Postmania XVIII: Big Zeke ain't got no cuts!

[XPac]

Honestly I think they blew their chance for Taker/Sting to be a "big thing" back when Wrestlemania was in the Georgia Dome for WM27. The only way Sting is going to get a huge pop is if he debuts in the heart of old WCW country, or if by some miracle they get an older audience for a RAW. Even then, they'll probably have to do alot to sell Sting to the TV audiences that aren't familiar with Sting - perhaps bring out Booker T or Nash? But yeah, Taker/Sting really does seem like the last dream match left at least for the older Attitude Era folks. Do I think either of them can still go? Well, the jury's out on that one. But hey, I didn't think Taker/HBK could put on that great of a show for WM25 and they ended up putting on one of the best matches I've ever watched.

Ideally, I'm sure WWE wishes they had gotten Sting a few years back. Back when Sting and Taker were at least closer to their prime, a dream match between them would at least come closer to meeting everyone's expectation. But Sting apparently wasn't interested... which is fine for both Sting and the WWE. Neither needs the other. It's just a matter of it being something fans would have wanted to see.

But I do think wrestling fans in general have long memories when it comes to legends and past wrestlers showing up. I think Sting would get a nice pop. It may not be a Hogan level pop, but I think he'll get a nice reaction, and I think fan interest would still be there.

[SephirothDZX]

Eh...HBK at the end of his career was much better than Sting at any point of his career.
I've never been enamored with Taker as a pro wrestler myself, i think he has a gimmick that has worked for much longer than it should, and points to him for keeping it going, but i think people tend to forget about the sheer number of bad matches he's had, like most of his mania matches minus the last 5 or so years, and even then, those matches are the WWE style of mania match, where you kick out of everything. Which always gets a crowd hot, but it isn't really needed.
Just as a side comparision, that first new japan ippv, in the main event that everyone has gushed over (and not shitting on that, as i've said im not a japanese wrestling viewer, but thought that was one of the best pro wrestling matches i've ever seen) they didn't kick out of each others finishes, and it was still an amazing match.

Now, being fair when comparing it to the last 2 HHH/Taker matches, both guys are old and not regularly workers, so they might have to rely on that sort of match to have a great match, but it's a still a now well established formula.

I'll give you a point there - HBK end of career was still probably better than Sting. To be fair, Taker's had a lot of stinker matches at Mania (and some stinkers in general beyond Mania) but a good deal of the time its more due to the opponent he's put against instead of Taker himself. He's older now so its becoming more of a "him" problem since he cant do what he used to do, but at the same time its hard to have great matches when you're put up against Giant Gonzalez or Khali.

Ideally, I'm sure WWE wishes they had gotten Sting a few years back. Back when Sting and Taker were at least closer to their prime, a dream match between them would at least come closer to meeting everyone's expectation. But Sting apparently wasn't interested... which is fine for both Sting and the WWE. Neither needs the other. It's just a matter of it being something fans would have wanted to see.

But I do think wrestling fans in general have long memories when it comes to legends and past wrestlers showing up. I think Sting would get a nice pop. It may not be a Hogan level pop, but I think he'll get a nice reaction, and I think fan interest would still be there.

Yeah, it would get interest because it's pretty much the final "WWF vs WCW" battle. Sting wasn't interested in signing with WWE a few years ago, but part of me still wants to know if Sting regrets not doing that. Since he turned down the WWE offer he's had to wrestle with a completely drugged out Jeff Hardy and has watched TNA basically not care much about him. Obviously Stings well past his prime and doesn't care for traveling the road anymore, but you have to think he has at least some form of pride/ego.

[Alex]

I'll give you a point there - HBK end of career was still probably better than Sting. To be fair, Taker's had a lot of stinker matches at Mania (and some stinkers in general beyond Mania) but a good deal of the time its more due to the opponent he's put against instead of Taker himself. He's older now so its becoming more of a "him" problem since he cant do what he used to do, but at the same time its hard to have great matches when you're put up against Giant Gonzalez or Khali.

