Why Triple H Beat Sting At WrestleMania 31, Explained

May 2024 · 7 minute read

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WrestleMania 31 is regarded as being in the upper tier when it comes to all time great WrestleMania events, and it is easy to see why with a fun opening ladder match, an all-time great RKO, one of the most memorable Money in the Bank cash-ins of all time, and a surprise return from The Rock. However, there was one moment which did feel quite underwhelming, and that was when Triple H defeated Sting in a battle of icons. Despite the storyline looking to be one of the legendary Sting overcoming the dastardly authority, it was he who was booked to lose in a result which frustrated fans. There may be some wondering as to why exactly Sting lost his one and only WrestleMania match.

UPDATE: 2023/04/01 07:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY

The decision to have Sting lose to Triple H at WrestleMania 31 was one which was met with a lot of negativity from fans. Sting was looked as the man to help bring down The Authority, particularly after his debut at Survivor Series 2014, but instead his efforts were fruitless as The Authority got back into power, and he failed to overcome Triple H at WrestleMania. There are few reasons as to why Sting lost his one and only match at WrestleMania, and there are even some wrestling legends who were unhappy about the outcome.

Fans Expected Sting To Win At WrestleMania

At Survivor Series 2014, Sting debuted in WWE, targeting Triple H and The Authority. He would cost them the main event, which put them briefly out of power. Sting’s arrival came with a lot of excitement, even though he wasn’t exactly in his prime anymore, and hadn’t wrestled for a year. Even though there was some hope for a dream match between The Undertaker and Sting, it became clear that the plan for WrestleMania 31 was a battle between Triple H and Sting, which was still a dream match in itself.

RELATED: Sting's 10 Greatest Accomplishments In Wrestling, Ranked

For the most part, the storyline was built up to be Sting being the “Vigilante” who was to take down the tyrannical reign of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, but as the weeks progressed, references to the Monday Night Wars emerged, which began to make the feud more about WWE vs WCW - something which has been done before and never needed to be done again given how the war ended over a decade prior. Either way though, it felt as though Sting was still the favorite going in.

Sting proved to still have some gas in the tank, with he and Triple H having a decent back and forth match. The bout descended into chaos as D-Generation X and nWo came out, sparking a brawl between stars of WWE and WCW. Ultimately, it was Triple H who won the match, with commentary detailing that the final battle of the Monday Night Wars had been fought. This was a baffling decision, and one which didn’t make much sense to fans, but there were a few reasons as to why the result ended up like this.

WWE Wanted To Keep Triple H Strong For A Match With The Rock

Although nothing was set in stone, there was a vague plan for WrestleMania 32 to be headlined by Triple H vs The Rock, in a match which should have main evented the Show of Shows back in the year 2000. The build to the match even began later on during the WrestleMania 31 show, when The Rock and Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance to take out both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon during a promo segment.

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As revealed by Road Dogg per Busted Open Radio (h/t WrestlingInc), he said that the idea was to keep Triple H strong for this prospective match against The Rock. “The finish was orchestrated that way because, at the moment, it was Hunter-Rock again at the next Mania, you know what I mean? So they wanted Hunter to be strong, Hunter to remain strong, and have Hunter work with Rock the next year. And two months into that, that fell apart, you know what I mean? Then you thoughtb 'Well you put the wrong guy over.'"

Vince McMahon Didn’t Rate Sting As A Star

Another reason for why Triple H won the match was due to Vince McMahon wanting to put one last nail in the coffin of WCW. Sting was used as a representation of the dead company, with McMahon never failing to remind fans when given the chance about whom the victor was during the Monday Night Wars.

RELATED: Every Sting Match In AEW Ranked Worst To Best

Road Dogg also mentioned that McMahon was indifferent to Sting, and didn’t even know if he’d be over. “He literally asked us 'Was he over?' Almost like he didn't, and again, I don't know if it's a performance or if it's real, but if it was a performance, he deserves an Oscar.”

Sting’s WWE run was full of missed opportunities, and much of that was due to McMahon not seeing the hype behind one of WCW’s biggest ever stars. Sting wasn’t too bothered about the loss, with him just being happy that he got the moment to wrestle at the event, explaining to Sports Illustrated that, “People took the loss personally, but in this business, you have to learn real quick to not take anything that personal. For me, it was a memory just being in Levi Stadium in California, my home state, with that crowd there.

People Were Unhappy With Sting’s Loss At WrestleMania 31

Booker T, much like Sting, initially made a name for himself in WCW. On his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T provided some insight into his opinion on what went down at WrestleMania 31, and it wasn’t favorable.

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When discussing whether or not Sting’s loss was an incorrect booking decision, he said; “I think so (Sting’s loss on debut was a mistake). I think Sting, you know, he had so much to offer even though we were behind the curve as far as how much time we still had with Sting. We all know that. But, I’m just one of those guys – I’m thinking from a promoter’s standpoint – if we can get something out of this guy, let’s do it. Let’s do it right now.” (h/t The Sports Rush).

Vince McMahon didn’t share the same opinion as Booker T, and when looking at his track record of booking ex-WCW stars in big matches and moments in WWE, it can come as no surprise at all that Sting lost, and did so with an underwhelming sledgehammer shot rather than a decisive pedigree finisher from Triple H. The likes of Goldberg, Booker T (aside from his King Booker phase), the nWo, Diamond Dallas Page, and more were all huge parts of WCW but found it hard to get off the ground in WWE with the same sort of booking. Sting was no different, and in hindsight, perhaps a loss should have been expected.

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