Photo: Lex Luger Shares Backstage Pic With Sting At AEW Revolution 2024
Last night's AEW Revolution pay-per-view saw Sting participate in his final wrestling match. Various legends attended the WWE Hall of Famer's final bow, including former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger, who posted a picture with "The Icon" backstage on social media. Sting's former tag team partner and rival captioned the image with, "Oh what a night!! Stinger went out in style!! @Sting."
Oh what a night!!
Stinger went out in style!!
😊❤️
@Sting pic.twitter.com/P94bwcFhbK— Lex Luger (@GenuineLexLuger) March 4, 2024
Luger and Sting teamed up for the first time in a six-man tag team match at a NWA TV taping in March 1988. The following month, the pair overcame Dick Murdoch and Ivan Koloff, The Barbarian and The Warlord, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane, and Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard to win that year's Jim Crockett Cup. After that victory, the duo feuded with Anderson, Blanchard, and the rest of the Four Horsemen. They would eventually become rivals in WCW, with Sting defeating Luger at Superbrawl II to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The pair later reunited, capturing the WCW World Tag Team Championship. In 2003, they crossed paths in the ring for the final time, with AJ Styles and Sting defeating Jeff Jarrett and Luger on TNA's 71st weekly pay-per-view.
Sting's final match at last night's Revolution event saw "The Icon" and Darby Allin retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship against The Young Bucks. Notably, Sting was accompanied by Ric Flair and his sons Garrett and Steven Borden for that match. Magnum T.A., Koloff, Diamond Dallas Page, and Scotty Riggs also attended to witness Sting's last bout.
Luger had initially been coy about whether or not he'd be in attendance
While many fans expected Lex Luger to be part of Sting's farewell festivities, the former WWE and WCW star chose to be ambiguous about his plans until the night of the show. During the February 24 edition of his "Lex Expressed" podcast, Luger commented on whether he'd be at AEW Revolution. This prompted him to discuss his relationship with "The Icon," suggesting that he was never in two minds about making the trek.
According to Luger, Sting has been there for him during some of the most challenging moments of his life. He recalled almost losing his arm following a motorcycle accident and Sting being the one who convinced the doctors not to cut it off. "The Icon" speaking up proved to be wise in the end, as Luger left the hospital with his limbs intact and went on to recover from his injuries. Luger hasn't forgotten about that moment, and he clearly thinks the world of the WWE Hall of Famer.
Luger previously stated that he and Sting have had similar journeys, and their friendship transcends the wrestling business. They've had each other's backs through thick and thin, so it's hardly surprising that the "Total Package" made the trip to the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina to cheer on his buddy against The Young Bucks. Unfortunately, some of Sting's old friends and colleagues didn't have the option to vocally support him in the lead-up to his last-ever bout, as it risked ruffling some feathers in another promotion.
Luger later provided more details on those under WWE contract potentially attending
Sting might be a WWE Hall of Famer, but that means nothing in the current wrestling war. AEW and WWE are still competitors at the end of the day, and the latter company's higher-ups reportedly didn't want its legendary alums promoting its biggest rivals' pay-per-view — even if it did involve someone who's competed at WrestleMania. Lex Luger has since provided more insights into the matter, with his comments confirming that WWE issued a strict edict to some veteran talents regarding Sting's swansong.
While WWE alums weren't prohibited from attending the show, Luger told "Busted Open Radio" that they had to keep their lips sealed if they planned on going. "You know, there's a memo been put out by all of us WWE legend guys under Legend contracts that we've all seen," he said ahead of Revolution. "We can't technically announce that we're going to be there because that would be like advertising ourselves to be at a competitor's event." Despite this, Luger didn't hesitate to hint that he'd be in Greensboro to support his friend.
Luger isn't the only legend who's discussed this subject to some degree. Kevin Nash recently stated that he couldn't attend Revolution as he's a WWE guy, and he didn't want to risk appearing on-screen and giving people the wrong idea about his allegiances. While Nash said that he would watch the match and talk about it afterward, his relationship with WWE's Paul "Triple H" Levesque is too important for him to risk being affiliated with AEW.