All Elite Wrestling has announced the first match for AEW Revolution and it’s a biggie. Sting will make his debut alongside AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin. They will face Brian Cage and Ricky Starks in a Street Fight.
Darby Allin commented on the news that he will be Sting’s tag team partner at AEW Revolution. He posted the black and white match graphic on Instagram with the caption, “Legendary”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKUu4IUpTmw/
Sting & Darby Allin
Sting and Darby have been at Odds with Team Taz in recent weeks. On Wednesday’s Dynamite, Sting and Darby talked about “taking it to the streets” against Taz’s henchmen. You can see video of that exchange in the player embedded below.
Darby Allin will be Sting’s first tag team partner in AEW, but he recently commented on the possibility of wrestling against him. “I don’t know what his health’s like, I don’t know what he wants to do,” Allin told Sportskeeda. “If he wants to get in the ring with me, good luck, that’s what I would say, I’m ready. If he’s ready, I’m ready. I have no clue if he’s actually going to be ready. Everything’s up in the air.
Darby has also addressed comparisons to the WCW legend:
Eric Bischoff commented on the trend of ‘cinematic matches’ during a recent interview with Sportskeeda. The former WCW President thinks it’s possible to present them correctly, but he does not see them as “the future of the business.”
AEW star Matt Hardy is credited with being a pioneer of cinematic matches, stemming from his time with Impact Wrestling. Hardy’s “Broken Universe” produced several memorable short films, including the Final Deletion.
Other companies have utilized cinematic matches. WWE filmed mini-movies from the Wyatt Family Compound. The main event of last year’s WrestleMania saw The Undertaker defeat AJ Styles in the well-received Boneyard Match.
The most recent example of a cinematic match came this past weekend at Impact Wrestling: Hard to Kill when Ethan Page battled his alter ego, Karate Man.
Bischoff on Cinematic Matches
Eric Bischoff explains that cinematic can be a valuable part of a wrestling show. However, it’s important that companies use them sparingly, as special attractions.
“I don’t think it’s the future of the business,” said Bischoff. “I think it’s a valuable component, a special attraction. I think if it’s done too much, it will lose some of its value to the audience when everything becomes a cinematic style match. Then it’s no longer special. I think if the cinematic matches are presented as a special event, once a year, or twice a year, or in unique story-driven situations, I think it could become a very valuable part of the presentation. But I think to rely on that exclusively as a presentation would diminish their value.”
Cinematic matches have been generally well-received and the trend does not appear to be going away. Someone like Sting, for example, is somewhat limited with what he can do in the ring. However, he’d be the perfect candidate to utilize cinematic matches.
It is a dream of Cody Rhodes to stand across the ring from Sting, his favorite wrestler and childhood hero.
Sting returned to wrestling at AEW Dynamite in December and has signed a multi-year deal with the company. At 61 years of age, he is not expected to perform as a full-time wrestler. However, he is expected to wrestle in some capacity. Among the wrestlers Sting has interacted with since joining AEW, Cody Rhodes is one.
Sting has a long and decorated history with the late Dusty Rhodes. It seems like he would share some storyline in the future with Cody as well.
In an interview with Daniel Trainer earlier this week to promote AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes talked about Sting and discussed the possibility of a singles match with Sting. Rhodes admitted that Sting was his favorite wrestler growing up, along with the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels.
“It’s no secret that Sting was my favorite wrestler,” Cody began. “I had Sting in WCW and Shawn [Michaels] in WWF. But really I wasn’t supposed to watch WWF. So, Sting was everything. I got to see him live so often and I got to see the connection he had. I honestly am scared to answer that. Obviously, as a wrestler, to stand across the ring from your hero is everyone’s dream, to share that field. So, yes, I would love and envision that.”
Sting & Dusty Rhodes
Cody Rhodes vs. Sting
In order for a match against Sting to occur, Cody Rhodes would have to put his fandom on hold and focus on Sting as a competitor. He understands this dynamic and responsibility that would come with sharing a ring with Sting.
