AEW’s All In show, which takes place this weekend, has already made history with record-setting ticket sales, and is being considered one of the most significant wrestling shows ever. In the weeks leading up to the event, many fans and pundits speculated that even more history could be made here – as it would seem like an obvious candidate to feature the retirement match for the legendary Sting. Whether or not “The Icon” hangs up his boots after his match remains to be seen. But it’s not something AEW owner Tony Khan is pushing for. And based on his comments during a media call held on Tuesday, Sting’s retirement doesn’t even seem like something Khan wants to see any time soon.
“Sting is very well aware I would like him to stay as long as he feels physically up to wrestling,” Khan told the members of the global media on the call. “I think he really enjoys doing it, he’s having a lot of fun.”
Sting will be competing in a Tag Team Coffin Match, teaming up with Darby Allin to take on Swerve Strickland and AR Fox, who have been targeting Allin as of late. Khan is proud of the pairing of Sting and Allin, who have been aligned since Sting’s arrival in the company in late 2020. It was Khan, after all, that suggested the two of them team up.
“I’ve been very, very fortunate that Sting listened to my suggestion when he was first thinking of coming back to the ring, and I suggested that he watch some matches from a young man named Darby Allin and check him out and get familiar with him. And I wanted to introduce the two of them, because I thought they could really hit it off. And they have, to say the least,” Khan noted.
“Sometimes you hit on things in life you think are going to be good, and they turn out to be great. For me, a good example of that is Sting and Darby (Allin) together. Not just on-screen, but off-screen, too. They are an incredible pair.”
Should Sting and Allin emerge victorious, it will be one of many wins on Sting’s AEW resume, who Khan noted is undefeated in the company and has the most impressive winning streak of anyone on the roster. In running down Sting’s accomplishments, Khan showed off an almost savant-like memory, listing match after match.
“Certainly (the match at) the original Grand Slam – Sting and Darby vs. FTR – was one of the great matches in Sting’s career,” he listed as some of Sting’s greatest AEW performances. “And then he went back to New York and had another great match last year against the House of Black. I also would include the original Forbidden Door where Sting and Darby wrestled against the Young Bucks and the Bullet Club. What an amazing match, what an amazing start to the match, with Sting jumping out of the shadows onto the Young Bucks.”
Khan is confident that the match at All In will be another such memorable moment.
“I’m very excited that this will be one of the great moments in one of the great careers in wrestling. We’ve really had some really special moments for Sting in AEW. Where I think he’ll be able to hold his AEW run up as these were many of the really special, great moments in my career. I think Wembley Stadium will be a really important chapter.”
And it’s clear that Khan hopes that even more chapters will follow before the book is closed on Sting’s career. He insisted that he won’t be the one to close it – that the choice will be entirely up to Sting.
“I don’t want it to end,” Khan said definitively. “I won’t be the one to pull the plug on it. When the time comes, Sting knows he has to be the one to say ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’. Because I’m going to let him go as long as he wants. And I want him to stay as long as he can. It’s so important to me that we let Sting finish his career the right way… befitting of one of the best wrestlers of all time.”
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