Jeff Farmer Jeff Farmer ( August 14 , 1962 ) is an American retired professional wrestler . He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) and New Japan Pro Wrestling ( NJPW ) as Sting ( later The nWo Sting ) , an impostor version of the original Sting aligned to the New World Order stable . Professional wrestling career . Early career . Farmer started wrestling in 1991 as Lightning in the tag team of " Thunder and Lightning " in the IWF promotion in Florida . In October 1991 , he wrestled a match for Smoky Mountain Wrestling as the masked Black Scorpion . In 1993 , Farmer wrestled a summer tour for All Japan Pro Wrestling . World Championship Wrestling ( 1993 – 1994 ) . In 1993 , Thunder and Lightning moved to World Championship Wrestling and had a small feud with Harlem Heat , whom they lost to at SuperBrawl IV . Farmer left WCW in the spring of 1994 . Independent circuit ( 1994 - 1995 ) . In July 1994 , Farmer wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance territories in Tennessee and the Carolinas . He would later join the Global Wrestling Federation in Dallas , Texas near the end of July . In February 1995 , he and fellow former WCW wrestler Jim Steele wrestled a dark match for the World Wrestling Federation . Return to WCW ( 1995 - 2001 ) . Cobra ( 1995 ) . Farmer returned to WCW in July 1995 as Cobra to feud with Craig Pittman . Cobra made his WCW debut on September 9 , 1995 edition of " WCW Worldwide " , defeating Bobby Starr with his Cobra clutch slam finisher . Bobby " The Brain " Heenan and " Mean " Gene Okerlund explained Cobra ' s kayfabe back story of having served in the Gulf War . Sgt . Craig Pittman , a legit Marine sergeant , abandoned Cobra in the desert , then reported him AWOL back at camp . Cobra lost all rank and respect , learned to wrestle , and came to WCW seeking revenge on Pittman . The feud was short - lived , with Pittman defeating Cobra by submission in a very short match , although in a rematch the following week , Cobra won . They then would go back and forth and trade victories for a few months before the feud ended . nWo Sting ( 1996 - 1999 ) . The nWo had been battling Sting , one of WCW ’ s most loyal supporters , since its inception in July 1996 . As part of an elaborate plan , Farmer made his debut as “ Sting ” on the September 9th 1996 edition of Monday Nitro when he attacked Lex Luger appearing from the nWo limousine after a tape recording of Sting speaking had been played . This led Luger , his longtime ally , friend and tag team partner , to publicly question Sting ’ s loyalty . At Fall Brawl , as Team WCW was being interviewed Sting came in and told his teammates that he had nothing to do with the attack . Luger told Sting rather bluntly that he did not believe him . Later during the War Games match , the last man out for team nWo was “ Sting ” , which convinced everyone ( including the broadcast team ) that the real Sting was part of the nWo . However , the real Sting showed up as the last man for Team WCW . After assaulting team nWo , Sting walked over to Luger , shoved him , and said , " Is that good enough for ya ? " and left the ring . This showed everyone that the nWo Sting was an imposter . The imposter Sting picked up the victory in the match for team nWo when he forced Luger to submit with the scorpion death lock . After the War Games match , the real Sting began to evolve into a much darker character with Farmer ’ s Imposter Sting character serving as the catalyst that started the transformation of the character from “ Surfer ” Sting to the much darker , Crow - like Sting . Farmer now referred to as the nWo Sting , became more of a comedy act in WCW . Farmer would comically mimic Sting ’ s classic mannerisms , while dressed as the dark Sting . He would also copy the loyalty tests and began carrying a baseball bat as the real Sting did . On occasion , nWo Sting would try to appease the real Sting when both were in the ring . Unfortunately for Farmer , this usually led to the real Sting attacking him and getting laid out with the Scorpion Death Drop . In matches , nWo Sting would lose to opponents , or need help from the entire nWo to win a match . The television announcers would refer to him as imposter , fake , or bogus Sting . Announcer Larry Zbyszko nicknamed him “ Stink ” . The rest of the nWo would completely ignore him whenever the real Sting was around when they were trying to recruit him . After it was revealed that Sting had sided with WCW , Eric Bischoff promised an interview with Sting . He instead brought out nWo Sting and held a mock interview that berated the real Sting and praised Hollywood Hogan . Farmer appeared in the video game " " as nWo Sting , labeled in the game as " Sting " . In March 1997 , Farmer joined nWo Japan in New Japan Pro Wrestling and began to split his time between Japan and America . While in Japan , nWo Sting began to rise in popularity and became a prominent member of the group . He regularly teamed with nWo Japan leader Masahiro Chono . The nWo Sting became much more popular than the real Sting in Japan . As a result , Farmer would spend more time in Japan . In November 1997 , he teamed up with Hiroyoshi Tenzan to compete in the 1997 Super Grade Tag League . The team would score 3 victories during the league . nWo Sting ’ s last appearances in WCW came in May 1998 , when he joined nWo Hollywood and began teaming with The Giant . The Giant had previously won the WCW World Tag Team Championship with the real Sting , but the team imploded when Giant joined nWo Hollywood , and began feuding over control of the tag team titles they held together . On the May 25th 1998 edition of Monday Nitro , the team of nWo Sting & Giant lost to Lex Luger and Sting , which after the match saw the real Sting join the nWo as a part of the Wolfpac faction . After Farmer left , the nWo began using Sting masks and having other nWo members appear as fake Stings . He made one final appearance as Fake Sting on the July 5th 1999 edition of Monday Nitro when he interfered in a match between Kevin Nash and Sid Vicious . nWo Sting returned to Japan , where he had a run as a fan favorite . Chono , the leader of nWo Japan suffered a neck injury which led to Keiji Mutoh taking charge and changing the groups philosophy . As a fan favorite , nWo Sting teamed up with Brian Adams to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship , and also teamed up with Tenzan again to compete in the 1998 Super Grade Tag League . In May 1999 , Chono returned from his injury and began feuding with Mutoh over direction of nWo Japan . During this feud , nWo Sting left the group and sided with Chono . In 2014 , WWE released a retrospective DVD collection titled " The Best of Sting " . A picture of Farmer as nWo Sting is featured on the back cover of the set . It was later revealed that the picture of nWo Sting was actually a mistake on WWE ' s part . Team 2000 & New Japan Army ( 1999 - 2002 ) . After leaving nWo Japan , Farmer changed his ring name to Super J , and along with Chono , and Michael Wallstreet formed Team 2000 to feud with nWo Japan . The two factions would fight for the next seven months before the feud culminated at the Wrestling World 2000 event . At the event , Team 2000 defeated nWo Japan in a best of four series , forcing the nWo Japan to disband and become part of Team 2000 . Super J was well received by the NJPW audience , and was also a prominent member of Team 2000 , teaming with Chono through 2001 . The team made a couple of appearances in WCW before its closure in early 2001 . Super J teamed up with Scott Norton to compete in the 2001 G1 Tag League , scoring 7 victories . Super J left Team 2000 in March 2002 , and joined rival group , the New Japan Army . The two groups feuded until September 2002 when Team 2000 was absorbed into the New Japan Army as well . Independent circuit ( 2001 - 2005 ) . In 2004 , Farmer went back to the nWo Sting gimmick on the independent circuit in the Carolinas until he started wrestling exclusively for Ultimate Championship Wrestling on January 8 , 2005 when he won the title . He later retired that year . Academic career . As of late 2010 , Farmer is project manager of a research program known as GEAR ( Genetics , Exercise , and Research ) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine . The program aims to identify how " people ' s genetic background influences their response to physical activity . " Personal life . Farmer is the brother of Dr . Paul Farmer .