Wrestling legend Sting has made two appearances for WWE in the last three months, and in both appearances he didn’t have his signature bat with him. Since Sting became “The Crow,” he has become synonymous with his bat, and used it while he was in WCW and TNA. Now it appears that WWE isn’t allowing him to use his bat, and WWE being PG may be the reason why.

During today’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live, I called in to ask Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive about the “Sting bat issue.” Alvarez and Sempervive speculated that WWE isn’t allowing Sting to use his bat because of their young audience. Alvarez brought up the fact that Triple H has been using a sledgehammer throughout his career, and like Sting with his bat, Triple H has become synonymous with his sledgehammer. However, Alvarez said that difference was that a sledgehammer isn’t as easily accessible to children as a baseball bat is, and that could be the reason WWE isn’t allowing Sting to use it.

There’s also been speculation that WWE isn’t allowing Sting to use his bat because in was a “WCW thing,” and WWE hates to copy any of WCW’s original ideas, hence why they’re pushing the “Vigilante” nickname rather than calling Sting “The Icon” or “The Franchise.”

Sting not being allowed to use his bat is a minor issue, however, it is strange to see him appearing without his famous black baseball bat. Furthermore, it’s likely that at some point Triple H will use his sledgehammer on Sting. So WWE fans could look at that as a bit hypocritical on WWE’s part.

While WWE doesn’t like to copy any of WCW’s original ideas, it looks like the one WCW original idea that they will be copying is limiting Sting’s talking, and even going as far as keeping him completely silent leading up to his match at WrestleMania with Triple H.

Sting is expected to make at least two more appearances on RAW before WrestleMania, so don’t expect Sting to appear again until after the Fast Lane pay-per-view in February.

All I am saying is that if Triple H uses the fucking sledge and Sting is still sans bat, there shall be outrage.

Then again, the IWC is always outraged.

I actually have a self-righting table, such is the number of times it gets flipped.

WWE is simulated combat. You'll always have some kid trying to do the cool shit they see on TV. I remember as kids my friends and I tried to box after my friends got boxing gloves.

When was the last time HHH got out his sledgehammer anyway? I don't think we've seen it for a very long time.

He had it out at Wrestlemania but didn't get to use it IIRC

^ Bryan used it on him.

Anyway, it's not hypocritical. Kids have easy access to baseball bats, but it's wayyyyy harder to get a sledgehammer. I only had access to one as a kid cause my dad's a construction worker, but we also had access to tons of bats, and constantly threatened in each other with it. Comparing a sledgehammer to a bat in that context is comparing apples to grenades.

Razor's dad threatened him with a bat?

Anyway, this isn't that groundbreaking but still, it'd be nice to see him get to use it at least once for kind of a mark out moment, especially if HHH brings out the sledgehammer. But oh well, not a big deal if not.

I was talking about us as kids. (IE: Me and my brother/cousins)

If they're not allowing Sting to use the bat because the show is PG, that's one thing. If they're preventing it because it's a "WCW thing," something else entirely. Vince owns the WCW and a good portion of their stars have had success in WWE. Why they don't accept and embrace it's history is beyond me.

Most kids today probably don't even know the difference between a WWE thing and a WCW thing (maybe not even an ECW thing). WWE won the wars, using WCW's shit like its theirs is part of the spoils of said war. You'd think they'd take full advantage of a read-made character, but I guess there's still sour grapes from Vince>

It's not like they didn't just use the pre-established characters of Booker T, Scott Steiner, Goldberg, the nWo, Rey Mysterio, etc. when they showed up.