in which
Sting plays the role of Ric Flair to get the best out of a man who was never
used properly in WWE. It’s a nice piece of work even if it’s nothing
spectacular. With a good opponent Butch Reed was decent between the ropes and
shows what he could have achieved as a main event player here. Sting holds his
own well and even steers the match in the correct direction. He learnt well
from Ric Flair and it shows. Look carefully at Jim Ross at ringside, even
though you can hear him commentate on the bout his lips aren’t moving meaning
this was dubbed in at a later stage.
‘Superstar’
explores Sting’s relationship with the fans that flocked to see him. Looking at
this footage and being present for his 1990 run, I can attest to his strong
connection to children as well as men and women alike. With the exception of
Hulk Hogan I can think of no other wrestler who had this connection with his
fans at the relevant time. As a talking head, Ron Simmons is one of the best on
the entire release asserting, “Certain people come along at different eras and
times that have ‘it’ and he was one of them”, before stating that Sting’s
presence in wrestling was the perfect timing for that moment in time. He was
correct.
Sting
vs Mike Rotunda (WCW World Championship Wrestling, April 1st 1989) is a
stunning piece of work from beginning to end. Technically flawless, Sting’s
long headlock can be overlooked by the exciting back and forth action on
display. Building to a tremendous crescendo, it’s an excellent heated brawl
which you owe it to yourself to witness first hand. The reversals are crisp and
the moves flow like a river. It’s a thrill per minute and could have main
evented a WCW pay-per view event. One of the best matches on the entire release
and it’s up against some stiff competition.
Sting
vs The Great Muta (WCW Power Hour, September 1st 1989) is all go to begin with
as both Sting and Muta trade several tremendous pinfall attempts and high
flying moves, but does then dip and feature a massive period of inaction as
Muta seeks refuge at ringside. Thankfully this highlight perks up again when
both men involve themselves in some cracking reversals and trade offs, with
their apron series ranking highest. It’s not a patch on their 1989 Great
American Bash effort which was just out of this world but given another ten
minutes and it could have been.
‘Bleach
Blonde Rivalry’ looks at Sting’s rivalry with Ric Flair, which was the
highlight of WCW’s late eighties and early nineties programming. There were
never two men more matched for each other and those who saw Sting’s matches
with Ric Flair can attest to that. In a 1995 interview, Sting states that Ric
Flair is the greatest wrestler in history whilst Tony Schiavone in a new sit
down interview puts forth his assertion that the Clash of the Champions match
they had made Sting a star. On form, John Laurinaitis rightly says that Ric
Flair made Sting whilst Kevin Sullivan asserts that both men were like Ali vs
Frasier and when WCW needed a rating they’d throw the pair onto television. It’s
a very complimentary segment which does justice to the pair’s chemistry.
Sting
vs Ric Flair (The Great American Bash 1990, July 7th 1990) is another top notch
bout which tends to dip slightly in the middle but never takes away from the
action on display. Many look at this as the pinnacle of Ric Flair’s effort to
make Sting a star and a very fine job he did. Packed with reversals galore,
near falls, technically flawless performances from both men and backed by a
cement strong storyline, WWE can only wish fans were this enthusiastic about
current main events (WrestleMania XXX excluded). The final few minutes where
the pair wrestles and counters through numerous pin falls is divine. This is a
true passing of the torch moment though this was also released on ‘WCW’s
Greatest Pay-Per View Matches Volume 1’ and ‘United We Slam: The Best of The
Great American Bash’ not so long ago.
‘Face
of WCW’ begins with voice over guy asserting that “Most superstars identified
with their association with one wrestling promotion, but no superstar is so
completely synonymous with one brand”. It’s a nice thought and its well put
over, but anyone with half a brain can argue that’s not completely true as
stars like The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, John Cena and The Rock to name just
a few are utterly synonymous with WWE as Sting was with WCW. Still, it’s
complied along with some previously unreleased footage of Sting discussing
signing a new WCW contract backstage and the talking heads have some utterly
complimentary things to say about him.
