Top Star Says Sting Carried Their AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door Match
63 years old and still killing it, Sting "carried" his AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door bout.
NJPW star Shingo Takagi has credited AEW's Sting with "entirely carrying" their match at Forbidden Door.
Takagi teamed with Sting and Darby Allin as 'Dudes With Attitudes' for the first AEW X NJPW collaborative event on 26 June, defeating Bullet club's El Phantasmo and The Young Bucks. It was an acclaimed, crowd-popping bout, with Sting making a spectacular entrance by diving from the entrance tunnel onto the Bullet Club team - and Takagi eventually pinning Phantasmo via Last of the Dragon.
Interview for NJPW's official website, Shingo said the following when asked which AEW wrestlers caught his eye, revealing the influence the 63-year-old had on the bout:-
"Well, I think the guys that I have wrestled before, or had near misses with. So Bryan (Danielson) (Samoa) Joe, Claudio (Castagnoli), PAC. But then Sting… Sting just entirely carried that match we had (laughs). From the entrance on, it was all Sting. That’s a legend for you. He was a real model for me going forward, that’s the kind of wrestler I need to be."
Sting was heavily involved in the action, peppering the match with his signature comeback spots. The victory technically put him at 10-0 since returning to professional wrestling at AEW Winter is Coming in December 2020.
Whether or not the Dudes With Attitudes will reprise their team for future AEW/NJPW crossovers remains to be seen.