Sting vs. The Undertaker: Wrestlemania's Next Great Moment?

Sting. The Icon. Former NWA, WCW and TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He has headlined some of the biggest events in professional wrestling history.

During his nearly 26-year career Sting has done it all. But he has never laced up his boots for the biggest promoter in the world, Vince McMahon.

The Undertaker. Former WWE and WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He has also headlined some of the biggest events in professional wrestling history.

During his nearly 27-year career, Taker has faced every top name the modern era of the business has known. Except for Sting.

Could the match that fans all over the world have only dreamed of now become a reality? Sting vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania? Recent rumors and online speculation say yes. I for one, say I hope so.

Is there a bigger dream match than Sting vs. Undertaker? Does anything even come close to it at this point?

After all, virtually every big name in the business has either worked in WWE or, been manufactured and produced by WWE, and that means that a lot of “dream” matches have already happened.

But, Sting vs. Taker is the holy grail of dream match ups.

Anyone who is familiar with me as a writer or as a fan knows that I am an NWA baby. I was born and raised in front of the TV on Saturdays. Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and Magnum TA were my best friends when I was a kid.

The National Wrestling Alliance was the epitome of what great pro wrestling is, and in my opinion, nothing comes close to it. So, naturally, I am very familiar with Sting, and have been a fan of his ring work for a long time.

The first time I saw Sting, I remember thinking, man this guy is huge, he looks like one of The Road Warriors. But, then he cut a promo, and when I hear the crowd react to him, I realized, this guy is different. He’s on his own level.

Fans reacted to Sting, his bleached blonde hair, his loud neon tights, and the matching face paint. His charisma was even louder than his gear, with a yell that rang through the arena, a rallying cry that fans immediately latched onto.

Sting was a spark of energy, with a wild eyed smile and an unpredictable streak that brought fans to their feet every time he was in the ring. But equally as important as his gimmick and charisma was his ability in that ring.

Sting could flat-out go. Even during his first matches with Ric Flair, it was obvious that Sting was holding his own. His ring awareness and timing was improving with every match.

Sting had his critics, however, with many saying that his gimmick was geared toward kids and his sex appeal had the female fans on his side. But no one could deny his talent in the ring.

Sting’s transformation into the black and white gimmick of The Crow did nothing but propel his character to another level. No one in the business was arguably more over than Sting in 1997.

Sting versus the nWo had all the makings of a classic Dusty Rhodes/Four Horsemen epic, but darker and cooler for the new generation. Sting more than delivered, and gave some of the most memorable moments the business has ever seen.

Sting’s arrival in TNA was nearly as big, by that time his legacy was cemented as one of the greats. So, considering that he had nothing left to achieve, and knowing his age, it was with some skepticism that I tuned in to watch him in the ring.

I was left speechless.

The TNA crowd’s chants of “you’ve still got it,” said it all. Sting still had something left in the tank, and for the next seven years, he has given back to the business, and to the fans, who made him the star that he is.

Of course, anyone who knows me as a writer and a fan also knows that I am not the biggest Undertaker fan.

My feelings on the Deadman are no mystery and I make no apologies for them.

I have always felt, with the theatrics of his character and the no-selling nature of his gimmick, that Taker is not one of the best professional wrestlers in the business, he‘s more of an entertainer, an attraction, if you will.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with this assessment, and have been often criticized for this view, many times by Taker’s true biggest fan.

Yes, Double A, that is a shout out.

But, before everyone rallies together to form a lynch mob with noose in hand, I have also been on the record as saying that I do believe that Mark Calaway, the man behind the character, is a good worker.

He has paid his dues in the business, by being in the ring with some of the all time greats.

For me, the distinction between him and Sting is that while theatrics helped accentuate Sting’s character as a performer, theatrics have overwhelmed Taker’s character to the point where the wrestler has disappeared.

But, with that being said, I cannot ignore the matter at hand, and my inner fan is now laughing in my head.

“Dude, it’s Sting vs. The Undertaker at Wrestlemania! This has got to happen!”

So, yes, I am on board. My inner fan has never been wrong, and I will not argue with him.

Of course, there is also speculation that this match will not take place, but that Sting will instead be brought in as a WWE Hall of Fame inductee for Wrestlemania weekend in Atlanta.

I’m good with that too, he’s earned it, the fact that he’s not in it now is ridiculous. He belongs there. Then again, there’s my inner fan’s opinion.

“Dude, the only guy that can induct Sting into the Hall of Fame is Ric Flair. And, that’s not going to happen.”

Aside from his annoying habit of constantly calling me “dude,” I can’t argue with him on this one either.

No disrespect to Sting’s long time friend Lex Luger as possibly being the man for the job, but Flair is the one who should do the honors. After all, without Ric Flair, there may never have been a Sting.

At least not the legend we‘re now talking about. But, with The Nature Boy at the center of TNA’s biggest faction, and a focal point of every storyline that runs from it, there is little chance that he will see a WWE locker room again anytime soon.

So, how does the WWE handle that one? Do they ignore the fact that Flair made Sting, gave him his initial push and taught him all about the business?

What highlights will be shown on TV, the WCW Sting against the nWo, but no NWA Sting against the World Heavyweight Champion?

How exactly will that go down? Does anyone expect Sting to get to that podium and not mention Flair’s name during his acceptance speech?

As with any “breaking news” that hit’s the net, all we as fans can do is speculate on the rumor and wait to see what happens.

But, if this is for real, and Sting vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania actually happens, it very well could end up being the biggest moment in each man’s career, and possibly one of the single greatest moments in the history of the business.

Both men, nearing the end of their careers, have earned a grand send off. They deserve that special moment. So do their fans.