83 Weeks - Sting in TNA [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Our topic today - a man who returned to All Elite Wrestling this past week after a hiatus - the man they call Sting.

We have discussed Sting a lot on this program - from his time in WCW - not being tan - him in the Wolfpac - but let’s get into Sting in TNA.

What was your relationship with Sting after WCW closed?

Were you surprised he never entered the WWE during that time period?

Sting worked for TNA from 2003 off and on until 2014. He was always presented as a big star but the more he was on TV the less that went. Was the fact he was a part of the promotion made TNA more appealing when you & Hulk entered the company in 2009?

Sting was paid by Spike during your time in TNA is that correct?

When you & Hulk enter the company - who reaches out to Sting?

What was different about Sting at this point in time from when you worked with him before?

Was the WCW-itis gone do you think? How changed was he?

Was he open to ideas, excited to work with you guys again?

What did you see Sting’s role as?

As we discussed on the first Live Monday Impact from January 4, 2010 - Sting made a brief appearance in the rafters. Was this one of the first times you had seen him since 2001?

Sting is then gone until the first weekly live Impact show on March 8 as we discussed a few months ago with the big heel turn on Hogan and Abyss, but then losing to RVD in seconds on the same show. Turning Sting heel - why?

The story after is Jeff Jarrett trying to get an answer for why Sting would turn his back and on Impact in early April Jeff confronts him on the rafters.

From the Torch

A camera followed, and Jarrett shouted, “Where ya’ at, Sting?” Jarrett found Sting and attacked him, knocking him down the steps. He shouted, “I want an answer and I want it tonight!” He knocked Sting down two flights of stairs. Taz asked why Sting has to answer for anything. Tenay said he needs to explain his attacks on Hogan and Jarrett and putting his hands on TNA President Dixie Carter.

Sting made a comeback and fought back on the final flight of stairs. They fought onto the ramp. Jarrett regained the advantage and knocked Sting into the ring.

Jarrett kept shouting, “I want an answer!” The crowd loudly chanted, “Why Sting, why?” The lights went out and when they came back on, Sting had a baseball bat and hit Jarrett with it several times. Jeff Hardy’s music played and he made the save. Sting bailed out and Rob Van

Dam joined Hardy.

The long term story here - was it to build to Jarrett and Sting?

Did Sting have any pushback on the heel role like he had in the past?

Was there more you thought you could get out of Sting?

At Lockdown in the Lethal Lockdown match, Sting would head Team Flair even though they would lose to Team Hogan but the story would continue with Jarrett.

At Sacrifice:
“8 -- STING vs. JEFF JARRETT As Jarrett’s entrance music played, he didn’t walk out. Cameras backstage showed Sting attacking Jarrett with a baseball bat, bloodying him in the process. The referees told Sting to take it to the ring. Tenay said he’s known Sting for more than a decade and he’s shocked by his actions. He tried to pop Jarrett’s shoulder out of its socket. Tenay said it’s painful to watch Sting like this. Sting dragged Jarrett to the announce desk and rubbed Jarrett’s blood on the format sheet. He then rammed him into the security railing at ringside. Then threw him into the stairs. Sting dragged Jarrett into the ring, hit the Scorpion Death Drop, and scored the pin. Tenay said Sting has lost his mind. Sting leaned over and told Jarrett if he wants to “play the deception game,” he’s not different than “those guys” and he’s paying the price tonight. Tenay said just when they expect answers from Sting, they get more questions. Referees and medics entered the ring to tend to Jarrett. They worked to pop his shoulder back into place as Jarrett yelled out in pain. Sting paced back and forth in the ring watching them put Jarrett on a gurney. When they finally got Jarrett on the gurney and half way up the ramp, Sting tipped Jarrett over. Hulk Hogan made his first appearance. He told the medics to get Jarrett to the back. Sting smiled in the ring and twirled his bat. WINNER: Sting in a few seconds officially after a seven minute beatdown.”

This isn’t a match but a straight beatdown and really shows a side of Sting that hadn’t been featured before. He did a great job here did he not?

