‘Sting: Into the Light’ Review (WWE)
Other than The Undertaker there are few wrestlers as iconic as Sting. Even to this day he is the face of WCW and seen as one of its most loyal superstars. Now that he’s finally made his move into WWE, we can finally get his story in his own words in Sting: Into the Light.
Featuring the normal style of documentary and selected matches Sting: Into the Light gives us a look into the life of Sting and lets us see the man behind the face paint. We get to hear about how he got into the business in his own words as well as hear him talk about some of the most iconic matches that he has been a part of. Don’t expect any TNA footage here though, but that doesn’t come as a surprise. While his time in TNA is dulled down somewhat, it is mentioned. It is obvious though that WWE really try to brush over this part of his career though, but to be fair it is questionable how much they would be allowed to include.
What is impressive about the documentary though is the fact that we get to see the real Steve Borden, learn about his family and learn about his faith. Religion isn’t stuffed down our throats, but it is a big part of Borden’s life so it does belong in the documentary. With a focus more on the man rather than the sensationalised wrestling story, this makes Sting: Into the Light feel more personal.
When it comes to the matches this is where this release truly shines. Seeing some of the classic Ric Flair matches reminds us just how strong their feuds were. The fact we see some true wrestling greats on this disc really shows how strong the release is. Not only Flair, but the Four Horsemen, The Steiner Brothers, Rick Rude, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Cactus Jack, the Great Muta and many others. It also feels like the selection of the matches made a real attempt to show ones that haven’t been on other releases. In some ways this is a weakness though, with a few oddities such as NWO Wolfpack Sting taking on NWO Original Giant making its appearance. Certainly not a classic, this was WCW in its decline.
What is obvious though is what an impressive career Steve Borden had with the Sting character, we even get to hear his thoughts on why certain decisions were made to adapt it for the changing wrestling product. Most interesting is listening to the stories about how The Crow version of the character came to be, which just happens to be my favourite character. Hearing his view on how he adapted the Sting character for the times though puts a lot of his choices into context, even in his TNA years.
Sting: Into the Light is a must buy for Sting fans, and for people who want to know more about the history of the character and what makes him so special. One of WWE’s better releases of the year it’s good to finally hear from the man himself.
***** 5/5
WWE’s Sting: Into the Light is out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK now from FremantleMedia.
