Sting

At 65 years old, Sting has this physical status:

Steve Borden (born March 20, 1959), better known by the ring name Sting, is an American retired professional wrestler, actor, author and former bodybuilder.

He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract.

He is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, having cultivated a legacy over a career spanning more than three decades. Sting is widely known for his time spent as the public face of two major American professional wrestling promotions: the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which displaced the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as the leading professional wrestling organization in the United States from 1995 to 1998, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).Sting's 14-year association with WCW and its predecessor, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), began in 1987.

He quickly rose to main event status, and has been described as the WCW counterpart to the WWF's Hulk Hogan.

Dubbed "The Franchise of WCW", he held a total of 15 championships in the promotion – including the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on six occasions, the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship on two occasions and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on one occasion – and made more pay-per-view (PPV) appearances for the company than any other wrestler.

Against Hogan, Sting headlined the highest-grossing PPV event in WCW history, Starrcade, in December 1997.

Early life

Borden was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in Southern California. He played football and basketball in high school and later embarked on a career in bodybuilding, once co-owning a Gold's Gym health club. Borden had no interest in professional wrestling and no television access to it within his home community, but decided to pursue a career in the industry after being taken to an "incredible" World Wrestling Federation (WWF) event in Los Angeles where he saw Hulk Hogan, The Iron Sheik, The British Bulldogs, André the Giant and others perform.

Source

Professional wrestling career

Borden, who fought under the ring name Flash, was teamed with Jim "Justice" Hellwig (who would go on to become the WWF's Most Valuable Warrior) as two representatives of Power Team USA in an independent All-California Championship Wrestling match. Also included in Power Team USA was Garland "Glory" Donahoe and Mark "Commando" Miller, as well as plus boss Rick Bassman. Hellwig and Borden later joined the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), a Memphis, Tennessee-based wrestling group, and became known as the Freedom Fighters. Fans were slow to react to the lumbering hulks, so the team became heel under "coach" Buddy Wayne and then boss Dutch Mantel shortly thereafter. After an uneventful run, the Freedom Fighters left the CWA, the exception of which was an angle in which veteran wrestler Phil Hickerson broke his leg.

The two appeared in the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), an organization run by Bill Watts and headquartered in Alexandria, Louisiana, where they were known as the Blade Runners. Borden changed his ring name from Flash to Sting, while Hellwig became known as Rock. They soon joined Hotstuff & Hyatt International, a heel stable led by Eddie Gilbert and Missy Hyatt. In Gilbert's on-screen feud with Watts, the Blade Runners became henchmen alongside "Russian" wrestler Kortsia Korchenko. Hellwig left the service in mid-1986, leaving Sting without a partner. Sting won the UWF World Tag Team Championship twice with Gilbert in 1986 and a third time with Rick Steiner in 1987.

After Gilbert mistakenly hit Sting with his boot during a title defense, resulting in a draw between the two teams (with Steiner supporting Gilbert). Gilbert intervened on Taylor's behalf shortly after a match against Terry Taylor in mid-1987, costing Sting the game. Taylor and Gilbert followed Taylor to Sting until Taylor's old tag partner, Gentleman Chris Adams, arrived to Sting's rescue. Adams rangled and asked Sting if he was with him or against him in his feud with Taylor and Gilbert. By announcing his allegiance to Adams, Sting turned face.

Gilbert endorsed Borden by a dirt sheet that says that Sting will be a major star in the future. Sting was tabbed to win the UWF Television Championship, then held by Gilbert until Jim Crockett of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) purchased the business from Watts later this year. Dusty Rhodes, Crockett's booker, decided to place the Television showdown on Taylor in an attempt to bring up a feud between Taylor and NWA Television Champion Nikita Koloff to unify the two categories. Rhodes used then-unknown Shane Douglas as the transitional champion from Gilbert to Taylor because Rhodes did not want to damage Sting's rising fame with a brief championship run.

Dusty Rhodes showcased the young superstar in the opening of Crockett's first foray into pay-per-view, Starrcade '87. Sting worked with Michael P.S. In a six-man tag team match against Gilbert, Steiner, and Larry Zbyszko that culminated in a 15-minute time limit draw, Hayes and Jimmy Garvin defeated Jimmy Garvin.

Sting was one of the few UWF alumni to be pushed in the Northwest Area after establishing himself as a rising star. Sting vs. Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Clash of the Champions I in March 1988. After the 45-minute time limit expired, the game was a draw, and the ringside judges were unable to decide a winner. Following the Clash, Sting lost in several non-televised rematches, and later this year, the Four Horsemen defeated other members of Flair's stable, the Four Horsemen. In July 1988, Sting united with Koloff at The Great American Bash to face Horsemen Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson for the NWA World Tag Team Championship; Blanchard and Anderson retained the honors after the match ended in a 20-minute time limit draw.

Rhodes continued to book Sting in championship matches throughout the year against both NWA United States Champion Barry Windham and NWA Television Champion Mike Rotunda. After a televised match in 1988, Hawk and Animal of The Road Warriors struck Sting. Despite knowing that turning the Road Warriors heel would be no easy task, Rhodes, as booker, named Sting as the one with the most devoted following. At Starrcade '88, Rhodes himself joined with Sting to challenge the Road Warriors for the tag team championship. Rhodes and Sting gained by disqualification, encouraging the Road Warriors to keep their titles.

In 1989, Sting returned to singles matches, starting the year off by wrestling Flair to a one-hour draw in Atlanta's Omni. He'll also have his first time in Japan with a brief tour in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), with his most notable match in AJPW against Dan Spencey at Nippon Budokan in June 1989. Sting captured his first title in the NWA after a long fight when he defeated Rotundo for the NWA Television Championship at a live event in March. At The Great American Bash in mid-1989, the Great Muta confronted Sting. Despite the fact that Rhodes (the namesake of the technique) had been fired months before, the match was postponed with a classic, bitter finish. Sting won the three-count and was proclaimed the champion, but Muta's shoulder was up at the count of two on a replay. The NWA has elected to leave the position vacant. In several rematches for the vacant Television title, Sting and Muta competed, but they ultimately ended in disqualification, leaving neither man with the trophy or any other man dead. Muta eventually won a No Disqualification match against Sting at a live event in September by using a blackjack to win and the championship.