Well very quickly you & Sting get involved with each other on television…

Impact 5/23/20/10 - Bischoff announcing the top 10 rankings - by the way not the best idea Eric…

“No. 1 was Sting. Bischoff told Sting that he will face RVD at Slammiversary next month, but first tonight he’ll face Jeff Hardy and have a chance to prove he deserves to be the no. 1 contender.

Sting said he’ll do the same thing to Hardy that he did to Jarrett on Sunday. Sting swung his bat and knocked down three podiums with signs that said “TNA Top Ten.” Sting then jabbed Bischoff with the bat in the leg. Abyss ran in, but Sting jabbed him with the bat and clotheslined him over the top rope. Hardy ran in and yanked the bat away. Bischoff limped at ringside. They had a staredown. Hardy slapped Sting. Sting kicked Hardy between the legs. RVD’s music played. With Sting distracted, Hardy gave Sting a Twist of Fate.”

There’s so much going on here Eric - why was there no focus?

Is it silly that Sting is the #1 contender after winning just one match in the last few months? Is this why rankings never work? Because there’s always holes in them?

Sting faced Rob Van Dam for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary VIII. However, during the match Jarrett made his return and cost Sting the title.

After assaulting Jarrett from behind on the June 24 episode of Impact!, TNA president Dixie Carter (storyline) suspended Sting for 30 days.

Was there a limit or cap that you remember on appearances for Sting?

Did you see an uptick in business when Sting was featured compared to when he wasn’t?

Sting returns on Impact in August and joins up with Kevin Nash against yourself & Hulk.

“Hogan then said to Nash that

there’s no more conning for paychecks, no more minimum effort for maximum money. He said

the smoke and mirrors days are over. Hogan talked about how Nash’s whole career is all based

on politics.
Nash laid out Bischoff. Hogan started firing away at Nash, but Nash retaliated and was

about to power bomb him when Jarrett made the save.

But Sting came out with Orange face paint, which Tenay noted was the Wolfpac colors. Sting hit Jarrett with a bat shot to the gut and head. Sting hit Hogan with the chair to the head.”

Is this too much inside baseball?

What did you think of the shift of Sting to the different colors of the Wolfpac?

Were there any legal concerns about WWE IP with this?

How involved was Sting with his creative? Did you see more of an approach of his at this point in his career?

It feels like there’s a build coming between Sting & Hogan - was Sting one of the few people Hogan had trust in to work with at this point?

At Bound for Glory, Sting, Nash and D'Angelo Dinero defeated Jarrett and Joe after Jarrett turned heel by leaving the ring and having Joe wrestle alone. At the end of Bound for Glory, it was revealed that Sting had been right about Hogan and Bischoff all along, as they turned heel with Jarrett and Jeff Hardy as Abyss's "they", and in the process turned Sting, Nash and Dinero back to being faces. The “they” program - did it ever really work?

On the following episode of Impact!, Sting and Nash refused to join Hogan, Bischoff and their new group, Immortal. After the promo, they walked out on TNA, but Nash left the promotion for real and Sting was taken off TV as his contract expired at the end of 2010. Did you & Hulk handle those negotiations - did Spike - did Dixie?

How important was Sting to TNA at this point do you think? Could you have handled losing him?

He would sign another deal and return in February to become the new World Champion as babyface by surprise challenging Jeff Hardy. What power did Sting have in media and promotion when is the champion?

This would lead to the infamous match at Victory Road between him & Jeff that we covered extensively in the archives. What was Sting’s reaction afterwards?

Sting would continue to be champion before putting over Mr. Anderson at Slammiversary. Was Sting ever selfish about losing or picking his spots? Or was he open to a lot of people to work with?

You were involved in the finish costing him the match as the Hogan - Sting program seems to be getting back on track. Did you ever talk with Sting about how he felt working with Hulk again in the ring? Did he think it was a good or bad idea?

