Sting is a man on a mission.

Sure, it's a trite sentence you've heard a million times before, but after talking to the man, it's the perfect thing to say.

In real life, Sting goes by the name of Steve Borden. He's a former WCW champion who simply didn't like the way he left the national wrestling scene a few years back. The end came after WWE boss Vince McMahon purchased WCW, a failing promotion once owned by Ted Turner -- but eventually run into the ground.

Ever since, Borden has been in semi-retirement, showing up here and there, but never in one place long enough to make a difference. That changes Sunday night when he returns to the ring as a full-time employee of Total Nonstop Action wrestling.

TNA's "Final Resolution" pay-per-view (read a preview of the event right here) pits Sting and former WWE star Christian Cage against Jeff Jarrett (the current NWA champion) and Monty Brown. Sting and Christian are the good guys, Jarrett and Brown are the heels. It's step one, match one for Borden, who, at the age of 46, is eager to get back into the ring.

"I'm just going to go into the ring just hoping the rust kicks off really quick," Borden said in a telephone interview this week. "I believe that it will. I've been in the gym working out. I've gotten myself into pretty good physical condition. It's one of things where you have to be in the ring with someone and get your hands dirty before you can tell how things are going to gel. I'm looking forward to it though. I believe he (Christian) is a very talented guy."

Borden's mission is twofold. First, he wants to make sure he says goodbye to fans on his terms, and not fade away due to a corporate merger.

"Something other than just disappearing with your tail in between your legs," he said. "How and when that will happen, I'm not sure. I love wrestling. I didn't like the way it ended. We were fierce competitors against WWE. We were fighting to become the number one wrestling organization for a long, long time. I was one of those guys who never left and went to WWE. To be the poster child and carry the banner for WCW all of those years … to have what we had and lose it (to McMahon), it wasn't easy.

"I (also) never really had a chance to say good-bye to everyone and go out in a better light. Jerry Jarrett gave me my break originally. What a better way to come full circle and give back to wrestling."

Jarrett and his son Jeff started TNA a few years ago and quickly became a pesky alternative to WWE's empire. Borden is the biggest star TNA has signed (a one-year deal) since moving its weekly "Impact!" show to Spike TV. So the second part of Borden's mission is to help elevate the promotion by working with some younger wrestlers on the roster, hoping his experience will rub off on them.

"I'm hoping to get (in) favor with a lot of those young guys who aren't quite sure what to think of me quite yet," Borden said. "Some of them are probably (saying), 'They've invited the dinosaur to come back. When will he ever go away?' I know what it's like. Ten years ago, I would think, 'Some of these guys have been around forever. When will they ever let us run with the ball?' My intention is to come in and help. I want to add to the whole thing. I don't want to take. I want to give back.

"(Some of) my critics ... think Sting's going to come in and just push everyone aside. That won't work. I remember when Hulk (Hogan) came into WCW in the mid-'90s. People would constantly ask the question, 'Does it bother you that Hulk came in here and pushed you aside?' I said, 'No.' It lifted some of the burden from me and it lifted the whole company. It elevated all of us. In the long run, if we do everything right -- storyline(s) included -- it will be a payoff for everyone."

To get the big ratings, however, will take more than a man named Sting. Borden realizes that TNA must get a prime-time slot on Spike (right now the show airs Saturday at 11 p.m. EST), preferably on Monday nights, going head-to-head with McMahon's signature show, "Raw."

"Monday night is the only night I'm thinking," Borden said. "It's going to be almost like the old days where people can tune in and go back and forth on each program. If we have some brand-name people to add to the mix ... we can create a huge buzz in wrestling."

Sting. Buzz. Monday night wars. Kind of makes you feel a bit younger, doesn't it? At any rate, that's his mission, that's his challenge. In the end, it just may spark another wrestling boom in North America.

"I want to make storylines interesting again for wrestling fans," Borden said. "I want the alternative to be a good, strong alternative."

(Professor Wrestling is a masked employee of Internet Broadcasting. To read his preview of TNA's "Final Resolution" show, click here.)