“When you put yourself in that position, you’re no longer a fan. You’re now out to outperform them, out to beat them, however you look at wrestling. You are opposite of them. You are their dance partner, their competition. You’re all these things. That is a big responsibility and that is also just scary, especially if you’re somebody like me who loves the memory and the legacy of wrestlers. I never want them to feel like they have to carry on. Their memories carry on enough as they get older.”
He noted that Sting appears to be moving around quite well for a legend with over three decades in pro wrestling.
Cody Rhodes is waiting for Sting’s current storyline with Darby Allin to run its course and see how that unfolds. After that, the fans might get one or more matches between the two, if ‘Sting has his eyes on him as much as he does on Sting’.
Other topics discussed in the interview include Brodie Lee and AEW’s tribute, including Amanda Huber’s involvement with that show. To read a full transcript of the discussion, visit Daniel Trainer’s blog.
The big question ever since Sting joined AEW has been what the icon will be doing in the promotion and Jim Ross suggests that he won’t be having just a single role in the company.
The legendary commentator returned for his Grilling JR podcast once again where he talked about things like Tony Schiavone’s different outfits and more.
Talking about Sting’s arrival in the promotion, Ross revealed that it was Tony Khan who reached out to the former WCW star and claimed that he is going to have a variety of roles in the company:
“What’s really going on is Tony Khan reached out, hired Sting to a multiyear deal. He’s going to have a variety of roles, I don’t know what they are exactly but they will be in a creative capacity where he’s a character on television.
There’s a lot of ways to be a character on T.V.” said Jim Ross, “that’s been accepted by the audience nowadays that doesn’t include wrestling a match every week.”
The AEW star continued by claiming that he doesn’t think anyone should wrestle every week calling it a ‘kiss of death’ for the wrestler.
The former WWE star explained that wrestling every week over exposes a talent to the audience and you shouldn’t do it if you want to keep your talent fresh.
Posted December 31st, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: Sting.
Bret “Hitman” Hart and Sting recently shared some complimentary comments about one another. The two worked together near the end of Hart’s career in WCW, wrestling a total of 32 matches with each other from 1998-99.
A user on Twitter recently posted a quote from Bret Hart’s old podcast in 2016 where the Hitman spoke about the respect he has for Sting. During the podcast, Hart was asked if there was anything he enjoyed about his time in WCW and Hart said the only good thing was being able to wrestle Sting.
“I really didn’t enjoy anything. If I had to sum up what one thing I did like I would probably say wrestling Sting,” Hart said. “Sting was a class guy, just a first-rate guy. Great guy to work with. Great guy to talk to. Great guy to hang out with. A real friend. No ego. Never saw any ounce of ego. Just a team player all the way and I always had a lot of respect for him.”
Sting then responded to the Twitter post that quoted Hart’s comments about him.
The feeling is mutual, @BretHart. Enjoyed working with you. Great finisher! My one regret is I never got to see a Stinger cartoon from you. https://t.co/NYPGdxOmdv
Hart and Sting wrestled against each other a lot in WCW. 20 of their 32 matches in WCW came on un-televised events, however. They wrestled 5 singles matches against one another on WCW programming.
10/5/98 WCW Nitro: Bret Hart (c) vs Sting – No Contest (US Title Match).
10/19/98 WCW Nitro: Bret Hart defeated Sting via DQ.
Allin admitted he doesn’t know what the future looks like. However, he did issue a warning to “The Icon,” who recently made his AEW debut, claiming that he’s “ready.”
“I don’t know what his health’s like, I don’t know what he wants to do,” Allin said. “If he wants to get in the ring with me, good luck, that’s what I would say, I’m ready. If he’s ready, I’m ready. I have no clue if he’s actually going to be ready. Everything’s up in the air.
Following his debut, Sting appeared on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. During a segment that featured Cody Rhodes, “The Icon” indicated that he wasn’t in AEW for Cody, instead hinting that he was interested in Allin.
“I don’t know what his intentions are, I don’t know if you want to manage me, I don’t know if I’m manageable,” Allin said. “Everything is week-by-week, anything can change. I’ve never had a full-blown conversation with him. Who knows, he might be the complete opposite.”
