After years of wrestling fans around the world dreaming of a possible WrestleMania match between Sting and the Undertaker, there is now hope that the TNA superstar and the WWE will be able to work out a deal when The Icon’s current contract expires at the end of 2012 (h/t WrestlingNewsWorld).
Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. reports on the WWE’s hopes for Sting:
Triple H is apparently among many that are hoping that Sting might pass on renewing with TNA when his contract expires at the end of the year.
According to a source, WWE would like to present Sting with a multi-faceted licensing deal which would include incorporating him into their Mattel deal and home videos. It would also likely include an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Signing Sting to a deal is apparently not a high priority for Vince McMahon, whereas Triple H is said to hold Sting in high regard.
While Vince McMahon may not be on board right now, once he realizes that it would be feasible to work out a deal with Sting that could not only make him tons of cash on marketing his merchandise but could make a financial killing off of what could be the biggest dream match in wrestling history, he will be behind this idea 100 percent.
The possible match between Sting and Undertaker is a cross-generational superfight that would have every wrestling fan in the world—new and old, casual and hardcore—buying into the build-up and investing their hard-earned cash in the PPV.
Regardless of the WrestleMania that this rumored match takes place at, this is something that must happen before these two men are too old. Between Sting and the WWE, each side must realize that egos must be put aside, and this must happen for the fans' sake, at the very least.
How This Helps WWE
While there is no questioning just how much publicity and money a superfight between Sting and Undertaker would bring into the WWE, the working relationship between the company and the former TNA and WCW champion would open up so many other doors in terms of marketing.
Since WWE owns the rights to the WCW tapes, what better way to capitalize on the popularity of Sting than using him during his short time with the company to plug and push everything with his name or face involved.
Sting would become one of the biggest-selling stars almost instantly, and the apparel and toys with his likeness would have the numbers through the roof. Whatever the WWE has to pay Sting to get him on board, the company must think of it as investment because of the huge profit that the sales of his merchandise will yield.
Not to mention the actual road to WrestleMania and the live events that would sell out to see The Icon in a WWE ring and interacting with the Undertaker. Every show that Sting and Undertaker would be advertised on would sell out in minutes, and the WWE would see a huge increase in television ratings.
Every wrestling fan from the last 20 years would do whatever they had to do to get in front of a television or in the crowd if Sting and Undertaker begin a program that culminates with a WrestleMania match.
Add in the buys of what would be the biggest pay-per-view in WWE history, and the return on this investment should have Vince McMahon head-over-heels in love with this plan.
Question on Everybody's Mind: Will Sting Agree to Lose?
While the biggest roadblock in most contract negotiations would be the amount of money that the superstar would want, it is clear that after almost 30 years in the business, the 53-year-old Sting isn’t in it for the money.
With Undertaker’s streak still intact, there is no way that McMahon would allow a WCW/TNA star to end the Dead Man's domination and go over on the biggest WWE show in history.
Sting would have to agree to lose the match against Undertaker.
That may not sound like a big deal to many people, but the idea of having the culmination of Sting’s career come on a WWE show where he loses at the hands of the Undertaker may not be the way that The Icon wants to go out.
Sting has never been afraid to put stars over, but this is an entirely different case.
The amount of dates that Sting would work and his pay already have a precedent with the deals offered to stars like Brock Lesnar, the Rock and the Undertaker, and the monetary issues shouldn’t be a problem.
When it comes to booking Sting’s appearance in WWE, if the wrestling legend doesn’t agree to lose at WrestleMania, this deal will never happen.
Merit Meter: 5 out of 5 Vince McMahon/Sting Meetings
While this rumored deal, and the subsequent match that would inevitably come out of it, has sounded far-fetched for years, this is not the first time that the two sides have either been rumored to be discussing contract details or even openly working together.
Sting told Kiss-FM via WhatACulture about the idea of working for the WWE and how close he has come in the past:
Who wouldn’t want to say that they’ve done at least one WrestleMania? I’m not going to lie to you, I wish I had done one of those. I’ve had great conversations with him [Vince McMahon] over the years and been real close on three or four different occasions. There was always a need met or desire of mine met with WCW or with TNA, so I stayed.
In the same interview, The Icon went on to talk about the one wrestler who he would love to have a match with:
I’d have to say the top one… Undertaker. I think wrestling fans have wanted to see Sting vs. Undertaker for years. I think between his gimmick and mine, it could be pretty cool. We could do some pretty cool stuff.
Whether fans want to believe it or not, this is a deal that will come to fruition with the right parameters put in place. Sting is savvy after all of the years in the business, and so is McMahon; together, they will engage in intense negotiations on how much he is paid and what kind of merchandise deal he will be facilitated.
At the end of the day, there is too much money left on the table for this deal not to get done. Add in Sting’s open desire to work with ‘Taker and the superfight is a foregone conclusion.
Now it’s just a matter of when it happens.
Final Word
While the hope from many fans is that this is something that would take place at WrestleMania 29, the likelihood is that the WWE would save this match for WrestleMania 30.
If McMahon and the company can sign Sting to a one-year deal starting at WrestleMania 29, the WWE would be able to announce the superfight in 2013 and build for an entire year to the ultimate dream match in 2014.
As we saw from The Rock and John Cena and their year build-up, the actual match was hyped like none before or since. With Undertaker and Sting being the combatants, the aura around a full-year build to a WrestleMania 30 match would make this the biggest wrestling match in history.
The WWE loves its round numbers—look at how they blew out WrestleMania 20 and even more recently at the 1,000th episode of Raw—and adding Undertaker and Sting to a card that could include CM Punk versus "Stone Cold" Steve Austin would make the show the undisputed greatest of all time.