Had bad matches with Punk too, and btw, Punk is his opponent this year if Taker is able to work mania.

[XPac]

I'll give you a point there - HBK end of career was still probably better than Sting. To be fair, Taker's had a lot of stinker matches at Mania (and some stinkers in general beyond Mania) but a good deal of the time its more due to the opponent he's put against instead of Taker himself. He's older now so its becoming more of a "him" problem since he cant do what he used to do, but at the same time its hard to have great matches when you're put up against Giant Gonzalez or Khali.

Yeah, I don't think it's humanly possible to have a good match with Gonzalax or Khali.

But against a good or even a descent opponent, when it's a big match I think Taker has proven he can rise to the occasion. His WM match against Batista I though ended up being pretty darn good... and I was expecting it to suck.

I think if Sting can hold up his end, a match can at least be comparable to the matches Taker had with Triple H, which weren't quite the level of the series he had with HBK but still told a pretty compelling story. It needs the right build up, and it needs Sting to REALLY bring his A game. I'm not the biggest Triple H fan, and I never thought he was the greatest performer in the world, but I've always believed the Game was good at sucking the fans into the story he's telling in the ring and getting everyone to care. Sting needs to be able to do that if a Taker/Sting match is going to live up to expectation.

On Taker's end, I think he just needs to be healthy enough to not fall apart in the ring. He'll have no problem getting the crowd into the match, unless they really begin stinking up the joint.

[SephirothDZX]

In my imaginary world of professional wrestling the build up to a Sting/Taker WrestleMania match would be that Sting represents the last pulse of WCW and the dying breath of WCW would be to destroy WWE's precious Undertaker streak. Then, if they want to get gimmicky/theatrical about it they could have Taker and Sting go back and forth with their cut-to-blacks and omg-Sting/Taker-is-in-the-ring mind game stuff.

[XPac]

I'll give you a point there - HBK end of career was still probably better than Sting. To be fair, Taker's had a lot of stinker matches at Mania (and some stinkers in general beyond Mania) but a good deal of the time its more due to the opponent he's put against instead of Taker himself. He's older now so its becoming more of a "him" problem since he cant do what he used to do, but at the same time its hard to have great matches when you're put up against Giant Gonzalez or Khali.



Yeah, it would get interest because it's pretty much the final "WWF vs WCW" battle. Sting wasn't interested in signing with WWE a few years ago, but part of me still wants to know if Sting regrets not doing that. Since he turned down the WWE offer he's had to wrestle with a completely drugged out Jeff Hardy and has watched TNA basically not care much about him. Obviously Stings well past his prime and doesn't care for traveling the road anymore, but you have to think he has at least some form of pride/ego.

If nothing else, I think signing Sting to a legends contract potentially means they can put Sting in the WWE video games. And there at least I think you can do whatever kind of full on WCW vs WWE story you want. That alone would make it worth it for me at least.

I don't know if Sting regrets not signing with WWE or not... but there are things you can ONLY do in the WWE that I think every wrestler deep down wants. I think every wrestler wants to wrestle in the garden, and I think every wrestler would like a Wrestlemania moment. A Hall of Fame induction and a nice DVD set probably wouldn't suck either. Not that Sting needs any of these things... but I'll bet he at least thinks about it.

[SephirothDZX]

To be honest, I dont know if WWE even needs Sting on board to do a "Best of Sting" DVD at this point. WWE already owns all of the WCW library, which is pretty much all of Stings career. They just wouldn't have his TNA stuff, which admittedly isnt much.

While it might not be my opinion, I know alot of people might think that finally signing with WWE will "legitimize" Sting's career a bit more.

[XPac]

To be honest, I dont know if WWE even needs Sting on board to do a "Best of Sting" DVD at this point. WWE already owns all of the WCW library, which is pretty much all of Stings career. They just wouldn't have his TNA stuff, which admittedly isnt much.

They can do it without Sting, as far as just putting out his matches. But I think there's always more money in doing the whole bio thing. I think fans are almost just as interested in that aspect of the DVD's as the actual matches.

