Then came TNA, and after “Crow Sting” had made his presence felt for a few years, Sting thought he’d try something else to shake things up a little – thus, the birth of “Joker Sting”.
I can remember first pitching that to Sting, and him just listening to me sell the car. When I finished he said, “Are you sure, Vince?” I confirmed to him that I was, because the SAME Steve Borden would be portraying the character, and Steve Borden was a pro.
At the next TV, Steve pulled me aside in the room where he changed. He shut the door. From there, Steve Borden once again reinvented himself. Right before my very eyes, “Joker Sting” came to life. And it was better than even I could have imagined!
His voice changed, his face changed, the mannerisms – he became a “different” character. By the next TV, he began experimenting with his face paint until he got exactly what he wanted. The next TV it was his outfit: a bright red suit that burned through your eyes when you looked at him. Honestly, I never thought I’d see that side of Sting.
Not much is ever discussed about the TNA ratings while I was there, because based on the numbers of the WWE, people expected them to be higher. But, they weren’t. Let’s just say that we worked with what we had, and money played a huge part in that. Regardless, when you go back and look, as “Joker Sting”, Steve drew the highest rating of the night on most occasions, and he achieved that by being willing to take the chance and CHANGE.
Right now, WWE needs to change. Vince McMahon needs to find the confidence that made him great in the first place. It was all about change. From single-handedly destroying the regional promotions, to signing Hulk Hogan, to WrestleMania, to NBC’s Saturday Night Main Event, to making his presence felt in front of the camera, to the Attitude Era. With change came great things. It’s been almost 15 years now . . . and nothing has changed.
Vince, it’s time to reach for the Spauldings once again and re-write history. Yesterday is gone and it’s not coming back. The future is what you decide to make it . . .today.