Flair defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Terry Funk, a founder of Gary Hart's J-Tex Corporation, in the main event of the year's Great American Bash. Funk's stablemate, Muta, was stabbed after Flair's win. Sting came to the aid of his old rival Flair, and the two teams feuded with Muta and Funk for the remainder of the summer and fall, culminating in a Thunderdome Cage match between the two teams, which culminated in a memorable match between the two teams, which culminated in a Thunderdome Cage match between the two teams, which culminated in a disaster in 1989. Sting and the Andersons, Arn, and Ole were among the new reformed and now-face Four Horsemen as a result of Flair's union (kayfabe cousins). Sting '89 won a four-man round-robin Iron Man tournament at Starrcade '89, bringing out the year's best of the year. Sting defeated Flair in the final match of the night to gain the necessary points to win the tournament. The win made Sting the most popular candidate for Flair's NWA World title, causing competition among the Four Horsemen.

At Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shootout on February 6, 1990, Sting was banned from The Four Horsemen for refusing to relinquish his title shot against Flair, effectively restarting their rivalry. Borden sustained a legitimate knee injury while participating in a Steel cage match involving the Horsemen later that evening. Borden's injury prompted the bookers of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the NWA's most popular sport, to find a new competitor for Flair for the forthcoming Wrestle War pay-per-view tournament.

At WrestleWar, Lex Luger was selected to face Flair. Sting came down to force Luger to return and beat Flair as a result of the match between Flair and Luger. Sting and Luger had been at odds before this. Ole Anderson struck Luger when they were close to winning Sting. Luger saved the already injured Sting and ended up losing the game by count-out while helping his friend. Officials at WrestleWar wanted Flair to be shot at Luger, but Flair refused, saying he had promised Borden that he would keep the title until Borden could return to the ring. Despite the injury, Sting was also used on television and pay per views as required.

Sting was welcomed by the Four Horsemen and led to a metal cage at ringside during a Capital Combat event in May. Sting was saved by his buddy RoboCop in a promotional crossover. Sting ultimately defeated Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash on July 7, 1990. Sting and Sid Vicious became adversaries in a competition against naming competition. Vicious fought Sting in a championship match at the 1990 Halloween Havoc, but it was discovered that Vicious's "Sting" was not an impostor played by Horseman Barry Windham. After the match was resurgent, the true Sting appeared and pinned Vicious to keep his position.

During Sting's title run, a masked man named The Black Scorpion would taunt and assault Sting on several occasions. This feud came to an end at The Black Scorpion's final showdown at Starrcade: Collision Course in December. The cage match came to an end with Sting pinning and unmasking the Scorpion, who turned out to be Flair in disguise.

When Flair defeated him in a rematch from Starrcade in 1991, Sting's first world championship reign came to an end. In the same month, WCW split from the National Wrestling Alliance, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and a WCW World Tag Team Championship were announced. Sting then appeared in what some believe to be the best match of 1991, partnering with Luger to face The Steiner Brothers at the SuperBrawl I pay-per-view for the world tag-team championships. Koloff, who had been feuding with Luger, intervened in the game by swinging a chain at Luger but instead hitting Sting. Consequently, Sting and Koloff feuded during the summer of 1991. Sting defeated Steve Austin in August 1991 to win a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. Sting retained the title for 86 days before losing it to Rick Rude at Clash of the Champions XVII.

Sting took the first-ever Battlebowl battle royal in which he received a Battlebowl championship ring in 1991. Sting then became embroiled in a controversy with the Dangerous Alliance, led by manager Paul E. Dangerously. The stable attacked Sting because he was the so-called "franchise" of the WCW, and the Alliance promised to destroy both Sting and the promotion he was the face of. Sting was being criticized by Luger, who had merely turned heel and, as WCW Champion, viewed Sting as a threat. Sting played in many games with Dangerous Alliance members, including Rude, the group's top celebrity. Sting won his first of his six WCW World Heavyweight Championships at SuperBrawl II on February 29, 1992. In a WarGames match at WrestleWar in May 1992, the feud came to an end when Sting formed Sting's Squadron, consisting of allies Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, Windham, and Koloff, and stunned the Alliance (Rude, Austin, Arn Anderson, Zbyszko, and Bobby Eaton). Dave Meltzer was given his highest rating for the match in the series.

The seeds were sown for what became undoubtedly one of the most famous feuds of Sting's career near the end of the war with the Dangerous Alliance. On April 12, 1992, Sting defended his WCW World Championship against the 450-pound Big Van Vader at The Omni in Atlanta. Vader screamed Sting during the match, cracking three of Sting's ribs and rupturing his spleen. At The Great American Bash on July 12, Sting recovered and defended his title against Vader, dropping the belt to Big Van Vader after missing a Stinger Splash, striking his head on the ring post, and receiving a powerbomb. Sting defeated Vader, who had lost the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in August in the "King of Cable" tournament final at Starrcade after beating Cactus Jack in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at Beach Blast and WCW newcomer Jake Roberts in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at Halloween Havoc.

The Sting-Vader feud continued into 1993, with Vader, the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, beating Sting in a bloody Strap match at SuperBrawl III. Sting exacted revenge by defeating Valiant for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on March 11, England, but it was then lost in Dublin, Ireland, six days later. Sting then joined WCW newcomer Davey Boy Smith to defeat Valiant and Vicious of Beach Blast, an anti-warteer who blew up Sting's boat. Sting was one of the first people to congratulate Flair, who had just returned from the World Wrestling Federation after his WCW World Heavyweight Championship victory over Vader at Starrcade in 1993.

During the first half of 1994, Sting feuded with Vader and Rude. In April, Sting defeated Rude in the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Rude recaptured the title at Wrestling Dontaku 1994 in Japan, but the decision was reversed after Rude reportedly struck Sting with the championship belt during the match; this was to compensate Rude for a real-life back injury that had forced Rude to leave the game, forcing Rude to abandon him. Sting refused to be awarded the award and instead defeated Vader for the vacant WCW International World Heavyweight Championship at Slamboree. Flair defeated Sting in a championship unification match at Clash of the Champions XXVII, turning heel in the final moments of the match when Sensuous Sherri returned to Sting and took Flair's side. Sting spent the second half of 1994 and the majority of 1995 with new arrival Hulk Hogan in his battles against Kevin Sullivan's Three Faces of Fear and its successor stable, The Dungeon of Doom.

