Should Sting Go To AEW?

Reports are circulating regarding Sting’s contractual status with WWE. According to several sources, Sting is now officially a free agent in the wrestling world once again, having been let go from his legends contract for the foreseeable future. News began with Mattel removing Sting’s upcoming action figure from their legends line, claiming that they’ll commence production on the figure once a contract has been negotiated, lending credence to the possibility of WWE working a deal with Sting to maintain his likeness/rights.

In the meantime however, Sting is free to appear in whichever promotion he may desire. Naturally, Cody was the first on the scene to stake him claim to the former WCW and TNA flag-bearer, one of his all-time favourites. Sting teased a potential relationship with All Elite Wrestling to be on the cards in the near future, but at 61 years old, is a full-time career a viable option for Sting?

‘The Icon’ is of course a headline attraction wherever he goes, having made two very prominent brands a credible challenger to WWE’s status quo over the last three decades. With AEW shaping up as their latest competitor, Sting is almost a must to be featured on the show in some capacity. Cody isn’t exactly shy about including older stars from his father’s era in his weekly programming. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts has become a prominent figure as well as former Horsemen Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. Nostalgia is indeed big money in this day and age.

Sting has been pretty open about his desires to step back into the squared circle to write a better ending to his in-ring days. Having been ‘retired’ by Seth Rollins in 2015, Sting has been unable to fulfil all the dream matches that wrestling fans have been dying to see for generations. Of course, the titanic battle between ‘The Icon’ and ‘The Deadman’ has been on the cards since Sting first signed with WWE. A few rumours suggested that WWE were trying to make things happen for one of the Saudi shows, but as time has told, it just didn’t come together.

With Sting chomping at the bit to get back in the ring to right a few wrongs, perhaps AEW is the best place for him? With a locker room full of capable talent who are ready to keep Stinger safe in the ring while making him look like the legendary megastar that he is, there could be no better place for him to next take his services. But is this the safest decision for him to make at this stage?

Even though Sting is a veteran in between the ropes, ring rust is likely going to keep him from performing at his usual standard, or at least one that would produce a match worthy of being considered his final hurrah. Quite frankly, there’s nobody that could really fill the boots of being Sting’s very final opponent, perhaps maybe Chris Jericho, but at this point it definitely should be The Undertaker.

This is all relying on the assumption that ‘The Icon’ chooses to actually compete in an AEW ring. Former WCW stars like Bret Hart have proven that you can appear on AEW TV and not actually lace up the boots. Sting could definitely be a welcome addition to any card, even if its just to watch over a match as a special guest enforcer or to help unveil a new championship/feature on AEW Dynamite. It would certainly create a spike in the ratings for AEW, something that’s a necessity in the ratings war with NXT.

Sting could even tap into his old macabre ways and help forge a new star that dips their toes into the supernatural. Perhaps a budding star like Darby Allin could use the managerial services of Stinger in his plight to become a superstar in All Elite Wrestling. This could easily apply to anyone on the AEW roster: in the same way that Tully Blanchard helped peak popularity for Shawn Spears, Sting could easily bring some newfound appreciation to one of the other meandering performers who are looking for their big break.

It almost seems like this is going to lead to a gang war between former WCW stars and their chosen AEW students. A unique scenario that has yet to go down in mainstream wrestling, almost like a better version of the original NXT. A strange way to utilise Sting, but something that could at least utilise him in a massive way but also keeping him safe from any potential in-ring disasters.

With all this in mind, should Sting take the plunge into AEW waters or should he just wait out the clock until WWE are able to afford to sign him back onto a legends contract? No matter where Sting’s career goes from here, nobody will be able to take away just how much he’s done for the wrestling world over the years. AEW might be the next big step for him, but perhaps it won’t be in the same vein as his WCW/TNA days.