Over the next few weeks, Sting displayed a more maniacal character similar in look and style to Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker from the 2008 film The Dark Knight which features one of my favorite segments in Impact history!

Impact 6/16/2011:
Sting walked in Hogan’s office. Hogan said he’s going to follow Sting’s contract by the letter of the law and he’ll give him the rematch he wants against Mr. Anderson. “I’m a man of my word, brother,” he said. Sting asked if the real Hulk Hogan is back. Hogan said he is the real Hulk. He asked if it mattered to Hogan that once all of the wrestlers worshiped the ground he walked on. He asked if the talk of praying and taking your vitamins was just for the money. “Is this the legacy you want to leave behind for Brooke and Nick?” he asked. Hogan blew up: “That’s enough! That’s enough!” Hogan asked who he thinks he is. Sting said he’s the Stinger. He yelled that he is not finished. He shoved everything off of Hogan’s desk and said he’d leave when he wanted to leave. He started calling him Terry and shoved him into the corner and said he could put the facade on his face for him. It just got weird here when he went into Joker mode. Hogan leaned back into camera view and revealed that Sting had drawn red facepaint all over his face.

This shift in creative is so good - where did this idea come from?

Was this the best Sting you could remember?

On Impact 6/23/2011:

Eric Bischoff Calls Out Sting - YouTube
Eric Bischoff walked to the ring and called Sting an ungrateful son of a bitch. He called him to the ring. Out came Sting. Bischoff angrily said he snuck into his office last week to have a one-on-one with Hulk Hogan “while I was out taking a leak.” Keep it classy. Sting mock cried. “Whatever shall I do?” he said, going into Jim Carrey mode. He tossed over a half-dozen insults and Bischoff and warned him that the real Hulk Hogan will surface eventually. Bischoff said that just won’t happen. He said July 14 Sting gets a rematch against Mr. Anderson on Spike TV, but he can change that by putting him in a match against Abyss tonight so he won’t be in any shape to win any belt from anybody. He then choked and punched Bischoff in the corner, then spread red make-up all over his face and put him in the Scorpion Deathlock.

You would spend a lot of time working with Sting - backstages and in-rings, do you wish this was the Sting you had in late 97?

How much do you account to his personal issues being cleared up well by then?

On the July 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sting, now dubbed as the "Insane Icon", regained the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Mr. Anderson, after Fortune and Kurt Angle, disguised as his clown minions, attacked each member of Immortal, preventing them from interfering in the match.

Impact - July 28, 2011:

Bischoff sat at his desk backstage and relayed news to Bully Ray, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Mr. Anderson, and Scott Steiner. He said The Network informed him it expects him to build and brand the X Division based on the success of the Destination X pay per-view and hire more X Division wrestlers. Bischoff chewed out Abyss for losing to Brian Kendrick at the PPV. Hogan barged in and said Angle is a dead man. He said all he cares about is cutting Angle’s throat. Ray said he’d volunteer Anderson to do it. Anderson stood up and protested. Jarrett tried to play peacemaker, using newly learned Spanish. Karen asked Anderson if he was afraid. With his pride called out, Anderson said he’d step up. Bischoff said there’s more. Sting walked in with a big cage draped in a black cover. Hogan asked what he was doing. Sting said just making the rounds. He straightened out a picture of Hogan on the wall and then put the cage on Bischoff’s desk. Hogan said he’s in dangerous territory. Sting propped his feet up on Bischoff’s desk. Karen said he’s crazy. Sting said he’s always had a great relationship with The Network. He said he’s now become the Network Exec. Karen said there’s no way they’d put a lunatic like him in charge of anything. Sting said he heard everything they were saying earlier and he said the Anderson vs. Angle match will be inside a cage. He said he’s not done yet and he scolded them for being unruly. Karen chimed in with a hilarious, “Oh my god.” Sting added that Fortune would surround the ring to prevent any funny business. Hogan said he doesn’t have the power to do that. Sting said he does. Karen asked if everyone realizes how bad this is….