Sting defeated Meng in another tournament for the WCW United States Championship at The Great American Bash 1995. In a rematch for the title at Bash at the Beach 1995, Sting defeated Meng in a rematch for the title. Sting was on the first-ever Monday Nitro in a match where Flair defeated Sting by disqualification as a result of Arn Anderson's run-in to attack Flair. In the event's WarGames match, Sting defeated the Dungeon of Doom, consisting of Kamala, Zodiac, Shark, and Meng. Flair convinced Sting to join him in a match against Anderson and Brian Pillman at Halloween Havoc in October 1995. Flair had been struck early in the night, making it impossible to recover for the first half of the match. Anderson and Pillman had earlier in the evening. Sting fought his opponents until Flair emerged. Flair turns on Sting and reformed the Four Horsemen with Anderson and Pillman, and Chris Benoit joined the team later in the match.

Sting defeated Flair on a subsequent Nitro with the Scorpion Deathlock, refusing to go into the limelight until Luger ordered him to do so. At the World War 3 pay-per-view, Sting defeated Flair once more. Sting defeated Savage in the WCW World Heavyweight Championship later in the night. Sting's connections with Hogan and Savage prompted the Horsemen to attack them as well. Sting's second title reign in the United States lasted until November 13, when he was defeated in Japan by Kensuke Sasaki. In a non-title match, Sting defeated Sasaki, representing New Japan Pro-Wrestling, winning the World Cup of Wrestling for WCW. Sting lost a Triangle match involving Flair and Luger on Friday night; Flair defeated Flair on a count-out to emerge as the top contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which Flair won from Savage in the upcoming match.

Sting's appearance began in 1996: he grew longer, darker hair, and he wore black tights with a multi-colored scorpion, although he occasionally wore his colorful ones and maintained his vivid face paint. Despite Luger's appearance as a heel, Sting teamed with his old friend Luger, who had returned to WWF in September 1995. On the January 22 edition of Nitro, the pair defeated Harlem Heat for the WCW World Tag Team Championship. The team often retained the championship as a result of Luger's bribery tactics, to which Sting was unaware. When Luger was uncensored for WCW Uncensored in March, Harlem Heat member Booker T teamed up with Sting to successfully stop the title from changing hands. When Sting and Luger refused Harlem Heat a match, Sting and Booker T showed mutual love that showed itself. During the Tag championship run, Sting fired a World championship shot at The Giant at Slamboree in May, but lost due to Luger's accidental intervention. On the June 24 edition of Nitro, Harlem Heat eventually captured the titles.

Sting was the first to stand up to The Strangers in the summer of 1996: Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who had recently competed in the WWF and whose affiliations and goals had been infiltrating and causing confusion at WCW functions. At the Bash at the Beach, Sting partnered with Luger and Savage to defend WCW against Hall, Nash, and a mysterious third stranger. Hall and Nash began the contest without their third friend, but the WCW's temporary three-on-two advantage was short-lived: Luger left the match after being accidentally injured by a miss timed Stinger Splash. Both the two-on-two battles continued, though Hogan, who had been a face character for nearly fifteen years, made a cameback at ringside. In one of wrestling's most popular swerves, Hogan seemed to be able to support the WCW wrestlers until he attacked Savage with his leg drop finisher. The match was declared a no-contest, and Hall, Nash, and Hogan declared a new world order in professional wrestling. The name stuck, and Sting became one of the WCW's stalwarts against the New World Order, or nWo for short.

Sting and Luger went up to rivals and Four Horsemen members Ric Flair and Arn Anderson some time after Bash at the Beach and asked them to join with him, insisting that they should forget their differences for the good of WCW. For the annual WarGames match at Fall Brawl in September 1996, Flair and Anderson decided, and the four wrestlers assembled Team WCW. They will be facing Hall, Nash, Hogan, and a fourth member of the nWo family, as well as a fourth one who has yet to be determined. The nWo pulled a trick on WCW by stating that Sting would be joining their team ahead of the game, however, prior to the event. As Luger was lured into the parking lot, a vignette was shown where the nWo had a recording of Sting's voice playing in its limousine. As he was there, a man dressed as Sting, played by Jeff Farmer, assaulted him, and the audience at home was led to believe that Sting had joined the nWo and would be their fourth man against a three-man WCW team. Sting, on the other hand, was not at that time and arrived at Fall Brawl, just as his teammates announced that they would face the nWo by themselves. Sting told Luger that he did not attack him, but Luger denied to believe him. After the impostor Sting had registered for the nWo, Sting emerged as the fourth and final man for Team WCW later in the match. Sting took out all four members of the nWo as soon as they were ringing. "Is that good enough for you right there?" He staggered, turned to Luger, and angrily said to him, "Is that good enough for you right here?"

Is that proof enough?"

Sting then gave Luger an offensive look and escorted him out of the game, leaving Team WCW with a four-on-three deficit, which they were unable to overcome. During the show, no music or entrance pyrotechnics were present, the next night on Nitro, Sting emerged unannounced, with no music or entrance pyrotechnics. He stepped into the ring and launched an outraged rant about the events of the last week: with his back turned to the camera side of the audience, he launched an indignation of sorts: the last week was a tense affair.

Sting threw the microphone down and left the message, saying he would return "from time to time." He had been scheduled for shows in New Japan Pro-Wrestling to compete in the Japan/U.S. tournament days after the infamous promo. In the first round of the Superstars Tournament, where he defeated Masahiro Chono in the first round, Shiro Koshinaka was disqualified in the second round. On September 23, Lex Luger and Arn Anderson teamed up to defeat Arn Anderson and Steven Regal in his last match of 1996. It would be his last tour of Japan. Sting's original edition of Nitro, October 21, 1996, was released for the first time since the night after Fall Brawl. Mr. JL. Sting emerged wearing a trench coat and white face paint with black dots around his eyes in a match where the impostor Sting was battling Mr. JL. With his latest finisher, the Scorpion Death Drop inverted DDT, two leap elbow drops, a Stinger Splash, and a Scorpion Deathlock, the nWo came to ringside, but the majority of the nWo returned to ringside. They listened and watched rather than intervene. Ted DiBiase and Kevin Nash burst into the ring and made Sting an invitation to join the nWo and reclaim WCW for betraying him. Sting first described the nWo Sting as a "cheap imitation" before advising the nWo, "the real Sting may or not not be in your price range," and "the only thing that can be certain about Sting is that nothing's for sure." Sting has dropped the phone and will not speak (on mic) on WCW television for more than a year. After this eerie, almost ghostly Sting, wielding a baseball bat as a shield, started appearing in the rafters at WCW shows and started painting his entire body with black and white corpse paint. The new gimmick in Sting was inspired by the 1994 film The Crow. nWo Sting, an exile Borden, started painting his portrait in revenge. Borden admitted that Scott Hall had initially suggested painting his face like the cartoonist Eric Draven from The Crow while appearing on a WCW/nWo merchandise special on QVC Sports in late 1999. Sting maintains aspects of his "Crow" persona to date, with occasional changes in the face paint's appearance and use of the hue.

