When the nWo first arrived in WCW, they were a dangerous group of men who were going to take over the entire WCW and replace it with the nWo. All they had to do was wipe out all of the stalwart defenders of World Championship Wrestling. On the front line for WCW was The Franchise, Sting.
Thanks to some nWo chicanery on-screen, and a chat with Scott Hall backstage, The Stinger became a silent guardian and a watchful protector for WCW. While WWE coined the term The Vigilante, that’s exactly what The Icon was in his pursuit of a championship match with Hollywood Hogan and laying waste to the New World Order once and for all.
10 The Beginning
Heading into Fall Brawl 1996, no one would have ever questioned Sting’s loyalty. Until he was seemingly turned against WCW and attacked his best friend, Lex Luger. Despite always giving him the benefit of the doubt, Luger, Flair, and Double A all doubted Sting up until the moment that he cleaned house at War Games.
The next night on Nitro, Sting arrived, with his back to the camera, and told everyone who doubted him that they could stick it. The unique promo set off the events that would turn Sting into a terrible thought.
9 The Judgment Of The Bat
Several times during this run, the silent protector would make his way to the ring to challenge superstars who may or may not answer the call and take up arms with him against the nWo - or something like that; it was never really revealed what the point was of handing the likes of the Macho Man a bat and then turning his back on them, practically threatening them to do something.
When they didn’t, he’d take his bat back, nod in approval, and leave the show.
8 The Vulture - Clash Of The Champions 08/21/1997
At the last WCW Clash Of The Champions ever, The New World Order tried to celebrate being in power for one year. They were met with Sting once again, hanging up in the rafters. This time with a giant vulture in tow as well. The bird actually flew down to the ring to confront the nWo and freak out Eric Bischoff and Kevin Nash in particular.
It was also the first time that fans heard the message, “When a man's heart is full of deceit, it burns up, dies, and a dark shadow falls over his soul. From the ashes of a once great man has risen a curse. A wrong that must be righted. We look to the skies for a vindicator. Someone to strike fear into the black hearts of the same men who created him. The battle between good and evil has begun. Against an army of shadows comes a dark warrior. The purveyor of good with the voice of silence and a mission of justice. This is Sting.”
7 Arriving From A Chopper - Nitro 03/16/1998
Sting had a knack for making grand entrances. But what do you do when there are no rafters to come down from? You come down in a helicopter to crash the nWo’s Spring Break Nitro.
As Eric Bischoff was even laughing about the fact that there were no rafters to jump out of. As he said that, The Stinger rappelled down from a black helicopter.
6 Scorpion Death Drop - Nitro 05/19/1997
By this time in the storyline, Sting had made it abundantly clear that he wanted one thing - a match with Hollywood Hogan. So naturally, that meant Eric Bischoff would come onto Nitro to try and put out a false narrative that he was trying to call Sting and not getting any answer.
Or, maybe he was since Sting hadn’t spoken a word in months. But from underneath the ring and through it came the dark avenger from behind to nail Bischoff with the Scorpion Death Drop and shut Easy E up.
5 Hulk’s Head - Nitro 12/22/1997
With just six days to go before the epic Starrcade showdown, Hulk Hogan was presented a gift. Hollywood was so happy to receive a present from his nWo-ites.
But when Eric Bischoff let Hulk know it wasn’t from him, he opened up the box to reveal a replica of his own severed head. Sting charged to the ring on a zip line to close out the go-home edition of Nitro before Starrcade.
4 Army Of Stings - Nitro 10/13/1997
As the nWo would do just about every night, the night ended with the New World Order taking out anyone and everyone. After a few minutes of the onslaught, Sting headed to the ring from the stands, but he got taken out so easily that it couldn’t have been The Franchise.
More and more Stings headed to the ring until the nWo were all but too confident taking them all out. Eventually, the real Sting arrived and immediately took out Buff Bagwell, aiding Roddy Piper in sending the gang packing.
3 “Sting” Goes Through The Ring - Nitro 12/08/1997
Sting spent several weeks on the sidelines playing mind games and selling a beating the nWo gave him, the night on Nitro was filled with the lights going out and nWo members getting laid out. The night ended with yet another beatdown of DDP until a Sting mannequin descended from the rafters to make a hole in the ring.
Hogan cut a promo about the Stinger being a coward. But when the troops yanked the dummy out of the hole, The Vigilante appeared, Tony Schiavone delivered the line of the night about Hogan - “Check his underwear!”
2 Saving DDP - Nitro 06/09/1997
While Sting was the main scourge of the nWo, Diamond Dallas Page was no slouch in standing up to the gang either. On the go-home edition of Nitro before The Great American Bash, a wild brawl began between the nWo and the Horsemen and The Dungeon of Doom, along with Glacier fighting Mortis and Wrath, the Steiners fighting Harlem Heat, everyone was just fighting everyone.
But when DDP snatched up The Macho Man, tensions escalated even more. The nWo jumped on Page and teed off on him and left him laying. That’s when Sting arrived with rapid rappelling baseball bat action. He was able to keep the entire nWo back as he hooked an unconscious DDP up his harness and rappelled away in a Batman-esque rescue.
1 Sting Declares War - Uncensored 1997
Another WCW PPV, another nWo victory. Sting had been on the sidelines for several months. But he couldn’t sit idly by anymore. He descended from the heavens and immediately started swinging, taking out The Outsiders and Randy Savage. He turned his attention to Hogan on the outside of the ring with Dennis Rodman.
After telling Sting to drop the bat (which he did), he headed into the ring to get dropped by The Scorpion Death Drop as well. It was official - Sting was waging war against the nWo.