6 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (February 21 - Results & Review)

2. Sting Really Is The Icon

Sting Darby Allin
AEW

In a tragic cosmic joke, it was revealed that, after the Young Bucks attacked Sting's sons to advance a wrestling storyline, Sting's father and his hero passed away in real life a week ago.

In a complete 180 from last week's somewhat frivolous rant about politics, this was, literally, as real as it gets: Sting incorporated his very real grief to stress the importance of family and add immense heft to the transgression and his own mortality. Sting's delivery was exceptional here. Everything that has ever been written about prime Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson - about how a low voice and unshakeable conviction can express more power than an aggressive rant - Sting articulated here. His delivery was haunting, menacing, expert in how he conveyed the serious sh*t that the Young Bucks find themselves in.

Were it not for the distracting and unwanted presence of Ric Flair, this programme might be amongst the best material AEW has produced.

That might be overstating things - it's not quite on the level of Kenny Omega Vs. Hangman Page or CM Punk Vs. MJF - but holy hell, the emotional resonance of this promo, combined with the ominous effect of the lighting choice, was incredibly affecting.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!