Sting will face a WCW wrestler in the ring and then shove the wrestler several times with his bat until the wrestler was provoked enough to advance. If he were going to assault him, then Sting would draw the sword back, causing the wrestler to break. Sting would offer the bat to the offended wrestler and turn his back, giving the wrestler a chance of retaliation. Sting will nod, retrieve the bat, and leave the ring if the wrestler hesitated or declined. Randy Savage, a "blackballed" who returned to WCW for the first time since Halloween Havoc and branded himself with Sting as a "free agent," according to WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff, who is also one of the nWo's top performers, although he would not be allowed to return to WCW if he didn't want to return to the nWo. The two rafters were seen together in the rafters and taking the ring together for the next few weeks. This report, on the other hand, died out at SuperBrawl VII in February; Sting and Savage were able to watch Roddy Piper face Hogan in a match for the WCW world championship. Savage, who was left behind in Sting, went to the ring and helped Hogan win the game, effectively ending his word and joining the nWo. Sting will be with the nWo for the next few weeks, hinting at his participation in the community. However, as the nWo's new recruit, Dennis Rodman, of the Chicago Bulls, rappelled from the roof of the arena on a vertical zip-line, they were nevertheless uncensored. When Hall and Nash attempted to approach him, Sting assaulted them and Randy Savage when he tried to intervene, revealing his allegiance to WCW.

Sting often recovered from the rafters or shot unsuspecting nWo members as they defeated the nWo, and employed decoy "Stings" to play mind games with the nWo in subsequent weeks. Sting's appearances to face the nWo at the end of almost every Nitro helped WCW retain and broaden its television ratings advantage over the WWF's Monday Night Raw throughout the summer. On-screen WCW commissioner J. J. Dillon tried to compel Sting to return to wrestling by giving contracts to various nWo members. Sting, on the other hand, did not accept any of the terms, often tearing them up in Dillon's face. Sting asked Sting if he wanted one version of Nitro, and the crowd went out to ringside, picked up a fan's name, and pointed to Hogan, who pointed to one name only: Hogan. Sting obtained his wish and Hogan and Hogan met in December at Starrcade for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The finish of the game was supposed to be reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob finish that the WWF had used to double-cross Bret Hart just one month earlier at their annual Survivor Series show. While Nick Patrick, the referee for the game, was supposed to do a fast count on Sting, the decision was supposed to be announced, but the opponent, who had already served as the guest referee for Larry Zbyszko and Eric Bischoff's match, would come out to protest the decision and Sting would emerge victorious by compulsioning Hogan to sign the Scorpion Death Lock. Patrick did not do his part properly, rather counting the pin at a much faster pace, which added to the overall tension.

Hogan resigned after Patrick's decision should have been considered final and a rematch was arranged next night. On the first episode of Thunder, the match lasted over Nitro's allotted time slot, and the finish was broadcast later this week. Two separate referees named the two different men as the champion in a similar fashion to the Starrcade results. Dillon vacated the WCW World Heavyweight Championship later that night, causing Sting to relinquish the belt. "You've got no guts," Sting yelled out his first words (on mic) since October 1996. "You... You're a dead man," the narrator told Hogan. "I'm a student at the University of Cambridge."

The nWo began to splinter as 1998 began. In February, Sting captured the coveted WCW World Heavyweight Championship in SuperBrawl VIII, with the help of Savage, who was just starting to separate from the nWo. Sting continued to defend the title against Hall, Nash, and the Diamond Dallas Page, as the title was successfully displayed (DDP). Nash began to withdraw from the Hogan-ruled nWo, and Nash helped Savage defeat Sting for the championship at Spring Stampede in April. Nash and Savage officially separated from the original nWo on May 4, forming the nWo Wolfpact, while Hogan's heel team was named nWo Hollywood. Sting's allegiance was fought over by the two nWo groups, with Sting's The Giant joining nWo Hollywood and Luger joining nWo Wolfpact. When he wore a black and white nWo shirt, Sting seemed to have joined nWo Hollywood, but he soon tore off the shirt to reveal the nWo Wolfpac's red and black. Sting as a member of nWo Wolfpact began wearing red and black face paint and tights.

When Hall called on his colleague Nash, Sting and The Giant won the WCW World Tag Team Championship in Slamboree in May. Sting and The Giant also split, and the team was forced to leave the competition 18 days later. Sting then defeated The Giant at The Great American Bash in June to regain control of the Tag Team titles and select Nash as his partner. Throughout the summer, Sting and fellow nWo Wolfpac members Nash, Luger, and Konnan feuded with Hogan and nWo Hollywood. Sting also became embroiled in a feud with Bret Hart over their identical finishing stakes, the Sharpshooter and the Scorpion Deathlock. In a match against Hall and The Giant on the July 20 Nitro, Hart cost Sting and Nash the Tag titles by interfering. Hart, the United States Champion, struck Sting with a baseball bat, pulling Sting out of action for several months. Hart would eventually be pinned by Sting after he himself fell afoul of a baseball bat wielded by Lex Luger, 11 months later.

In March 1999, Sting returned to Nitro wearing the black and white Crow-inspired clothing he wore when first introduced in 1996 and began to perform more mic duties. By this time, the nWo storyline had dissipated, and Sting was not linked to any of its factions. Sting was competing in the main event of the Spring Stampede in April, a Four Corners match for the World Championship against Hogan, DDP, and champion Flair. Savage served as special guest referee and dropped a diving elbow to assist DDP in the match and the title.

For the fifth time, Sting defeated Page on the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on April 26. In a four-way match starring DDP, Goldberg, and a returning Nash, Sting defended the title later that night. The DDP pinned Nash, allowing the DDP to win the title without having to face Sting directly. Sting's 90-minute tenure was only the second shortest WCW World Heavyweight Championship appearance in WCW history. Sting lost to Rick Steiner in a Falls Count Anywhere match at The Great American Bash after being stabbed by Steiner's three dogs backstage and then had to declare himself the victor, claiming that his dogs had pinned Sting for him.