When asked if he would be interested in a cinematic matchup with Sting, Darby Allin shared he’s “up for the challenge.” Although he has never done a cinematic matchup before, Allin is confident he would deliver “the most craziest cinematic match of all-time.”
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has discussed the idea of a Sting versus Chris Jericho match taking place in AEW. He broached the hypothetical bout during an episode of his Hall of Fame podcast after Jericho shared a fanmade image teasing interest in a match with “The Icon.”
Booker T argued that the image, which features Jericho in his NJPW Painmaker gear and makeup, managed to convince him.
Referencing the Painmaker look, Booker T admitted, “You know what? I never thought about this. The blackjack with the spikes on. That was actually really cool. Nah man. It works.”
“Not that Sting can’t touch the career of Darby Allin and some of those other guys. I really think there’s a place there for him as a character. That’s one thing about wrestling is that no matter how old you are, you can still be a character.”
Booker T noted that, although Sting is 61-years-old, he can “still go out there and go.” He believes Sting can still deliver in the ring, even if it’s only “a little something.” As far as he’s concerned, a matchup between Sting and Jericho would deliver because it will “tell a story.”
“I think it really wouldn’t matter for him and a guy like Jericho. I really think they can go out there, pretty much, with smoke-and-mirrors, and tell a story. With no disrespect to anyone, I think there is enough knowledge in their head to do smoke-and-mirrors and tell the story, even at the age Sting is right now. Even still at the age of Chris Jericho right now, I think, no disrespect.”
Booker T On Why Jericho Is The Right Opponent For Sting
Booker T then likened a potential bout between the two to Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker. He argued how “At that time, it was about 100 years [combined] because both them were about 50 at the time. And they went out and had the best match on the card by far that night. They told the best story by far that night on the card.”
He believes that Chris Jericho is the perfect opponent for Sting to not only deliver a good matchup but also protect him, ensuring “The Icon” can also walk out of the ring afterward.
Booker T then speculated on a potential feud between the two. He imagined they could have as many as three matches together:
“So, my thing is yeah, who’s the right guy? […] Chris Jericho, take nothing away from the guy. Over the years, he has learned what the game is truly all about. He’s like a walking encyclopedia as far as the wrestling game goes. So yeah, I could see that happening, and surely the fans of AEW would tune in to check that out. Without a doubt.”
Sting appeared during last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite. He teased his intentions in the promotion during a segment with Cody and Darby Allin.
As promised, Sting made an appearance on AEW Dynamite for a second straight week, but this time he spoke.
Sting interrupted an interview segment with Tony Schiavone, Arn Anderson, and Cody Rhodes during the first hour of the show. Tony gave Sting the microphone and then they hugged it out. Sting thanked Tony for everything he’s done and did the iconic, “It’s Sting,” introduction.
Rhodes welcomed Sting back and said that he’s been waiting to share the ring with him for a very long time. Sting said that he’s not here for Rhodes just yet. He pointed to Darby Allin, who was in the grandstands, and said that there’s something familiar about this place.
He said that he’s in the jungle and the Stinger has come full circle as he’s back on TNT again.
Sting said that Cody knows everything that goes on in AEW, but one thing is for sure and that’s nothing is sure with him. However, he does know that he’s signed with AEW and he does plan on being close with the fans for a long time.
He plans to be here for a long time, but the way he chooses to play is his business. Sting added that he would see the kid around.
Of course, Sting made his promotional debut in a surprise fashion following a tag team match last week. It was announced shortly thereafter that he had signed a multi-year deal with the promotion.
WWE Hall of Famer and AfterBuzz TV podcast star Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman recently discussed the AEW debut of Sting.
The Icon Sting of course made his AEW debut this past week at the ‘Winter Is Coming’ episode of Dynamite. Whilst the appearance of Sting was shocking, fans are now wondering how the WCW legend will be used in All Elite Wrestling.
Sting’s last match took place in 2015, where he lost to Seth Rollins at WWE’s Night of Champions event. Sting suffered an injury during that match that meant his in-ring career was over…seemingly.
