Since arriving in AEW at Winter is Coming, fans have speculated what Sting will actually be doing in the promotion. AEW has recently announced that he and Darby Allin will face off against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks of Team Taz in a tag team street fight at Revolution.
Some fans can’t be blamed for their reluctance towards a 61-year-old Sting getting back into the ring, no matter how AEW try to protect him, but with Sting getting what will almost certainly be the last run of his career, you can’t help but wonder who he will face on the way out.
The AEW roster has a wide variety of stars that will undoubtedly want to share the spotlight with the former WCW World Champion, offering up a variety of ways that the incredible career of Sting can come to an end.
Cody Rhodes
Let’s get this one out of the way early because it’s almost certainly going to happen. Cody Rhodes has not been shy in sharing that Sting is one of his all-time favourite wrestlers and there is no way that he allows Sting to come to AEW without sharing a moment with him in the ring.
Cody was even involved in Sting’s debut, but the American Nightmare won’t let his interactions with the Icon stop there, possibly being the one to give Sting his final match.
Cody has proven himself to be somewhat of a ring general with great showings during his reign as TNT Champion, so he may be able to carry an ageing Sting to a half decent match, but watching this one will only leave us wondering what seeing both men face off in their prime would look like.
Darby Allin
Another opponent that immediately springs to mind for the Icon is the current TNT Champion Darby Allin.
Allin and Sting have immediately displayed a kinship and a respect for each other on Dynamite, with Allin being positioned to carry the torch of Sting with his face paint bearing a resemblance to that of Stings.
Although the two men will be sharing the ring as partners at Revolution, we could well see them square off as Allin looks to take the torch from the man who he draws most comparison.
This one certainly won’t be pretty, but the two men could tell an incredible story in the ring as Allin continues to climb the totem pole in AEW.
Chris Jericho
WWE is often criticised for using nostalgia acts and putting them over their current crop of talent, and that essentially is what I’m suggesting here, but hear me out.
Chris Jericho and Sting are two of the biggest names in AEW and the two men squaring off would not only draw huge numbers for them, but it would create an iconic moment in wrestling history.
Despite spending three years in WCW, Jericho has never actually been in a match with Sting, with the two men being on the opposite ends of the card between 1996 and 1999.
Jericho has clearly taken some inspiration from Sting with the introduction of his own baseball bat, Floyd. But seeing Sting fight from underneath, through interference from the Inner Circle and Jericho’s cheating to eventually picking up the win could be a great story.
Or it could end up being like watching two middle-aged men fight outside a pub after one too many, but either way, I’m in.
Eddie Kingston
During his time in AEW, Eddie Kingston has displayed the ability to sell any match with his incredible promo work. To see Kingston dress down Sting and see him have a war of words with Sting would make incredible television.
Kingston and Sting, much like most of these matches, would be more about the feud then it would the actual match, Kingston’s brawling style is more likely to suit an aging wrestler like Sting then faster styles of many of the AEW stars.
2020 was a breakout year for the Mad King, but a brutal feud with Sting could increase his star power enough to push him even closer to the AEW World Championship he has been desperate to get his hands on.
MJF
If you think Eddie Kingston would give Sting a verbal ass-kicking, just wait until AEW set MJF on him.
Sting is considered to be one of the greatest white meat babyfaces in wrestling history, so it only seems right to put him in a feud with one of the best heels in wrestling today, MJF.
MJF’s short feud with Diamond Dallas Page showed the work he can do with an older wrestler, with his war of words and hilarious tweet being a highlight of Dynamite’s short history.
If this were to happen, it would be great to see MJF get some great heat from beating Sting, either cheating to win or taking things uncomfortably too far against the Icon.