What If Wednesday: Sting Is the Third Member

Sting on the night the nWo formed
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

Recently on the WWE Network program The Monday Night War (available for $9.99 a month), former WCW President Eric Bischoff said the original plan was for Sting to be the third member of the nWo, along side Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.  But as Hall said in the documentary, that idea simply would not have worked.

Even 13 years after its demise, Sting is still remembered as the franchise for WCW.  He's the only major star in the company to have never worked for WWE.  Greats like Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and Terry and Dory Funk ended up on Vince McMahon's payroll. The decision to make Hulk Hogan that third member of the trio and founding father of the nWo was the only way to go.

For Life!
Photo courtesy: WWE

The stable was formed on the idea that Hall and Nash were still working for WWE when they appeared on Nitro back in the summer of 1996.  That third member HAD to be a former WWE guy.  Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart were all under contract in WWE, but any one of the three would have fit the bill nicely too.

Back to Sting, fans weren't ready to boo him.  He was still extremely popular.  Hogan and the Hulkamania concept had worn thin with the fans.  The character was stale and passe and needed a change.  His heel turn was organic.  Sting as a bad guy just wasn't going to work, the fans wanted him to save the company.

Hogan vs. Sting
Photo courtesy: WWE

Like Hogan's character, Sting ended up evolving too, going from the "Beach Bum" to the "Crow."  In terms of the first couple of years of the Monday Night War, keeping Sting as the hero and making Hogan that third member of the nWo worked out for the best.  I don't think the nWo would have been the same or as successful with the real Sting as a member.

If you have a suggestion for a What If Wednesday, let me know.