[Alex]

They can do it without Sting, as far as just putting out his matches. But I think there's always more money in doing the whole bio thing. I think fans are almost just as interested in that aspect of the DVD's as the actual matches.

More interested actually, outside of Mania, the docu ones sell better than the wrestling ones.

[XPac]

More interested actually, outside of Mania, the docu ones sell better than the wrestling ones.

As a whole, they're certainly my favorite WWE DVD's. I think the WWE production people do a great job with those most of the time.

I remember becoming a big fan of Orton just because of the Evolution of a Predator thing they did with him.

[Legato]

I think more than wanting to wrestle Sting himself (though I wouldn't be shocked if it were on his "things to do list... Sting is probably on every wrestlers list), I imagine as a business man and booker the thing Triple H and everyone else for that matter really wants to see is Taker vs Sting at Wrestlemania. IF Taker can still go, and if Sting can still go, then it's really the last true dream match left.

I think business wise if Taker can no longer go the best option would be Cena. It would still be considered the closest thing to a WWE vs WCW Dream Match. That may be the only option they could go with as Taker's knees is too messed up that it may be awhile before we see him in WM even if Sting do sign.

[Alex]

I just don't see Sting as a big deal, like i can't fault him for not drawing at TNA because no one does, but then it becomes of a question of if Sting in WWE is a draw, because Sting by himself isn't.
Are there enough people that really want to see him have a mania match that make it worthwhile.

[SephirothDZX]

I think business wise if Taker can no longer go the best option would be Cena. It would still be considered the closest thing to a WWE vs WCW Dream Match. That may be the only option they could go with as Taker's knees is too messed up that it may be awhile before we see him in WM even if Sting do sign.

I'd say the next best option would be Rock or Austin, actually. Cena vs Sting has no value as a WWE/WCW dream match, since Cena was never around for the Monday Night Wars.

I just don't see Sting as a big deal, like i can't fault him for not drawing at TNA because no one does, but then it becomes of a question of if Sting in WWE is a draw, because Sting by himself isn't.
Are there enough people that really want to see him have a mania match that make it worthwhile.

8 or 10 years ago, a definite yes. Now? No, not by himself.

[Alex]

8 or 10 years ago, a definite yes. Now? No, not by himself.

Well, that gets to whether or not taker is a huge draw, and again, i don't think he is, his times on top haven't exactly done blow away business, and while his mania matches recently have been remembered, they aren't usualy the focus of the events or what they are sold on.
There just aren't any dream (quote unquote) matchups. Like, Taker/Sting doesn't even make any sense, Taker isn't the same as sting, never really was, all they have in common is being too old guys who only worked for one company (except Taker did work in WCW, he just wasn't undertaker and no one remembers because it was before WCW was popular).
And him being in TNA for so long as lowered his marketability if anything.
Like, if he left WCW, and then never worked anywhere else, and they had an event in Atlanta or some big WCW city, i could see it being a big deal, but if people so choose they could see him on tv every week.

[XPac]

I just don't see Sting as a big deal, like i can't fault him for not drawing at TNA because no one does, but then it becomes of a question of if Sting in WWE is a draw, because Sting by himself isn't.
Are there enough people that really want to see him have a mania match that make it worthwhile.

Depending on how much money Sting asks for, I think it would be worth it.

I think Sting wrestling Taker qualifies as a legitimate attraction. 2 years from now, what would the main event for WM look like? It could theoretically be something like Cena vs Punk (top face vs top heel). And that's by no means a bad match, but it's something we've seen dozens of times on PPV and TV. And it's something we might see again on free TV as little as a week from then.

We've never seen something like Sting vs Taker before. And in all likelihood we wouldn't ever see it again. I think it can genuinely be seen as a "once in a lifetime" thing.

And mania aside, there's likely other things that come with Sting, like the DVD and merchandise, which can at least help to pay for whatever getting Sting might cost. If he walks in demanding a 7 figure contract then no, I don't think it'll be worthwhile. But if what he asks for is fairly moderate, then I'm sure everyone will walk away richer and better off for it.