Sting ended his career with a victory, but he didn’t originally want AEW Revolution to end that way.
Back in October, Sting announced that his final match would take place at the 2024 edition of AEW Revolution. Fast forward to the February 7th episode of Dynamite, and The Icon and Darby Allin successfully captured gold when they defeated Ricky Starks and Big Bill to become the new AEW World Tag Team Champions.
As March 3rd loomed ever closer, the pair found themselves embroiled in a feud with The Young Bucks, and shortly after a confrontation between Allin and the Bucks on the February 14th episode of Dynamite, it was made official that Matthew and Nicholas Jackson would serve as The Icon’s final opponents at Revolution.
The match served as the main event of the show, and the highly-praised spectacle drew some controversy when Darby Allin dove off a ladder through a pane of glass. Despite his injuries, Allin was able to finish the match, and only required 12 stitches to close his wounds.
A new report from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the spot in question was planned in advance and safety protocols were put into place. The participants had a plan for an alternate ending to the bout if Allin wasn’t able to continue, but thankfully that contingency plan didn’t come into play.
How Did Sting Want His Retirement Match At AEW Revolution To End?
Speaking of alternate endings, Barrasso also reports that Sting wanted to continue the time-honored tradition of losing in his final match, but AEW President Tony Khan and The Young Bucks themselves insisted that he go out with a victory. Barrasso writes:
“Considering Sting won, the finish was unique. The person retiring traditionally ends their career in defeat. But for those involved in the construction of the match, including CEO/GM/Head of Creative Tony Khan, it was imperative that Sting win.
“One of the only dissenting voices about the finish was Sting. He preferred to give the moment and momentum to the Bucks, who he holds in extremely high esteem. But that simply was not going to happen as Khan and the Bucks, who are Executive Vice Presidents in the company, all firmly believed that Sting should end his career with a victory.”
With the ending to the match having gone as planned, AEW has announced a tournament to crown new Tag Team Champions.
Elsewhere in the article, Barrasso writes how the controversial Darby Allin spot came about and gained approval from AEW officials.