WCW's Fake Sting Storyline, Explained
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Sting is undoubtedly the Icon he says he is, and considering he remains semi-active for AEW at 63 years old, it's sometimes easy to forget what a long (approaching forty years!) and storied career he's had. He's been one of the industry's most popular stars and has taken a central role in some of its most memorable angles.
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Probably because he's always worn a considerable amount of face paint, his antagonists have occasionally taken the approach of disguising themselves as him (or hiring somebody else to) during his career. Despite folks like Barry Windham and Jeff Jarrett taking turns wearing the makeup at different points, the most famous example was in WCW in 1996 when the nWo and a little-known lower-carder named Jeff Farmer pulled off a ruse that changed the course of the "Stinger"s career forever.
The Stinger's Loyalty Gets Doubted
For the first few months since Hulk Hogan's heel turn and the NWO's formation at July 1996's Bash at the Beach PPV, the renegade group ran roughshod over everybody WCW threw at them: Sting, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, and so on. Eventually, Hogan, Hall, and Nash were joined by Syxx and WCW's first defector, the Giant, setting the stage for several multi-man matches that Fall.
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Beginning in 1993, Fall Brawl had been the host of the company's War Games matches. Just like Hall and Nash had leading up to the Bash, he nWo had been threatening a surprise partner for the '96 edition. Then, on the go-home Nitro before the September PPV, they appeared to tip their hand when "Sting" (who'd been conspicuous by his absence earlier in the show) emerged from the rogue organization's limo and attacked Lex.
War Games: Sting Vs... Sting?
Despite the Horsemen's doubts, it made little sense that Sting - who was the company's quintessential homegrown babyface of the decade, hands-down - would decide to turn against his partners. (He probably shouldn't have trusted Flair and Arn Anderson anyway, but we digress.) Luger had the nerve to question Sting's loyalty moments before the match publicly, and despite his supposed "best friend"s impassioned denial, the Total Package firmly shot him down.
As the action transpired, all the drama was centered on if Sting would still take part - and if so, in what capacity? Fans seemed to have their answer when he appeared to emerge as the NWO's last participant alongside Hogan, Hall, and Nash. However, it soon was fairly obvious to those watching on PPV that it wasn't Steve Borden in the makeup and costume. The real Sting then appeared as WCW's final teammate and quickly cleaned house of the invaders, but after sharing a few choice words with Luger and his so-called "partners," he abandoned them for the remainder of the evening.
Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Mockery
It probably seemed like that would be the end of "twinning" with the Stinger for Farmer, who'd been with the company for a few years under such gimmicks as the visual half of the short-lived "Thunder and Lightning" tag team as well as Cobra, a custom military-themed opponent for Sgt. Craig Pittman.
RELATED: The Underfaker & 10 Other Wrestling ImpostersHowever, while the real Sting subsequently morphed into the Crow-like character he adopted for the remainder of his career, Farmer continued appearing under a parallel gimmick, gradually adopting a more comedic and sarcastic approach. While he was never presented as anything more than a jobber (in America - more on that later) in-ring, he took place in several nWo skits meant to antagonize the Icon, and more than once got his comeuppance from the real thing in the form of a Scorpion Death Drop.
One Country's Joke Is Another's Star
As the original Sting's classic storyline progressed throughout 1997, Farmer - now commonly known as "nWo Sting" - began appearing in New Japan alongside the organization's core satellite members like Masa Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and others. For some reason, the gaijin became quite a fan favorite during his time overseas, even eclipsing the real Sting's popularity with Japanese fans.
Farmer split his time between the States and his lucrative side gig for some time, still occasionally being commissioned Stateside to mock and/or distract the real Icon by a foe (usually nWo-related), until making his final WCW appearance on a July 1999 edition of Nitro. Meanwhile, the erstwhile imposter started being known simply as "Super J" in the Land of the Rising Sun, helping lead a successful nWo spinoff for some time after the American version had jumped the proverbial shark.
