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AEW's Sting Talks Last Match at Revolution, Darby Allin, Faith, Taking Risks and More | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher ReportBleacher ReportBleacher ReportFacebook LogoCopy Link IconComment Bubble IconFacebook LogoCopy Link IconBleacher Report LogoFacebook LogoInstagram Logo

Countless professional wrestlers have nicknames that sound cool but are not accurate to who they are. Bret Hart wasn't a contracted hitman, Triple H and Jerry Lawler are not royalty, and Jake Roberts had a snake, but he was not a reptile himself.

Then there's Sting. Besides the Stinger name variation, the main nickname we know him by is The Icon. If anyone in this industry has earned that moniker, it's Steve Borden.

After an almost 40-year career traveling the world and entertaining countless fans, Sting is set to have his final match this Sunday at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view.

The 64-year-old legend will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships alongside Darby Allin against The Young Bucks, Nicholas and Matthew Jackson.

Ahead of his final AEW match, we spoke to The Icon about breaking into the business, plans for the future, his faith, the inspiration for his character and much more.

Sting's First Match

With Sting's final match right around the corner, many are looking back and reflecting on his legendary career. With time in regional promotions, NWA, WCW, WWE, TNA, and now AEW, The Icon has been on television as the same character for almost four decades.

After working in multiple countries and working countless matches, Sting still remembers the first time he wrestled in front of a camera. He was put on television very early in his training and spoke about how he and The Ultimate Warrior began in 1985 when talent agent Rick Bassman was recruiting wrestlers.

"I was Channel 5 in Memphis, Tennessee," Sting said. "It was Lance Russell at the helm there. It was Jim Hellwig and me. This was before the Blade Runners. We were The Freedom Fighters. We wrestled Davey Haskins and another guy, his name I've forgotten. It's been so many years.

"It was a two-minute tag match and we were supposed to come in and squash these guys, and we did. I remember that. It was just a tiny little studio at Channel 5 in Memphis. No paint at that point. We were just like these white meat babyfaces as green as can be, not at all ready to do what we were doing. We looked the part but that's where it ended. We were both so green [laughs].

"That was with Jerry Jarrett and we lasted about three months. I separated my shoulder really bad. We started Thanksgiving Day 1985. That's exactly when it was. Then that night we did a show somewhere in Alabama. That's where it all started. The Freedom Fighters were Flash Borden and Jim Justice."

"When we switched gimmicks and went to The Blade Runners, I actually gave Jim his name, Rock. So he was the first Rock [laughs]."

Tony Khan, if you are reading this, we humbly request you make a Flash Borden action figure.

To hear more about how Sting and The Ultimate Warrior broke into the business, working with Bill Watts and Ed Connors, not knowing who Hulk Hogan was and more, you can listen to the full answer in the embedded video.

Darby Allin

Almost since day one in AEW, Sting has been associated with Allin. They have won 28 matches as an undefeated duo and will head into Revolution as the tag team champions for their match against the Bucks.

Over the last few years, The Icon has had an opportunity to get to know Allin on a personal level and has grown to admire his drive to succeed. When asked where he sees the 31-year-old in five years, this is what Sting had to say.

"It depends on what his choices and decisions are," Sting said. "He is still young. He's definitely not going to be another Sting at age 64, pushing 65, who is still going to be taking bumps and being a wrestler. He has no interest in doing that at all.

"This I do know. Whatever he sets out to do at all, he will be successful because he has a work ethic that is beyond what mine was in so many ways. If there's a small crowd or large crowd, it doesn't matter. He's going to go balls to the wall. No matter who he's wrestling, a big name, a no-name guy, it doesn't matter. Darby is just going to go for it.

"He's always thinking, not just about himself but about others and how to make AEW as a whole better. How to get a better rating. How to get the roar of the crowd to happen. To put butts in seats. He's a leader, a guy who was bullied as a kid and has figured it out and he now leads by example. And I believe his creativity and his innovative mindset in the ring and out of the ring is going to open so many doors for him outside of wrestling."

