=================================================
FIRE PRO WRESTLING RETURNS CHARACTER GUIDE: STING
=================================================
for Sony PlayStation 2 (U.S.)
Version 1.0
by Bill Wood ([email protected])
Last modified: 1/3/08

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (c) 2005 Spike (c) 2007 Agetec

NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

===================
==VERSION HISTORY==
===================

1.0 - Initial release of the guide.

=====================
==TABLE OF CONTENTS==
=====================

SECTION 1: HISTORY OF STING
SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS
SECTION 3: MOVELIST
SECTION 4: STRATEGY
SECTION 5: CLOSING

===============================
==SECTION 1: HISTORY OF STING==
===============================

The wrestler known as Sting has enjoyed one of the more successful and
storied careers in the history of American wrestling. He's one of a select
few who has managed to successfully reinvent himself in order to appeal to
a newer generation of fans, and as of this writing he still manages to
captivate wrestling enthusiasts everywhere.

Sting (Steve Borden) found early success in a tag team known as The Blade
Runners, along with his partner Jim Hellwig (who went on to become the
WWF's Ultimate Warrior). He wrestled briefly for the Universal Wrestling
Federation before moving on to Jim Crockett's National Wrestling Alliance,
where he went on to even greater success as a singles wrestler.

By challenging Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Sting
was immediately positioned as a top player in the promotion. And even
though he came out on the losing end of his battles against the Nature
Boy, he also managed to become an established name in the process. Sting
would later align himself with his former nemesis Flair whle feuding with
The Great Muta (Keiji Mutoh), which earned Sting a position in Flair's
legendary Four Horsemen stable. However, this alliance would not last, as
Sting once again became the top contender for Flair's title, leading to a
falling out between the two, and finally a victory over the Nature Boy for
the belt at the 1990 Great American Bash.

By this time the NWA had evolved into Ted Turner's World Championship
Wrestling, and Sting continued to shine as one of the promotion's top
babyface stars. He was embroiled in feuds with Vader, Rick Rude, and yes,
Ric Flair (again). And when The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall)
showed up to wreak havoc within the company, Sting was naturally one of
the first to take charge and defend the honor of WCW. Soon after that,
the Outsiders -- with the help of Hulk Hogan and one of the more infamous
turns in wrestling history -- became the nWo, and a new era of wrestling
was introduced. WCW vs. nWo suddenly became the hottest angle in all
professional wrestling, and fans everywhere wanted to know which side
Sting would eventually align himself with.

While the nWo continued their reign of terror against WCW, Sting went into
seculsion, and when he finally emerged, he was no longer the energetic,
bleach-blond, clean-cut wrestler he once was. He had evolved into a dark,
brooding figure, and with an outfit clearly patterned after The Crow,
Sting took to hiding in the rafters and descending upon his terrified
victims in the ring. He feuded heavily with the nWo at this point,
eventually managing to wrest the WCW Championship from nWo ringleader
Hogan at Starrcade '97.

When the nWo finally split, Sting joined up with Nash's nWo Wolfpac
stable, changing his now-familiar black-and-white facepaint to red-and
black. The Wolfpac soon disbanded, and Sting went back to his traditional
make-up, feuding with WCW stars Bret Hart, Lex Luger and Vampiro in the
process. He stayed with the promotion until the historic WCW purchase by
Vince McMahon, and on March 26, 2001, Sting defeated his longtime rival
Ric Flair in what will go down in the books as the last "true" WCW match.
Breaking character after the main event, both men shared an emotional
embrace, knowing that a monumental chapter in wrestling history had just
come to its conclusion.

After WCW, Sting briefly hooked up with the World Wrestling All-Stars
promotion before making his storied debut with Jeff Jarrett's TNA (he also
turned down an offer from WWE in the process, making him one of the most
successful American wrestlers in history to not accept a position with
that company). Sting was introduced with great fanfare in TNA, and was
immediately positioned as a top player, where he succeeded in winning the
coveted NWA World Heavyweight Championship yet again. And whereever
Sting's career may take him in the future, you can bet he'll make an
impact, and that he'll always be in the running for championship gold.

