Ever since the rumor came out in January that Sting signed a deal with the WWE, there was always a misconception as to what kind of deal was signed. There was talk of him signing a WWE Legends deal that includes merchandise sales, spot appearances , and PR boosting. He has signed a contract, but the right deal to let him wrestle hasn’t been done.
To put it frankly, if Ric Flair can pass the physicals WWE put in front of him, Sting can too. It’s only a matter of time until he does. Flair is in far worse shape, due to the wear-and-tear and years of drinking. Sting has had a lot of good health over the years, except a couple of concussion that didn’t turn out to be serious.
According to WrestleZone , Sting will be in Los Angeles for SummerSlam, and the feeling is that the two sides will get a deal done to wrestle on time for the company.
“Sting will be in Los Angeles for Summerslam this year, however he has not been written into the show. WWE is hoping to get Sting signed to a talent deal before the PPV. Currently, Sting has a Mattel contract and a 2k Sports contract, but does not have a talent deal with WWE.”
The funny part about the whole situation is that Sting’s relationship and ongoing contract talks with the WWE is becoming a running joke backstage. Also in the report lies a WWE source who explains that the company is hopeful to secure Sting during the weekend, even though he won’t be appearing on the SummerSlam show specifically.
He does have more momentum than Ultimate Warrior did, because Sting can still wrestle a match, whereas the Ultimate Warrior couldn’t do it with his health. Unfortunately, his tragic heart attack showed proof that his health was in despair. That sounds like an obvious statement, but sometimes health problems are masked by painkillers and drugs.
To go off topic for a moment, wrestling was a terrible industry to be in during the 1970s and 80s. Ask any wrestler who worked during that time period and you’ll learn the majority took painkillers to hide the pain so they could make money. It is much cleaner now with drug tests and proper adjustments to their medical licenses, but wrestling was a dirty industry with a multitude of tragic deaths.
Anyway, Sting still has not signed a secure deal that would let him wrestle. The criticism of the WWE continues with the delayed signing a wrestling legend. Sting was the only guy not to jump to WWE after WCW collapsed. To that, I give Sting credit for not falling to Vince McMahon’s lap like Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, and Goldberg.
With all of that pushed under the rug, it is time for the WWE to make serious moves towards a contract to let Sting wrestle at WrestleMania. He has said before he wants one more match for the company he never stepped inside a squared circle for. At SummerSlam weekend, McMahon and Sting need to sit down and put pen to paper. The fans want it and Sting wants it.
[Images via SportsKeeda and dtrtwrestling.com]