Sean Waltman on Sting
“We’re in the situation right now where there’s really not big crowds” Sean Waltman began on the 1-2-360 podcast. “Although it was kind of cool, they did have a bit of a crowd there. You could see the reaction on some of their faces when the Stinger came out, it was a big deal. It came off like a big deal.”
Waltman would then praise Sting personally, saying “it totally was a big deal for me. It made me happy. He’s [Sting] a great guy, he’s just the nicest classiest guy.”
X-Pac would finish by saying that Sting was never going to get the right treatment during his past WWE run. “The thing is, is he was never going to get the treatment from WWE that his fans thought he deserved. And that he did deserve. He’s not a WWE icon.”
Do you agree with Sean Waltman? Do you think that Sting will get better treatment back on TNT with All Elite Wrestling? Let us know in the comments
After Sting’s AEW Dynamite debut last week, many fans likely did not assume the 61-year-old would become an active member of the roster. According to Justin Barrasso of SI.com, Sting is expected to wrestle for the promotion.
“Sports Illustrated has learned the relationship between Sting and AEW president Tony Khan will be collaborative, which was certainly not the case in WWE with McMahon,” Barrasso wrote. “Even with his advanced age, there are plans for Sting to eventually enter the ring in AEW,” he continued.
Lengthy singles matches are probably not the right vehicle for Sting at this stage in his career. However, he could be used strategically teaming with other AEW wrestlers and even in cinematic matches.
Sting’s most recent match took place five years ago. The last time he was in the ring, Sting was injured during a match with Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. He wrestled 4 matches for WWE that year, including his loss to Triple H at WrestleMania 31. Last week’s AEW Dynamite was Sting’s first appearance on TNT since wrestling Ric Flair on the final episode of WCW Nitro back in 2001.
Sting speaks to Tony Schiavone Wednesday night in a reunion of sorts for the longtime colleagues.
Posted December 8th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: Sting.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has commented on Sting’s recent AEW debut at Winter is Coming. Bischoff responded to fans commenting on the debut on Twitter. He shared his excitement over what Sting’s signing means for AEW and “The Icon” himself.
Bischoff discussed the future storyline potential that would include the former WCW World Champion. He explained how AEW has so far “[…] over delivered on one very important story element and have laid an intriguing foundation for another.” As far as Bischoff is concerned, he’s all in on Sting’s involvement with the promotion.
I’m excited about the possibilities with the addition of @Sting to the @AEW roster and the potential of the story going forward. So far, they’ve over delivered on one very important story element and have laid an intriguing foundation for another. I’m in. https://t.co/wumtQQHL2h
In response to another fan commenting on Sting’s WCW ‘Crow’ gimmick, Bischoff reflected on how it was an “amazing story/arc” that helped redefine his character. He added how a “motivated Steve Borden can be a powerful addition to the cast.”
Hey Gary! It was an amazing story/arc that really redefined Stings character. I agree. Last night was very cool. A motivated Steve Borden can be a powerful addition to the cast. https://t.co/lhDBjbIayz
“The Icon” debuted during this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. The Winter is Coming special not only saw the surprise debut of Sting, it also saw Kenny Omega dethrone Jon Moxley to become the new AEW World Champion.
AEW has hyped up Sting’s appearance on next week’s episode of Dynamite. “The Icon” is set to speak about his actions at Winter is Coming and will no doubt hint towards his future intentions.
Sting made his All Elite Wrestling debut during this week’s episode of Dynamite. The appearance of “The Icon” shocked wrestling fans across the world and has already helped to set a new record.
Pro Wrestling Tees has shared that Sting’s debut has helped set a new record for the store. Following Wednesday’s special episode, Winter is Coming, Sting’s new shirt on Pro Wrestling Tees set a new record for the most shirts sold in 24 hours.
Although they hyped the accomplishment, the Instagram caption highlighted that it hadn’t even been 24 hours at the time of the post. The total number of shirts sold by the end of the actual 24 hours would, in theory, easily surpass previous records for the popular t-shirt company.
