Pro Wrestling Illustrated August 1998--- by Dave Lenker
What a difference a few months can make. Did you get a chance to attend a live broadcast of Nitro last year? Specifically one in which Sting made an appearance? If you did, have your eardrums recovered yet? Some of the ovations the silent, misunderstood WCW hero got when he dropped down from ceilings or stormed through crowds to swing his bat at the nearest nWo member were staggering. The irony wasn't lost on anyone: There Sting was, more popular than he had ever been, and he wasn't even wrestling. It's been a few months since he's become a full-time wrestler again, and the change in response to him has been stunning.
When he comes out to wrestle via the regular entranceway now, he gets cheered, but not as loudly as 'Diamond' Dallas Page or even Goldberg. Maybe it's that eerie but dull Sting entrance music that saps the energy out of the people in the arenas. Maybe it's the fact that neither of his WCW World title wins over Hollywood Hogan were clean has turned some people off to him. After all, at Starrcade, it was clear to just about everyone but those inside WCW that Hogan got a clean pin on him and that the three-count made by nick Patrick was not fast.
Maybe it was a little bit of both, but I couldn't help but notice that even when Sting dropped down from a helicopter hovering high above Club Lavela in Panama City, Florida, for his match at the March 16 Nitro, the response to him was strong only during that dramatic entrance. Once he began wrestling, the noise level dropped. Has Sting lost his zing? My advice to Sting is simple: Talk, talk, talk!
Ok, so you've grabbed the microphone and said a few things in the ring here and there recently, but we still have no idea what you're really thinking and feeling. Are you still upset about being betrayed back in September of 1996? Why did you change your appearance so much? What was going through your mind during your silent period? Do you still love your fans? Why did you go so long without wrestling? Was a break that long necessary? How has your life changed since that infamous nWo Sting disaster? Are you happy? Will you ever smile again? What do you think of this Monica Lewinski thing?
If Sting would just talk to us, all of us would surely be able to relate to him better. I'm trying to do my part here, too. Last year, I called his gym every few weeks and left a message requesting an interview. He never returned any of those calls. A week after SuperBrawl VIII, I actually got him on the phone, and he told me, 'Not interested'. That's progress. At least he's finally talking to me. So consider this an open invitation, Sting. Any time you want to talk at length, PWI is here for you. So are The Wrestler, Inside Wrestling, Wrestling Superstars, and Wrestle America. Pick a magazine. We want to hear from you. Your fans need to hear from you. You have my number.
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