To some extent, I feel Animal is correct. Is Sting an Icon? In some ways yes, in others, perhaps not. For wrestling fans, especially older ones, there isn't any question that Sting's an icon. He was the face of WCW and the one guy who remained in a critical position in the company without ever going to the WWE. (Sidenote, the whole "Sting's the only WCW star never to go to the WWE" comes off as really wrong to me. Bobby Eaton never went to the WWE. Kevin Sullivan never went back to the WWE. Brad Armstrong never went to the WWE when WCW was around. All of these important guys stayed away from the WWE, but the difference is that they weren't always top guys like Sting).
Yet, WCW has been dead for just about eleven full years. Every year that goes by, that WCW star status fades a bit. Old WCW fans leave and new WWE fans arrive. There will come a point where Sting may not really be a wrestling Icon, instead just a WCW Icon. A guy like Ric Flair will never have to worry about that since he has the WWE singing his praises still. As long as the WWE remains alive, Flair's Icon status can never die.
It may sound crazy to call someone a non-Icon just because they weren't in WWE, but it sounds a lot more plausible in 2012 than it did in 2001.
Yet, WCW has been dead for just about eleven full years. Every year that goes by, that WCW star status fades a bit. Old WCW fans leave and new WWE fans arrive. There will come a point where Sting may not really be a wrestling Icon, instead just a WCW Icon. A guy like Ric Flair will never have to worry about that since he has the WWE singing his praises still. As long as the WWE remains alive, Flair's Icon status can never die.
It may sound crazy to call someone a non-Icon just because they weren't in WWE, but it sounds a lot more plausible in 2012 than it did in 2001.