Sting
vs Nikita Koloff (Clash of the Champions, June 14th 1991) isn’t stunning and
won’t fall into the must see category but highlights what a good seller Sting
had become. He throws himself around the ring like a trouper to sell Nikita
Koloff’s monster aura before fighting back from nowhere to score an uplifting
victory. Koloff who was once an exciting prospect soured as the years went on
and could have put a lot more effort into this of we’re being honest but comes
across as a formidable foe thanks to his no sell of Sting’s moves and punishing
arsenal. Even though he has a perfect American accent, Koloff is announced from
Lithuania because back then wrestling believed all its fans were morons. If you
can whether Nikita Koloff’s unremitting power for ten minutes then this will be
of value to everyone who watches it, not to mention a nice reminder of times
when wrestling seemed real to all of us.
Sting
and The Great Muta vs The Steiner Brothers (Tokyo, Japan – January 4th 1992) is
another excellent inclusion and another stunning tag team bout which is fought
more under Japanese style than American. A technical and high flying
masterclass by all four men, the bout’s highlights are too many to include but
do watch out for Scott Steiner and Muta’s breathtaking beginning in which Muta
rolls through a leap frog, Rick Steiner’s excellent flying bulldog, Scott
Steiner’s tilt-a-whirl and double underhook powerbomb which are just mouth
watering, Rick Steiner catching Muta out of a handspring elbow into a German
suplex and Sting’s reversal of a tilt-a-whirl into a roll up which are just a
few of the many highlights. You have to see this to believe it.
‘Vader
Rivalry’ begins with Sting’s 1995 interview of him telling of his admiration
for Vader, giving him credit for not relying on brute strength. This is a great
observation by Sting as Vader was an excellent wrestler and stands amongst the
greatest big men to ever step foot in a wrestling ring. Thankfully, Vader is
interviewed for the release and speaks highly of Sting. It’s very rare that two
wrestlers of opposing weight class are made for each other, Sting and Vader
were.
Sting
vs Big Van Vader (WCW Worldwide, February 2nd 1992) can’t live up to their
excellent pay-per view bouts but does offer something different for the viewer
and is a forthright David vs goliath clash. By this time, Vader had sunk
beneath Sting in WWC’s estimation so it’s astounding that he was given so much
offence here. Both men treat each other with respect and that brings about the
best. It’s not very long but it’s packed with quality for the wrestling
connoisseur. This was the peak of Vader’s career. It wouldn’t get better for
him after WCW.
Sting,
Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat vs The Dangerous Alliance (WCW
World Championship Wrestling, February 22nd 1992) is an exciting eight man tag
team which features very little stalling or rest holds and gets on with what
its meant to do. Ricky Steamboat and Arn Anderson’s early interactions are
thrilling stuff whilst Sting and Rick Rude are the highlight of the bout and
WWE really should have featured some of their singles bouts on this release.
Rick Rude’s selling never disappeared throughout his career. Dustin Rhodes is
electrifying whilst his presence lasts and whilst no one disappoints, the flow
is slightly disrupted by unnecessary quick tags. It’s an all action finale but
there really should have been more of Sting vs Rick Rude to whet appetites for
what was to come.
Sting
vs Barry Windham (WCW Saturday Night, February 6th 1993) is surprisingly decent
considering Barry Windham had passed his sell by date when this took place.
Both men manage to carry the bout’s flow well and Windham keeps up with Sting
but after an energetic beginning things slow down. That doesn’t however make it
a bad bout. There’s a lot too keep people watching though several lengthily
submission holds are unnecessary.
‘Face
Paint’ takes a look at the origin of Sting’s facial decoration which changed on
a nightly occurrence. Archive footage of Sting applying his war paint is a
welcome break from the heavy flow of matches whilst Stinger himself says that
he just painted and lived with what came out because it separated him from the
rest. Voice over guy correctly states that it connected him with the audience.
When you look at WCW’s best at that time, they all had something to set them
apart from the rest.