Following his debut, Pro Wrestling Tee’s released a brand new t-shirt, baseball cap and hoody, all adorned with Sting’s new AEW logo. “The Icon” sported the t-shirt himself during his debut on the show.
Sting in AEW
Sting came out following the tag team match between Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin versus Team Taz representatives Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs.
“The Icon” would make his way into the ring and stare down Nightmare Family members Arn Anderson, Dustin Rhodes and Cody Rhodes. He then stared down Darby Allin before leaving the ring.
Sting will speak for the first time live on AEW next week on Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling’s Young Bucks have opened up about Sting’s AEW debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite. The special episode, entitled Winter is Coming, saw the former WCW World Champion make his debut for the promotion.
Speaking with the Living the Gimmick podcast, The Young Bucks explained how Sting was hidden backstage throughout the day. When it came time for him to make his debut, Sting was accompanied by a member of Atlas Security.
He reportedly walked through the backstage area with an intense tunnel vision. Members of AEW’s staff and roster all turned their heads “like it was the Exorcist” to watch the Icon walk by.
The Young Bucks described the shock the AEW roster collectively experienced as Sting prepared to debut. According to the Young Bucks, it was a lot of fun to see the locker room have a “mark out” moment like that.
Witnessing the way the AEW talent reacted to Sting helped build their personal excitement for his on-screen reveal. This is because The Young Bucks were confident it would be an “even bigger moment on television.”
"All the boys and girls, their heads started turning like it was the exorcist."
Sting debuted following a tag team matchup between Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin versus Team Taz’s Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs. Upon entering the ring, he stood face-to-face with Arn Anderson before leveling intense looks at Dustin Rhodes, Cody Rhodes, and, finally, Darby Allin.
Sting remained silent throughout his first appearance. He is set to speak for the first time on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
The Young Bucks interview on the Living the Gimmick podcast drops next week, but you can listen early at the show’s Patreon page.
For the first time since 2001 when wrestling Ric Flair on WCW Nitro, the legendary pro wrestler made an appearance on TNT during Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
The show saw Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin (with Arn Anderson in their corner) face Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs in a tag team match. The finish of the contest saw Allin hit the Coffin Drop on Starks after Rhodes hit him with a cutter.
Post-match, Hobbs attacked Allin and Anderson got involved by trying to make the save. However, Arn got taken out only to have Dustin Rhodes try to make the save and Brian Cage took him out. The lights went out then back on with Sting appearing with his trusted baseball bat in his hand.
AEW sent out a press release announcing that Sting has signed a full-time multi-year agreement. “The surprise introduction of Sting was a great way to celebrate our biggest episode of Dynamite yet,” said Tony Khan, CEO and GM of AEW.
“When AEW launched, I was ecstatic to bring wrestling back to TNT after a very long absence. Sting defeated the legendary Ric Flair in the final wrestling match to be shown on TNT for more than 18 years until the debut of Dynamite in 2019. Now, almost two decades later, it’s such a thrill to welcome Sting to AEW and bring him back home to TNT!”
Sting hasn’t wrestled a match since 2015 at Night of Champions in a match with Seth Rollins due to a neck injury. His legends deal with WWE expired earlier this year.
Darby Allin has made himself into a star on AEW television, but in the process, has drawn comparisons to various wrestlers by fans.
Most people remember Sting for the crow-inspired version of the character, but there was a bright-colored version earlier in his career.
Allin talked about the comparisons he gets to the legendary pro wrestler while doing an interview with TV Insider. He is flattered by the comparison but insists he’s not trying to be like Sting.
“My face paint just comes from my real life. That’s not really a character thing I try to rip off of anybody. I’ve always just liked the dark stuff. I’ve always been a fan of the gothic aesthetic. Just weird stuff. I’m flattered by [the comparison], it’s cool, but it’s definitely not what I’m thinking about while I’m doing it.”
Darby Allin & Sting
Allin just scored the biggest win thus far in his pro-wrestling career as he beat Cody Rhodes to capture the AEW TNT Title earlier this month at the Full Gear pay-per-view event.
Sting has been retired from the pro wrestling business after suffering a neck injury while working a match with Seth Rollins.
