Garth Story of Series

Welcome back to the Story of… Series, where we look at a running series of uploads on the WWE Vault YouTube channel that typically covers the key details of major feuds and character evolution. In our previous columns, I have looked at the debut of The Fiend in 2019, the John Cena vs Nexus feud from 2010, and The Giant’s arrival in 1995. Today’s subject isn’t what I would call a MAJOR feud (just an idea of the month concept), but more of an odd one with head-scratching creative direction. Buckle in and get ready for when The Architect defended two titles in one night; this is The Story of Seth Rollins vs Sting (and John Cena) from 2015.

We really can’t talk about the subject of the day without first talking about WCW’s acquisition of Hulk Hogan, whose best days with the WWF were behind him, and with an offer you couldn’t turn down, signed a short-term deal that guaranteed ridiculous cuts of PPV revenue, merchandise, and appearance bonuses, with the deal extended once the numbers delivered proved worth it. Longtime fans of WCW were probably unhappy with Hogan’s arrival, which brought with him a lot of former WWF Superstars, giving WCW an “old timer’s day” feel to their roster with the WWF pushing the “New Generation” tagline down the throats of their television audience.

We’re just days away from the 2026 SummerSlam (a 2-night spectacular from the great state of Minnesota) and why not dive into one more “Story of” that focuses on a past SummerSlam? Last time, we covered the introduction of The Fiend and his in-ring debut at SummerSlam 2019, destroying poor Finn Balor. This time around, we’re covering a hot topic under the “LOL Cena Wins” umbrella, as John Cena battles the Nexus with the big blow off at SummerSlam 2010.

With the WWE Network discontinued (Netflix hosts old PPV’s and all current PPV/PLE content is archived on ESPN Unlimited, at least for American audiences), fans seeking out more vintage content have likely found the YouTube channels of WWE, whether it’s their home channel, WWE Vault, or the WCW spin-off channel, a great place to begin. While not perfect, the casual drip of content covers things like classic matches, full events, previously unreleased content, compilations, and more, and since the Vault’s debut in early 2025, they have regularly put out a series called “The Story of…” which covers rivalries and characters, some classic and some maybe not-so classic, but at the end of the day, are easily digestible videos, though some subjects might become repetitious, like “Sting runs in… again” when talking about his feud with the New World Order in 1997, and sometimes having the subject spoiled can be annoying (every clip used has a graphic on screen that slaps you in the face about what will happen)