Wrestling Matches That Didn’t Meet the Hype
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No.1: WCW Starrcade 1997: Sting vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan – WCW Title
This match was the built up to be “the match of the century” by WCW and Pro Wrestling Illustrated published an issue with their cover stating just that. They also had a number of experts making their predictions on the match and a pullout poster to commemorate the big match.
WCW built this match up very well for a year. Sting making sporadic appearances and never saying a word – just standing there and pointing with his black bat at anyone who crossed in front of him. He made his intention known to Hogan on Nitro when the match was made and the bat was pointed.
The build up continued and Sting would clean out of the ring when the nWo made threats against him.
The match was rushed and felt thrown together at the last moment – considering WCW’s history looking back at it now, it probably was thrown together on the fly. With “dirty” referee Nick Patrick who was in the pocket of the nWo as the referee it was set up to make Sting look like he was against all odds.
Newly signed Bret Hart fresh off his WWE departure and “Montreal Screw Job” – WCW took advantage of that hype as well and made him apart of the match at the end. With what was supposed to be a bad count by the referee, Hart came to the ring and restarted the match. Sting locked in his Scorpion Death Lock on Hogan and tapped giving Sting the win and the WCW Title.
The fallout from the match was awful. In typical WCW fashion, Sting was stripped of the title and was told that Hart not being a real WCW ref – that he was not the champion and a rematch would have to happen at the next pay per view. Instead of just giving the fans their payoff of having the most popular face in WCW history off of television for so long and not wrestling – they take it away because of their poor planning and finishing.
That is why I will forever say this was the biggest hyped match with the most epic fail in professional wrestling history.
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