Former WWE Universal Champion and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg recently appeared on the Talk’n Shop podcast with co-hosts Luke Gallows and Rocky Romero.
Goldberg discussed a number of topics during the podcast. These included working in South America with Luke Gallows, his son working to become an NFL player and his time in WCW.
Rocky Romero would praise Goldberg as being the centerpiece of the promotion back in the late 90’s. Goldberg actually refuted this, saying “I was just a piece of it, I fell into place.”
Goldberg in WCW
Bill Goldberg of course was a major part of WCW by the time he won the United States Championship in 1997 against Raven. Arguably the height of Goldberg’s run was his bout against Hollywood Hogan at the Georgia Dome on July 6, 1998. That episode of WCW Monday Nitro saw Goldberg become the World Heavyweight Champion for the very first time.
Goldberg would reveal on Talk’n Shop who he actually saw as ‘the guy’ in WCW. “I was a guy that they needed to fill the void. The guy who ran the show? It was Sting, man. It was an honor and a privilege to be around the guy. I’ve learned through osmosis how, you know, to be a better person/wrestler [because of Sting].”
Bill Goldberg would finish by discussing the Monday Night Wars in general, saying how it was an incredible time to be in the wrestling business. “It was the coolest time in the business of professional wrestling. I’m beyond lucky to have been a part of it during that time period.”
“Because I don’t know if I would have had nearly the [amount of] success if I didn’t fit into ‘that’ part. You know [that part] that was needed during WCW’s fierce battles with WWE every Monday night.”
Do you agree with Goldberg? Was Sting ‘The Man’ in WCW’s late 90’s run? Let us know in the comments
Fans picked up on how Sting no longer has a page on the WWE Shop website.
This means that WWE pulled the merchandise associated with the WWE Hall of Famer. It had been on the WWE Legends section of the website as recently as Thursday.
Dave Meltzer noted during Saturday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that Sting’s WWE Legends Contract had expired several months ago. As a result, the company is no longer contractually obligated to sell his items.
It’s just like Brock Lesnar, who had his merch pulled from the website a few months after his contract expired in April. Typically, WWE has a timeframe of up to six months when WWE can continue to sell merchandise of wrestlers even after their contracts expire.
Meltzer stated that the initial contract that WWE offered to Sting which he signed was possibly to be more than just on the Alumni page as it’s something that WWE doesn’t want to deal with anymore.
Meltzer did speculate that it is possible that Sting could show up in AEW although there’s been no word yet of that happening. He could work in some wrestler’s corner or just making a general PPV appearance.
A former WWE backstage producer was recently arrested in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. According to a report from PW Insider, Sarah Stock was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with aggravated battery, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and resisting law enforcement.
She was booked and released early Sunday morning by the Vandenburgh Sheriff’s Department.
Stock had been with WWE since 2015 but was furloughed this spring and later released due to the ongoing global pandemic. She wrestled as Sarita in TNA Wrestling from 2009 to 2013. She has also competed for companies such as Shimmer as well as CMLL in Mexico. Stock had previously wrestled under the names Dark Angel and Canadian Dark Angel as well.
While in TNA, Stock won the promotion’s women’s tag-team championships twice. She won the inaugural titles in 2009 with Taylor Wilde. They would hold the belts for 106 days before dropping them to Awesome Kong and Hamada.
Stock would team with Zelina Vega in 2011 and again win the belts. This time her team defeated Angelina Love and Winter to gain the championships. They would hold the titles for 129 days until dropping them to Brooke Tessmacher and Tara. Her 2 reigns and 227 combined days spent with 1/2 of the women’s tag belts ranks her 5th all-time in the promotion.
Sting vs. The Undertaker is one of the biggest dream matches of the wrestling history which never took place despite both the stars having careers spanning many decades and crossing paths in both WCW and WWE.
The Dead Man was recently interviewed by Barstool Sports where he talked about a number of things and the former World Champion also revealed if he ever had any talks with The Icon about a potential bout.
