Jump to content

Stings lack of evolution post wcw!

JakeRobertsParoleOfficer

By JakeRobertsParoleOfficer
in UK Fan Forum

Recommended Posts

Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

What I don't get in JRPOs argument is why sting? Why not make that same argument against say Hogan who was less varied than sting (red & yellow, B&W and his short living funb midlife crisis baggy fubu jeanes) or Taker post 2004. 

I might be not understanding his point, but I guess now he's gone I'll never know :(

You know what? Life is stressful at the moment and I could do with taking my mind off it, so I'm going to make JRPO's argument for him. I think he's wrong, but why not?

The evolutions you've talked about there for Hogan were huge. He changed almost everything about himself in the mid 90s. Taker may not have done a huge amount of changing since 2004, but he transitioned to a special attraction in that time anyway, and changed up his gimmick loads in the decade before that.

Sting was still an active wrestler for a decade in TNA, on TV every week. Yes, he did Joker Sting, but Joker impressions were pretty behind the times even then (although obviously they've been reinvigorated now). If he had changed up his gimmick a bit more than he did, he had the charisma, the star power and the presence to make more and more "little stingers" than he did. Sting could've been a super hero to kids in the way Cena was. Changing up the face paint a bit more regularly has some marketing potential.

He would've come back in WWE as the crow, for sure, because that's what his most famous gimmick is, but that gimmick does feel a little bit stuck in a time warp. 

 

HG's Night Sting idea up there sounds excellent btw

  • Replies 98
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Paid Members
Chris B Grand Master

Chris B

Posted
  • Paid Members
Posted

You make a great point. If Sting had changed up his look occasionally and not been so lazy, he could have been a much bigger star.

  • Paid Members
Tommy! Grand Master

Tommy!

Posted
  • Paid Members
Posted
17 minutes ago, Duke said:

The evolutions you've talked about there for Hogan were huge. He changed almost everything about himself in the mid 90s.

Much like sting did. And Hogan then swapped it all back 2 years later. 

17 minutes ago, Duke said:

Joker impressions were pretty behind the times even then

It wrestling, everything is behind the times

17 minutes ago, Duke said:

Taker may not have done a huge amount of changing since 2004, but he transitioned to a special attraction in that time anyway

He was a regular for longer after 2004 than you give him credit for there, and while his in ring actually peaked in that time in my opinion his look didn't at all. 

17 minutes ago, Duke said:

he had the charisma, the star power and the presence to make more and more "little stingers" than he did. Sting could've been a super hero to kids in the way Cena was

This I do agree with. Even in this thread people have ragged on Stings promos, but early 90's sting was a great pure white meat baby face. Its the hardest thing to do and he could do it. 

He moved with the times in the mid 90s where dark anti hero was king and then when he was in TNA they weren't focused on the kids. They wanted the 20 and 30 something crowd pining for the late 90s and cool dives. Not making the most of him there sits with TNA in my view, and not on sting. 

Post TNA he's that special guest nostalgic hit, like a band running through its greatest hits because that's what people want rather than it's underwhelming new album. 

  • Paid Members
BomberPat Grand Master

BomberPat

Posted
  • Paid Members
Posted

There comes a point where instant recognition has far more value than an ever-changing look. I love how "Surfer" Sting used to freewheel with his facepaint and do something slightly different every time, but the WWE logic is that you need to look like your action figure - you can vary things up a little, but Sting needs to look like your new Sting toy, and needs to look like Sting in the video game, and so on. 

Similarly, if he'd shown up in AEW with an even slightly tweaked new look, it probably wouldn't have diminished his debut, but for anyone who didn't see that, but saw his face on the subsequent adverts for Dynamite, instead of getting the instant recognition of "holy shit, it's Sting!", you'd get a moment of, "hang on...is that...it looks like...oh, it is". 

DavidB6937 Grand Master

DavidB6937

Posted
Posted

Sting in TNA still would've been Sting in TNA. I feel like he did everything he could there but it still would've been in TNA so the ceiling was always there. Much like anyone there really. It was a stop gap for many, a comfortable playground for some and a learning place for others.

What is clear is that Sting is a very loyal guy and does what he can do for people that treat him right. You could argue that his TNA run was actually his most creative and different. But it was still in TNA.

Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

Much like sting did. And Hogan then swapped it all back 2 years later. 

Yeah, and then he wasn't a regular wrestler for over a decade after. It is a bit different

 

16 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

He was a regular for longer after 2004 than you give him credit for there, and while his in ring actually peaked in that time in my opinion his look didn't at all. 

I don't think he was as regular as Sting, is kind of what I'm saying. He wouldn't disappear until Mania every year, but he wasn't on screen every week. He'd have feuds and then drop off for a bit, then reappear, and often wouldn't be on screen when he was feuding with people.

Taker tended to change up his entrance a bit more than his in ring look, which meant he never felt that stale. He's also had the almost unique experience of looking more suited to the gimmick as he gets older.

21 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

Not making the most of him there sits with TNA in my view, and not on sting

Yeah, I think that's fairly inarguable. He fit the brand he was in.

cobra_gordo Grand Master

cobra_gordo

Posted
Posted

Jericho is a good example of someone who can turn up in a new company with a similar look/ feel to the previous company he was in and add to it and tweak it once he's settled in. He turned up in WWF pretty much the same character he was in WCW and built on it. At the start of his AEW run he wasn't a million miles off of List Jericho, now he's all spiky and carrying a baseball bat. All very subtle tweaks and developments. 

Sting HAS to turn up in a new place as PROPER STING. That's what folk know. That's what he was doing the last we saw of him. If he wants to mix it up and add nuances like he has previously with the red coat, so be it but he'll always be strongest starting out with that timesless, familiar look. I don't think he's a character that ever needs changing though and I'm speaking as someone who doesn't hate Main Event Mafia or Joker sting.

  • Paid Members
gmoney Grand Master

gmoney

Posted
  • Paid Members
Posted

What do we reckon Sting's new look should be? 

I reckon he should start dressing like a monk, with a tonsure. He can paint the bald bit white. 

He can ring a bell as well, they have bells in churches which are a bit goth, so it's a natural evolution. 

  • Paid Members
Hannibal Scorch Grand Master

Hannibal Scorch

Posted
  • Paid Members
Posted
7 minutes ago, wordsfromlee said:

The fact that Steve doesn’t do the face paint right up to his (swiftly receding) hairline these days really bugs me way more than it should. 

Swiftly? It's been going that way for at least 15 years

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...