Author: Today in Pro Wrestling History: On September 5th, after weeks of only being seen in vignettes, the mysterious Black Scorpion finally debuted in the ring to challenge Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight title.
Today in Pro Wrestling History (September 5): Sting faces the Black Scorpion
The wrestler under the mask at The Clash was former World Class heavyweight champion Al Perez, (who allegedly was supposed to be the man revealed at the conclusion of the storyline.) Sting was about to unmask him… when suddenly a second masked Scorpion appeared on the entrance ramp.
This sudden turn of events distracted Sting, allowing the first Scorpion to escape. This scene would replay itself in different ways for several weeks, with Sting seemingly capturing the masked man, only to be left empty-handed. The angle would linger on until Starrcade, when Ric Flair was ultimately revealed as The Scorpion in an anti-climactic finale.
OLE ANDERSON: “Surprisingly, the idea was green-lit!”
RIC FLAIR: “I was distraught over it. It was one of my career’s low points. But Sting was more furious than I was!”
STING: “Just what were they thinking?”
Initially conceived as a bad joke by Ole Anderson, learn more about how the Black Scorpion storyline in WCW quickly spiraled into a convoluted mess that confused fans and nearly damaged the legacy of one of wrestling’s rising stars in our article entitled: The Black Scorpion: WCW’s Great Unmasking Failure.
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