Sting feuded with Goldberg, Rick Steiner, Vicious, and Savage for the next several months. In July, Sting defeated Vicious and Savage of Team Madness teamed with WCW World Heavyweight Champion Nash at the Bash on the Beach. As a result, Savage pinned Nash and won the World Championship. Hogan recovered from injury on July 12 as a face-off for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. On the 19th edition of Nitro, Sting defeated Flair to become the WCW's on-screen president. Nash turned heel by attacking Hogan during a title defense against Vicious later that night. Sting remained president for just one week and used his influence to book a big event pitting Hogan and himself against Nash and Vicious. Sting vacated the presidency the following week because he preferred Flair out of the position rather than seeking the position for himself. For the next month, Goldberg, Sting, and Hogan clashed with Nash, Vicious, and Rick Steiner.

In the weeks leading up to the Fall Brawl, Sting began to doubt Hogan's trustworthiness and credibility. Luger brought a baseball bat to the ring, and Sting defeated Hogan for his sixth and final WCW World Heavyweight Championship, turning heel for the first time in WCW history. The heel turn and subsequent attitude change in Sting did not resonate with the WCW followers. Despite the fact that Sting was supposed to be the villain (similar to the Road Warriors' heel turn in late 1988), they still celebrated him. During Sting and Luger's heel turn, they defeated alleged opponents Hogan and Hart in a tag match, Sting pinning Hart after Luger struck him with a bat. After Hogan appeared in street clothes and lay down for Sting to pin him, he retained the WCW World Heavyweight championship against Hogan. Sting sounded his dissatisfaction with the result and declared an open challenge for later tonight. Sting lost an unsanctioned match to Goldberg that night, accepting his open challenge and then attacking referee Charles Robinson. The following night, Sting was barred from office for threatening the official.

Sting competed in the 32-man tournament that was supposed to be based on the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship. To reach the semi-finals, Sting defeated Brian Knobs, Meng, and Luger. Sting lost by disqualification after ostensibly "bungled" interference by Luger (in fact payback for Sting's quarterfinal victory). Luger was forced to leave Luger due to his poor fortune. However, Hart requested an immediate rematch, which was granted, and she secured by submission to advance to the final. Sting shook hands with Hart after the match, a show of respect in the process, before the match, when he turned to face him again. Sting sought revenge against Luger the next month at Starrcade. When Luger and Miss Elizabeth assaulted Sting with a steel chair and baseball bat, the team was disqualified by disqualification, effectively ending the game for the first time. Sting ended his feud with Luger by defeating him in a Lumberjacks match at Uncensored in March.

Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff, two WCW executives who were trying to save the fading company, rewritten the storylines on April 10, 2000, and declared all titles vacant. Sting advanced to the finals of the United States Championship tournament by defeating Booker T and Vampiro in the first two rounds at Spring Stampede the following week. In the finals against Scott Steiner, Vampiro cost Sting the championship, sparking a fierce rivalry between Sting and Vampiro. In May, Sting pinned Valiant at Slamboree, and Vampiro defeated Sting in a Human Torch match at The Great American Bash; the climax of the match saw Borden switch to a stuntman who had been set on fire and thrown off the top of the frame of the stage's entrance video screen; Vain is a television broadcaster who was pinned to him. He returned to Bash at the Beach wearing another Sting mask as a man wearing cloaks and Sting masks carried him in a casket, then assaulted Vaino.

With Jeff Jartt and then Scott Steiner, Sting began to feud. In November 2000, Steiner assaulted and injured Sting. Before the final episode of Nitro on March 26, 2001, Sting stayed off WCW television until the last episode. The World Wrestling Federation had acquired the WCW, and the final match in WCW history pitted Sting against his longtime rival Flair; the two teams had also competed on the very first version of Nitro on September 4, 1995. Sting defeated Flair, and the two teams were embraced at the end of the competition.

Since the WWF did not buy out Sting's deal with AOL Time Warner, he turned down a buyout bid of 50 cents on the dollar instead of waiting until his deal came to an end in March 2002 (he announced a short-lived retirement in February of that year). Borden then began employment talks with the WWF, but did not apply for the position.

Borden toured Europe in 2002, following a year and a half of absence, during November and December as part of the World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) campaign. His first match in the WWA took place in Dublin, Ireland, where he reunited with Lex Luger to defeat Buff Bagwell and Malice. Sting lost to Luger in a battle for the uncontested WWA World Heavyweight Championship at The Retribution on December 6, 2002, in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. On December 13, Sting defeated Luger to win the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in Zurich, Switzerland.

In May 2003, Sting embarked on a second tour with WWA, winning his championship against Rick Steiner, Shane Douglas, and Disco Inferno. The WWA held its final show, The Reckoning, in Auckland, New Zealand, where NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett defeated Sting for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship, unifying the two nations.

In 2003, Sting signed a five-year deal with the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, committing him to four appearances. He made his TNA debut on June 18, one year ago, teaming with Jeff Jartt to defeat A.J. Styles and Syxx Pact Borden began a long line of sit-down interviews with Mike Tenay, exploring his work and his faith. Sting returned to TNA on November 5, 2003, defeating Jarrett by disqualification in a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Sting and A.J. were teamed with A.J. on November 12, 2012. Styles to defyse Jarrett and Lex Luger. On December 17, he made his final TNA appearance of 2003, defeating Jart in a non-title match. Borden was interviewed again by Mike Tenay on March 24, 2004, and he returned to the company for one night only as the special guest enforcer for the main event, a four-way match between Abyss, A.J. Raven, Styles, and Ron Killings, which Ravens gained, are among Raven's winnings.

The lights in the arena went out on December 11, 2005, Turning Point, as Jeff Jarrett was in the ring celebrating his victory, as the date "January 15, 2006" appeared on the arena screens. Spotlights then illuminated the ring, revealing a chair adorned with Sting's signature trench coat, boots, and a black baseball bat in the middle of the ring. On the January 1, 2006 episode of Impact, his return to TNA was announced one minute after midnight. After Sting pinned Jarrett and Monty Brown in a tag team match, Sting and Christian Cage defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown in a final resolution on January 15th. Sting made his Spike TV debut and first appearance on national television in nearly five years on January 28, 2006.

