"Sting History: Sting's history as a world champion"

15th September, 2000 July 7, 1990, Sting won his first World Heavyweight Title, defeating Ric Flair for the National Wrestling Alliance's biggest prize. The match was one of the greatest bouts in wrestling history, and Sting considers it a career highlight.

Flair won the belt back six months later. It took Sting over a year to again excel in the singles scene, but on Feb. 29, 1992, the Venice Beach-native defeated Lex Luger for the WCW World Heavyweight Title. The match was significant. Both men appeared in WCW at the same time, both were considered the future of the sport and both battled, together and against, one other.

Sting lost the title to Big Van Vader on July 12, 1992. A year later, Sting won it back, only to lose it again, six days later, to Vader in Dublin, Ireland. Sting's next major World Title feud was against Ric Rude. The two foes went back-and-forth, with Sting eventually forfeiting the belt in Fukuoka, Japan. Rude had defeated Sting by striking him with a belt. When the decision was reversed, Sting refused to take the belt back.

On May 22, 1994, Sting won the International Title (which had been held up) in a match against Vader. Sting lost the belt to Ric Flair a month later, when WCW decided to unify the WCW International Title with the WCW World Title (which Flair had won from Ricky Steamboat).

Two years later, Sting's battles with the New World Order gave him a new look and hunger for the World Title. After pursuing Hollywood Hogan for over a year, Sting defeated the nWo founder at the 1997 Starrcade pay-per-view. A week later, due to Bret Hart's interference, the belt was declared vacant. Sting defeated Hogan again on Feb. 22, 1998, and officially became champion. On April 19, 1998, he lost to the title to Randy Savage.

Sting's next title reign was the shortest in WCW history. On April 26, 1999, Sting defeated Diamond Dallas Page on Monday Nitro, only to lose the belt during the same program. The second World Title match was a Four-Way Dance with DDP, Kevin Nash and Bill Goldberg. Due to a match stipulation, Sting wasn't pinned (DDP defeated Nash for the title).

Later that year, on Sept. 14, 1999, Sting again defeated Hogan for the World Title, with the help of a black bat. The next month, in a controversial move, Hogan chose to simply lay down for Sting and forego his rematch. In an effort to entertain fans, Sting made an open challenge to the locker room. Goldberg accepted, and defeated Sting in a tremendous match.

The next night at Monday Nitro, Sting argued that he'd never put his title on the line, and was only trying to help WCW out of an uncomfortable situation. When WCW executive JJ Dillon refused to give him back his belt, Sting struck him. As a result, the belt was held up, and a 32-Man Tournament was announced for the following week. Bret Hart won the tournament at the following pay-per-view.

Credit to: wcw.com