Cody Rhodes has stated in numerous interviews that Sting was one of his all-time favorite wrestlers growing up. So when “The Icon” arrived in AEW at the “Winter is Coming” event and stood face-to-face with “The American Nightmare,” fans instantly assumed a match would be on the way. So far that hasn’t happened — Sting has been more focussed on mentoring Darby Allin and fighting back against Team Taz, but his slight against Rhodes by calling him “kid” during a promo left that door open. In a new interview with Daniel Trainor, Rhodes was asked point-blank about having a match with Sting, and the former TNT Champion didn’t say no.
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“It’s no secret that Sting was my favorite wrestler. I had Sting in WCW and Shawn [Michaels] in WWF. But really I wasn’t supposed to watch WWF. So, Sting was everything,” Rhodes said. “I got to see him live so often and I got to see the connection he had. I honestly am scared to answer that. Obviously, as a wrestler, to stand across the ring from your hero is everyone’s dream, to share that field. So, yes, I would love and envision that. However, when you put yourself in that position, you’re no longer a fan. You’re now out to outperform them, out to beat them, however you look at wrestling. You are opposite of them. You are their dance partner, their competition. You’re all these things. That is a big responsibility and that is also just scary, especially if you’re somebody like me who loves the memory and the legacy of wrestlers.
“I never want them to feel like they have to carry on,” he added. “Their memories carry on enough as they get older. However, just to put a bow on this, he doesn’t seem to be moving around slowly. He doesn’t seem to be moving around slowly. So, I have my eyes on him hopefully as much as he has his eyes on me. I’m curious to see where things with Darby [Allin] and him go and how that unfolds. It’s such a terrifying question to answer.”
Allin will defend the TNT Championship against Brian Cage on this week’s Dynamite (Night Two of the New Year’s Smash special). Fans can expect Sting, Taz, Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs to all get involved either during or after the match.
