MGP: AEW does right by Sting with an incredible send-off at Revolution

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“The most important thing we’ve ever done was to give Sting the greatest sendoff we could.” – Tony Khan on the Final Showtime.

Say what you want about All Elite Wrestling’s CEO, but Tony Khan’s passion and love for pro wrestling may be unmatched by anyone else walking the planet. You hear it in his voice and you see it in his eyes any time he gets the opportunity to even talk about pro wrestling. And last night (Mar. 3) in Greensboro, North Carolina he produced one of the greatest nights and send-offs in the history of the sport.

No hyperbole with that statement. None whatsoever. It was more than worth the 7-hour drive in from Cincinnati to say that I was there. I was there for Sting’s Final Showtime.

Wrestling fans from all generations packed the historic Greensboro Coliseum in high spirits and mixed emotions. You could feel the energy as you approached the venue from the parking lot.

Thousands of fans decked out in their best Stinger cosplays. Fathers as the platinum blonde surfer who tore the house down at this very same venue in March of 1988 in 45-minute time limit draw with the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Their sons donning the white and black Crow make-up that my generation grew accustomed to see flying into our TV picture from the rafters every Monday Night.

Long black leather coats on a 70 degree day, stretched around the building an hour before the doors would open to let the fans inside. Some I spoke with were already fighting back tears in anticipation of watching The Icon perform one last time.

Sting is a man, nay a legend, who has meant so much to the industry and its millions of fans around the globe. It’s hard to quantify his impact with any one sentence. Revolution was a celebration we all deserved and one that Tony Khan was determined to give to the world.

“You’re just one of the sweetest, most genuine, unselfish people I’ve ever met in my life. And of course, you wouldn’t fight to be undefeated, of course you wouldn’t, fight to take the spotlight, but you deserve it. You deserve the spotlight, you deserve everything,” Tony Khan said during the post-Revolution press conference. “The Final Showtime was something I think was a culmination of, what I believe, is the greatest career in the history of pro wrestling. Spanned more decades, more opponents, more companies. And I thought tonight was, for me, one of the greatest nights of my life.”

The match itself was an absolute spectacle, that opened with a love letter to Stinger’s Hall of Fame career. A six minute highlight video as the man of the hour watched on from an empty movie theater with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

And then… the party really got started.

Of course Tony Khan cut the necessary check to acquire Metallica’s “Seek and Destroy” one final time. It was The Icon’s battle cry on special occasions and there was no more special time than now to blare those famous chords. But only after the audience was taken for one final nostalgia ride with the introduction of his sons, Garrett and Steven Borden, dressed to impress in their father’s best ring gear from year’s past.

“When Garrett came out, my oldest son, as Surfer Sting, the reaction from the crowd was just what I had hoped that it would be. It was great,” Sting said during show media event. “I wanted people to go, ‘is this real’? I wanted them to feel like they were going back in time, and they did with the video, and then they did with Garrett, and I think they did with Steven too, as Wolf Pack [Sting]. So it was just a phenomenal deal.”

Sting’s sons were not just there for moral support either. The entire Borden family, along with Darby Allin, teed off on the Young Bucks from the moment the bell finally rung. The Tag Team Champions had the upper hand early, giving the illusion it would be an easy night at the office.

It was not.

Once Garrett and Steven made their exit, the Bucks were able to turn momentum in their favor, sending Darby and Sting flying through tables off the main stage. Which, in hindsight, turned out to be some of the milder bumps of the evening for the Tag Team Champions.

Look… you don’t need me to tell you what happened. You saw it. We all saw it. And if you didn’t, the video is right there. Although to be honest, I still cannot believe that Darby Allin went crashing through a pane of glass from what had to be 20 feet in the air… and then FINISHED THE MATCH!

“I wanted to come here to let people know I was still alive,” Darby joked(?) during -show media scrum. “It was crazy, ‘cause as I flipped through it, and [the doctors are] like, ‘are you gonna continue?’ I’m like, ‘f—k yeah, dude!’”

A relief to hear afterward, but in real time there was genuine concern in the stands as many of us were only able to catch a glimpse of Darby’s motionless body covered in blood. And yet, when the match reached it’s climax, Darby was there with one final Coffin Drop —allowing Sting to slap on his last Scorpion Death Lock for the incredibly sweet victory.

“I feel fine though,” Darby said. “And as long as Flair, Steamboat, Sting, The Bucks, and everybody else feels fine, then we’re beautiful.”

With Darby out of commission for much of the matches final act, the door was open for both the Nature Boy (let’s be honest, we all knew Ric was going to get involved didn’t we?) and special guest timekeeper Ricky the Dragon Steam Boat to come to Stinger’s aid.

The Young Bucks made quick work of the Icon’s contemporaries, leaving Sting to make the final stretch run of his career all on his own — while his tag team partner was seeking medical attention on top of a pile of broken glass.

Given the incredible honor of asking Sting the final question at –Revolution media scrum, I had to know how he was able to keep his composure and put on a classic performance after such an insanely scary bump.

“I always trust that Darby’s gonna be okay, but this was pretty hairy tonight. I gotta admit it was pretty hairy,” Sting said, but in the end the spot only added to a spectacular night for the Icon. “I don’t think any of us out there missed a beat tonight. It was just so much fun. I mean, I wish [Darby] wasn’t all beat up and hamburger meat on his back but man, what a great memory. What a great night. Couldn’t ask for better opponents. Couldn’t ask for a better partner. To have my two sons involved, what a way to end.”

Sting was also quick to point that “the old guy” went through his fair share of tables last night as well, and admitted as the matches conclusion neared, he was praying for a strong finish.

After the final bell, the crowd of 16,000 plus fans showered Sting with thunderous applause as confetti reigned down. A truly iconic career had come to close, and according to Sting, it ended on one of the highest notes possible.

“I just left a meeting with the Bucks, and I told ‘em, ‘This is up there with the top three matches in my whole career.’ And I mean, that’s a big statement. I really do mean that. What a way to end it with AEW. And so kudos to the Bucks. And of course, Darby, of course, Tony [Khan].”

It was a night many of us will never forget. It was a night Sting will never forget. Thank you to everyone involved for making it happen. Thank you to Tony Khan. Thank you to AEW. And of course, one final time — Thank you to a legend. Thank you to the Icon.

Thank you, Sting.

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