Sting
vs Ric Flair (WCW Nitro, November 6th 1995) isn’t as engaging as the pair’s
early nineties and late eighties material thanks to Ric Flair’s disillusion
with wrestling and beginning to hate the sport thanks to what it was doing to
him, but Sting keeps it watchable and surprisingly lively. Most people believed
that Ric Flair was past his best here but your Wrestling God believes that his
lack of anything substantial in the ring came solely thanks to his diminishing
attitude. When you’re great, it’s very rare you lose that. Both men share
notable exchanges whilst their work outside the ring is the best of the entire
match which descends into predictable territory. The ending is a little too
convenient but it works because of its intricate back and forth work. Commentators
make a slip up when they say Lex Luger is on his way to the ring and they can
see him when Sting refuses to release the scorpion death lock but a clear view
of the aisle tells u they’re lying because he’s nowhere to be seen. They make
up for this hash by trying to say he’s being held by security backstage.
Sting
and Randy Savage vs The Nasty Boyz (WCW Saturday Night, July 27th 1996) is far
from special, but it’s not terrible either. All four men do their best with the
measly seven minutes they’re allocated even if it’s predictable. It’s not
excellent but it’s not terrible either and for a Nasty Boyz match in 1996,
that’s an achievement all on its own.
‘The
Crow’ is maybe the most sensible segment amongst those which don’t feature
matches and looks at Sting’s evolution from smiley good guy to stoic defender
of the masses with his white face paint and black ring attire. In a rare
interview, Lex Luger puts forth his interesting belief that Sting’s black
attire was him mourning for a WCW that was no more thanks to the NWO invasion,
whilst Tony Schiavone comes out with the opinion that it was the best thing
which ever happened to him. It’s Kevin Nash who is the star of this segment
however, with his level headed view on Sting’s transformation. Speaking about
the necessity for reinvention, Nash states that it’s vital to a wrestler such
as Sting because you don’t want to be doing ‘New Kid’s on the Block’ material
at 50. Nash is funny and forthright, it’s just a shame he didn’t give Triple H
and Shawn Michaels this advice when they brought back DX.
‘Sting
Becomes a Free Agent’ (WCW Nitro, October 21st 1996) is a very tense segment in
which Sting allows everyone else to perform and then outperforms them by saying
nothing. After crushing the fake NWO Sting, he listens to the argument as to
why he should join NWO including a valid Scott Hall point that he’s carried the
company’s banner for so long and has nothing to show for it. That was except
being bosses around by Hulk Hogan who was as good as in charge anyway. When
Sting does finally speak, not a word is wasted. His promo is short and sweet.
‘Scorpion
Death Lock’ spotlights the origin of Sting’s finishing move. In a 1995
interview Sting explains that he took it from a Japanese star called Ricky
Chosu and has used it ever since. Credit has to go to WWE here for first
leaving in the comment that Sting stole the move, then for mentioning a
wrestler who has never had anything to do with WWE and then leaving in footage
of said Japanese star in action which is unheard of in this day and age.
Sting
and Lex Luger vs Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan (WCW Nitro, February 16th 1998) is
a respectable if short tag team bout of which Sting and Randy Savage’s
interaction as well as Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan’s breakdown is the highlight.
The latter duo raise a smile as they looked like two old men fighting over a
granny at this point even though Savage was still relatively young, whilst
Sting and Savage provide some solid action before Lex Luger and Hulk Hogan who
are deplorable slog out an unforgettable period.
Sting
vs Scott Steiner (WCW Thunder, April 22nd 1998) is watchable but shows how far
standards had fallen in the company. When this is compared to Sting’s earlier
bouts, it can’t hold a candle. It doesn’t feature any of the high flying or
technical prowess showed in early collision between the pair and is most
formulaic stuff. It’s a predictable beat down of Sting but the way both men
carry this off makes it one to watch even if you won’t be thrilled with the
terrible disqualification finale. Sting’s post-match promo is memorable for
making fun of Kevin Nash’s parody of Arn Anderson’s retirement speech.
