GREENSBORO — With a career spanning nearly 40 years, everyone has their own Sting story. My introduction to wrestling came when I was three years old in Worcester, Massachusetts, when my brother escaped our father’s grasp, climbed under the guard rail, and tried to fight Rick Rude, who was mercilessly beating the WCW star in front of us. I have very few memories with my father, but we always had wrestling. And we always had Sting.
Sunday night in Greensboro, North Carolina, 16,000 fans (per WrestleTix) packed into the Greensboro Coliseum — an arena of historical significance, where Sting had his breakout moment against Ric Flair in 1988 — to see him ride off into the sunset. Hundreds of similar stories carried throughout the arena, with attire ranging the many eras of Sting from surfer blonde, NWO stints, Crow, the Joker, and modern-day Sting.
Some fans saw him as part of the Blade Runners, tagging with the man who’d eventually become the Ultimate Warrior. Others were introduced by chance, whether they watched him main event a house show, played as him in a video game, or saw him sitting in the rafters and were captivated by his presence. The stories of how fans came to love Sting are endless.
But until Sunday, it never felt like Sting had his perfect story. The man who was the ultimate team player in an industry that can be cutthroat has overcome his fair share of booking missteps along the way — RoboCop, Starrcade 1997, and his loss to Triple H at WrestleMania stand out in particular.
Unceremoniously, Sting’s career wrapped up early in September 2015, just four matches into his lone WWE stint. A buckle powerbomb led to temporary paralysis, a realization that he had cervical spinal stenosis, and it put an unexpected end to his iconic professional wrestling career.
A little over five years later, Sting set the wheels in motion for arguably his greatest run in wrestling as part of AEW. He joined the company unsure if he could still go in the ring, so he agreed to a cinematic match with Darby Allin against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
For the next three years, AEW founder and CEO Tony Khan did everything he could to honor the legend, the icon, Sting.
“Sting stepped away from pro wrestling for several years and by all indications, he was going to retire. He felt he had a great run in him alongside his tag team partner, Darby Allin. He’s had some of the most exciting and memorable matches in AEW in the last several years and Sting has accumulated an undefeated record where Sting is, in many ways, the most successful wrestler in AEW,” Khan told Uproxx Sports ahead of All In last year.
“Every time he steps in the ring we try to pay tribute to his great career and how honored we are to have Sting with us.”
Sting has held up his end of the bargain as well. He put on matches that showed he could still go. And he also showed how much fun he was having being back in (and around) the ring — Sting exchanging “strikes” with Orange Cassidy remains one of my favorite moments of this entire run.
He jumped off of almost everything, performed spots that defied his 64-year-old body, and created memories alongside budding and current stars that redefine how his legacy will be remembered.
“I think it’s amazing that he came in during the pandemic when there were barely any fans and took a chance considering he never had to get back in the ring again. And then to be rewarded at Wembley and setting the all-time attendance record in wrestling. And then to have pretty much the whole pay-per-view, Revolution, be based around this and the proper send off with his sons and everything that went into it,” Darby Allin said.
“This was all his baby. And it’s amazing that we, at the end of the night, can be like, we did it. And not have any regrets — wake up, oh man, we shit the bed last night. There’s no regrets. Like, this was amazing. Thank you, Sting.”
At the end of the day, the story of Sting was concluded in a way legends are sure to take notice of. He was paid the proper respect. He finally got his big moment in front of more than 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium along the way. And when it came time to sign off for one last time, he was booked on a show that was built around paying tribute to him in an arena that meant a great deal to his career.
You could see how meaningful it was for Sting to be flanked by his sons, who were dressed in original surfer Sting and NWO Wolfpack Sting gear after being attacked by the Bucks a few weeks ago. Khan and the Bucks refused to let Sting go out on his back, per Justin Barrasso from SI, another move away the sometimes archaic ways of professional wrestling’s past. Instead they celebrated his career with a stellar match that paid tribute to the eras of Sting in a unique way, beautifully blending the past with modern day wrestling.
Khan called it the “greatest comeback ever” and the best sendoff in professional wrestling history. Sting said he felt like his final match against the Young Bucks was one of the top three matches of his entire career.
“That’s a big statement,” Sting added. “I really do mean that. And what a way to end it with AEW. So kudos to the Bucks. And of course, Darby. Of course, Tony. The whole thing could not have been any better.”
And now, nearly 40 years after he started his career, Sting can sign off with his perfect story.