Allin has worked on producing an independent film while continuing to pursue his other passions, including an upcoming adventure that is on almost every thrill seeker's bucket list.

"He's getting ready to climb Mt. Everest," Sting said. "I'm a praying man and I'll be praying for him because that weather can change so quickly and so drastically in the blink of an eye. He's a go-getter kind of a guy and he's hungry to succeed.

"He's a family guy, too. He cares for his family and friends. I've watched the way he treats his mom, his dad, his brothers, and friends of his that he's known and supported and given them a place to live, given them jobs, given them work.

"A lot of the vignettes you have seen of Darby and me, that's Darby's brainchild most of the time. He's got his own film crew and he produces a lot of this stuff."

Post-retirement Plans and Faith

For a lot of wrestlers, retiring from in-ring competition does not mean leaving the business. Many transition into roles such as agent, producer, trainer and on-screen manager or commentator. Some choose to open their own school while they are still active wrestlers to create a future for themselves. A perfect example is The Nightmare Factory.

For Sting, being a behind-the-scenes guy has never been a goal partly because it was never his goal to be a professional wrestler in the first place.

"I have never had a desire to do that," Sting said. "I've always marveled at the guys who could hang out as a manager or an agent. I'm different. I didn't know what pro wrestling was when I started. I didn't know who Hulk Hogan was. I had no interest in breaking into pro wrestling. And even after Rick Bassman tried for weeks to get somebody, I just didn't have any interest."

The Stinger's original desire was to be successful in traditional sports. He played multiple as a young man and stayed active into adulthood as a co-owner of a gym, but his love of pro wrestling was something that developed over time.

"I was the guy who was going to do football, baseball or basketball," he said.

"But I got to be a young man and realized, 'Okay, I'm not going anywhere in all three of those. What am I going to do?' As a little kid, I always pictured myself doing something in stadiums and arenas and I thought it would be the big three.

"I was best at football but had a love of game for basketball. I tried the bodybuilding thing and I was looking at Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was making movies and he didn't speak the English language when he first got here. Austrian guy who started doing movies and he was making money in real estate. And I thought, 'If he can do it, I can do it.'"

"So I started lifting weights and doing the competitive bodybuilding thing, and bouncing and bartending in a nightclub in Hollywood and co-owned this Gold's Gym. And here comes Rick Bassman and the rest is history.

"I never wanted to be a pro wrestler and I ended up as a pro wrestler. 'Four or five years and I'm done. I'm going to make my money and get out.' So prideful just like every young and dumb guy out there. I just didn't have any direction.

"I stuck with it all these years and learned how to love wrestling. I got to love the camaraderie with the guys on the road and traveling all over the world and the roar of the crowd. And so here I am 40 years later [laughs].

"Once I made up my mind and had a resolve to do it, I'm going all out. Anything in life, if you're trying to be successful in it, you can't go halfway. You've got to go all out. All or nothing."

As a kid, I watched these two be heroes on tv. As a man, I met two amazing humans who lived up to every bit of the legend built in my mind. Strong in faith and genuinely wonderful to meet. @Sting and @GenuineLexLuger, thank you for sharing some of your time with me. pic.twitter.com/xdeJQ8ElOQ

Outside of wrestling, Sting has also developed a love of real estate and has already been involved with it for some time, even going back to before his time as a wrestler. He plans to continue pursuing that while also using his platform to discuss his faith in the hopes of being a positive influence.

"Like Arnold who made money in real estate before he ever started making movies, I made money in real estate long before I got into pro wrestling," He said. "Real estate is always something I have been interested in. The buying and selling of houses and dirt is a good thing.

"I've been outspoken about who Jesus is to me and the fact that I'm a born-again Christian and a believer since August of 1998 when my life changed drastically overnight. I'm lucky, blessed, that I'm alive. I should not be here."

