PWI x BIG EGG: Sting On His Future After AEW Revolution
More from Colette Arrand's interview with Sting ahead of his much-anticipated retirement match.
The May 2024 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated hits newsstands next week. In it, I had the privilege of interviewing Sting, who will be wrestling his final match on March 3 at AEW’s Revolution pay per view. Due to the nature of print magazines, not everything I spoke to Sting about made it into the pages of PWI, but thanks to the magic of e-mail newsletters, I’m able to share a couple of additional tidbits from the interview, namely an evolution of the Sting character that was pitched to Tony Khan, as well as what the future may (or may not) hold for The Icon in AEW after Revolution. What follows has been edited for clarity.
The May 2024 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, their third annual Spotlight on Japan issue, is available now directly from PWI, digitally or physically.
Old Man Sting
Colette Arrand
You’re in what is perhaps the most fascinating stage of a career that’s been characterized by change, from Surfer Sting to Crow Sting to TNA and WWE, and now AEW, with the later half of your career in particular marked by your ability to figure out how the legend of Sting fits into the current wrestling landscape.
Sting
You mentioned TNA, which is where the Joker appeared. I love the Joker angle. And I would have loved to finish as Old Man Sting, but Tony (Khan) wouldn’t allow me to do it. I know I could make that work, which is a whole different topic.
Colette Arrand
Relatively little of that back half has relied on straight-up playing to nostalgia, like reappearing in Surfer Sting regalia. Has that been a conscious decision?
Sting
Oh, I could never pull that off again. There’s just no way. I did an appearance for somebody a few years ago and they really wanted me to do the surfer paint, you know? “Do you still have the jacket you wore against Flair? The 1980s blue tights?” I tried to say no, but he kept at it until I said alright and tried it. But it felt ridiculous. Fans love it, but I can’t do it justice, and I wouldn’t want fans to remember me trying and failing to be a version of myself from 35 years ago.
But Old Man Sting, like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, you know, the guy who did all the spaghetti westerns, a cool mercenary guy who’s older now? When he was younger he could put a can up on a post, take his six gun out, and blow it away no problem, but now that he’s older he maybe shoots and misses. So what does he do? He goes into the house, gets his shotgun, and blows the whole thing up. He still gets the job done, he just does it in a different way. I’m convinced I could have made that work — the duster’s there already, and the baseball bat, it fits the Unforgiven style.
Full Circle
Colette Arrand
You’ve been a signature star for multiple promotions over the course of your career, but given your close association with the NWA and WCW, you were also a signature star for the Turner networks themselves, TBS and later TNT. When you returned to wrestling with AEW, you also returned to those networks, a kind of full circle moment that not many wrestlers get to enjoy. How has that been for you?
Sting
More things in this business come around full circle than you might expect, but I never would have guessed that I’d be back on TNT and TBS. I got some gifts and letters from some of the people who work there, folks who said “Hey, it’s been a long time!” Not only did I feel at home with AEW because they felt kind of like a WCW to me, but I also felt at home because some of the people I knew at TNT and TBS for decades were still there.
And you can’t leave out the wrestling fans. Every time I came back, like when I had that run with WWE and when I first came back to AEW, I was just like, man, I hope they just have a clue as to who I am. Like, what percentage of the audience is actually going to remember me? It’s a little scary every time, so I was shocked that, despite how young the AEW audience is, everybody knew who I was. It was just a good place to find myself.
Colette Arrand
Wrestlers do not typically get the kind of send-off that’s planned for you at Revolution. Even fewer manage to do what you’ve done over the past couple of years, recapturing some elements of their prime and seemingly finding a new gear in the process. Why retire now? What does the future look like for Sting?
Sting
This is me opening up to you, but it’s funny because I was the guy who did not want to get into pro wrestling. I didn’t even know what pro wrestling was when I got started. But I ended up being a pro wrestler, and at the beginning, I was an introvert, the last guy you’d want to get up there and entertain in front of hordes of people. But it blossomed into what it blossomed into. I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed the fans and cannot thank them enough. But after all these years, having walked through the curtain thousands of times, I’m still a nervous wreck when I go out there, and it gets pretty overwhelming to try to perform at a high level at my age, even in a short match, even if it’s a six- or eight-man tag.
Tony was actually trying to get me to stay longer, maybe retire at Wembley. But it gets tougher and tougher every time you go out there, and you have all of these guys who are ready to play — there’s only so far you can push it. It’s just time, you know? I’ve got to go. So we came up with a second plan, and Revolution is it. He’s also talking about my still being involved in some way or another, but I said “Tony, I have no idea. I’m not going to be a manager, I don’t want any more TV time,” you know? So we’re not sure yet. He’s talking to me about ambassador type stuff, he wants me to hang out and be around, so we’ll see what happens.
I’m looking forward to the end. It might be one of those things where, aside from a few personal appearances in 2024, I’m going to just slowly fade away, maybe be one of those guys you see on YouTube in those “pro wrestlers then and pro wrestlers now” videos. I’ll miss the camaraderie with the guys, the roar of the fans, the creativity; putting the pieces together and telling a good story. If I were to be utilized, maybe that’s it: character development. I could see myself doing the ambassador thing and whatever that translates into with Tony, whatever he sees, I may do that for a bit, but yeah, I’m ready. It’s kind of sad, of course, but at some point you just have to do it. There’s a part of me that’s sad, but there’s another part of me that’s relieved. It’s bittersweet, but I’m looking forward to it.
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Colette, if there's anyone I hoped would get the chance to interview Sting, it was you, reading the PWI and this just paints such a fascinating picture of a man and performer at his most honest and realistic and you captured the momentous nature of what this kind of retirement is. Thank you for such a great interview!