Taker was asked if he ever discussed a match with Sting. Replying to it the legend claimed they never talked about it despite knowing each other since the 80s:
“Not even once, I knew him from my days in WCW in the the late 80s but I never actually saw him again until he joined WWE, Its crazy that we never spoke.
We never called each other and discussed, ‘hey would you like to do this mega match’ or whatever. My schedule was always full, there were always guys waiting to face me.”
Undertaker went on to explain that a match between the two would have been cool in the early 90s when they were in their primes because he doesn’t want people to get a watered down version of their characters:
“To be completely honest, the match would have been cool in the 90s or early 2000s. I don’t want people to get a watered down version of that character.
I want people to remember the 90s, the WrestleMania matches with Edge, Batista, Shawn, and Punk, and not the match I had with Roman, when I was all beat up and out of shape. I looked like a Bloated Elvis.”
Ultimately, Undertaker vs. Sting will go down in history as one of the biggest dream matches in the wrestling history that never took place despite the possibility of it being one of the biggest wrestling matches of all time.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the infamous incident involving Jeff Hardy from TNA’s 2011 PPV Victory Road.
Jeff Hardy appeared in the main event of that show. Hardy faced Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, however he was visibly intoxicated and the call was made for Sting to pin Hardy early in the bout and go home on the broadcast.
There’s been much publicised about the incident and both Hardy and Sting have spoken extensively on the subject. The ‘backstage’ issues surrounding the incident were even brought up on television at the time, with AJ Styles lambasting Hardy in a backstage segment on IMPACT.
Bully Ray on Jeff Hardy
“I remember when Jeff Hardy had the problem, you know in the match against Sting” Bully Ray began. “Remember that debacle in TNA?”
“I remember when Jeff came back to the company” Bully Ray continued. “And they [TNA] made him apologise to the locker room. They put Jeff in front of the whole locker room and he just kind of apologised like I’m really sorry blah blah blah blah blah.”
Bully Ray would elaborate further, saying “then they said at the end of the meeting ‘does anybody have anything to say?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ I said, ‘Jeff, I really couldn’t care less about all of these things that went on. All I care about is that you can still hit your finish. Now let’s go out there and make some money.'”
The context of Bully’s comments surrounded the recent public issues that Matt Riddle is facing. The former UFC fighter turned WWE Superstar was recently accused of sexual abuse, however he has denied all allegations.
“All of this outside stuff is noise” Bully Ray finished. “We’re performers, when your music hits? You get in there, you perform, you tear the house down. And then you go home.”
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has expressed his wish to see Sting wrestle one more match. Flair shared the information after recently joining SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. According to “The Nature Boy,” nobody thinks more of Sting than he does.
“Well, no one thinks more of Sting than I do,” Flair said. “[…] I probably haven’t talked to him in three or four months now, but if he’s medically…if he’s okay with his neck and all of that, yeah, I most definitely would love to see him back in the ring one [more] time.”
He then discussed Sting’s matchup against Triple H from WrestleMania 31. Flair broached the idea of ring rust, especially given how long Sting had been an inactive competitor. Triple H would defeat the former WCW World Champion in a No Disqualification match that featured appearances from members of D-Generation X and nWo.
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) March 27, 2020
Ric Flair continued, “I do think with a guy like Seth Rollins or Randy Orton or somebody, that…yeah, he could have one more match. He stays in great shape, and he’s just really one of the really good guys in our business, and I think that I’m always in favor of guys like him, y’know, leaving at the highest possible level that we can afford people in our business.”
Sting wrestled his last matchup against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. He suffered a serious neck injury during their bout, which he was still able to finish. Rollins would ultimately walk away with the victory, retaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
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AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently took part in a Q&A episode of his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast. The former voice of WWE answered questions across his illustrious career, both for WWE and his new home on TNT with AEW.
One of the questions posed to JR revolved around former WCW star Sting. A fan asked how Jim Ross felt about the run that Sting had in WWE back in 2014. Sting had two high profile matches for the company, once in a losing effort to Triple H at WrestleMania and the last match of his career against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions. There has been speculation recently that Sting may be looking for another run in company, so it is interesting how JR described Sting’s short run back in 2014.
