AEW personality Paul Wight recently spoke with Sports Illustrated on a number of topics including when he first met “The Icon” Sting.
Wight said, “We met in December of ’94. Before I’d even signed with WCW, I got invited to a show in Chicago and we met there. He was extremely humble and gracious. Throughout my career, I’ve seen stars, guys who thought they were stars, guys who made money, and guys who didn’t. Sting was everything you could ask for. He was this incredible babyface. As far as the locker room goes, Sting never had heat with anyone. There were all these different camps in WCW, but Sting got along with everybody. You could always tell he cared about the fans. That’s why he still connects with people. It’s very genuine.”
He also talked about how wrestling wouldn’t be where it is today without Sting.
“Sting made towns for WCW and became a household name. If you booked Sting in Tupelo, Mississippi on a Saturday night, Sting would show up and do it. He put in the work and became their franchise guy. He became a legend in Japan, too. He’s now an incredible asset for AEW. Sting is a guy who understood what it is like to work against guys who were really good, but the wrestling world didn’t know them yet. He did that for Crockett Promotions, WCW, TNA, and now again in AEW. Sting’s the guy that always understood what this is about. Whether he was getting his shoulders pinned, or getting his arm raised, he made sure the crowd enjoyed the hell out of a match. He never got involved in the locker room drama. When there were problems, he worked through them. For him, this was never about ego. I wouldn’t be where I am without him, and wrestling wouldn’t be where it is, either.”
