Notes from the Nosebleeds #102
February 12, 2011
By: Matt O’Brien of Wrestleview.com
WWE has shrouded the date of 2-21-11 in mystery as the arrival/return of a dark individual in a long black coat. The sound of Jonny Cash’s voice signals the impending presence of this mysterious figure. The identity of this individual have most fans predicting it is either The Undertaker or Sting. Regardless of the identity, many are hopeful that Wrestlemania XXVII will feature the first ever match between Taker and Sting. I have always been fascinated by a possible match between Taker and Sting, and a recent request by a faithful reader got me excited all over again.
The very idea of a Sting-Undertaker match has intrigued fans for nearly two decades. Sting may have only become the dark and silent figure in the mid-90s, but even back in his days as a blonde surfer, a match between Taker and Sting was dreamt of by their faithful followers. While not always the top baby faces or heels of their perspective companies, both men remained faithful to their organizations and were known as franchise players. No matter who came and went in either WCW or WWE, Sting and Undertaker remained their companies’ constants. When WCW folded in 2001, the chance for a Sting-Undertaker match was a realistic possibility…until Sting declined WWE’s offer, and with good reason. All of the WCW stars failed to generate the interest WWE had hoped. Sting said himself that the way WCW stars were handled was not the best and he worried about how he would be treated. Eventually Sting would sign with TNA, and since then he has become the special attraction veteran that Undertaker has spent recent years as in WWE.
Now that Wrestlemania is coming to Atlanta and Sting’s TNA status is in question, once again the possibility of a Sting-Undertaker match has fans speculating and anticipating. Yet questions remain about Sting’s presence in WWE regarding his willingness to join the company, his health, WWE’s interest, and just how WWE would pull this match off. One thing going against Sting is that he has never competed in a WWE ring. Look at any other wrestler who was a major star in one organization and then went to another. Every ring is different and everyone looks different in another company’s ring.
Another question is how will Sting look? He adjusted his look when his blonde flattop overstayed its welcome and his Crow look is also outdated. WWE has a chance to take the Sting look in a direction never seen before. Taking the face paint away is one option, but many of Sting’s faithful see it as an essential part of his character. But if Sting is going to come in and go up against The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, he needs to look his part. Diamond Dallas Page said it best when he claimed that if you took a picture of Undertaker every month, he would look different in each picture. How Sting will do update his look is up for debate, but if anyone can pull it off, it has to be WWE.
How and why these two would build a match to Mania is another question. This is perhaps the most intriguing part of a possible Undertaker-Sting match. They could easily make Sting a heel and have him come out and target Taker. A baby face match would likely be more interesting, even though Taker’s last two Mania matches were baby face bouts. One way to do it would be for Sting to steal Undertaker’s spotlight on 2-21 by coming out and announcing his arrival and his desire to compete in his old stomping ground of Atlanta against the biggest and best on WWE’s biggest stage.
The match itself could go with r way in terms of quality. I have no doubt it would be at least solid, but failure to be anything short of great may draw the ire of fans who have dreamed for so long to see this match. The ending result would likely be a win for Undertaker. There really does not seem to be any reason to have Sting win the match. If he came in, it would not be long term. If WWE were to give the streak away to a veteran, I suspect it would have been done already.
Will it happen? I don’t know right now. A dream match is just that- a dream. Still, it now seems we are closer than ever to a Sting-Undertaker match. Whatever this leads to has wrestling fans anticipating and speculating what could be the last chance for a long-time dream match.
Random Thoughts:
This has been said but Mason Ryan looks way too much like Batista. Not just his look, but even his facial expressions and they way he moves in the ring. Past wrestlers like this include the fake versions of Diesel and Razor Ramon, and also The Renegade. There is a big difference between reminding fans of one wrestler, and seeming like a flat-out rip off. Ryan has potential, but a change in his look may be on order. How to do this is anyone’s guess. Be it a haircut or change in ring attire, Ryan deserves a change that will allow him to carve his own niche into the wrestling world.
Over the past several weeks I have been working on a Wrestlemania project to put up in a series of future Nosebleed columns in the coming weeks. I wanted to celebrate Wrestlemania XXVII by listing the top twenty-seven matches in Mania history. Over the past several years I have read many people’s lists of the top Wrestlemania matches. Of all these lists I have agreed with absolutely none of them. I mean no insult to the individuals to put these together, but I wanted to provide a better list. I set out to go back and re-watch all the Wrestlemania matches with a fresh mind and come back with a list of the truly best Mania matches. As I went back and watched the Mania classics I found myself with new found appreciation for some matches, and the realization that some matches are just not as good as most people think. The problem with my line of judging soon became apparent. I realized that I was not giving an accurate list of the best Mania matches. To do so would require gathering a panel of wrestling analysts that would take several months reviewing and debating the Mania matches based on some type of scoring system. That is a project that would be incredibly interesting, but also unrealistic to complete before Wrestlemania XXVII. I realized I was doing what all the others had been doing. I was just compiling a list of my favorite matches. I went back to the board and tired to adjust it. What I have found myself not giving a new take on Mania matches. In the coming weeks when I do put the list out there, my hope is to give readers a different look at the great Wrestlemania matches.
That will wrap it up for this week. Thanks to all for reading. If you have any comments or questions for me, do not hesitate to contact me at mattman5436@yahoo.com.
Have a good weekend.
Matt O’Brien
Columnist, Wrestleview.com
mattman5436@yahoo.com