Bischoff got through to someone from The Network and he ranted and raved angrily. “Do you know what we mean to your company?” he said. He felt insulted and disrespected. He said Sting is their problem, not them. Bischoff then got quiet and said, “What do you mean you haven’t talked to Sting in weeks?” He hemmed and hawed as Sting walked in with his cage. Sting said to Bischoff that he has stuff bottled up inside of him and he can’t hold it in anymore. He struggled, but finally let out: “I’m not the Network Exec.” He said he had no authority to book the Ultimate X match and the cage match. He said he made it all up and then mock-cried that he was sorry, sounding like the Cowardly Lion from the “Wizard of Oz.” He said when someone wears a nice suit, people listen to you and you get your way. He said it felt good to have stroke. He let a crow out of the cage. Sting said it’s like Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds,” they just peck away at you. He left the bird. The bird moved toward Bischoff right on cue

How good is this? How much did you enjoy doing all this?

Sting would go on to lose the title to Kurt Angle on August 7 at Hardcore Justice, after Angle hit him with a chair brought to the ring by Hulk Hogan. Sting continued tormenting head members of Immortal with his strange new personality, and on the August 18 episode of Impact Wrestling, his longtime rival Ric Flair made his return to TNA and challenged him to a match.

Why was it important to get Sting & Flair in the ring on TNA?

Sting agreed to put his career on the line in the match in exchange for Flair promising to deliver him his long-awaited match with Hogan, should he be able to defeat him…the match with Flair takes place on Impact and Sting gets the victory and then the build would continue with Hogan agreeing to hand TNA back to Dixie Carter should Sting manage to defeat him. Did this story need Dixie or was it time for a change in regards to that?

On October 16 at Bound for Glory, Sting defeated Hogan to bring Dixie Carter back to power. After the match, Hogan turned on Immortal and helped Sting overcome the odds in his battle with the stable. This is the last high profile match - in my opinion - of Hulk Hogan’s career and these two went out there and did it didn’t they?

Can you really account for how badly beat up Hulk was?

Was the story at the end too much or did the show need to end on a positive note for TNA at this point?

“Once the ring was cleared of all but Bischoff, Sting and Hogan looked at each other, and then turned to Bischoff. They lifted Bischoff. Bischoff begged for mercy. Hogan wound up and punched him. The crowd cheered. They showed Dixie cheering tearfully at ringside. Hogan said, “I’m back.” Tenay said, “The real Hulk Hogan is back!” Hogan asked Sting, “Do you want to go?” Instead Sting played to the crowd and asked them to cheer for Hogan. Dixie cried at ringside as Tenay said Sting said he wants Hulkamania back. A loud chant of “Hogan! Hogan!” broke out. Sting and Hogan shook hands and raised each other’s arms. Tenay and Taz said they shouldn’t believe their eyes, and they praised Jackson James for doing the right thing in the end and not succumbing to the pressure.”

I mean listen, your son, you, Sting, Hulk, all in the ring at the end of one of the biggest pay-per-views in TNAs history…that’s gotta be a great memory for you right?

The Joker Gimmick would come to an end soon after. Did you think that was the right shift?

Sting is promoted by Dixie Carter to being in charge on TV but the reality is that was never really the role Sting needed to be in right?

Sting would wrestle a few more times before getting into a feud with Bobby Roode for the TNA Title and would ink another contract extension with TNA. Was there ever a thought Sting would leave?

He is the first man inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. It’s hard to disagree with that, between himself, Kurt Angle & Jeff Jarrett am I right?

Was it a big deal to Sting?

Sting is a major part of the Aces & Eights story - you needed his star power to really get that group over when they took him out right?

How unselfish was Sting in times when he could’ve been selfish?

What was your relationship with Sting when your time in TNA ended?

Do you think he had the companies best interests in mind at all times?

Were you surprised to see him join the WWE in 2014?

Was this some of your favorite memories with Sting?

How about him still today wrestling in AEW and taking higher risks then ever before?

What is Sting’s legacy in this business do you think? All-time great right?