On last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, we saw the first ever confrontation of Chris Jericho and Sting, when they came face-to-face in the ring.
On a new episode of ‘The Wrestling Time Machine’ podcast, legendary pro wrestling journalist Bill Apter expressed his doubts whether Chris Jericho would be a good opponent for Sting’s retirement match.
Here’s what Apter said:
“I’m in Chris Jericho’s corner on this one. I don’t know if I want to see that match, and it’s not that Sting can’t perform, but I don’t think Chris Jericho would be the right person.
We all talked for years about The Undertaker vs Sting, something we all wanted to see.
But I’m trying to think now, in AEW, who the opponent actually would be for Sting’s retirement match.
And I’m looking in my head, and I don’t see anyone there.”
Jericho himself appeared on the ‘AEW-some’ podcast and spoke about having the original idea of the face-off with The Stinger back in 2021.
Here’s what Y2J had to say:
“This is the very first time in both of our careers, which spans probaby 70 years combined, that either one of us have ever been in the ring together. Ever.
Not for a showdown, not for a battle royal, nothing. We have never ever touched or been face-to-face in a pro-wrestling ring before.
A few years ago, there’s a guy called Keith Mitchell, he was the longtime director of Dynamite, he directed Nitro for years, he directed World Class with the Von Erichs, he retired in 2021.
We had a goodbye ceremony for him in front of one of the small Jacksonville crowds during lockdown. Sting was in the ring and they asked me to come to the ring.
That was the first bit of time that Sting and I had been in the ring together. It was off camera, off TV.
I remember thinking and talking to him ‘this is crazy. We have never done anything. When the time is right, we have to do something’.
The time was right on Wednesday for the first-time ever confrontation, Sting vs. Chris Jericho.”
You can watch their face-off below:
An EPIC face-off is happening in the ring right now! 😳
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@Sting | @IAmJericho pic.twitter.com/AtvoD248Tn— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 15, 2023
Sting wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA) / Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1987 until AOL Time Warner sold the company in March 2001.
He then chose not to join the World Wrestling Federation. He signed with Total Nonstop Action! (TNA) instead, where he became a full-time Superstar from 2006 until 2014.
The Icon finally joined WWE and made his debut at the 2014 Survivor Series PPV, but had to retire from active pro-wrestling after an injury at the Night of Champions 2015 pay-per-view.
By the time he was cleared to wrestle again, his obvious dream match opponent The Undertaker retired. Sting then cut all ties with WWE and decided to join Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling in December 2020.
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