The legendary Sting made his AEW debut on the “Winter Is Coming” episode of Dynamite earlier this month. Since then, the fans have been wondering what his role in the company will be. According to announcer Jim Ross on the latest edition of Grilling Jr , by way of Ringside News , officials signed the veteran to perform in various capacities.
Ross revealed that Sting will be featured as an onscreen talent, though it’s possible that he might not compete in any matches. However, the Hall of Famer also said that AEW management is interested in having Sting work behind the scenes as well.
“What’s really going on is Tony Khan reached out, hired Sting to multi-year deal. He’s gonna have a variety of roles. I don’t know what they are exactly, but they’ll be in a creative capacity to where he’s a character on television. There’s a lot of ways to be a character on TV that’s been accepted by the audience nowadays that doesn’t include wrestling a match every week.”
Sting is 61 years old and his prime in-ring years are behind him. He was forced to retire in 2015 through injury, which led many fans to believe that his career as a wrestler may be over. However, as The Inquisitr previously noted, AEW has listed him on its website as an active in-ring performer.
It’s entirely possible that Sting will compete again, albeit in a way that doesn’t require him to take bumps. The Inquisitr article pointed out that he left WWE because management didn’t allow him to have a cinematic match with The Undertaker, suggesting that he wants to retire on his own terms.
AEW may be open to having him compete in cinematic bouts that don’t require him to get physical. If that’s the case, he could participate against the company’s best wrestlers in showdowns that don’t require much physicality but still bring out the best in his abilities as a storyteller.
The promotion has a tendency for using legends in a meaningful capacity, so it’s likely that Sting will be incorporated into the product in a way that’s satisfying to fans. He has teased an alliance with Darby Allin since debuting, which could lead to a student-teacher dynamic at some point.
The Hall of Famer’s experience will also make him a useful hand from a creative perspective, especially in regard to helping contemporary performers discover and evolve their own characters.