Sting (wrestler)

Sting (wrestler)

Steve Borden (born March 20, 1959), better known by his ring name Sting, is an American professional wrestler, signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and best known for his time spent with World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Sting is a 15-time world heavyweight champion, having held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship twice, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once. He is a WCW Triple Crown winner, has held 21 total championships between WCW and TNA, and is the only man to hold the NWA, WCW, and TNA World Titles in his career.

Despite negotiations, Borden has never signed a contract with WWE. His only live appearance on a television program owned by the organization occurred on the final edition of WCW Monday Nitro in March 2001; he has subsequently appeared in WWE media only through archive materials acquired by the promotion upon its purchase of WCW. Owing to his loyalty to the now-defunct promotion, Sting came to be known as "The Franchise of WCW" during the 1990s. WWE has named Sting the greatest superstar in WCW history, and described him as "one of the most popular and respected competitors of all time." Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted Borden "Most Popular Wrestler of the Year" a record four times. In June 2012, Sting was announced as the inaugural inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame.