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Wrestling Icon Sting Retires at AEW Revolution

Sting bid farewell to pro wrestling with one last victory

Justin Barrasso

Wrestling Icon Sting Retires at AEW Revolution
Wrestling Icon Sting Retires at AEW Revolution /

Before Sting retired, he added one more victory to his legacy.

In an unforgettable finale, Sting and Darby Allin teamed together to defeat The Young Bucks in the main event of AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view.

Sting on Wrestling The Young Bucks: ‘Whose Choice Was It? It Was Mine’

Plenty of wrestling royalty was in attendance, with Ric Flair ringside and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat introduced as the special guest timekeeper. A short-but-meaningful video was played, sharing a number of hits on Sting’s highlight reel, and then Sting’s sons–dressed as Surfer Sting and NWO Wolfpac Sting–walked their father to the ring.

The match started off with Sting and Allin in full control, but the Bucks took control by hitting each of their opponents with a suplex through a table. This was a tornado tag, so a ladder, panes of glass, and steel chairs–which were all used in one outrageous dive off a ladder from Allin–were all part of the match.

The Allin ladder spot was crucial, as it removed the daredevil from the match. It allowed for Sting to take some wild bumps. Sting again went through a table, and he was flung through a pane of glass. Steamboat and Flair also got involved in the physicality, taking superkicks from the Bucks.

Each time it appeared the Bucks had Sting defeated, the crowd came alive every time Sting kicked out at two. The Bucks appeared to have the match won, until Allin returned and put Sting back in control. It was a star-making performance for Allin, and Sting then made Matt Jackson tap with the Scorpion Deathlock.

It was a fitting finish for a wrestling legend, who celebrated in the ring following the victory, soaking up the moment with an extremely devoted fan base before and after the pay-per-view went off the air.

Here are the results from an exceptional night of pro wrestling:

  • TNT champion Christian Cage defeated Daniel Garcia
  • Eddie Kingston defeated Bryan Danielson to retain the Continental Crown Championship
  • Wardlow won the All-Star Scramble.
  • Roderick Strong defeated Orange Cassidy to become the new AEW International champion
  • The Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli defeated FTR
  • AEW women’s champion Toni Storm defeated Deonna Purrazzo
  • Will Ospreay defeated Konosuke Takeshita
  • AEW world champion Samoa Joe defeated Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page in a triple threat match
  • Sting and Darby Allin defeated the Young Bucks to retain the AEW tag team titles

The opener was exactly what it should be, a match that made a lively crowd in Greensboro even hotter. Daniel Garcia entered the ring in a scorpion jacket in honor of Sting, and people were hungry to see him win the TNT title from Christian.

The crowd erupted when Garcia hit a piledriver and got to as close to three as possible before Christian kicked out. In the end, Christian won with his interference formula, getting help from the Wayne family to win the match. There is more meat on the bone to Christian’s reign, but the crowd badly wanted a title change, and it would have been a phenomenal moment had Garcia won.

In somewhat of a surprise, Bryan Danielson wrestled Eddie Kingston in the second match of the night. This was, in a word, tremendous.

There are very few in the world on the same level as Danielson, and he played the heel in magnificent fashion to build toward Kingston’s triumphant moment. The story of the match saw Danielson lose his composure, allowing this to turn this more into a brawl, which favored Kingston, leading to the biggest victory of his career.

The key moment happened after the finish, when Danielson stayed true to the stipulation of the match and shook hands with Kingston. Danielson highlighting Kingston made him look like a star, exactly what AEW needs.

And a unique storyline moving forward is that Danielson has never won a singles title in AEW, which could lead to one more pursuit of the world title.

Wardlow won the All-Star Scramble. This was an eight-man match also featuring Chris Jericho, Lance Archer, Magnus, Hook, Powerhouse Hobbs, Dante Martin, and Brian Cage, and it was exactly what you thought it would be. There were plenty of high spots, but too many points when this felt too contrived–especially with wrestlers waiting outside the ring for their moment in the ring.

In the end, Wardlow powerbombed and pinned Dante Martin, setting up a future shot at the AEW title.

Roderick Strong then defeated Orange Cassidy to win the International Championship. The story going into this match was that Cassidy’s back was injured to the point where he should not compete, and that was consistent with the way Strong attacked Cassidy.

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Strong is exactly what Cassidy needs: a strong rival. That has been lacking during his time with the belt, and the two men share a great deal of chemistry.

After the match, Kyle O’Reilly reappeared.

Due to a significant neck injury, O’Reilly has been out of action since the summer of 2022. It was great to see O’Reilly in the ring, though this was an odd segment.

Initially it looked as though Strong was going to attack Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett. Instead, he congratulated Strong on his victory. Before walking out, he did not accept the invitation to the Undisputed Kingdom. This felt like it would have been better saved for Dynamite on Wednesday, but it definitely adds another layer to the story.

Wearing shoulder spikes on their way to the ring like Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli wrestled a superb match against FTR.

This felt like it should have had tag team gold involved. The intensity was high from the time it started, and though I am not thrilled that FTR lost to two wrestlers who are primarily singles stars, Moxley and Castagnoli work together extremely well as a team–and should continue working together. Dax Harwood, who was covered in blood, and Cash Wheeler were both excellent, and hopefully this program continues.

Toni Storm extended her reign title, defeating Deonna Purrazzo. This wasn’t their best work, and it just never got to the next level. Unsurprisingly, outside interference was attached to the finish. And it puts Purrazzo, a new addition to AEW, in a difficult spot.

With Mercedes Moné set to arrive in AEW later this month, the landscape will change dramatically. Purrazzo will have to work especially hard to keep her momentum, especially with a superstar like Moné arriving in only a couple of weeks.

In Will Ospreay’s official AEW debut, he defeated Konosuke Takeshita in an exceptional bout. No one in the world can wrestle like Ospreay, which is clear after watching him wrestle for all of five minutes. He was his spectacular self here, and it will be fascinating to see how he evolves in AEW–and whether he can lead the company as its champion.

Another revelation in this match was the continued brilliance of Takeshita. Perhaps I am in the minority with this belief, but I believe Takeshita, 28, will have an even better career in AEW than Ospreay, 30. Watching these two develop as AEW stars will be a lot of fun over the coming years.

Before Sting wrestled in the finale, Samoa Joe defended the AEW world title in a triple threat against Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page. Jim Ross joined the commentary team for the match, giving it an even bigger feel.

With this in the co-main spot, it was clear that the title was not changing hands. Swerve did have the match won, but Page pulled the referee out of the ring. Page then knocked Swerve out with a belt shot, then hit two buckshot lariats on Joe–but by the time a new referee arrived, Page only got a two count. Swerve opted not to use Prince Nana’s crown to help him win, and when he got another advantage on Joe, then Page started to attack the referee, ensuring he could not cover any winning pinfall for Swerve.

The finish came when Joe took advantage of the fighting between Page and Swerve, getting Page to tap to the Coquina Clutch. Commentary highlighted the point that Page likely tapped out largely so Swerve would not become champion, which adds more intensity to their feud.

Outside of the scramble and the women’s title match, there was plenty to like about Revolution. During the pre-show, there was a vignette where Pac announced he is returning, which is a welcome addition–and a new pay-per-view, Dynasty in St. Louis on April 21, was also announced.

Kyle O’Reilly is back, Mercedes Moné and Kazuchika Okada are coming, and the Will Ospreay era has begun. This is a critical time for AEW, beginning this Wednesday on Dynamite.

Published
Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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