Following the demise of client Lex Luger at Sting’s hands, Harley Race brought in another protege to challenge the WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Big Van Vader. The war between Vader and Sting raged on for over a year, with their first big meeting coming at the 1992 Great American Bash.

Vader used his significant size advantage to pummel the smaller champion, even using his own Scorpion Deathlock against him. Sting valiantly fought back, but when he attempted a Stinger Splash, the challenger moved and Sting crashed into the steel ringpost. That left him easy prey for Vader’s vicious powerbomb, and the beast from the Rocky Mountains made the cover to win his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship.