Mike Piellucci of D Magazine recently profiled AEW star Sting. The WWE Hall of Famer revealed that he was on the verge of retiring from ring action in 2021.
People close to The Stinger believe he will recognize the right time to retire when he sees it. However, Sting and Darby Allin were wrestling FTR on the Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite from New York City in September 2021 and almost retired. It was noted that Sting carried the majority of the match, which was his most ambitious AEW bout at the time, but none of the action mattered to Sting because he had tweaked his right hip in the days leading up to the match.
Sting’s mobility was hampered by his strained right hip and shaky knees. As the audience applauded, Sting focused on what he couldn’t do in his 60s – the small, subtle movements his body refused to make.
Sting noticed that this reinforced one thought in his mind, “Oh my gosh, I think this is it. We’ll have to figure out a creative way to make me bow out.”
“There were probably three different occasions during the match that I thought, ‘OK, this is embarrassing,’” Sting said. “I am thoroughly embarrassed. I will be reading online all these fans saying, ‘Yeah, it’s time for him to hang it up. Time caught up to him. He’s done.’”
That never happened, and with each round of positive feedback from his colleagues, Sting realized there was no reason to slink past AEW President Tony Khan backstage because he was afraid of disappointing his new boss.
Sting hasn’t forgotten the terror that gripped him that night, which is why, as the end of his career approaches, he hasn’t focused too much on the details.
Sting, who turns 64 in March, revealed that Khan has discussed retirement with him in the past. Several wrestlers, some of whom have never competed with Sting, have put their names forward to compete in Sting’s retirement match.
Sting stated that he is finally emotionally prepared to retire. He’s been physically prepared, but he knows there will be expectations.
“And I’ve got some insecurities about that, I guess, mainly due to age,” Sting said. “The more focus, now you’ve got to follow that big build-up, you know?”
Sting is aware that the details of his retirement will be worked out sooner rather than later.
“Part of me, it’s like I want to avoid it,” he said, because the ideal retirement isn’t about the opponent or the timing; it’s about how Sting makes people feel and how he feels about himself.
He went on to say, “Whatever I do, I want wrestling fans to say, ‘That was incredible.’ 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.’”
Sting wants to wrestle a few more matches for his 22-year-old daughter Gracie so she can appreciate her father’s career in a way she couldn’t as a child. He’s also looking forward to continuing to work with his daughter-in-law Katelyn, who works on AEW’s social media team and is currently training to be a pro wrestler. Sting is also looking forward to having more time to mentor Allin, who has evolved from an on-screen partner to an off-screen pal.
