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Sting victorious in retirement match at AEW Revolution

Posted: Mar 4th 2024 By: Josh Nason

Sting finished his AEW career undefeated as he and Darby Allin upended the Young Bucks in the main event of Sunday's Revolution to retain the AEW Tag Team titles in Sting's retirement match.

Sting got Matt Jackson to tap out to the Scorpion Death Lock, ending what was a hellacious bout that featured ladders, table bumps and panes of real glass.

The 64-year-old will now retire as a champion with the future of the titles up in the air as of now.

Much like in previous matches, it was held under tornado rules which meant anything goes. At one point, Sting and Allin brought out the aforementioned glass from under the ring with Sting's two sons helping to set one up on chairs next to the ring.

And has been the case in those anything goes bouts, Sting took his share of punishment including a suplex from Matt Jackson off the stage through two side-by-side tables that took him out of the action for a bit.

Later, Allin took a bump through the aforementioned glass that has to be seen to be believed:

With Allin out of action, Sting made his way back into action, only to be thrown through a table off a ladder in the ring and then later hip-tossed into another pane of glass set up in the corner:

Ricky Steamboat, a guest timekeeper, was taken out by the Bucks after trying to prevent them from using a title belt. Ric Flair then got in the ring and shielded Sting, only to get superkicked. Steamboat also then got superkicked as he made his way up to the apron.

With Allin injured, Sting fought back up several times, kicking out at one after a second EVP trigger. He then took a double superkick and was about to take a TK Driver before Allin returned to toss Nick Jackson through a ringside table. Sting hit a Scorpion Death Drop to Matt Jackson, followed by an Allin coffin drop and a Scorpion Death Lock to end it.

Going into the match, Sting was 27-0 since making his debut at March 2021's Revolution -- all in traditional tag team, trios and eight-man matches. He and Allin defeated Ricky Starks and Big Bill for the titles in early-February with this being their first defense.

The post-match

Afterward, Allin got on the mic and said there was three minutes left in the PPV and wanted the fans to show their appreciation. Sting then thanked the fans as he said he has done since 1988 and also Flair. He wanted to give fans a night they would never forget as it was a night he would never forget.

Sting then put over Allin, wondering how many stitches Allin would require tonight, then saying he saw a risk-taker in Allin and that he himself was still a risk-taker which the fans responded to.

However, the rest of Sting's promo didn't air on PPV as the feed cut out after he said he was getting cued for time. AEW eventually posted some of the missing promo on X afterward as seen below:

Eventually, after Sting was done, the entire locker room came out onto the stage to applaud him which also wasn't seen on air.

The intro

Flair and Steamboat came out before the introductions, joining several other wrestlers from the past that were already at ringside including Nikita Koloff, Scotty Riggs, Magnum TA and Arn Anderson.

After Allin's introduction, a montage of Sting's career aired with still photos from his WCW days and footage from his matches in NJPW along with AEW. No TNA or WWE-owned footage was shown. Sting was shown watching it while in an empty movie theatre, eventually doing his "It's showtime" catchphrase and his traditional yell.

His two sons then came out with one dressed in Sting's Great American Bash-inspired gear with the other in his WCW Wolfpack gear before Sting entered to Metallica's "Seek and Destroy." The sons eventually got into the action, delivering Stinger splashes to both Bucks as retribution for being attacked several weeks ago.

Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone were on commentary with Excalibur, notable as Ross and Schiavone called Sting's famed March 1988 Clash of the Champions bout against Ric Flair in the same building.