WWE WrestleMania 33: 25 Greatest Moments in WrestleMania History
By Bryan Heaton
16. Sting Officially Debuts (WrestleMania 31)
When WWE purchase WCW in 2001, many members of the WWE Universe began fantasy booking matches between the rosters. Some of those matches became reality, as superstars like Goldberg, Booker T, and DDP showed up on Raw and SmackDown. But for years, one of the biggest names in WCW history never appeared in a WWE ring.
That all changed in late 2014, when Sting first made his presence felt in WWE at Survivor Series. As Dolph Ziggler was the last man left for his anti-Authority team, Sting showed up to keep Triple H and the Authority from retaining power past the event. Over the next several months, Sting continued to be a thorn in Triple H’s side, until the WCW legend challenged The Game to a match at WrestleMania 31.
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Some 14 years after WCW folded, Sting finally debuted in WWE. The bout was a no disqualification match, and was seen by some as the final chapter in the WCW vs. WWE feud. It was more notable for the spectacle than the wrestling, but it wasn’t the worst match in the world.
Over the course of the contest, Triple H got some assistance from his D-Generation X teammates, allowing him to grab a sledgehammer. This prompted Sting’s backup to arrive — the nWo.
With Hogan, Hall, and Nash evening the odds, no one seemed to care that Sting spent the majority of the nWo’s existence trying to either ignore them or eliminate them. But it didn’t matter, because it was absolutely entertaining to watch.
Triple H won, and Sting would only have one more match in WWE before retiring due to injury. But for one night at WrestleMania 31, Sting making his WWE debut provided fans with something they had long been waiting for.