To hear Sting talk more about his faith and his love of real estate, you can hear his full response in the embedded video.

Sting's Willingness to Take Risks in Matches

One of the most surprising aspects of Sting's AEW run to newer fans has been his willingness to take risks by doing big spots. Some may think Allin's risk-taking nature has been an influence on The Icon, but in reality, taking chances with dives and big moves has always been part of his playbook.

"In the '80s and early '90s, I was doing head-first dives out of the ring," Sting said. "Over the top rope onto the floor, into the chairs, onto the tables, onto human bodies, press slammed by guys like Sid Vicious. You're like nine feet up in the air when he's got you up there and dropping you through tables.

"Sid and I did that every night for weeks. I don't know how many tables I've gone through during my career, even before I started with AEW. So jumping off of balconies, okay, I didn't really jump off of balconies [laughs] but it's not like it's something brand new and foreign to Sting. I want wrestling fans to know that even now, at my age, I'm still going to put it out there and go balls to the wall.

"I'm hoping that everybody walks away from Revolution going 'Wow, what an incredible memory. A night that we will not forget.' That's all I want."

How Does Sting Want to Be Remembered?

In professional wrestling and in life, many people often wonder how they will be remembered. We can never know what our own legacy will be, but Sting knows exactly how he hopes the fans will remember him, and it's not just for his ability to get a pop.

The man behind the paint is a proud born-again Christian whose faith is no small part of his life. He has never shied away from discussing it and hopes his quality of character is what people will focus on when thinking about The Stinger.

"It's going to be the Jesus Christ answer," Sting said when asked how he wants to be remembered. "I just want everybody to know 'Yeah, he was one of those believers in Jesus Christ.' or 'He was a true Christian man. He was the real deal in Christ.' Whether they believe in god or not, I'd like to be remembered like that.

"And after that, it would just be that I didn't change. Yes, I changed my persona on and off, my likeness and gimmick a few times. From surfer Sting to crow Sting to Wolfpac Sting to Joker Sting and now old man Sting.

"I want to be remembered as someone who just cared about the kids that were there, the innocent minds that were there."

The Inspiration for His Character

We usually end our AEW interviews by asking talent to review a movie, but when it came to Sting, we had to ask him about The Crow. In a somewhat surprising revelation, Sting revealed he's never seen the movie from start to finish in one sitting, which led to him discussing some of the other influences behind the version of his character fans nicknamed Crow Sting.

"I do remember those movies and I was dubbed that name, Crow Sting, and I took from many many different people that influenced me," Sting said. "From the band Kiss to even Rocky Horror Picture Show. That was like a cult movie in California. You know, Batman. So many people influenced me over the years.

"I suppose possibly The Crow character may have had some influence but it was nothing that I ever really thought about until everybody said 'He's Crow Sting.' and I went 'Oh, okay. Yeah, I see that.' I saw the movie I think. I don't think I've seen the whole movie from beginning to end. I've just seen bits and pieces of it over the years, but I remember when it first came out.

"When I was developing this Crow character, I wasn't thinking about the movie at all. I was thinking about Kiss, I was thinking about Rocky Horror, I was thinking about Batman. And there's others that influenced me over the years."

"But it's just weird, that Crow thing, of all things Crow, why wouldn't that be something on the forefront? I don't know"

In our original interview with Sting following his AEW debut, he also credited Scott Hall for giving him the initial idea to change up his look in the first place.

You can see Sting's final match this Sunday on Bleacher Report when he and Allin defend the AEW World Tag Team Championships against The Young Bucks in what is sure to be a memorable occasion.

Considering his first televised appearance was in a tag bout alongside another wrestler who would go on to famously sport face paint, it feels fitting that he will end his career doing the exact same thing.

Whether he goes out on top or on his back, it's going to be the end of one of the most memorable runs in pro wrestling history.