Back on September 20, at WWE’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, future WWE Hall of Famer Sting was badly injured when he took a move known as the buckle bomb from WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, and it’s quite possible that the injury Sting suffered at the hands of Rollins will force him to retire from in-ring action.
Two days after the match in an interview on WWE.com , Sting gave his side of what happened at Night of Champions , and he revealed that he has a spinal condition known as spinal stenosis, which has ended the careers of multiple WWE legends, most notably Edge and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Sting also praised Rollins in the interview, calling him the most talented guy he’s ever been in the ring with, and now, three weeks later, Seth Rollins praised Sting for his toughness, as Sting insisted on finishing the match after his spinal injury occurred.
“Ironically enough, Sting got a ‘stinger.’ It happens to all of us, but it was just bad timing in his situation. We got through it, and he’s a professional.”
The match at Night of Champions did receive some criticism after its conclusion. One bit of criticism was that Sting shouldn’t have been allowed to finish the match, because, in that moment, no one knew if he had broken his neck or not, and if he had, he was putting himself at risk. The other bit of criticism was that Sting, who is 56 years old, should have never taken the buckle bomb in the first place, as it’s an extremely dangerous move to take, especially for someone who’s north of 50 years old.
In an interview with Sam Roberts , Rollins commented on Sting taking the buckle bomb, and he somewhat agreed with the people who were saying that he shouldn’t have given Sting the buckle bomb.
“I mean nothing against Sting – he’s in phenomenal condition, but he’s also a 56-year-old man. I have taken the buckle bomb myself many times. It’s just one of those things. It’s a freak accident.”
“I feel terrible. I was definitely concerned about his health, still am, but after tests and everything, he seems to be okay, so it’s all good. He’s going to make a good recovery.”
Rollins saying that Sting is okay suggests that “The Icon” isn’t suffering from a broken neck, which many thought he was following his interview on WWE.com , where he said that he needed to get his neck “taken care of,” which led many to believe that he needed neck surgery.
Many WWE fans are hoping that Rollins’ buckle bomb didn’t end Sting’s legendary career, as they’re hoping to see him get in the ring one more time at WrestleMania 32 next April. Of course, that all depends on if WWE feels like he can get through a 10- or 15-minute match without doing any further damage to his neck.
Sting has said that, if WWE is interested in having him wrestle again, he’s willing to get back into the ring. Before his injury, the plan was for him to feud with Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Family leading into WrestleMania 32 , but his injury may have changed those plans.
There have been reports saying that WWE is planning on inducting Sting into the Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 32 , which is possible, especially if he’s not going to be able to wrestle again. As for who would induct him, well, that would likely be the two time WWE Hall of Famer, and the man who could be responsible for Sting’s success, the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
[Images via WWE ]