With Sting out, Jeff Jartt and Eric Young were worried that Sting had not fully retired, and sending Alex Shelley to California to videotape Sting at home. Sting spotted Shelley filming, followed Shelley's car and told him he'd be on Destination X and confront Jeff Jartt as Steve Borden. On March 12 at Destination X, a clan in "street clothes" and without face paint Borden returned to life, saving Christian Cage and Rhino when they were threatened by Jartt's Army. Jartt was placed in the Scorpion Deathlock but Scott Steiner, the first to be attacked shortly after. Sting, A.J., and Lethal Lockdown ensued. Contrary to Jartt's Army, the styles, Ron Killings, and Rhino are among the designs. Sting's crew took the title on April 23 at Lockdown. Sting continued to look for people to assist him in beating Jeff Jartt and Scott Steiner for good after Locking down. After ruling out Lex Luger, Buff Bagwell, and Rick Steiner as options, he settled on Samoa Joe. After Joe pinned Jartt with a Muscle Buster on May 14, Sacrifice, Sting and Joe defeated Jartt and Steiner on May 14 at Sacrifice, Sting and Joe. Despite being unsuccessful at throwing Jartt away, Sting defeated Scott Steiner by disqualification to win a spot in the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 18. Sting was distracted during the match, allowing crooked referee Earl Hebner to knock over the ladder, allowing Jarring to win the match.

Sting beat Jarrett in the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on July 16 at Victory Road. On August 13, Sting took his title at Hard Justice but fell short of winning the title after Christian Cage turned heel and struck Sting with Jart's guitar. He will face Bound for Glory, where Sting put his career on hold. When Jartt submitted to the Scorpion Deathlock in his second major championship title since 1999, he claimed his second NWA World Heavyweight title. Sting became the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion of the TNA era, as well as the first person to ever win the title both before and after the inception of TNA. This will also make Sting the longest reigning NWA champion to reclaim his second NWA crown from 1990 to 2006 (16 years).

At Genesis, Sting lost the title to Abyss by disqualification after throwing aside the referee and pushing Abyss into a stack of tables covered in barbed wire. In the weeks after Genesis, Sting's rivalry with Abyss continued, and Christian Cage was involved, with the three of them competing in a three-way match at Turning Point, where Abyss retained the title.

Sting reignited his rivalry with Abyss as he attempted to recapture the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, fighting him in Final Resolutions Against All Odds and Destination X in a Last Rites match, but he never claimed the title. In addition, Abyss and Sting were drafted in a different squad in the Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown. Sting pinned Abyss to win the match for his team and put an end to their bitter rivalry. Jeff Jarrett helped him win the match and put an end to their bitter rivalry.

A match between Sting, Kurt Angle, and NWA World Champion Christian Cage was scheduled at Sacrifice. The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the owners of the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team Championships, stripped Cage of the title and Team 3D of the tag team crown on the day of the PPV. The reason, according to NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich, was that Cage refused to defend the NWA Title at NWA live events. Cage, who was still wearing the physical NWA Championship belt, defended the event against Sting and Angle, who later declared it to be the "World Heavyweight Championship" in the event. Angle made it to the end of the competition by forcing Sting submit, and was named as the new "TNA World Heavyweight Champion."

The Impact!

The title was announced as the "TNA World Heavyweight Championship" at the time, but it was withdrawn after the tournament. A tournament followed the title, culminating in a King of the Mountains contest at Slammiversary. After Christopher Daniels interfered, Sting's qualifying match with Samoa Joe was called off. Sting defeated Daniels at Slammiversary on June 17, which he eventually won.

Sting started working with his longtime foe, Abyss, who had just turned around. The two teams then advanced to A.J. On July 15, Styles and Tomko celebrated their first appearance on Victory Road. While assisting Abyss in a match against A.J., he was attempting to assist them. Christian's Alliance sluggish styles, Sting, and Abyss. By Tomko, Abyss was pulled under the ring and Sting was crushed into broken glass, but Abyss emerged bleeding heavily and was slammed into the broken glass and thumbtacks. Sting and Abyss retaliated by defeating Christian Cage and A.J. the following week. Styles in a ladder match in the process of obtaining a job that allowed them to choose the style of match between Abyss and Christian at Hard Justice. In a "Doomsday Chamber of Blood" match, Sting's squad advanced, with Abyss winning A.J. Styles will be the top TNA World Heavyweight Championship contenders.

Sting began a feud with TNA World Champion Kurt Angles after that. Sting defeated A.J. in the first round. Styles, Christian Cage, and Samoa Joe competed in a four-way battle with Angle to become the TNA World Tag Team Championship co-holder, but they lost the match against Adam "Pacman" Jones and Ron Killings at No Surrender. At Bound for Glory, where Sting won his first TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Sting will meet Angle for the World Championship. However, on Impact, he would lose the title to Angle two days later. After Kevin Nash intervened on Angle's behalf, he apologized on Angle's behalf. At Genesis, Sting will meet Angle and Nash, with the debutant Booker T as his mystery partner. If you're looking for a unique way to win the TNA World Championship, which Angle defeated after pinning Sting to keep the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This will be Sting's last TNA appearance in 2007, as he will take some time off to be with his family.

On March 27, Sting made his official return. At Lockdown, he joined Team Cage (Christian Cage, Kevin Nash, Rhino, and Matt Morgan) and defeated Team Tomko (Tomko, A.J.). Styles, James Storm, and Team 3D. After the tag titles were vacated, Jim Cornette hosted a Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament to select new champions. Four teams were already in the Sacrifice finals, while Cornette named eight wrestlers as the "Ethical 8." On May 11 at Sacrifice, the Sting's partner fell short due to their inability to move ahead, and the pair finally stormed Storm and walked out. Sting was not seen again after that, except in an interview that discussed his work and his eventual retirement.

Booker T defeated Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on July 13 at Victory Road. Sting was attempting to talk sense into Joe as he brutally beating Booker T during the match and was potentially headed for disqualification. Joe rebuked him, but Sting struck him with his signature black baseball bat. The rivalry between Joe and Booker escalated over the next weeks, with Booker T or Sharmell striking Samoa Joe with Sting's trademark bat as Impact! Before going off the air, Sting turned on Samoa Joe and became a heel. Despite being offered a face-to-face reaction from the fans, Sting sided with Booker T. Sting attacked A.J. on August 10 at Hard Justice, despite the fans' reactions. Since being fought by Kurt Angle in a Last Man Standing match, he and him have developed styles.

