AEW News: WWE Hall Of Famer Set To Wrestle In The Company
Ever since Sting joined AEW earlier this month, the wrestling community has been speculating about his in-ring future. While it’s believed that he’ll have more of an on-air personality and backstage role in the promotion, “The Icon” has claimed otherwise.
In a new interview with AEW Unrestricted, by way of WrestleTalk, the WWE Hall of Famer said that he still has some unfinished business in the squared circle. This is because he isn’t happy about his career being cut short in 2015, which was when he wrestled his last match in Vince McMahon’s company.
Due to his age and injury history, it’s unlikely that he’ll compete in traditional bouts. However, the legendary superstar has assured fans that they can expect him to go out on his own terms.
He also confirmed that he left his former employer because they didn’t grant his final wish as a competitor, which led to him rejecting their last contract offer.
“I didn’t want to end the way [my WWE run] ended. I was pushing to get a cinema-style match with Undertaker. For probably a litany of reasons, it just wasn’t going to happen. When Tony called and spoke with me, he said, ‘Are you interested in doing cinema-style matches?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I am.’ I’d like to come back and do that and not disappear with my tail between my legs. I don’t have to go out on top, I’d like to go out in a positive light.”
Sting’s last in-ring outing was against Seth Rollins at WWE’s Night of Champions pay-per-view in 2015. He got injured after a botched powerbomb spot, which led to him subsequently retiring. While there were rumblings of him wanting to return for a showdown with The Undertaker prior to his confirmation in the interview, most fans and pundits assumed he was physically unable to compete again.
As Ringside News pointed out, the reason why the dream bout with The Undertaker didn’t happen was that McMahon wasn’t interested in booking it. Fans have longed to see the legends face off since the Monday Night Wars, but WWE management didn’t understand the appeal.
It remains to be seen when Sting will step back into the ring, but he’s signed a multi-year contract with AEW, suggesting that the 61-year-old will be around for quite some time. According to Jim Ross, he’ll also work in a creative capacity, given that he has a wealth of experience and wisdom to share.
