Sting Retiring In 2023?

The 63-year-old 'Icon' that can still go sounds set to call it a day later this year.

Sting AEW
AEW

Sting may finally hang his boots up in 2023.

Speaking at length to D Magazine, The 63-year-old suggested his current contract would be his last, noting that;

“Whatever I do, I want wrestling fans to say, ‘That was incredible,’” he says. “I don’t want them to walk away going, ‘That was embarrassing.’ I just want it to be a great memory and then to just finally, once and for all, say, ‘Adios.’”

The article added;

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“His wife worries. So do some of his friends. But they’re also curious. They, too, wonder how Sting’s story ends...[he] knows only that it’s soon. His deal with AEW expires sometime this year; he won’t say exactly when. When it ends, so will his time behind the face paint.”

Obviously plans and minds change in wrestling all the time, but the implication here remains that retirement could be on the cards. But it wouldn't be the first time for 'The Stinger' - he formally closed the door on wrestling during his 2016 Hall Of Fame speech following injuries sustained against Seth Rollins in 2015. After a seven and a half year absence, he returned to the ring in All Elite wrestling, and has since wrestled 13 times over two years for the group.

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Contributor
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett