In 2011, Sting reinvented himself yet again. This time, however, the inspiration for him came from Batman’s greatest enemy, the Joker.
There has long been a history in professional wrestling of drawing inspiration from media such as film, television, and comic books. They have been done over and over again, with varying degrees of success. However, one of the most famous cases was seen in Impact Wrestling in 2011 when Sting he began to show a much more deranged and unpredictable side of himself. He drew inspiration for this period from one of DC Comics’ most infamous villains and Batman’s arch nemesis, The Joker.
Sting’s Joker gimmick started in Impact Wrestling with Hulk Hogan
This change in Sting began to be seen when he was in a backstage segment with Hulk Hogan. His voice began to grow louder, and he began to laugh, almost gleeful at what he was doing. He then attacked Hogan, calling him by his real name, smearing paint on his face, as had been done to Mr. Anderson previously. Eric Bischoff then called out Sting, who made his way to the ring wearing a new face paint design reminiscent of “The Clown Prince of Crime”. Sting was banking on this new persona, changing the tone of his voice, laughing through promos, and delivering dialogue that sounded like it was ripped straight from the pages of a comic book. He then also painted Bischoff’s face and beat him up.
This period of Sting’s career saw him feud with the Immortal, Hogan and Bischoff faction in Impact Wrestling. Mr. Anderson was the World Champion and Sting wanted the title. He delivered a series of lurid and sinister promos. The lights would go out and Sting would appear to attack people with his bat. He tried to get into Hogan’s head, wanting the “real Hulk Hogan” to appear. Sting often referred to the past, such as his own career, his relationship with Bischoff, and Hogan’s character changes. He appeared anywhere and everywhere, creating chaos at every turn.
Sting went further on the Joker stunt with Eric Bischoff
Sting’s antics were sinking deep into the minds of the Immortal members. On one occasion he walked into Bischoff and Hogan’s office during a meeting with Immortal. Dressed in a red suit, Sting brought a cage with a black cover. Sting said that he was a network executive and made coincidences, but in a segment with Bischoff later, he revealed that it was a lie. Sting then opened the cage, released a crow to scare Bischoff off, and locked him in the room with him.
Sting was also channeling the traditional elements of his character. Just like in WCW, he kept whipping out the baseball bat and appearing in the rafters of the arena. When Sting finally received the shot from him for the World Heavyweight Championship, Sting interrupted an Immortal meeting and proved that he had allies in the clown beams. masks to support him. In the end, Sting claimed the title from Mr. Anderson.
The “Crazy Icon” then set his sights on a match with Hogan at Bound for Glory. Despite losing his championship to Kurt Angle on the road to this trip, Sting continued to look for a match with Hogan. He got Hogan to agree to face him at Bound for Glory, where if Hogan lost, he would relinquish his power to Impact Wrestling. Hogan immediately regretted it. The match took place at Bound for Glory 2011, where in Hogan’s final pay-per-view match, he lost to “The Insane Icon”. It was a bloody match that saw an attack on Sting by Immortal, where he pleaded with Hogan to help him. Hogan then turned, helping his old longtime rival. After this, Sting mostly retired the use of “The Insane Icon”.
Sting Talks About Why He Embraced The Joker Character Change
This was an interesting period during the time of the wrestling legend’s career. The inspiration for the notorious Batman character, specifically Heath Ledger’s portrayal of him in The dark knight by Christopher Nolan, is something that Sting enjoyed. In an interview with The Ringer, he said of the stunt: “That’s really an extension of me. Most people don’t see it unless you know me. But I have a personality and I love to have fun.” “
It was natural for Sting to pay off the character, and it was something he really enjoyed. He further said, “I love that kind of thing with the ‘Joker’ Sting.” Sting’s ability to adapt and reinvent himself over time, as seen in Impact Wrestling before and now in AEW, is what has helped contribute to his massive success. The “Joker” Sting is another example of his talent when it comes to working with his character.