‘Wolfpac’
explains Sting’s entry into the Wolfpac branch of the NWO. In a 1998 interview
he explains it was a great fit because of all his close friends who were
already within the group. The segment does explain NWO splitting into three
different segments but it could have done with more fleshing out. At least they
bothered. Footage of Sting from the Wolfpac shows how much more confident he
was and how he just let his hair down. His promos were more self assured as
were his mannerisms. Not packed with detail but at least there’s some
clarification for newer fans.
Sting
and Kevin Nash vs Harlem Heat (WCW Nitro, June 15th 1998) is a lively tag team
bout in which Sting and Booker T are the stars. Sting shows that even twelve
years after first stepping into a wrestling ring he was still a prime physical
specimen and had lost none of his stamina whilst Booker T showcases some of
that passion which leads him to the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. The match
sparks to life everywhere but is put out when Kevin Nash and Stevie Ray get
involved. An energetic outing is put together well by its two stars in a good
old fashioned tag team bout.
‘Rafters’
is the final segment on the release which looks at an aspect of Sting’s
character and career and this one as you can probably guess is all about his
descent from the rafters. The talking heads which include William Regal and
Kevin Sullivan explain the majesty of the idea whilst Kevin Sullivan opines
that Sting was lucky enough to sit in the rafters for a year and not work. It’s
not that revealing and doesn’t say anything we don’t already know but it helps
the release on to its next chapter and some of the comments will raise a smile.
Sting
vs Booker T (WCW Nitro, July 31st 2000) is a welcome relief after the heaviness
of the NWO material. Fought in a new age, this is just months before WCW went
out of business and the culmination of this match highlights just why the
promotion was so terrible towards its conclusion. The match itself is
honourable and Sting does for Booker T what Ric Flair did for him a decade
previous. The near falls are edge of your seat stuff and it’s the best match on
Disc 3 (DVD) final two and a half hours of Disc 2 (Blu-ray) by far. Things
begin to descend into madness when Sting is dragged under the ring and
reappears bleeding from the forehead, though the Book-End out of a scorpion
death drop is fantastic stuff. The post-match brawl is laughable and not in a
good way as Jeff Jarrett strings Booker T up by his ankle and cracks him with a
guitar as Sting is trapped in a cheap and what looks to be plastic crypt by
Vampiro and The Demon whilst the latter lows fire at the crypt. It’s totally
pathetic.
Sting
vs Jeff Jarrett (WCW Thunder, September 13th 2000) is a reasonable two out of
three falls match which tries very hard to be notable and comes off as adequate
for the times. It goes the full three falls with falls one and two passing in
quick succession, setting up an exciting third fall which whilst predictable
boasts some great exchanges as the entire product began to resemble what would
become a TNA show at that point. Had WCW kept to this kind of action and
storyline then it may have stood a chance or at least prolonged its closure.
Sting,
Goldberg and Booker T vs Jeff Jarrett and Kronik (WCW Thunder, October 25th
2000) proves to be exciting at times even if it features Goldberg, Brian Adams
and Brian Clarke who once were known as Crush and Adam Bomb. Adam’s piledriver
on Booker T is awful but all six men managed the exchanges well. Booker T’s
battle against Jeff Jarrett is fast but means nothing to the product by this
time and its all just going through the motions. Goldberg can be seen talking
Kronik through a double chokeslam which looks completely amateurish and there’s
not enough time to highlight everyone as wished.
Sting
vs Ric Flair (WCW Nitro, March 26th 2000) is the final ever WCW match to take
place an before people point this out, no, no one counts the Booker T vs Buff
Bagwell bout which occurred on Raw under the WCW banner. This was the end, but
what a glorious curtain call it was. No one expected Ric Flair and Sting to put
on a showstopper thanks to their age and time but the pair excel with one final
showing which is as good as we could have expected. It’s apt and somewhat tear
jerking witnessing the end of an era and as the bout reaches its finale you get
the sense of something ending, it’s quite a feeling to behold. Ric Flair does
what he always did for Sting and that’s build him to unmatched heights,
submitting to his scorpion death lock before both men embrace and wave farewell
to a company they both made famous. It’s apt that the two men synonymous with
the company, there on the day it was born were the last match on the final ever
show.
