Tony Khan Talks First Impression of Sting, Addresses His AEW Future Post-Retirement

At AEW Revolution on March 3, Sting will give his final curtain call in professional wrestling. With a career that spans over four decades in every top promotion including WCW, TNA, WWE, and AEW Sting will be memorialized when he steps foot into the ring at the Greensboro Coliseum for a final time. 

During the recent AEW Revolution media call, AEW President Tony Khan discussed Sting's retirement and whether or not seeing him in a backstage role in the future is a possibility. In the past, Khan has noted stars like Bryan Danielson who is winding down his career will have a prominent role backstage. Khan notes that while he would love to have Sting back in AEW and he's welcome back any time, he won't be forcing it. "Last night he joked and said he was going to come back and throw on the headset," Khan said. "When Sting came back in 2020, he did not need the money. He's a great person and has made great investments. He does this because he loves it." Khan also refers to Sting as AEW's "greatest legend."

Later in the call, Khan is asked about his first impression of "The Icon." He tells a story about his visit to WCW's SuperBrawl I in 1991. Khan was just eight years old at the time and while the card opened with a Dustin Rhodes match (who is also in AEW), he was most looking forward to seeing the Steiner brothers vs. Lex Luger and Sting.

Sting debuted in AEW in 2020 at the AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming special. He began teaming with Allin who draws a lot of similarities to the veteran wrestler. His first match took place at AEW Revolution in a tag team match against Team Tao's Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Throughout his time in AEW he has partnered with some unconventional faces, including CM Punk, Matt and Jeff Hardy, Miro, Adam Copeland, and more.

Sting's final match will be a Tornado Tag Match teaming with Darby Allin against the Young Bucks, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. At the inaugural AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view in 2022, Allin and Sting would team with Shingo Takagi against The Bullet Club's Young Bucks and El Phantasmo. This match would later be the reasoning for Sting's final match being against the decorated tag team as he really enjoyed their first tussle.