Sting to Be Inducted into WWE Hall of Fame

The Icon will take his place among the greats this year before Wrestlemania. The WWE announced Steve Borden, Sr., better known as the wrestler Sting, will be inducted into the company's Hall of Fame as the first member of the 2016 class. Sting rose to fame in the 1990s as one of the premiere wrestlers of the WCW, a rival wrestling promotion of what was then known as the WWF. Sting held 15 championships during his time with the WCW and headlined Starrcade multiple times. In 1996, Sting adopted his now iconic white and black face paint, a look inspired by the 1994 comic book movie The Crow. During his time with WCW, he often feuded with WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and the nWo.

After WCW folded and was purchased by the WWF in 2002, Sting surprised many by joining the new TNA wrestling promotion instead of joining his many former WCW co-workers at the WWF. Sting remained with TNA for a decade, becoming the face of the company and holding the TNA Heavyweight Championship four times. TNA honored Sting by naming him the first member of the TNA Hall of Fame back in 2012.

Sting finally joined the WWE in 2014 when he was the surprise member of "Team Cena" in a Survivor Series storyline that pushed the Authority (the evil management faction of the WWE) temporarily out of power. Sting then feuded with Triple H in a star-studded Wrestlemania match that reunited Sting with many of his fellow WCW wrestlers before challenging then WWE Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to a title match at Night of Champions last year. During that match, Sting suffered a severe neck injury and has not appeared on television since.

Sting is the first wrestler to be inducted in this year's WWE Hall of Fame class. Sting and his fellow inductees will be enshrined in a televised ceremony at Dallas on April 2nd, the day before Wrestlemania 32.