========================================
==SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS==
========================================

SKILL
-----
Real Name..........................Sting
                          (Steve Borden)
FPR Name.......................The Spike
Organization...................Freelance*
FPR Organization.....................AWG
FPR Group...........................Free
Size..............................Medium
Class..............................Heavy
Height............................192 cm
Weight............................125 kg
Gender..............................Male
Birthdate.......................7/9/1959
Country..............................USA
Rank...................................A
Charisma...............................A
Stance........................Technician
Fight Style.....................Orthodox
Return..........................Orthodox
Critical........................Finisher
Special......................... Stardom
Recovery...................Medium (Good)
Recovery (when bleeding)............Slow
Breathing.........................Medium
Breathing (when bleeding)..........Below
Spirit............................Medium
Spirit (when bleeding)..............Poor
Neck Endurance......................High
Arm Endurance.....................Medium
Back Endurance......................High
Leg Endurance.....................Medium
Movement Speed....................Medium
Up and Down Speed.................Medium
Ascent Style......................Enable
Favorite Weapon......................Bat

* = Of course you can put Sting in your created TNA organization, but
    it might be a better option to make him part of a "USA Freelance"
    or even a "USA Legends" organization.

PARAMETER - OFFENSE     PARAMETER - DEFENSE
-------------------     -------------------
Punch.............5     Punch.............8
Kick..............5     Kick..............7
Throw.............5     Throw.............5
Joint.............2     Joint.............3
Stretch...........6     Stretch...........6
Power.............7     Flying............8
Agility...........8     Body..............7
Arm...............7     Lariat............6
Technical.........6     Technical.........6
Rough.............4     Rough.............4
MMA Overall.......3     MMA Overall.......3
Entertain.........1     Entertain.........9
-------------------     -------------------
OFF. SUB-TOTAL...59     DEF. SUB-TOTAL...72

TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-380): 164

=======================
==SECTION 3: MOVELIST==
=======================

Specialty moves are marked with [S]. Finisher is marked with [F].

KEY:

([]) = Square button
(X)  = X button
(O)  = Circle button

STRIKES
-------
Standing ([]).............................American Jab
Standing (X)..................................Toe Kick
Standing (O) + d-pad.....................American Hook
Standing (O).............................Lariat Attack
Standing ([]) + (X)..........................Drop Kick
Running ([]).............................Jumping Elbow
Running (X)................................Clothesline
Running (O)...............................FACE CRUSHER [S]
Running Counter ([]).......................Back Switch
Running Counter (X)...............Pelting Lift Up Slam
Running Counter (O).................Flying Jumping DDT
Running to corner..........................BODY SPLASH [S]
                             (a.k.a. "Stinger Splash")
Co-op Irish whip to corner.................Body Splash
Corner-to-center attack...........................none

GRAPPLES
--------
Grapple ([]).................................Face Claw
Grapple ([]) + Up.................High Angle Body Slam
Grapple ([]) + Left/Right................Knuckle Arrow
Grapple ([]) + Down........................Hammer Blow
Grapple (X)................................Groin Punch
Grapple (X) + Up...........................Brainbuster 
Grapple (X) + Left/Right..........Pendulum Backbreaker
Grapple (X) + Down......................Manhattan Drop
Grapple (O)..............................Headbutt Rush
Grapple (O) + Up.............................Back Flip
Grapple (O) + Left/Right...........American Punch Rush
Grapple (O) + Down.........................JUMPING DDT [S]
Grapple ([]) + (X)..................F Drop Liftup Slam
Back Grapple ([]).........................Sledgehammer
Back Grapple (X)..........................Face Crusher
Back Grapple (O)..........................Sleeper Hold
Back Grapple (O) + Up/Down.................REVERSE DDT [S]
Back Grapple (O) + Left/Right.......Lift Backdrop Hold
Back Grapple ([]) + (X).........Throwing German Suplex
Back Grapple Counter ([])...................Elbow Bunt
Back Grapple Counter (X).................Peace Crusher

OPPONENT DOWN MOVES
-------------------
Opponent Face Up at Head (X)......Both Hands-Press Pin
Opponent Face Up at Head (O)........Jumping Elbow Drop
Opponent Face Up at Feet (X)..............SHARPSHOOTER [F]
                        (a.k.a. "Scorpion Death Lock")
Opponent Face Up at Feet (O)........Stomping (Stomach)
Opponent Face Down at Head (X)............Camel Clutch
Opponent Face Down at Head (O)......Jumping Elbow Drop
Opponent Face Down at Feet (X)......Hooked-Leg Pinfall
Opponent Face Down at Feet (O).........Stomping (Back)
Running at Downed Opponent (O).......Flying Body Press