Sting challenged Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on October 12 in Bound for Glory IV, and was able to take the trophy after Kevin Nash returned and struck Joe with Sting's baseball bat. Kurt Angle, Booker T. Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner developed The Main Event Mafia, a stable populated by veterans and former World Champions who competed with younger wrestlers, the TNA Frontline. At Turning Point and Rhino on January 11, Sting defended the title against Frontline's AJ Styles. In addition, the founder of The Main Event Mafia Kurt Angle and the stagger feud. Sting defended the title against Angle, Brother Ray, and Brother Devon at Against All Odds. In a singles match at Destination X, he then met Angle. Sting lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Mick Foley inside the Six Sides of Steel, putting his reign to a span of 189 days (his longest world championship tenure for any organization). Sting defeated Kurt Angle on May 24 in Sacrifice to become the new Godfather of the Main Event Mafia. Sting defeated Matt Morgan in a singles match on June 21 at Slammiversary, effectively stopping Morgan from attending the Main Event Mafia. Kurt Angle regained his role as Godfather on the following episode of Impact! Sting's fellow Main Event Mafia members abused him, booted him from the team, and resigned him from the group. Sting took revenge against the Mafia last week when he assaulted every Mafia member and took Angle's world heavyweight championship belt, leaving him with a completely fledged visage as a result. After the debuting Taz intervened on Joe's behalf, the Sting was defeated by Samoa Joe in a singles match on July 19 at Victory Road. In a triple threat match that also included Matt Morgan, Sting unsuccessfully challenged Angle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on August 16 at Hard Justice. Sting lost a five-way match at No Surrender on September 20 in the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which also included A.J. Hernandez, Kurt Angle, and Matt Morgan were among the styles on display. Styles attacked Morgan rather than pinning Angle in order to make Styles pin Angle and become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Styles were offered a title shot at the following month's PPV Bound for Glory in a match touted as possibly being Sting's retirement match. Styles defeated Sting to keep his position at the PPV, snapping Sting's undefeated streak at Bound for Glory. He said after the match that he did not know if he would continue his work or not, and that "the way you fans are reacting right now makes me want to stay forever." By the year's end, the match was voted the year's match of the year by TNA supporters.

Impact, a live three-hour version of Impact on January 4, 2010.

Sting returned to the Impact!

In the arena's rafters, a zone appears. During a match against A.J., Sting reappeared two months later, attacking Hulk Hogan and Abyss. Styles and Ric Flair have a tendency to change heel as a result. Rob Van Dam, the first-born Rob Van Dam, was later defeated him. Sting would compete with other heel wrestlers against face wrestlers such as Van Dam, Jartt, or Hogan during the coming months. Team Flair (Fortt, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode, and James Storm) was defeated by Team Hogan at Lockdown (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam, and Jeff Hardy). Sting defeated Jeff Jarrett at Sacrifice, beating Rob Van Dam for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary VIII. However, Jarrett made his return to the game, costing Sting the title.

TNA president Dixie Carter (storyline) suspended Sting for 30 days after attacking Jarrett from behind on the June 24 edition of Impact! When he returned, Sting changed his gimmick, sporting his nWo Wolfpac red face paint, and was paired with Kevin Nash. They'll start a feud with Jeff Jartt and Samoa Joe, who will face them in No Surrender and Bound for Glory, where Sting, Nash, and D'Angelo Dinero defeated Jarrender and Joe after Jartt returned to the arena and forcing Joe to fight alone. It was revealed that Sting had been right about Hogan and Bischoff from the start, as they turned heel with Jarrett and Jeff Hardy as Abyss' "they" in the process, and that brought Sting, Nash, and Dinero back to being faces. Sting and Nash refused to join Hogan, Bischoff, and their new group, Immortal, on the following edition of Impact! They walked out on TNA after the preview, but Nash kept the promotion for real. Borden took a break from TNA television after his employment came to an end at the end of 2010.

He returned on February 24, 2011, at the tapings of the Impact!'s March 3 edition of Impact!, where he emerged as a surprise challenger and defeated Immortal's Jeff Hardy for the third time. Sting defended the title against Hardy in a No Disqualification rematch that lasted nine seconds on March 13. According to a word from backstage, the match was supposed to last longer, but it was cut short after Hardy was declared too alcoholic to wrestle. Sting was later discovered to agree with a fan's assertion that the game was "bullshit." Sting defended the title against Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam in a three-way steel cage match, Van Dam at Sacrifice, and Anderson at Slammiversary IX, where he lost the title after outside interference from Eric Bischoff.

Sting's portrayal of the Joker from the 2008 film The Dark Knight featured a more maniacal character in terms of appearance and style. Mr. Anderson's TNA World Heavyweight Championship, disguised as his clown minions, regained the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, preventing them from participating in the match. After Angle struck Kurt Angle with a chair delivered to the ring by Hulk Hogan, he'll continue to lose the title to him on August 7 at Hardcore Justice. Sting's strange new persona, and on the August 18 edition of Impact Wrestling, his longtime adversary Ric Flair made his TNA debut and challenged him to a match. In exchange for Flair's promise to give him his long-awaited match against Hogan, Sting has agreed to put his career on hold for the remainder of his career. Sting's TNA World Heavyweight Championship rematch against Angle was held on September 1st, but was disqualified due to special enforcer Hulk Hogan and the remainder of Immortal interference. Hogan paid Sting the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match that also included Mr. Anderson on September 11. Sting defeated Ric Flair in the Impact Wrestling edition on September 15 to earn the right to face Hogan at Bound for Glory. If Sting were to defeat him in Bound for Glory on October 6, a devoted Hogan opted to give TNA back to Dixie Carter after being exposed for his false claim of retirement and his undercover ridicule of the fans. Sting defeated Hogan on October 16 in Bound for Glory, bringing Dixie Carter back to office. Hogan turned to Immortal after the match and helped Sting beat the odds in his fight with the stable. Carter was put in charge of the Impact Wrestling project on the following edition. Sting returned to action on the 2012 and 2010 editions of Impact Wrestling, where he teamed up with Jeff Hardy to defeat TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode and Bully Ray both times.

Sting feuded with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode during the first months of 2012. In a non-title No Holds Barred match at Victory Road, he was disqualified, and he was threw out in a title match at Slammiversary. During this time, he resigned from Hulk Hogan's General Manager post, TNA, and was named as the first inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame.

He was next feud against a newly formed masked group called "Aces & Eights," where he was named as the interim general manager after Hogan hiatus due to a back injury. The feud culminated in a Bound for Glory match with Bully Ray, where they were defeated by the Aces & Eights following an interference by a man who was later uncovered as Ray's longtime partner, the returning Devon. The Aces & Eights received full access to TNA as a result of their triumph. Following interference from the Aces & Eights, Sting defeated Devon via disqualification on the following episode of Impact Wrestling. After being passed through a table and beaten with a ball-peen hammer by DOC, a member of Aces & Eights, Sting was sidelined with a storyline injury.

