WWE Hall of Famer Sting has not appeared on WWE television in any capacity since a February 2019 episode of Monday Night Raw. Back in May, the news broke that Sting was reportedly no longer under any sort of contract with the company, and speculation began to pop up over the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion appearing at AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view. The appearance never happened and the fan speculation quickly died down. But this past week WWE officially stopped selling Sting’s merchandise on WWE.com, ramping back up the predictions that Sting could appear at AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view this coming Saturday night.
One thing that aids that theory is the official commercial for Full Gear, which teases the surprise arrival of a major wrestling name while recapping all of the stars who have debuted in the promotion over the past year.
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Cody Rhodes, one of AEW’s executive vice presidents, addressed that speculation in an interview with Sports Illustrated right after Double or Nothing.
“You can read into every step I take, every breath I breathe, and every glance of my eye,” Rhodes said. “Look all the way back to All In. This is something that was willed into existence. My life is willing s— into existence. If I was a little boy and got to do a Stinger Splash and that’s where it ends, great.
“I don’t know what his schedule is like or where he’s at in this world, but nothing would please me more than to stand in a ring across from Sting,” he added. “There has been no contact, but that’s my way of reaching out.”
But even if “The Icon” does appear on AEW programming, there’s no guarantee he’ll do anything beyond a Scorpion Death Drop. He was forced to retire in 2015 after suffering a neck injury during a WWE Championship match with Seth Rollins at the Night of Champions pay-per-view.
Check out the full card for Full Gear below:
- AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston (I Quit Match)
- TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin
- AEW World Tag Team Championship: FTR vs. The Young Bucks
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose
- Chris Jericho vs. MJF
- Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara (The Elite Deletion Match)
- AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Finals: Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page
- The Buy-In: Orange Cassidy vs. John Silver
