Sting's WWE Debut Is the Kind of Moment Fans Will Never See Again

Savor Sting's arrival to WWE as much as you can; that convergence of star power and anticipation is a one-time-only moment.

In a world long controlled by WWE, Sting was the anomaly. His career veered away from that company. As a result, he was the easy answer to the question of "Who is the biggest name to never work for Vince McMahon?"

The wrestling industry's evolution during Sting's career negates the possibility of another marquee name on his level building a career to the heights that he did without WWE. There won't be a wrestler who can show up as Sting did at Survivor Series and fulfill a longing as strong as fans had for him.

During the '80s and '90s, talent regularly moved from WCW to WWE and back again. 

Jake Roberts showed up to WCW in August of 1992. A year earlier, Sid Eudy left WCW for WWE, moving right into the spotlight in his new home. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Lex Luger famously switched sides as well. 

Sting stayed put. He stood aboard WCW's ship even as it sank in 2001. 

When WWE plundered its rival's roster after buying WCW out, Sting was not among the men to make the transition. He instead went on to be one of the building blocks for then-upstart promotion TNA.

The Stinger added to his legacy there, but the question always lingered: Would he ever make the jump to WWE? Fans dreamed of the final megastar outside of WWE battling The Undertaker or working WrestleMania. As good as TNA's homegrown stars such as Bobby Roode and James Storm have been, there hasn't been that same clamoring to see them in a WWE ring.

That's partly because of TNA's less expansive reach. 

TNA never became the threat to WWE that WCW was. It certainly has its following, but the ratings it pulls in don't strike fear in WWE officials. WCW and WWE battled it out every Monday like two grapplers looking for a victory-producing chokehold. 

Wrestling fans in the era of the Monday Night War often watched both products. WWE fans knew who the nWo were, and WCW fans knew all about Steve Austin and The Rock. The business was at its hottest, the two companies both thriving. 

Today, the gap between WWE and everyone else is huge.

On a down week heading into Survivor Series, Raw earned a 2.75 rating on the Nov. 17 show. This Wednesday's Impact Wrestling garnered just a 0.83 rating.

Things aren't likely to get better with TNA's upcoming move to Destination America.

Roode, Storm and company won't be stars on the level that Sting is. They play in a league with less eyes on it. 

A good amount of WWE fans grew up watching Sting. They saw him collide with WWE Hall of Famers Flair, Hogan, Roberts and Booker T.

The overlap in talent that WCW and WWE had is no more. When AJ Styles left TNA, WWE didn't bring him in. Men like Matt Morgan, Joey Ryan and Kid Kash all exited the company with WWE showing no interest in signing them.

That's evidence of just how much things have changed since the '90s. Back then, at least a few of those guys would have showed up in WWE with a brand-new gimmick, bringing a prop to the ring.

Now there is no WCW equivalent where one can build their star power as Sting did. Diehard fans have wrestlers they crave to see in a WWE atmosphere, but casual fans aren't as aware of them.

WWE signed Kenta (now Itami) of Pro Wrestling Noah fame earlier this year. It added Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt (now Finn Balor) to the NXT roster as well. As exciting as it was to see those top-notch performers transition to WWE, their arrival didn't make the kind of impact that Sting's did.

None of them would have elicited a pop like the one St. Louis fans gave The Stinger:

(NSFW note: Video contains brief profanity from excited fans.)

Casual fans don't know those men like the insatiable wrestling fans of the world do. 

Adam Cole showing up at a pay-per-view wouldn't have WWE fans buzzing after Survivor Series. That goes for Kazuchika Okada, Ricochet or The Briscoe Brothers, too.

Sting's debut will be talked about as one of the biggest moments in company history. It had nostalgia envelope longtime fans and for some is the proverbial dream come true. It earned WWE mainstream media attention, USA Today and Yahoo! Sports both covering the surprise.

And as WWE pointed out, Sting was trending worldwide on Twitter:

To match what Sting's debut created, Roode or Cole would have to wrestle for 30 years with much of that career unfolding on a stage that rivaled WWE's in terms of popularity. That stage doesn't exist anymore. 

Besides, WWE is making it clear it's not waiting around for three decades before it snatches up top talent.

In the past, Itami could have competed against WWE on shows that popped up in homes across the country for years, building up his name. Instead, he joins NXT while still in his prime. The one true major promotion in wrestling called to him as it will to others.

If Sting's career was just taking off today, he'd likely be headed down a similar path. 

As it stands, Sting's moment is a unique one. His career predates the end of WCW, and thanks to what he built there and at UWF and TNA, he could enter the WWE Hall of Fame after just one match with the company.

He needs no run through NXT, no preliminary matches to introduce him to a fanbase. He's a pre-made megastar entering WWE for the first time, a class of wrestler that is now extinct.