Sting Discusses WWE Retirement, Decision To Go To AEW

Seasoned wrestling fans should know by now that not many wrestlers stay true to their word when they say that they are retiring. However, Sting seems to have officially hung up his boots for good as his AEW Tag Team Championship win with Darby Allin against The Young Bucks at AEW Revolution 2024 genuinely seems like the last time Sting will ever get in the ring. This retirement came eight years after The Icon 'retired' at the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and during a recent interview with "Kayfabe Friends," Sting revealed how he felt during his initial retirement, and what went through his mind when he got the call to join AEW.

"I did leave it open-ended, pretty much," Sting explained. "I didn't really want to retire at that time. It was kind of like a mutual deal that I did with WWE at the time. Vince [McMahon] wanted me to retire under his umbrella, and at the time I was okay with that. And it was five-plus years that I was retired. But I came back because, again, like I said in my little speech there, I got that phone call from Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes, and they wanted me to come back and play one more time. So I did. The rest is history."

Sting was also asked if the energy of a live crowd will be too good to turn down, something he got a little taste of during his brief cameo at AEW All In 2024. The Icon explained that anyone who says they wouldn't miss the roar of the crowd in a liar, and he will definitely miss it. However, it won't be enough lure him out of retirement any time soon.

Please credit "Kayfabe Friends" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.