To some, he is known as “The Icon.” To others, he’ll forever be labeled as “The Franchise of WCW.” In the WWE, he’s been called “The Vigilante.” To all, Steve Borden is known as a man simply called, “Sting.”
This past Tuesday, WWE released their newest DVD/blu-ray documentary entitled, “Sting: Into The Light.” For the majority of wrestling fans, the release of a full feature Sting biography was something that was dreamt about, but few ever thought that it would ever come to fruition– that is until Sting’s sudden appearance in the advertisement for the WWE 2K15 video game release. After years of avoiding the sports entertainment machine up North, it seemed as though the once impossible fantasy of seeing Sting in a WWE ring could become a reality. At Survivor Series 2014, Sting stepped foot into a Vince McMahon owned ring for the very first time, and at WrestleMania 31, he wrestled his very first WWE match.
While many WWE Superstar documentaries follow somewhat of a formula, covering the life and career of the performer in a linear format, going into detail about more popular feuds, interviews, angles and stories along the way, “Sting: Into The Light” goes a different route. If you’ve viewed previous WWE Network documentaries like “Daniel Bryan: Journey to WrestleMania” (renamed “Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!” when released on DVD and blu-Ray earlier this year) or “Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe,” you’ll notice right away that “Into The Light” follows that format, intertwining the story of Sting’s life and career, along with the months leading up to Sting’s first WWE match.
The documentary starts with Sting arriving, believe it or not, at WWE Headquarters for the first time ever, in August of 2014. This eventually segues into Steve Borden’s early life, his love for sports and bodybuilding, his start in pro wrestling, and how he ended up getting to the NWA/WCW. We see clips along the way of Sting watching some of his most famous bouts on the WWE Network, including his bout with Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions in 1988 (which he states that he’s never watched in it’s entirety until that very moment), his first World Championship victory, and his infamous match with Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade 1997 (we even theories from Sting and former WCW President Eric Bischoff as to why the biggest hyped match in WCW history ended up falling short of the expectations).
Throughout the one hour and eighteen minute feature, we also get to see Sting interact with Triple H in WWE Headquarters for the first time, Sting’s interactions with WWE’s marketing department, a glimpse into Sting’s own personal wrestling gear and memorabilia collection from his three decades in wrestling, becoming a born again Christian, his thoughts as he prepares for his debut at Survivor Series 2014, the official signing of his WWE contract (which actually occurs months after his inaugural appearance), and his feelings before and after his match with Triple H on the grandest stage of them all. At one point, we even get him mentioning those three letters that WWE never utters– TNA. To my knowledge, it’s only the second time TNA has been mentioned on a home video release (the first time being on Jeff Hardy: Twist of Fate).
Extras include seven hours of classic Sting bouts, including the incredible, and in my opinion often forgotten tag match from SuperBrawl II, featuring Sting and Lex Luger against The Steiner Brothers, a bout with Rick Rude from COTC XXI, a couple of matches from his early days in Memphis and Mid-South teaming with the late Ultimate Warrior, and many more.
With all of that said– is “Sting: Into The Light” the documentary that we, the wrestling fans, have longed for?
I’ll admit, after waiting so long, I feel like I would have preferred the standard-ish format taken for Sting’s first big feature. While his history with Flair and Hogan is elaborated on, as well as his famous transition from “Surfer” Sting into “The Crow” Sting that we know today, we really don’t get much insight into any of his feuds with the likes of Vader, Rude, or Cactus Jack. On top of that– not one mention of Robo Cop.
That being said, I enjoyed the DVD that I got. Even though WWE released a Sting DVD and blu-ray with strictly matches just last year, perhaps another Sting release could come in the future, with Sting introducing the bouts, detailing some of the stories behind some of the bigger moments and matches in his amazing career.
Do I recommend it? I’d say get it, especially if you’re a Sting fan. With the exception of Flair/Sting from COTC, the extra matches are some rarer ones, and the documentary, while not going into detail about some of his feuds, captures the extremely important moments of Sting’s career, and greatly illustrates how Sting’s WWE run was the exclamation point that he needed at the end of an already Hall of Fame worthy career.
Go buy it!
-Greg
