Sting surprised everyone when he made his AEW debut in December 2020. Before that, he had a brief stint with WWE, which didn’t go as he had hoped.
Initially, Sting was hesitant to join the WWF after they bought out WCW. However, he eventually signed with WWE in 2014 and quickly became a prominent figure, engaging in major rivalries. Despite his star power, many fans believed he deserved better storylines and matches.
In 2015, during a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions, Sting suffered a serious neck injury, leading to his first retirement, which he officially announced during his WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2016.
In an interview with Kayfabe Friends, Sting revealed that Vince McMahon wanted him to retire under WWE, though Sting still felt the urge to keep wrestling.
At the time, he agreed to step away but left the possibility of returning to the ring open.
Here’s what The Icon said:
“I did leave it open-ended pretty much. I didn’t wanna retire at that time. It was kind of a mutual deal with WWE at that time. Vince wanted me to retire under his umbrella. And at that time I was okay with that.”
Sting eventually retired from in-ring competition at the AEW Revolution 2024 PPV, after having an undefeated run in All Elite Wrestling and he retired as the AEW World Tag Team Champion.
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