Weaknesses:
The
Blade Runners vs Brett Wayne Sawyer and Sean O’ Riley (UWF Power Pro Wrestling,
April 1986) is historically interesting and shows two jacked up powerhouses
beginning their careers but is worth little else. It’s a hideous display by
both Sting and The Ultimate Warrior who if pointed out to an audience and told
were going to be legends twenty years on from this point, would have been
laughed out of an arena. Filled with mindless and often dull power moves this
bout is one of the worst on the entire release. The Ultimate Warrior is so
green that it’s embarrassing to witness, his ludicrous sequence in which he
tags in Sting only to carry on the bout by himself forcing Sting to get back
out is just plain dumb.
‘On
the Map’ gets its wrestling history confused somewhat. Broaching the well
trodden subject of Jim Crockett Promotions purchasing Universal Wrestling
Federation, WWE seems to be under the impression that Jim Crockett merged the
promotion his NWA, implying that Crockett owned the banner of National
Wrestling Alliance. This is wrong and an awful oversight by WWE who should know
better seeing as they had such a big hand in its demise. Jim Crockett was the
president of the company several times but never owned it. WWE should have cut
this out as it will make the more inexperienced fan believe the exclamation is
correct. To make matters worse, talking heads include Brodus Clay who once
again is worthless in his role. Why WWE keep putting him on these when he was
fired months ago is baffling.
Sting
vs Ron Simmons (WCW Power Hour, August 18th 1989) lacks the magic which Sting’s
other smaller bouts have. By 1989, Sting was a phenomenon in wrestling and
still growing whilst Ron Simmons had enough training to know better than this
even if WCW want us to believe that he was a novice who was being trained by
The Iron Sheik. Moving at a snails pace, Ron Simmons and Sting don’t impress
with submissions holds and rest moves designed to give the larger Simmons regular
breaks. Had this been two years later then both men would have been able to put
on a show, but despite Sting’s efforts which admittedly inject verve into the
bout he cannot rescue a terrible effort by both men.
Sting
vs Dutch Mantel (WCW Main Event, September 2nd 1990) is Sting in his prime but
no once can escape the reality that this is a squash match, even if it is an
entertaining one. Judging it on its criteria and suitability for such a
release, this doesn’t belong though both men do a decent job of keeping it
flowing. It means nothing to Sting’s career and feels like filler material. For
wrestling buffs everywhere, this features today’s Zeb Coulter and apart from
longer hair he looks no different.
Sting
vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Saturday Night, June 13th 1992) follows suit and
once again boasts a grudge match which barely lasts enough time to showcase
anything. Featuring a very young and inexperienced DDP, Sting smashes through
him with ease and little entertainment value. Quite why this is included is
beyond me. How this can be seen as Sting’s very best is quite maddening.
Sting
vs ‘Stunning Steve Austin (WCW Pro Wrestling, January 8th 1996) should have
been much better. Ten minutes wasn’t enough for two outstanding wrestlers to
put on a show and WCW should have built this particular television broadcast
around this bout, allocating it twenty minutes to becoming a classic. Using the
time unwisely, both men put forth a lot of stalling in between monotonous chin
locks, headlocks and rest holds to pass the time with little else of value in
between. Together, both Sting and Steve Austin had much better brawls than this
and WWE should have dug one out to replace this and his two previous squashes. Featuring
a few decent reversals, it’s not enough to qualify it for inclusion and the
awful disqualification ending drags it to a new low.
Sting
vs Arn Anderson (WCW Nitro, July 8th 1996) is a tiresome slog through a well
worn routine. Occurring one night after Hulk Hogan’s cataclysmic heel turn,
neither man could hope to succeed and with all the talk about Hulk Hogan it
seems both knew it. Neither man seems to really try whilst Arn Anderson looks
old and knackered, certainly well past his best in 1996. Sting is despondent
and with the exception of one corking spinebuster it’s by the numbers stuff
which many will wish to skip as no real value is on display. Taking place at
Disney’s MGM Grand studio, the audience are not separated from the ring by a
barrier and therefore could easily gain access or be hit by a stray boot should
a wrestler come flying over the top rope. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash’s
interruption is a welcome distraction.
