9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming (Dec 2)

1. STING!

Yes, Sting is 61 years old.

Yes, his AEW debut kind of came out of nowhere.

And yes, he probably can't take a bump or work another match.

But to hell with all that, was 'The Icon's' arrival one of the most hair-raising moments in AEW Dynamite history.

The lights cut as Team Taz stood over a downed Cody Rhodes following his tag match. Black metal imagery hit the big screen and an epic soundtrack filled the building. With the atmosphere built, Sting's named slowly spread across the screen, and out he came, baseball bat in hand.

A more pure reaction than Tony Schiavone's you will not hear all year. "It's Sting!" he screamed. "Sting! Back on TNT for the first time... oh my god, since 2001". Having called so many of 'The Icon's' biggest matches and moments for decades, this must have felt incredible for the AEW announcer - and his passion enhanced an electric moment.

Team Taz bailed. Sting shared glances with each of the babyfaces, lingering on Darby Allin. Appropriate, given how frequently Darby has been compared to the legend.

Now signed to a full-time, multi-year contract, Sting will break his silence on next week's episode of Dynamite. He should prove to be an excellent signing even on reputation alone. That he wrestled the last ever wrestling match on TNT before Dynamite's launch, has the Allin relationship to explore, and has ties to Cody through Dusty, makes this 2020's most poetic debut.