The wrestling industry has been buzzing crazy ever since Sting returned to TNT after two decades to make his debut in AEW and everyone’s mind is running wild, crammed with ideas regarding what Sting could do in AEW with a fresh batch of wrestlers. Unfortunately, this isn’t Sting in his prime because he’s sixty-one and can’t put on 20-minute matches to be fair but we might still be able to see him in multi-man matches or even take on a managerial role but he’s going to be involved in a couple if not more programs before his contract expires. So let’s take a look at the different routes AEW can take with the stinger.
Cody and The Nightmare Family
This one is a safe bet considering he saved their asses from Team Taz when he made his debut. Sting is very clearly a babyface and can side with Cody who has been booked to look like the ace of the brand, plus, Cody has idealized Sting ever since he was a child so it would be convenient to pair these two parties together. I don’t think that Sting would go and join the Nightmare Family, not at all. Sting will most probably be an ally or a partner to them and be a helper in their struggles to fend off team Taz. However, there is another angle to this – Darby Allin. It is clear that Cody has some reservations regarding Darby Allen ever since he stole the TNT Belt off of him at Full Gear and Cody might just be around the corner from stabbing Darby in the back to confirm his heel turn that he has been teasing ever since the TNT title tournament back in April. How does this tie in with the whole Sting angle? Well, when Sting walked down to the ring during his debut, Darby squared up to him and Sting stared at him with intrigue. It has been rumoured for long that Darby would be a way of giving Sting a spot in the roster and what better way to do that than by giving him a mentor-Esque role with Darby to go up against Cody and the person who never got tired of backstabbing him, Arn Anderson.
Inner Circle
Sting has a history of going up against factions and I don’t think he will have a problem going up against the Inner Circle. Ever since their feud with the Elite, IC has kept themselves occupied with Best Friends and the whole MJF storyline which is still going on. They might have lost some of their heat but they are still quite the top heel faction in AEW even though Team Taz is giving them a run for their money. Something that would benefit the Inner Circle would be a feud with Sting. There are two legends on each side that haven’t had a match before and AEW has given them a platform to do that. Chris Jericho has even welcomed the idea of a match between the two as he shared on his Twitter a fan-made picture of a match-up card between The Painmaker and The Icon. Even though many fans wouldn’t want to see a match between the two since they are way past their primes, AEW might go this route or may even come up with a stellar cinematic match.
Lance Archer
Lance Archer might be busy with Eddie Kingston right now, but sooner or later he will be free for an angle with Sting. Archer may seem like an odd pick for a programme with the returning legend because he hasn’t been able to gain momentum ever since his loss to Cody but a feud with Sting might just be what puts him back on the map and maybe the little shove that Archer needs to ascend to the heights that he is destined to achieve. Archer has also gone on Twitter expressing his wishes to get in the ring with Sting to which he even received a response from The Icon himself. Of course, here come the limitations with the 61-year old and what he can do with spinal stenosis. Sting can also go back and forth with Jake Roberts who stands in Archer’s corner, another legend who had a somewhat similar path to that of Sting’s. It is unlikely but then again it depends on how hard of a bump Sting can take.
Jon Moxley
Moxley just got off his nine-month-long title reign which has been regarded as one of the best championship reigns in the history of professional wrestling. Unfortunately for Mox, he dropped it to Kenny Omega on the December 2 Episode of Dynamite, the same episode where Sting made his debut. It is probable that Sting might be involved in another angle for his first few weeks in AEW, but maybe down the line Sting can clash with Jon Moxley. Now, of course, we aren’t going to get deathmatches or brutal strike fests but we might just get something like a heated battle on the mic or Sting being a mentor for someone who is set to fight Mox. Mox will be taking some time off in the near future because of Renee being pregnant so when he comes back he would need a big feud or competitor. Sting would be a perfect candidate and it will not only serve the purpose of getting Mox his character drive back but also a reason for many people to turn their T.Vs to TNT on Wednesday nights because they would be the two biggest names in professional wrestling locking horns.
The Vigilante
This is the perfect role that Sting can fit into when he doesn’t have anything solid going on in AEW or maybe even be his full-time schtick on the white black and gold brand. Sting can take on a very vigilante-Esque role where he just fends off heels with his presence as we saw with his debut. Whenever the Inner Circle is beating up on SCU or when Eddie Kingston’s family is beating the shit out of anyone Sting’s music hits and everyone swiftly runs out of the ring as Sting slowly comes walking down the ramp with a bat in his hands. He would be like Batman, except for the action because well, you know, he’s sixty-one and has a broken spine. That would still be really cool though. He wouldn’t actually need to wrestle which is safe and he would still be getting his badass moments for pops from the crowd and more importantly TV Time because people want to see him on their screens.
These are some of the routes that AEW can and might take with Sting now that they have the hottest commodity in wrestling under their wing. Their options, of course, are limited as I mentioned a couple of times before that HE’S SIXTY-ONE AND HAS SPINAL STENOSIS but only time will tell. For more wrestling-related stuff go and follow @TWMWrestle on Twitter, we have tonnes of articles and wrestling news posted every day.