What Could Have Been: What If Sting Doesn't Get Injured At WWE Night Of Champions 2015?

Sting's run with WWE is quite possibly one of the most disappointing things in the company's history, and a large chapter of the bigger story of "What Could Have Been" in the annals of professional wrestling history as a whole. In less than a year of in-ring action, "The Icon" had just four WWE matches (one dark), with his final WWE bout coming at Night of Champions 2015 against Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship in Houston, Texas.

That match would be his last for over five years, as he was injured after Rollins sent him into the corner in a buckle bomb spot; when Sting made impact, his neck snapped backward and he crumpled to the canvas. He noticeably continued to flex his hands, attempting to get feeling back into his muscles, as he was quickly checked on by the referee. After a few stumbles while attempting to get his feet back underneath him, he managed to get through the match, though he collapsed again before the finish. He was nowhere to be seen during the post-match angle involving Money in the Bank holder Sheamus and Kane, but it was later revealed in a WWE.com interview he had been taken to a hospital after the match. Sting was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis and he revealed he would require neck surgery. After the injury, Sting would announce his retirement from wrestling during his WWE Hall of Fame induction in April 2016, despite previously saying he felt "completely normal" and didn't have any side effects related to cervical spinal stenosis. He would reveal to WWE.com that he opted not to go through with neck surgery.

For years, Sting fans have questioned what could have been if "The Icon" hadn't been injured at Night of Champions. However, it should be noted that Sting had been booked poorly in WWE since his initial signing in November 2014, long before the injury. It was obvious following his match with Rollins that he was never meant to win the championship and the finish of the match likely wasn't called on the fly, especially with Sting adamant that he continue the bout. Following his loss, Sheamus, who was holding the Money in the Bank briefcase at the time, came out to cash in on Rollins but was interrupted by Kane.

It would be hard to imagine Sting being booked any better after failing to capture the World Heavyweight Championship, as "The Icon" had already been on a losing streak, outside of a dark match win alongside John Cena against Rollins and Big Show following a September episode of "WWE Raw." Sting's first match gained him no momentum in the first place, as he lost to Triple H at WrestleMania 31 in his WWE in-ring debut and even shook his hand afterward. His only other match ended in a no-contest when Rollins interfered.

One match fans were upset not to see from Sting's run in WWE was a major bout between the WCW iconic and arguably WWE's biggest name, The Undertaker. It's something that more than likely would have happened, possibly at WrestleMania, if Sting didn't get injured at Night of Champions, as Undertaker's official last match didn't take place until 2020's cinematic Boneyard Match. The closest the pair ever got to each other was competing on the same card, when Sting faced Triple H at WrestleMania 31 a few matches before Undertaker defeated Bray Wyatt.

Sting has publicly stated more than once that he made it clear to WWE that he truly wanted a match against 'Taker. He told Sports Illustrated as much in May 2021 ahead of his match at Double or Nothing.

"I was very clear publicly, and I was very clear with WWE, as well," Sting told the outlet. "I wanted my last hurrah against Taker. For whatever reason, it just never materialized. To this day, I don't know why."

Sting said he didn't know if Undertaker maybe never wanted to work with him, but said the pair had good conversations and had always gotten along. He cited the fact he knew the match would never happen as one of the reasons he left WWE. Fans are left to wonder if he hadn't sustained the injury in 2015, if WWE officials might have changed their minds on the dream match, eventually with enough raucous support from crowds and fans online.

In 2024, Undertaker said on his "Six Feet Under" podcast that he thought the match would have been good, but didn't think it would have lived up to the hype that fans had for it. Undertaker congratulated "The Icon" on a "spectacular career" before Sting's retirement match at Revolution in 2024, after joking he "would have killed him" in the dream match.

Sting might have retired from in-ring action when it came to WWE in 2016 after suffering the injury, but he would return to wrestling after he debuted for All Elite Wrestling in December 2020. Sting made the jump to Tony Khan's company and would return to the ring at Revolution in 2021 in a tag team match alongside Darby Allin against Team Taz. If Sting hadn't gotten injured in the title match against Rollins in 2015, would he have ever joined the competition?

While it's possible Sting could have stuck around WWE and had what would likely have been a mediocre run — if his win/loss record in his short time in the company is any indication — it seems fairly likely he'd have left when his contract expired in early 2020. WWE may have given Sting a grand retirement match of his choosing and allowed him to stick around in a mentorship role for younger talent, but "The Icon" doesn't reside in Florida, so training recruits at the WWE Performance Center on a regular basis might not have been possible. Sting also never had a close relationship with Vince McMahon, being one of the few major WCW stars who never jumped to WWE, and was always hesitant of working with the former chairman.

That having been said, there's obviously a chance that had Sting stayed healthy, received the dream match at WrestleMania against Undertaker, and gotten a retirement match for the ages, he could have decided to stay retired, or at least stay in WWE. If so, fans of Sting's last run in AEW and victorious actual retirement match at Revolution 2024 may have Rollins and the Night of Champions injury to thank.