Sting
vs Hulk Hogan (Starrcade 1997, December 28th 1997) may be the culmination of an
unforgettable one year storyline in which Hulk Hogan and Sting didn’t even
touch each other and feature a haunting entrance from Sting, but the match
itself is complete horseshit. At this point, Sting hasn’t wrestled for a year
and it shows whilst Hulk Hogan is resting on his laurels, believing he’s such a
big star by this point that no effort is necessary. A lot of stalling holds up
what should have been a thrilling pace, whilst copious rest holds will have
your finger hovering above the fast forward button. Fans in the arena put up
with this because of the amount of time they have invested in it. I’m not in
favour of short bouts, but this would have better had Sting dropped from the
rafters, hit Hogan with his scorpion death drop and pinned him in less than ten
seconds. Still, Bret Hart is entertaining enough as a man on a mission who
doesn’t want Hulk Hogan to cheat his way to the title again and Sting’s victory
is uplifting enough if you can wade through the crap to get there.
Sting
vs Kevin Nash (WCW Nitro, April 6th 1998) is standard television formula of
heel domination before the face valiantly battles back. There are moments of
quality interspersed within the run time but mostly it’s slow and seems like a
chore to sit through thanks to the slow pace set by a broken down Kevin Nash.
Even worse, this bout never seems to end and instead of giving us a gripping
David vs goliath exchange, we get another submission fest which isn’t even
involving and only the finale holds any value as the pair pick up the pace
before the inevitable WCW vs NWO brawl. WWE should have relegated this to the
Blu-ray exclusive extras and replaced this with one of his earlier bouts.
Sting
and The Warrior vs Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart (WCW Nitro, October 12th 1998) is
held together by Sting and Bret Hart but even they only have fleeting moments
where they meet in the ring, making this dreary in every other aspect. The
Warrior keeps his coat on throughout the entire match and it was clear he never
should have signed that contract and left his legend as it was. To make matters
worse, Bobby Heenan on commentary shows how little he cared about professional
wrestling when he signed with WCW by shooting down Tony Schiavone and acting
like a novice when Schiavone doles out his Blade Runners knowledge. It’s cringe
worthy to watch and listen to, bordering on hideous and ends with a repetitive
WCW vs NWO brawl. Dodgy camera work dispels Warrior’s mystery when smoke fills
the ring and cameras cut to ringside to see pipes pumping it in. Everything
about this screams amateur.
Sting
vs Bret Hart (WCW Nitro, October 19th 1998) should have been a tour de force
through a technical classic as both men had the ability. Instead, it’s so short
that neither man gets a chance to even warm up and though moves are traded they
are what you’d expect for a television match. Nothing spectacular, nothing to
talk about and Sting’s scorpion deadlock comes out of nowhere for a convenient
and messy finale where he refuses to relinquish the hold forcing NWO members to
flood the ring. Really, really disappointing as Bret Hart is clearly fed up
with wrestling and Sting doesn’t seem that bothered either. But when all the
focus was on Hulk Hogan, who can blame them? Seeing as they were due to clash
on PPV six days later, this needed to be a classic.
Sting
vs Randy Savage (WCW Nitro, June 7th 1999) is a sickeningly terrible collision
which should never have been considered for this release let alone allowed to
take place on worldwide television. Randy Savage had ruined himself by this
point and was clearly pumped up on steroids, looking like he was trying to
burst out of his own body he was never that large before. Neither man cares,
that’s plain to see. Randy Savage dominates Sting with punches, kicks and
chokes in a truly stagnant offering which features two old men and if anyone is
in any confusion as to why WCW closed, this is surely case number one. A
terrible disqualification ending drags it further down the toilet.
Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:
Universal Wrestling
Federation – April 7th 1986
Blade
Runners and Eddie Gilbert Interview
NWA Pro Wrestling –
January 16th 1988
NWA World Tag Team
Championship Match
Sting
and Barry Windham vs Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
NWA Pro Wrestling –
February 26th 1988
‘Ric
Flair of the 80’s’
Clash of the Champions
IX – November 15th 1989
Sting
Wins PWI Most Popular Wrestler Award
WCW World Championship
Wrestling – December 9th 1989
Sting
Imitated his Adversaries
WCW World Championship
Wrestling – January 20th 1990
‘Horsemen
Fever’
WCW World Championship
Wrestling – January 27th 1990
Sting
and The Four Horsemen
WCW Worldwide –
February 10th 1990
Gordon
Solie Interviews Sting
WCW World Championship
Wrestling – February 17th 1990
Jim
Ross Visits Sting in Hospital
WCW Worldwide – April 28th
1990
Robocop
Vignette
WCW Worldwide – July 14th
1990
Wrestling
Wrap-Up on Sting Winning the World Championship
WCW Worldwide – July 21st
1990
Sting
as World Champion
WCW Pro Wrestling –
July 21st 1990
The
Danger Zone With Sting
WCW Saturday Night –
October 15th 1994
Sting
vs Big Van Vader
WCW Worldwide –
November 7th 1994
Sting
and Hulk Hogan vs The Bruise Brothers
WCW Nitro – August 5th
1996
Sting
and Lex Luger in the Production Truck
WCW Nitro – June 1st
1998
Sting
Joins the NWO Wolfpac
WCW Nitro – June 29th
1998
Sting
and Lex Luger vs The British Bulldog and Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart
WCW Nitro – March 26th
2001
Sting’s
Final Promo in WCW
Conclusion:
‘The
Best of Sting’ has, I think it’s fair to say been a much talked about release
since Steve Borden signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2014
guaranteeing him a merchandise line which includes two very groovy yet
simplistic T-shirts, a DVD and Blu-ray release as well as at least one action
figure and appearance at WrestleMania XXXI which many fans are awaiting with
bathed breath as it means with the notable exception of ECW, Sting will have
competed for every major wrestling promotion in history, including those in
Japan. As a personal Stinger, your Wrestling God has been waiting for this
release for some time which makes reviewing it all the more a hard task because
I have to be objective.
Like
‘Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection’, this release suffers from a lack of the
man in question when it comes down to a talking head, and Ric Flair for that
matter seeing as he made Sting the star he is. Across the release, there are
many wrestlers featured as links to bouts including bumbling Brodus Clay and
Natalya Neidhart to name a few but very little from Sting and certainly nothing
new. Weaving in interviews from 1995 and 1998, this release has to make do with
archive footage from the man it takes a long, hard look at when it should have
taken its cue from ‘Shawn Michaels: Mr. WrestleMania’ and had a brand new sit
down interview with Sting as he gave us an insight into his character and
career instead of leaving it to others to do the work for him. This is
especially shoddy when you consider than before this release was complied,
Sting had already signed with WWE and been interviewed for several WWE Network
documentaries. The only reason I think of why Sting isn’t included here is
because WWE are planning a 2015 release which includes documentary.
The
good news is that Sting’s omission as a talking head is the very worst thing
about this release but it can be looked over thanks to the excellent,
previously unreleased matches. Other minor faults range from no date captions
on matches which makes working out when they took place tricky unless you want
to keep flicking back and forth between match and menu, an omission of any
Sting vs Rick Rude, Sting vs Cactus Jack or Sting vs Lex Luger singles bouts on
the main body of the release which rocked every house they played in front.
