The Crow-inspired persona of Sting is known and loved by wrestling fans. It was the act that established him as one of the most enduring, beloved performers in history, and it is the basis for the look he still wears today over 25 years later. Former WCW President Eric Bischoff, however, said he preferred the Joker-inspired persona of Sting from TNA during a recent episode of “83 Weeks.”
“I’ll never understand why we didn’t keep the Joker character. There must have been a reason, but I’m not sure what it was. Nonetheless, there must have been a motivation to let it go as the character had far more potential than that of Crow Sting. For instance, in his interviews prior to being the Joker he was still great, albeit rather one-dimensional. Having said that, this rendition of the Crow character had so much more depth and possibilities because it gave him room to move with dialogue and other avenues.”
Sting’s Insane Icon arrived on our screens during the summer of 2011, inspired by Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in ‘The Dark Knight.’ This new persona saw him become much more manic and unhinged, which was all undone when he defeated Hulk Hogan at TNA’s 2011 Bound for Glory pay-per-view. Despite the physical similarities to his Crow character, this was a very different Sting that we had seen before.
Icon of Insanity
Insane Icon was a drastic change from Sting’s previous, much more stoic persona. Many fans have not been pleased with Sting’s Joker iteration since its end, but it seems Bischoff shares the same opinions on the character as Sting does. Sting spoke fondly of his time unleashing his wilder side in a “Table for 3” interview with WWE.
The “Insane Icon” phase of Sting’s career may be viewed by some as a blemish on an otherwise legendary career, but it hasn’t diminished his popularity within professional wrestling. Bischoff mused that Sting would go down as one of the best performers to ever grace the sport.
Despite the diversity of his character, Sting will remain one of the most popular. It’s amazing how Chris Jericho has reinvented himself so many times and succeeded so far,” Bischoff said. “But if you look at Sting’s success during certain aspects of his career […] he’s done what he’s done in order to entertain millions, millions, and millions of people over the past few decades.” “This is just an amazing accomplishment.”
