In an unforgettable finale, Sting and Darby Allin teamed together to defeat The Young Bucks in the main event of AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view. Making Matt Jackson tap with the Scorpion Deathlock, it was a fitting finish for a wrestling legend, who celebrated in the ring following the victory, soaking up the moment with an extremely devoted fan base before and after the pay-per-view went off the air. Steve Borden AKA Sting is known for his time spent as the face of two American professional wrestling promotions: World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1988 to 2001 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2006 to 2014. Although the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; renamed WWE in 2002) purchased WCW in 2001, Borden did not sign with them at the time.
Prior to WCW, he wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance’s (NWA) Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP)—which became WCW in 1988—the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), and the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). He last performed in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2020 to 2024 before retiring. Borden wore face-paint throughout his career, and in 1996, changed from the multi-colored paint of his “Surfer” persona to the monochromatic paint of the “Crow” gimmick; he also incorporated elements of The Joker in the later part of his time in TNA. Borden started his career in 1985 as Flash in the independent promotion All-California Championship Wrestling, where he was in a tag team with Jim “Justice” Hellwig (who would later become famously known as The Ultimate Warrior) as members of the Power Team USA stable, before he and Hellwig joined the CWA as the Freedom Fighters.
In 1986, they joined the UWF as the Blade Runners, with Borden changing his ring name to Sting. His association with JCP and its successor WCW began in 1987, which saw him win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 1990. He rose to main event status and is described as the WCW counterpart to the WWF’s Hulk Hogan.[9] Dubbed “The Franchise of WCW”, he held 15 championships in the promotion, including six reigns with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and two reigns with the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship, and made more pay-per-view (PPV) appearances than any other. e became the only wrestler to have won the NWA, WCW, and TNA world titles.
e was also the inaugural inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2012 before leaving the company in early 2014. He was known as the best wrestler to never have been in the WWE until the company in late 2014, making his first appearance at Survivor Series and having his debut match at WrestleMania 31 the following year. His last match in WWE came at Night of Champions in September 2015, which also marked his sole WWE pay-per-view main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. he announced his first retirement; he remained with the company under a legends contract until early 2020. In late 2020, Borden signed with AEW, making his first appearance at Dynamite: Winter Is Coming, subsequently coming out of retirement. Borden has held 26 total championships throughout his career, including 22 between WCW, TNA, and AEW.