Sting v Sid

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

Yea, Though I Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Suck ? Part 16

 

Sting v Sid Vicious ? WCW Halloween Havoc 1990

 

This match is pretty infamous, not because of the quality, though that aspect of it is infamous in its own right. It?s infamous for having an almost legendary finish to it, one that people would remember for a long time to come.

 

If you want a move by move account of this match, you?ll be disappointed because there are only so many times I can type punch and kick before I get writer?s cramp. Indeed, this match was festival of the most basic and mundane of wrestling moves, with nothing but kicks, punches, one nerve hold, and the weakest and lamest looking choke hold on record being used. The only exciting moves of the whole match were a plancha from Sting onto Sid, and a running dive from Sting from the ramp over the top rope and onto Sid. If it weren?t for those two moves, this hideous contest would have been completely devoid of any excitement or life whatsoever, because this was just a terrible match, and one of the worst major World Title matches of all time.

 

There?s nothing more to say about the body of the match, because there was almost nothing to the body of the match, so we?ll skip right to the finish.

 

Sting and Sid battled into the aisleway that was off to the side of the ring, and Ric Flair and Arn Anderson came out and distracted the referee while Sting and Sid fought to the back. After a few moments, Sting and Sid returned, and once the match got back in the ring, Sting picked Sid up for a bodyslam, but Sid fell on top of the World Champion, the referee made a three count, and we had a new World Champion

 

Or did we ?

 

Some fans popped, some were visibly puzzled by what was happening, and as the rather modest fireworks shot off and balloons fell from the ceiling, Sid celebrated with the World Title belt. Suddenly Sting appeared in the aisleway with a large rope around one wrist, and the announcers were openly asking what was going on. Sting hit the ring, nailed Sid with the World title belt, hit a Stinger Splash, and rolled Sid up with a small package as the referee made a second three count, and this time Sting was declared the winner.

 

What was going on ?

 

Thankfully the reply was able to tell us what happened, because the announcers didn?t seem to have a clue. The ?Sting? that got pinned by Sid was in fact a fake Sting (yes, the fake Sting angle is a lot older than most realize), who turned out to be Barry Windham, and the real Sting was, presumably, tied up in the back while this was going on. Sting apparently broke free, and, after a brief staredown with Barry Sting, the real Sting hit the ring, hit Sid, and got the pin to retain the World Title.

 

Rating: What can you say about this except to call it one of the most shambolic World Title matches in modern history. The action was woefully substandard and served to expose both Sting and Sid as being in positions far beyond their capabilities. Sid was exposed, as if there was any doubt, as being a beyond terrible wrestler who needed a great worker to be carried to something bearable, and someone who shouldn?t be anywhere near a major singles title. Sting was exposed as not being good enough to carry a slug like Sid to even a half-decent match, and he was also exposed as not being as good as he was thought to be, which is a testament to Ric Flair, who had convinced the wrestling world over two years before that Sting was the next breakout superstar, when he was closer to being the next breakout upper midcarder

 

As a match it was absolutely terrible, but it was far worse when you consider it was meant to be a major match for a major World Title. A match like this with a clean finish would have still been terrible, but at least the clean finish would have been somewhat of a redeeming factor. However, when you add on the total farce of a finish that it had, even if it was well executed, you come up with one of the absolute worst major title matches in history, and a match that is just a total embarrassment.

[Loss]

I agree with all your comments on this match. I tend to think it would be remembered as a great angle if it happened with a shorter match preceding it at a Clash instead of on PPV, because it's a great idea for setting up a cage match or something similar, but not so much for being the blowoff to a feud, where people are actually expected to pay to see that finish.

 

Barry's a trooper for getting that haircut, though. Amazingly, his hair was *already* long as ever again by mid 1992.