Sting chose to face The Young Bucks after enjoying a previous match involving the tag team.
On January 10th the final element of The Icon’s retirement match was put into place. With the date and location previously set, Tony Schiavone asked the Hall of Famer who would have the honour of the final match. Before The Icon had a chance to answer, The Buck’s music hit and the former Tag Team Champions made their way onto the stage.
The reveal was met with some resistance as fans felt that The Bucks were not a suitable choice for a match of this magnitude. However, according to a new report, this was a personal request from The Icon.
As reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Sting chose The Young Bucks due to their previous match that took place at Forbidden Door. Additionally, it was added that Tony Khan let the Hall of Famer choose anyone who could realistically appear at Revolution:
Tony Khan was going to give Sting the option to pick whoever he wanted to face, and that would include pretty much anyone on the AEW roster or most other rosters besides WWE since Khan would have given him any match he wanted that involved talent he could have access to. When he was asked who he wanted to face, they were his choice, as he loved doing the Forbidden Door 2022 match in Chicago (Sting & Allin & Shingo Takagi vs. Bucks & El Phantasmo).
Following a loss to Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega at Full Gear, Matt and Nick Jackson took an extended hiatus from the company. It is also reported that they returned to TV earlier than expected at the request of The Icon:
The Young Bucks were originally going to take more time off before returning but Sting asked them and they weren’t about to turn that down.
Sting Never Wanted A One-On-One Match
Along with the criticism of the opponent, some felt that the former World Champion should have ended his career by competing in a singles match. In an interview in late 2022, Sting discussed his retirement plans and stated that it was always his plan to take part in a multi-man match and for Darby Allin to be involved.