caption trainer height debut billed birthname image article_title name
sting in march 2015 . red bastien rick bassman 6 2 november 28 , 1985 `` california every man 's nightmare '' venice beach , steve borden file : sting march 2015.jpg sting -lrb- wrestler -rrb-
 sting
sting -lrb- wrestler -rrb-

steve borden , sr. -lrb- born march 20 , 1959 -rrb- , better known by the ring name sting , is an american professional wrestler currently employed by wwe .
sting is perhaps best recalled as the public face of the now-defunct world championship wrestling -lrb- wcw -rrb- , which was the most popular pro wrestling organization in the united states for much of the 1990s .
he is also known for his tenure as the centerpiece of total nonstop action wrestling -lrb- tna -rrb- .
over a 30-year career , sting has cultivated a legacy as one of the greatest pro wrestlers in history .
sting 's 14-year career with wcw and its predecessor , jim crockett promotions -lrb- jcp -rrb- , commenced in 1987 .
dubbed `` the franchise of wcw '' , sting held a total of 15 championships in the company -- including the wcw world heavyweight championship on six occasions , the wcw international world heavyweight championship on two occasions , and the nwa world heavyweight championship on one occasion -- and headlined wcw 's flagship pay-per-view event , starrcade , in 1989 , 1990 , and 1997 -lrb- as well as winning the battlebowl main event of the 1991 edition -rrb- .
upon the acquisition of wcw by the world wrestling federation -lrb- wwf , now wwe -rrb- in march 2001 , sting and his long-term rival ric flair were chosen to perform in the main event of the final episode of `` wcw monday nitro '' .
for much of his wcw career , sting held creative influence over the direction of both his character and the company as a whole .
following the expiration of his contract with wcw 's parent company , aol time warner , in march 2002 , sting held talks with the wwf but ultimately did not join the promotion , instead touring internationally with world wrestling all-stars -lrb- wwa -rrb- -- winning the wwa world heavyweight championship -- before joining the then-upstart total nonstop action wrestling -lrb- tna -rrb- promotion in 2003 .
over the following 11 years , he won the nwa world heavyweight championship on one further occasion and the tna world heavyweight championship four times , wrestled in the main event of tna 's flagship bound for glory pay-per-view in 2006 , 2007 , 2008 , and 2009 , and was the inaugural inductee into the tna hall of fame in 2012 .
previously described by wwe as the greatest wrestler never to have performed for that promotion , sting finally joined the company in 2014 , making his first appearance at survivor series and having his debut match at wrestlemania 31 the following year .
sting has held 25 total championships throughout his career , including 21 between wcw and tna .
readers of `` pro wrestling illustrated '' named him `` most popular wrestler of the year '' on four occasions , a record he shares with john cena .
former rival hulk hogan remarked : `` when you talk about the top 10 of all-time , you 've got ta talk about sting . ''
