Sting is as responsible for wrestling's place in pop culture as anybody to ever step into the ring. "The Icon" has been wrestling for almost four decades and has evolved with wrestling. From the young WCW "Stinger" with blonde hair to the 62-year-old veteran that recently jumped off the balcony onto tables at AEW Revolution, Sting's career will never be duplicated.
With a career that includes stints at many different promotions, Sting has partnered in the ring with some of the best and worst wrestlers of all time. This list examines five that were amazing complements to the icon and five that are better left as a footnote in the career of Sting.
10 Best: AJ Styles
Sting and AJ Styles had two of the greatest careers in the history of TNA. Although they did exist on the same roster in WCW for a brief period, the two didn't team up until they arrived at TNA. In one of the first few matches of Sting's TNA career, he teamed with AJ Styles, in a match against Lex Lugar and Jeff Jarrett.
The two won the bout in a match where Sting was hyping up Aj as the next big thing. Somehow, the two didn't team up that often after this match but did put on another great tag bout against Jeff Hardy and Jeff Jarrett in 2010.
9 Worst: The Giant
Sting only held the WCW tag team titles 3 times. Somehow, one of three wrestlers he held the titles with was The Giant (aka The Big Show). By the time the two teamed up, Sting had joined the nWo and his storied rivalry was over. He was paired up with The Giant and the two defeated The Outsiders to earn the titles.
The matches were just okay, and the pairing was short-lived. They vacated the titles after 18 days and split. It still feels a little random to this day, especially considering The Giant and Sting never paired up again after the "big" win.
8 Best: Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle's career in TNA was insane. He was pushed to be the face of TNA and helped elevate the company in many ways. He only held the TNA tag titles twice at TNA, once with AJ Styles and once with Sting. By the time the two teamed up, they were veterans who were outperforming almost everyone on the roster.
They will most be remembered for their rivalries, but the pair had great matches as partners. They were a rare "dream pairing" that lived up to expectations.
7 Worst: John Cena
Sting's time in AEW is proof his use in the WWE was laughable. Sting did nothing memorable in the WWE and even the attempt to pair Sting up with the WWE's biggest star, John Cena, was a flop. It summed up his entire run.
It was supposed to be a crowd-pleasing moment, but the match showcased more from Seth Rollins than anyone. The match is better remembered as a fun moment for Raw than something that adorns Sting's illustrious career.
6 Best: Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, The Outsiders, were one of the greatest tag team foes of Sting's entire WCW career. They spent most of the 90s at odds, but after the strange pairing of The Giant and Sting, Nash and Sting paired up.
The two put on a classic against The Harlem Heat and another great one later on against the Steiners. If the two weren't such huge stars, they probably could've been one of the greatest tag team units of all time.
5 Worst: Goldberg
Pairing Goldberg and Sting in WCW was an interesting idea. One man had the skill set to battle anyone who ever stepped in the ring and the other one was...Goldberg. He was notorious for his limited skills and his unlimited power as a wrestler. When the two finally paired up on Nitro, the match was subpar.
Prime Sting can make any match interesting and, somehow, this one was not all that entertaining. The two lost the match via DQ and luckily this was the last time fans ever saw the two pair up as a tag team.
4 Best: Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat is one of the few wrestlers that is respected among fans and performers as much as Sting is. The pairing of the two on paper seems to be a perfect match, but the two were even better than anticipated. Sting and Steamboat paired up at a time when technical wrestling was the main attraction of a wrestling show and gave the fan so much more as competitors.
Their match against the "Dangerous Alliance" at WrestleWar '92 is proof of how great they are as they stood out in a match full of stars as the two stole the show as a unit.
3 Worst: El Gigante
Before he was "Giant Gonzalez" in the WWE, he was known as El Gigante in WCW. His short career is often remembered for his bad match against Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Still, El Gigante was supposed to be one of those "imposing big men who couldn't wrestle, but could scare you."
This was not a great pairing for Sting who competed next to Gigante in a few six-man tag matches where Giante was undoubtedly the weakest link.
2 Best: Lex Luger
Luger and Sting have a storied history as teammates. They defeated some of the greatest tag teams from The Road Warriors to Harlem Heat to The Steiner Brothers. Sting's early rise to stardom in wrestling can be traced back to his early days with Luger where the two put on a great show both inside and outside the ring.
Although Sting would eventually become a solo star and the face of WCW, the two would pair up periodically throughout their time in WCW and would always deliver.
1 Worst: Vince Russo
Vince Russo is often credited as the person who put the final nail in the coffin for WCW. He's the worst former World Heavyweight Champion of all time is also the worst tag partner of Sting's career. The two partnered in WCW with Booker T in a handicap tag match against Jeff Jarrett & Scott Steiner.
Russo was as useful as expected and will go down as one of the people most forgotten among tag team partners in Sting's career.