Sting vs. Triple H: Winner and Reaction from WWE WrestleMania 31

In a moment that was 30 years in the making, Sting made his long-awaited WWE in-ring debut Sunday night at WrestleMania 31, but it was spoiled by a victorious Triple H.

The match featured a return of WWE's DX, Shawn Michaels and WCW's nWo, as captured by the WWE Universe: 

Triple H used a sledgehammer, which was eventually broken in half: 

Sting had long been viewed as the biggest star to never compete in WWE, but that is no longer the case, as The Vigilante has finally filled in the biggest hole on his Hall of Fame resume.

While Sting was able to accomplish some incredible things during his time in WCW, fans have always wondered how he might fare in WWE.

WrestlingInc.com provided its initial reaction to the match: 

Former wrestling star Lance Storm approved of Sting's WWE debut: 

So did ECW original Axl Rotten: 

As Stephanie McMahon put it on the go-home episode of Raw, The Icon finally reached "the big time" at WrestleMania, according to WWE Universe:

The Stinger originally appeared in WWE at Survivor Series 2014 when he helped John Cena's team take down Triple H and The Authority. Although The Game returned to power soon after, his issues with Sting persisted.

Sting foiled The King of Kings on multiple occasions, and it ultimately led to a match between them on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

There was plenty of banter regarding Sting and Triple H representing WCW and WWE, respectively, but Sting made his true intentions and allegiances crystal clear prior to the bout:

Triple H came out on the losing end every step of the way during the build toward their WrestleMania encounter, and the expectation was that the same would happen in the match itself.

Rather than giving the 56-year-old Superstar his WrestleMania moment, though, WWE instead decided to swerve the captivated audience by having The Game get his revenge.

While Sting coming out on top may have felt predictable, it seemed to be the preferred route considering the long road he took to get to WWE. A Sting win would have been a fairytale ending to some degree, but Triple H played the role of spoiler.

One of the biggest arguments in favor of Sting winning was the notion that The Icon and The Undertaker could potentially do battle at WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas. Sting losing doesn’t necessarily mean that the match won’t happen, but it definitely creates a little more doubt.

Since both Sting and Triple H are part-time performers, there likely won't be much of an immediate fallout for either guy. Sting could very well disappear from television for months on end, while Triple H's focus will be on his role as an authority figure.

Due to the fact that Triple H will, in all likelihood, continue to have a presence on WWE programming, perhaps having him go over was a smart move. It has been quite some time since The Game last scored a big victory, and beating a legend like Sting should give him even more stroke and credibility in his position.

It is now incumbent upon the creative team to use Triple H’s win to his advantage. If it is able to do that, then having Sting lose may ultimately prove to be a better decision than most initially anticipated.

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