Sting Is Writing His Final Chapter In AEW
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Sting on Darby Allin: “We’re totally different people, but we have so much in common”
Decades have passed.
Titles have been won.
Too many matches to recall have taken place.
And a lot of memories have faded.
But Steve Borden can still distinctly recall the sadness of the final Nitro in WCW history.
Vince McMahon seized control of WCW, his longtime rival, in March of 2001. Near the end of that month, WCW aired one final episode of Nitro–the Eric Bischoff-created show that famously upended McMahon’s Monday Night Raw for 83 consecutive weeks.
Borden–best known around the globe as Sting–wrestled in the main event of the final Nitro. Wearing his signature black-and-white face paint, he wrestled his most distinguished adversary, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. This was a rematch of a bout fans had witnessed since 1987, but an air of melancholy enveloped this particular encounter. Flair, unhappy with his physical condition, wrestled in a t-shirt.
Sting–who had wrestled Flair to a 45-minute time-limit draw for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1988 at the first-ever Clash of Champions, finally overcame Flair for the title at the 1990 Great American Bash, and ultimately became the flag bearer for WCW and a seminal reason why Nitro emerged into an unstoppable force during the “Monday Night Wars”–celebrated after locking Flair in the Scorpion Deathlock. Even though his hand was raised, Sting did not feel victorious that particular evening.
“That was the last match,” said Sting. “It was so surreal. Shane McMahon was there and there was a new boss. That was the end of all we’d built in WCW.”
Courtesy AEW
Sting and Flair were destined to wrestle again, which happened a decade later in TNA. They were both in WWE together, which only amplified their memories from years prior. But this past Wednesday, on AEW Dynamite, they finally shared a moment together that surpassed that final night 22 years ago on Nitro.
“I’ve never mentioned this to the press, or even in the dressing room, but real men cry,” said Sting. “I’ve been emotional, full of tears, twice in my career. The first was Panama City when Ric and I had the last WCW match on Nitro. The second was last week on Dynamite.”
Since the 64-year-old Sting announced that he is going to retire next March at the Revolution pay-per-view, AEW owner Tony Khan promised him a surprise. That turned out to be Flair, who sauntered out to the ring on Dynamite and chopped his old rival.
“When Ric came out and I heard his music play, it hit me,” said Sting. “I had this flashback, and it made me emotional. Ric is the guy who put me on the map. We’ve traveled around the world together, and Ric helped make me. Now he’s going to finish with me.
“After all the travel, all the matches, all the press slams, all the chops, and all the woos–woooo!–I experienced the same feeling on Dynamite this past week with Ric that I did on that final Nitro. Except this time, it was so much more positive.”
In a short amount of time, AEW has created a plethora of lasting memories. It created competition for WWE, a necessity for wrestling fans who want the absolute best product. And it opened doors for many wrestlers, including Sting, who never would have wrestled again.
“Tony Khan called me and asked me to go out in style,” said Sting, who signed with AEW in 2020. “I liked that idea. I couldn’t say no.
“The AEW brand reminds me so much of the WCW brand. Tony allowed me to come back and have some fun, and I’m so grateful for that. It’s been a lot of fun.”
The man under the face paint needed closure, the type he did not get in WCW–nor was he ready for in TNA or WWE. A burning desire to finish his career in a manner befitting a legend motivated him to tighten his diet, accelerate his workload in the gym, and take extreme risks in his matches in AEW.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what I have been able to do,” said Sting, who has wrestled exclusively in multi-man matches in AEW. “I’m also my own worst critic. I tear myself apart constantly on everything little I do. I know my weaknesses. The fans can see that I don’t do some of the things I used to do, but I know my weaknesses better than anyone.
“I’ve gotten some inspiration from Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. He did all the classic spaghetti westerns, and now he’s the aged western guy. He’s still getting the job done, he’s just using different tactics. I’ve figured out new ways to entertain, new ways to go balls to the wall. But it doesn’t mean I’m any less hard on myself.”
Bringing Flair to AEW has also extended Sting’s run. Prior to Flair’s arrival, Sting was planning on ending his career at the end of 2023.
“I wanted to finish earlier, maybe in December,” said Sting. “But now that Ric is here with me, I want to go longer, all the way to Revolution.”
Courtesy AEW
A secret to Sting’s success over the past three years has been his tag team partner, Darby Allin. The two have forged a genuine friendship, with Allin’s youth emboldening Sting’s spirit.
“Darby’s risk-taking, psychology, I’m beyond impressed,” said Sting. “The idea was to put me in a tag team and have Sting give the rub to Darby, but he’s given me the rub. In the best way, we’ve helped each other.
“We’re totally different people, but we have so much in common. When I was the new guy, the young surfer Sting, I was taking risks. I was one of the only guys my size doing headfirst dives out of the ring. Darby takes risks to a whole new level. And he knows what it’s like to sleep in his car, just like I did, as we were looking for our first break. He’s good to his parents and his friends.
“He remembers what it’s like to have nothing, and he’s always lending a helping hand. I can’t wait to watch him go climb Mount Everest. I have so much respect for him, and I could not have done this without him.”
With a magnified ring presence and ability to make wrestling fans feel young again, Sting has flourished in AEW. He will wrestle in a tag match later this month at Full Gear, teaming with Allin and a partner yet-to-be-named against Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne.
With each step of the way, Sting will build to his grand finale. He is looking forward to writing the last chapter of his storied career, knowing full well that he holds a rare gift: the chance to go out on his own terms. His final match will be special, and in old-school wrestling lore, full of secrecy.
“All I can say for now is I want people to walk away and say, ‘Wow, what an ending,’” said Sting. “I’ll be three weeks away from turning 65 at that point. I want to leave people with a memory that will mean something.”
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Vlad The Superfan Gets His Hand Raised
Congratulations are in order.
The praise belongs to Vladimir Abouzeide, whose documentary–Superfan: The Story of Vladimir–was finally made available by WWE on Peacock.
Courtesy WWE
Decades-long wrestling fans require no introduction to Vlad, who has been ringside–or close to it–at shows since the 1980s.
Two years ago, WWE teased the release of this documentary. Yet for reasons that may never be explained, WWE hit pause on the project. It was finally released this past week, and although the spotlight is on Vlad, it also belongs to Mike Johnson.
An intrepid reporter from PWInsider, Johnson is Vlad’s longtime friend. He is also the driving force that kept any semblance of hope alive for this project. If not for Johnson and his unrelenting, determined pursuit of ensuring this documentary saw the light of day, people would have ever been able to enjoy Vlad’s story as told by the WWE.
Now battling Parkinson’s disease, Vlad remains a passionate wrestling fan. Fortunately, we are now able to learn his story in the most fitting way possible: from the WWE, an entity he has devoted so much of his life to supporting.
Wrestling shares plenty of similarities with real-life, but none greater than this: in the end, the good guys should win. That is exactly what happened here. So congratulations to Vlad. And though he undoubtedly won’t want the attention, congrats to Mike, too.
Tweet of the Week
My money is on Becky Lynch.