“He was a big star, I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was” – Jim Ross
“I was underwhelmed by Sting’s WWE run” JR began. “I thought that he should have come in guns blazing and had to give the fans a chance to tap into his passion and his emotions. He was a big star. I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was. And many speculated, it may have been because you know, the WWE didn’t ‘create’ Sting.”
“IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing”
Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “they didn’t give him his name, they didn’t give him this persona. Nothing. And IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing. I thought we could have done a lot more of that situation. And then you never know when you get injured or you hit that stage of life or injuries are more prominent, and then all sudden he gets hurt. And we can’t finish our business. I was very disappointed in Sting’s run. He deserved better. Sting deserved better than he got in WWE, but I’m sure he got paid very very well.”
“We wanted him for a long time.”
JR would then finish by saying “I wish we would have had more about [his] accolades and, I felt like we under delivered on how we presented him. We wanted him for a long time. So I thought was a great day and when you bring somebody in like that you GO with him. But there was that the caveat, he’s not our guy. That had an adverse effect.”
Do you think that Sting may come back for one more match? Let us know in the comments
Posted February 13th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: Sting.
An update on where things stand with WWE and WWE Hall of Famer Sting has surfaced online.
During Royal Rumble weekend, Pwinsider.com reported that there had been a lot of talk about Sting being a major part of Super ShowDown. This sparked speculation that he could make a return to in-ring action or make an appearance at the show.
Sting Spoke With WWE Officials
At the time of the report being released, it was noted that the deal wasn’t done but the conversations had proceeded so far that some believed Sting could appear at the Royal Rumble to start hyping his return.
Clearly, Sting didn’t appear at the show. Fast forward to Tuesday, PWinsider.com released an update that stated they were told on Monday night that those talks of bringing in Sting for the show had died down.
Thus, it appears that a deal wasn’t reached and Sting won’t be appearing at the show. However, in WWE anything is possible but with WWE bringing in Goldberg for the show, it’s not likely at this time.
In 2015, it was revealed that Sting had spinal stenosis and wouldn’t be medically cleared. He has since retired from pro wrestling.
Fans could be in for a big surprise with the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, according to a new report from Pwinsider.com.
The site reports that WWE Hall of Famer Sting could appear at the show as there’s been a lot of talk about Sting being a major part of the next WWE event in Saudi Arabia on February 27th. Whether he returns to in-ring action or just appears remains to be unknown.
It was noted that the current creative was pitched did not involve The Undertaker and that the deal wasn’t 100% done. It should be noted that conversations had proceeded so far that some believe Sting will be in Houston, Texas for the Royal Rumble.
This would be an easy drive for Sting as he lives in Dallas just a few hours away from Houston. Thus, he could make a last-second appearance.
Sting’s in-ring career came to an end after he suffered a neck injury after taking a powerbomb in the corner at the 2015 Night of Champions PPV event. This is where he battled Seth Rollins.
It was later revealed that he had spinal stenosis and wouldn’t be medically cleared.
Sting has previously voiced his desire to wrestle The Undertaker but recently admitted that he thinks about the match every year.
The 60-year-old Hall of Famer recently talked to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. This is where he noted that although he has come to terms with his retirement, he could still be brought out of it.
He’s willing to come out of retirement. It just depends on it ending on his terms. Those terms would be a dream pitting Sting against The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
“If there was a ’Taker situation at WrestleMania, I would listen to that phone call,” said Sting. “I could get in condition and I could pull it off.”
Sting & The Undertaker
Sting knows that isn’t likely to happen and in fact, thinks his career is done. That just hasn’t stopped him from thinking about wrestling “The Deadman.”
“I think my career is done. I still think about the ‘Taker situation every year, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
This has been a match that Sting has wanted to take part in for years now. Despite his feelings for it to happen, it never did.
The career of the WWE Hall of Famer came to an end at the 2015 Night of Champions PPV event. This is where he battled Seth Rollins. It marked his last match and end of his career after he suffered a neck injury after taking a powerbomb in the corner.
