Legendary wrestler Sting has officially closed a major chapter of his career, performing his final autograph signing while wearing his signature face paint. The event took place at WrestleVerse Fest in Pittsburgh on Saturday, marking the end of an era for the “Icon” who has captivated fans for decades with his mysterious persona.
In a brief interview with Denise Salcedo, Sting reflected on the moment, expressing deep gratitude to the fanbase that has supported him through his transformation from Surfer Sting to the Crow and beyond. He confirmed that while he is stepping away from appearances in character, his relationship with AEW is not entirely over.
“I just want to say thank you, I love you, all of you, I do believe we’ve had a love affair going on for many decades now and I will miss all of you for sure,” Sting said. “But there will be little bits and pieces here with AEW, I’m sure, down the road. Love you all, thank you.”
Sting admitted that while he personally treated the day like “just another gig,” the gravity of the situation was made clear by those around him, particularly his family.
“I feel completely normal, like this is just another gig for me,” he shared. “But you have people like my daughter, for example, who is sending me these emojis on the phone, the crying emojis going ‘Dad, this is your last one ever!’ Then you know, all of my buddies and all my friends coming here and being a part of this, it’s those kind of moments, because everyone’s feeding it where it’s like this strong undercurrent of ‘Wow, this is like, the end. This really is it.’”
The Hall of Famer officially retired from in-ring competition last year at AEW Revolution, where he teamed with Darby Allin to defeat The Young Bucks in a memorable send-off. Since then, he has made sporadic cameo appearances, most notably helping Allin at WrestleDream.
AEW is currently gearing up for Worlds End on December 27 in Orlando, Florida. The event will feature a stacked card including the Continental Classic finals and a four-way match for the AEW World Championship.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Denise Salcedo with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.Â
