Tony Khan says Sting’s retirement match against The Young Bucks at AEW Revolution set every business record for the event and stands as the greatest retirement match in wrestling history.
Speaking on TMZ Inside The Ring, Khan reflected on Sting’s run in AEW, which he described as a career reinvention. “Sting came into AEW and got paired up and became best friends and partners with Darby Allin,” Khan said. “Sting and Darby ended up going on one of the greatest runs ever, undefeated in their entire run in AEW. They became the World Tag Team Champions, and Sting retired undefeated in AEW.”
Khan said the retirement match itself, which took place at AEW Revolution in Greensboro, North Carolina, surpassed every milestone the event had previously set. “It set every business record for this show,” Khan said. “I think it was the greatest retirement match ever.”
Khan described the atmosphere in Greensboro as particularly fitting given Sting’s deep ties to the region. “Sting is so identifiable with that North Carolina tradition of wrestling and that great history,” Khan said. “To have so many of the great legends there, like the Nature Boy Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat, and so many of the great wrestlers that have wrestled with and against Sting in the past, it was cool.”
Khan also revealed that Sting presented him with a piece of memorabilia from the retirement match that he considers his most prized wrestling possession. “Sting gave me one of the turnbuckles. He signed it with a custom Sting design and left me a very special note,” Khan said. “It means a lot to me, and I keep that in a nice place. That is probably the most important one.”
Sting signed with AEW in December 2020 and competed exclusively for the promotion until his retirement. He and Darby Allin went undefeated as a tag team throughout their entire AEW run before Sting’s final match at AEW Revolution against The Young Bucks.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit TMZ Inside The Ring with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
