Highlights
- Surfer Sting's character change to "The Crow" was sparked by the invasion of the n.W.o and their storyline with WCW.
- Sting's transition to "The Crow" was influenced by Scott Hall, who suggested the dark, white face-painted character.
- "The Crow" Sting became a beloved and iconic version of the character, ultimately defining the latter part of Sting's career in WCW.
By 1996, Sting was at the height of his career in WCW. "The Stinger" was the "franchise" in WCW. However, the "Surfer" Sting gimmick was beginning to show its age and growing stale. Sting stopped dying his hair blonde and allowed for his natural hair to grow out. By May 1996, a group of invaders known as "The Outsiders", Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, had arrived to WCW from WWE and begun invading the company. With help from their surprise third man, Hulk Hogan, the trio formed the New World Order (n.W.o).
10 Best Matches Of "Surfer Sting" In WCW, Ranked
Surfer Sting was a relatively short-lived but beloved iteration of the legendary character, which delivered a series of great matches in WCW.Sting, alongside "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and The Four Horsemen were at the frontlines to combat the n.W.o. Through the creation of the n.W.o., they had inadvertently planted the seeds for Sting's dramatic character change.
NWA/WCW Accomplishments | Misc. Awards | TNA Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|
NWA Television Champion (1x) | WCW Battlebowl Winner (1991) | TNA World Heavyweight Champion (4x) |
NWA World Heavyweight Champion (2x) | WCW European Cup Winner (1994, 2000) | TNA World Tag Team Champion (1x) |
WCW International Heavyweight Champion (1x) | WCW Iron Man Tournament Winner (1989) | TNA Hall of Fame (2012) |
WCW United States Champion (2x) | WCW King of Cable Tournament Winner (1992) | |
WCW World Tag Team Champion (3x) | 3rd WCW Triple Crown Champion | |
WCW World Heavyweight Champion (6x) | PWI Comeback of the Year (2006, 2011, 2014) | |
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1991, 1992, 1994, 1997) | ||
PWI Wrestler of the Year (1990) | ||
Ranked #1 in PWI #500 (1992) | ||
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2016) |
WCW Turned Their Backs On Sting During N.W.O. Storyline
Sting Turned Into The Crow
During the build-up for WCW Fall Brawl 1996, Sting came up with the idea of him and Lex Luger teaming up with Ric Flair and Arn Anderson to combat the n.W.o. in a War Games match, putting any differences the four men had in the past aside for one night. Flair and Anderson reluctantly agreed. On an episode of WCW Monday Nitro, Lex Luger was attacked in the parking lot by "Sting" and the n.W.o. The wrestling world was in shock and were led to believe that Sting had turned his back on WCW and aligned himself with the n.W.o.
At Fall Brawl, Sting confronted Luger, Flair, and Anderson backstage to say that he didn't attack Luger on Nitro. Luger didn't believe him as Sting stormed away, frustrated. Later on, during the War Games match, it was revealed that Sting was telling the truth all along, as the "Bogus" Sting had fooled everyone as the real Sting made his way down to the ring to clean house of the n.W.o. An angered Sting left the ring in frustration, leaving Luger, Flair and Anderson at the mercy of the n.W.o. as they would win the match.
The following night, on Monday Nitro, Sting came out and turned his back on the hard camera as he spoke to the WCW fans. He told fans that he would stand by everyone who never doubted "The Stinger", but to the fans, wrestlers and commentators who did doubt him, they could "Stick It". Sting finished the segment by saying that he was a free agent, and he would appear again when you least expected it.
WCW: 10 Wild Moments From The Sting Vs. nWo Feud
Sting vs. nWo was perhaps WCW's most iconic rivalry ever, and these wild moments from that storyline are worth revisiting.A month later, Sting reappeared dressed in full black and white face paint and attire, effectively ending the "Surfer" gimmick forever, as he slowly began his transition to "The Crow" Sting we know today.
Scott Hall Played A Big Role In Sting's Character Change
How Sting Became "The Crow"
Sting knew that he had to make a dramatic change to his character. He began to sense that fans were starting to dislike the pure babyface, All-American good guys like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, which meant fans would be turning on him sooner than later.
Why Sting Vs. The nWo Is The Greatest Feud In WCW History (& Why It Is Overrated)
While many wrestling fans consider Sting vs. the nWo as WCW's greatest rivalry, others find the feud overrated.During an appearance on the "83 Weeks" podcast with Eric Bischoff, Scott Hall recalled how he talked Sting into creating his "Crow" character:
"I said, ‘Have you ever seen The Crow?’ He goes no, and I said it’s this dark character with the white face paint and the dark lines. I said, ‘I ain’t telling you to rip off Taker, but rip off Taker.’ Different territory, it’s not quite as bad. The way I heard it, he ran it by [Eric Bischoff], they said yes, and we were off to the races. To me, I don’t need any credit for it. It’s just the right thing to do. I never knew Sting, and we’re a little friendlier these days. To me, once you give a guy an idea and it works, you have a connection with that guy. I have never made a road trip with Sting, and we may have eaten dinner once or twice. But I can look across the locker room after that and point at him and go, ‘There’s my boy.’ You get that kind of bond. I don’t know if it happens in other businesses because I’ve only been in the wrestling business, but you connect with guys on different levels. You might give a guy an idea of a move to do, and it gets over for him. Or something to say in an interview that works. You don’t forget the guys who help you, and you don’t forget the guys who screw you over." ( H/T : WrestlingHeadlines )
Sting would continue with his "Crow" persona to the present day. Fans may debate whether "Crow" Sting is the definitive version of the Sting character versus other variations (Surfer, Wolfpack, Joker). With Sting's career ending in early 2024, it's safe to say that had it not been for Scott Hall's inspiration, who knows how Sting's career might have gone.
"Survey says... one more for the good guys!".
