Sting Shuts Down Return Rumours: "Enough Is Enough!" (AEW News)
Fancy seeing AEW run it back with Sting? How about WWE? The legend explains why it won't happen.
Sting retired amidst much fanfare back at AEW's Revolution pay-per-view in March 2024. There, the legend teamed with Darby Allin vs. The Young Bucks in a match that showcased yet again the very best of the Stinger under Tony Khan's umbrella. All things considered, his final run as an active talent in the company between 2020-2024 put a nice lid on an epic 40 year long career.
"One more match"? Sting says no.
The former WCW, TNA and WWE star told the Major Figure Podcast during a recent live Q&A that "enough is enough". He appreciates when fans say they want to see him wrestle just one more time, but in Sting's words: "I'm 66 now". He believes it'd be foolish to pull on the boots again just to satisfy ego, and he claims he won't cave into fan demand.
Generally, most would agree that Stinger's long-awaited WWE run in 2015 was a colossal disappointment. In total, he wrestled just 4 matches for the market leader - 2 were on major PPVs against Triple H at WrestleMania 31 and at Night of Champions 2015 vs. Seth Rollins. Sting suffered a career-threatening injury during the latter, but he was able to tweak his style and work as an effective brawler in AEW a full 5 years later.
"Enough is enough" sums it up. At this stage in his life, the icon isn't thinking about bringing "Old Man Sting" into the ring. However, he did admit he initially wanted to retire as this gracefully aging version of himself (complete with grey hair and beard), but ultimately decided against it.
Opinion: A Non-Wrestling Role Would Be Fun
Sting was very open immediately after retiring at Revolution 2024 about appearing as either a manager at ringside or working as an agent behind the scenes. Neither role particularly appealed to him, and he's only made one cameo appearance at All In 2024 since stepping away. There's been no hint of a proper match, that's for sure.
However, there might be scope for Khan coaxing Sting back into the fold as an on-screen General Manager/Commissioner who makes crowd-popping match announcements and helps out with storylines. He's always been solid on the mic, so the veteran would be good at that. Plus, it'd be a nice treat for his fans to see him every other week on episodes of Dynamite and/or Collision.
Could it happen? Don't rule it out. Stranger things have definitely gone down in pro wrestling. Over to you, Stinger!