MMA MOVES
---------
Guard Attack ([])........................Knuckle Arrow
Guard Attack (X)...........................Boston Crab
Guard Attack (O)..........................Sharpshooter
Guard Counter...........................Front Necklock
Mount/Facelock Attack ([])..................Body Punch
Mount/Facelock Attack (X)...............Front Necklock
Mount/Facelock Attack (O)...................Piledriver
Mount/Facelock Counter......................Hammerlock
Back Mount Attack ([])...................Knuckle Arrow
Back Mount Attack (X)............................Elbow
Back Mount Attack (O)....................Choke Sleeper
Back Mount Counter..............................Escape

POST AND APRON MOVES
--------------------
Post ([])............................Diving Elbow Drop
Post (X).............................Diving Body Press
Post (O)............................Diving Body Attack
Post ([]) + (X)..........................Diving Lariat
Running Post Dive ([])............................none
Running Post Dive (X).............................none
Corner Grapple (O) + Up...........2nd Rope Brainbuster
Corner Grapple (O) + Left/Right....Mount Knuckle Arrow
Corner Grapple (O) + Down..........Reverse Tornado DDT
Corner (Top Rope) Counter [F]......Avalanche Powerbomb
Corner (Top Rope) Counter [B]...........Backhand Elbow
Inside Apron Grapple...............Brainbuster to ring
Outside Apron Grapple..............Leg Trip to Outside
Run to outside............................Suicide Dive
Dive out ring..........................Plancha Suicida
Dive in ring......................Flying X Body Attack
Cage Dive.........................................none

DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES
----------------------------
Front Double Team......................Powerbomb Combo
Back Double Team.......................Double Backdrop
Corner Double Team.....................Combination DDT
Front Triple Team...................Triple Hammer Blow
Back Triple Team....................Triple Hammer Blow
Corner Triple Team................Triple Corner Attack

PERFORMANCE
-----------
Entry Performance.....................Arms Provocation
Analog Stick Left..........................Arm Raise 1
Analog Stick Right.........................Hands Raise
Analog Stick Up....................Spike (Sting) Shout
Analog Stick Down.....................Arms Provocation

=======================
==SECTION 4: STRATEGY==
=======================

GENERAL STRATEGY
True to his career to date, Sting is pretty much the complete package in
Fire Pro Returns. His main offensive strengths lie in power and agility,
and he has decent submission skills to boot (and with his Scorpion Death
Lock finisher, he should!). Defensively he is completely stacked, with
high neck and back endurance stats as well as great parameters in every
wrestling-related defensive category. In other words, Sting makes a great
choice when you need a wrestler who can take a pounding yet never back
down. His skills aren't anything approaching the Fire Pro elite level,
but at the same time he's as good an option as any to have a solid
heavyweight match.

Sting's "Stardom" skill means that taunting near the end of a match isn't
purely for show, it can actually give him an offensive boost! This is
important to keep in mind, especially when you're near that point in the
match where the next move might end it all.

STRIKES
Sting's strikes aren't bad at all, and most of them (save the dropkick)
are fairly easy to master in terms of timing and distance. His stats are
equal in both punching and kicking, so no concerns about favoring one
over the other. I'd personally opt for the American Hook and the Lariat
Attack for the majority of Sting's striking offense; use the Hook as an
effective distancing tool and the Lariat against opponents who are
standing dazed.

GRAPPLES
Sting's grapple set features a heavy emphasis on brawling; hammer blows,
groin punches, headbutts, knuckle arrows, and that grand old Fire Pro
standard, the American Punch Rush. There's nothing truly spectacular
that's going to knock your socks off, but at least you can take comfort
in knowing all it's going to take is a simple body slam to lock on his
Scorpion Death Lock.

======================
==SECTION 5: CLOSING==
======================
In closing, I would like to thank Jason Blackhart for statistical
information and Dave Fairbairn for moveset clarification.

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns Character Guide: Sting
(c)2007 Bill Wood