Sting returned from Impact Wrestling's January 3, 2013, saving Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe from Aces & Eights before defeating the team with a baseball bat. After losing Kurt Angle after he injured Kurt Angle, Sting fought his return match the following week. Sting returned to DOC by defeating him in a singles match three days later at Genesis. Sting defeated Devon and DOC in a Tables match on February 7th on Impact Wrestling's episode. In a Lethal Lockdown match, Sting, Eric Young, James Storm, Magnus, and Samoa Joe defeated Aces & Eights, made up of Devon, DOC, Garett Bischoff, Mike Knox, and Mr. Anderson. After Bully Ray won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and revealed himself as the president of Aces & Eights later that night, Hulk Hogan blamed Sting for helping Ray to give Ray the championship shot while still encouraging Hogan to assist Ray's marriage with his daughter Brooke. On Hogan, the gang escaped. Sting returned from the Impact Wrestling on April 25th, saving Hogan from an attack by the Aces & Eights. After beating Matt Morgan earlier this week, Sting reconciled with Hogan and became the top contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship later that night. Sting unsuccessfully challenged Bully Ray for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a No Holds Barred Match after being interfered by Aces & Eights on June 2nd. Sting would never have another title opportunity again, as a stipulation.

Sting said nobody in the back helped him during his championship match, but the Aces & Eights will face the Aces & Eights in a new Main Event Mafia on June 13. Sting will welcome Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Magnus, and Rampage Jackson as participants of the New Main Event Mafia in the coming weeks. Magnus, a MEM member who died before Bound for Glory, pleaded with Sting for his injuries. Magnus told Sting that he had Flair to place him on the map, but he didn't have anyone to challenge him, so Sting challenged him to a match in Bound for Glory. Magnus defeated Sting at Bound for Glory. Dixie Carter offered to lift the lifetime ban so Sting can regained a World championship title by entering him first in a Battle Royal Gauntlet match, which was won by Magnus as Sting attempted to depose Kazarian. Magnus terminated both of them. The main event Mafia had been disbanded, and although some members began to pursue their TNA World Heavyweight Championship aspirations, Sting and Dixie Carter got involved with Ethan Carter III and Dixie Carter, insulting TNA heroes, like Curry Man and Earl Hebner by Carter. Carter was confronted by Sting on the December 12 episode of Impact Wrestling and was offered the option to either face Sting or enter the Feast or Fired match. Carter bought one of the briefcases when he first appeared at the Feast or Fired match. The Feast or Fired briefcase on December 19 was revealed to have a future TNA World Tag Team Championship match, as well as Chavo Guerrero's dismissal. Sting lost a match to Ethan Carter III after being coerced by the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus and then challenged Magnus to a Title vs. Career match on January 23, 2014, which Sting lost, and his TNA deal was terminated as a result.

On June 19, 2022, Sting arrived in a video message to congratulate Impact Wrestling, which had changed its name from TNA in 2017, marking the 20th anniversary of the organization's 20th anniversary.

Bill Apter, a veteran professional wrestling journalist, chronicled Sting's career in a piece for WWE.com on February 19, 2014, wherein he said that Sting's "best days may yet to come." On April 15, 2014, he appeared in a WWE Network production a tale about his former tag team partner The Ultimate Warrior, who had recently passed away. This was Sting's first non-archive appearance on a WWE-branded display. Sting appeared in the documentary film Warrior: The Ultimate Legend, which aired on WWE Network on April 17. Following day, online retailer Zavvi announced the WWE Home Video DVD and Blu-ray The Best of Sting, which was released on September 23, 2014. Sting appeared in a vignette on Raw on July 14 to promote WWE 2K15, in which he was included as a pre-order bonus character in both his 'Crow' and 'Surfer' (pre-1996) incarnations. WWE began selling official Sting products the same day. Borden made his first public appearance for WWE on July 24, dressed in full Sting garb, as a surprise guest at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International. The function was held to promote WWE's forthcoming line of Mattel action figures, in which the company's first ever Sting figure would appear. Sting did his first interview with WWE.com, which was later that day. On August 4, WWE announced Sting as a guest on the WWE 2K15 "Roster Reveal" panel in Los Angeles, which took place on August 16.

Sting made his first appearance in a WWE Ring on November 23, firing Triple H with a Scorpion Death Drop and then costing Team Authority the match. Sting made his live Raw debut on January 19, 2015, appearing backstage during the main event and then walking to the stage, causing a commotion and costing Authority members their handicap match against John Cena; this triumph awarded the recently fired Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan their jobs back. On the February 2 episode of Raw, Triple H challenged Sting to a face-to-face confrontation. After airing a vignette on the big screen accepting Triple H's challenge, Sting accepted this challenge on the February 9 episode of Raw by doppelgangering a Sting doppelganger into the ring to scare Triple H. On February 22, Sting and Triple H had a dispute at Fastlane. Sting, who was physically fit during the match, and Sting, who was referring to the WrestleMania 31 sign with his baseball bat, is suing a challenge for the event that was not sanctioned by Triple H. Sting spoke for the first time in-ring immediately following on the WWE Network. He lost at WrestleMania 31 in a match involving interference from D-Generation X and New World Order members, but Triple H followed him.

On the night of Champions, Sting appeared on Raw on August 24 and challenged WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Sting disqualified in his first match on Raw due to Rollins' attack on Sting. With John Cena and Sting defeating Show and Rollins on the same night, a second match was scheduled. After a turnbuckle powerbomb, Sting was defeated by Rollins and sustained a legitimate neck injury. Sting told Bill Apter that he did not blame Rollins for his injuries, referring to the incident as a "freak accident."

On the January 11, 2016, 2016, WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016 was revealed, with Sting becoming the first member. Sting ultimately decided against surgery; on March 22, 2016, he said he felt "completely normal" and had no of the side effects associated with cervical spinal stenosis. Sting announced his retirement from professional wrestling in April 2 in a WWE Hall of Fame induction address. He and his fellow 2016 inductees attended WrestleMania 32 as a teammate the next night.

In August 2016, Sting appeared on the WWE Network show Legends with JBL and discussed his work. He also said that he had yet not undergone surgery, which would definitively end his career, and that he had a skepticism about a match with The Undertaker, claiming that such a match is his "unfinished business" in wrestling. However, the match will never take place, as Sting pitched the idea for a cinematic match with Undertaker, it was never sanctioned, and Undertaker's official retirement in 2020 has been postponed.

Sting made his first appearance on WWE television since 2016, but Batista struck Flair before he could make it to the ring on February 25, 2019. This will be Sting's last appearance for the organization other than WWE Network's interviews.

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