Those
who view this in either one sitting, which I wouldn’t recommend, or close
together will also notice that once DVD Disc 3 begins (Blu-ray disc 2, second
half) proceedings slow down to almost a complete halt. This is because the
final disc of the release concentrates on Sting’s final few years with WCW
which means its jam packed with relentless NWO material which becomes samey in
the extreme. I lost count of how matches ended with a WCW vs NWO brawl or lousy
disqualification. This was lazy by WWE who should have seen how monotonous Disc
3 becomes and rectified it by including more of Sting’s earlier and more
exciting bouts, whilst relegating a large portion of his 1997 – 2001 run to the
Blu-ray exclusive extras. These matches are what helped flush WCW down the pan
and therefore should have been viewed at least twice by whoever put this
together to make sure they were worthy enough, which some of them aren’t.
Even
though there is no TNA material which is once again an effort on WWE’s part to
pretend the organization doesn’t exist, WWE should have gone to the effort of
cutting a deal with the promotion to include some of Sting’s later bouts on the
release. For those not familiar with Sting’s career in TNA, he had some barn
burners whilst under the company’s banner for nearly ten years and they should
have been highlighted here. There was no reason not to, WWE cut a deal with
Ring of Honor for a host of Daniel Bryan matches and pictures for various
articles and shows on the WWE Network. It should have done the same for Sting.
‘The
Best of Sting’ is a little optimistic a title for this release as it doesn’t
actually contain the very best of Steve Borden but comes mightily close. It’s a
little topsy turvy in its approach as opponents you’d expect him to have
stunning collisions with such as Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Randy Savage and Arn
Anderson often fall short and it’s his lesser opponents which come to the
forefront and provide him with his real challenge, whilst his squash matches
could have been cut for a longer and more involved collision with Steve Austin,
Rick Rude or Cactus Jack. Despite omissions of some vital pay-per view matches
which have never been release before as well as his Rick Rude and Lex Luger
feud, the majority of the material here is sublime and will satisfy both new
and old fans looking to find out who Sting was or relive his glory days. WWE
deserve credit for routing out matches which have never been released to the
public before and make the most of their extensive archive. Sting vs Mike
Rotunda for the NWA World Television Championship is a stunning piece of work
as is Sting’s widely released WCW World Heavyweight Championship victory at the
1990 Great American Bash.
The
release is patchy in parts; I won’t pretend it’s not. But its barely noticeable
and even after the truly great matches have passed, outings such as Sting vs
Stan Lane, Sting vs Jeff Jarrett, Sting vs Booker T and Sting vs Vader plus a
host of others keep it ticking over nicely even if the later footage isn’t as
easy to watch as his early days as the bleach blonde face painted hero.
This
release does something more than just highlight Sting’s supposed best matches;
it takes a look into the man himself. From gym owner to wrestling legend, it’s
a wonderfully apt and touching tale told through the medium of wrestling.
Stories may be few and far between but Sting’s evolution is on show for
everyone to see and whilst his status as WCW figurehead and franchise is rammed
down our throat, when the release ends on the final ever WCW match of Sting vs
Ric Flair you realise that the man who was there at the beginning and the end
of WCW was more vital the company than anyone realized. It’s not a leap of the
imagination to state that Sting was the John Cena of the 80’s and 90’s, only
far more popular and able in the ring.
I
believe WWE are missing a trick with these compilation releases by only
including matches which the recipient won. There are tons of excellent matches
out there where either Sting or the next recipient of a compilation didn’t win,
but can still be classed as on of their great matches. WWE need to broaden
their search criteria here to everything a wrestler has done throughout his
career instead of just what shows them as winners. Sometime’s a wrestler is
given bigger plaudits for losing and performing well than winning and being
just okay.
‘The
Best of Sting’ may be WWE’s first attempt at capturing the magic of the man for
the world to see but it surely won’t and hopefully can’t be the last. A triumph
from beginning to end, Sting’s initial WWE release is a wonderful piece of work
which makes you overlook the bad and revel in the good. It won’t be to
everyone’s taste, but those who lived through this era will have wonderful
memories and be able to relive those two fold. For those who aren’t sure, then this
is a must buy. Sting is a wrestling icon and you owe it to yourselves to see
what all the fuss was really about.
Rating:
A
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE John Cena’s Greatest Rivalries DVD
and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