Add in the sheer amount of cash that the rumored match would draw for the company, and there is no way that Sting doesn’t eventually sign with WWE.
source: bleacherreport.com
photo courtesy: tnaiconsting.wordpress.com
Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. reports on the WWE’s hopes for Sting:Triple H is apparently among many that are hoping that Sting might pass on renewing with TNA when his contract expires at the end of the year.
According to a source, WWE would like to present Sting with a multi-faceted licensing deal which would include incorporating him into their Mattel deal and home videos. It would also likely include an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Signing Sting to a deal is apparently not a high priority for Vince McMahon, whereas Triple H is said to hold Sting in high regard.
While Vince McMahon may not be on board right now, once he realizes that it would be feasible to work out a deal with Sting that could not only make him tons of cash on marketing his merchandise but could make a financial killing off of what could be the biggest dream match in wrestling history, he will be behind this idea 100 percent.
The possible match between Sting and Undertaker is a cross-generational superfight that would have every wrestling fan in the world—new and old, casual and hardcore—buying into the build-up and investing their hard-earned cash in the PPV.
Regardless of the WrestleMania that this rumored match takes place at, this is something that must happen before these two men are too old. Between Sting and the WWE, each side must realize that egos must be put aside, and this must happen for the fans' sake, at the very least.
How This Helps WWE
While there is no questioning just how much publicity and money a superfight between Sting and Undertaker would bring into the WWE, the working relationship between the company and the former TNA and WCW champion would open up so many other doors in terms of marketing.
Since WWE owns the rights to the WCW tapes, what better way to capitalize on the popularity of Sting than using him during his short time with the company to plug and push everything with his name or face involved.
Sting would become one of the biggest-selling stars almost instantly, and the apparel and toys with his likeness would have the numbers through the roof. Whatever the WWE has to pay Sting to get him on board, the company must think of it as investment because of the huge profit that the sales of his merchandise will yield.
Not to mention the actual road to WrestleMania and the live events that would sell out to see The Icon in a WWE ring and interacting with the Undertaker. Every show that Sting and Undertaker would be advertised on would sell out in minutes, and the WWE would see a huge increase in television ratings.
Every wrestling fan from the last 20 years would do whatever they had to do to get in front of a television or in the crowd if Sting and Undertaker begin a program that culminates with a WrestleMania match.
Add in the buys of what would be the biggest pay-per-view in WWE history, and the return on this investment should have Vince McMahon head-over-heels in love with this plan.
Question on Everybody's Mind: Will Sting Agree to Lose?
While the biggest roadblock in most contract negotiations would be the amount of money that the superstar would want, it is clear that after almost 30 years in the business, the 53-year-old Sting isn’t in it for the money.
With Undertaker’s streak still intact, there is no way that McMahon would allow a WCW/TNA star to end the Dead Man's domination and go over on the biggest WWE show in history.
Sting would have to agree to lose the match against Undertaker.
That may not sound like a big deal to many people, but the idea of having the culmination of Sting’s career come on a WWE show where he loses at the hands of the Undertaker may not be the way that The Icon wants to go out.
Sting has never been afraid to put stars over, but this is an entirely different case.
The amount of dates that Sting would work and his pay already have a precedent with the deals offered to stars like Brock Lesnar, the Rock and the Undertaker, and the monetary issues shouldn’t be a problem.
When it comes to booking Sting’s appearance in WWE, if the wrestling legend doesn’t agree to lose at WrestleMania, this deal will never happen.
Merit Meter: 5 out of 5 Vince McMahon/Sting Meetings
While this rumored deal, and the subsequent match that would inevitably come out of it, has sounded far-fetched for years, this is not the first time that the two sides have either been rumored to be discussing contract details or even openly working together.
Sting told Kiss-FM via WhatACulture about the idea of working for the WWE and how close he has come in the past:
Who wouldn’t want to say that they’ve done at least one WrestleMania? I’m not going to lie to you, I wish I had done one of those. I’ve had great conversations with him [Vince McMahon] over the years and been real close on three or four different occasions. There was always a need met or desire of mine met with WCW or with TNA, so I stayed.
In the same interview, The Icon went on to talk about the one wrestler who he would love to have a match with:
I’d have to say the top one… Undertaker. I think wrestling fans have wanted to see Sting vs. Undertaker for years. I think between his gimmick and mine, it could be pretty cool. We could do some pretty cool stuff.
Whether fans want to believe it or not, this is a deal that will come to fruition with the right parameters put in place. Sting is savvy after all of the years in the business, and so is McMahon; together, they will engage in intense negotiations on how much he is paid and what kind of merchandise deal he will be facilitated.
At the end of the day, there is too much money left on the table for this deal not to get done. Add in Sting’s open desire to work with ‘Taker and the superfight is a foregone conclusion.
Now it’s just a matter of when it happens.
Final Word
While the hope from many fans is that this is something that would take place at WrestleMania 29, the likelihood is that the WWE would save this match for WrestleMania 30.
If McMahon and the company can sign Sting to a one-year deal starting at WrestleMania 29, the WWE would be able to announce the superfight in 2013 and build for an entire year to the ultimate dream match in 2014.
As we saw from The Rock and John Cena and their year build-up, the actual match was hyped like none before or since. With Undertaker and Sting being the combatants, the aura around a full-year build to a WrestleMania 30 match would make this the biggest wrestling match in history.
The WWE loves its round numbers—look at how they blew out WrestleMania 20 and even more recently at the 1,000th episode of Raw—and adding Undertaker and Sting to a card that could include CM Punk versus "Stone Cold" Steve Austin would make the show the undisputed greatest of all time.
Add in the sheer amount of cash that the rumored match would draw for the company, and there is no way that Sting doesn’t eventually sign with WWE.
source: bleacherreport.com
photo courtesy: tnaiconsting.wordpress.com
