Sting did an interview with Sports Illustrated about his time in AEW, being paired with Darby Allin, and more ahead of wrapping up his career at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event next year. Here are the highlights.
On his matches in AEW:
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what I have been able to do. I’m also my own worst critic. I tear myself apart constantly on everything little I do. I know my weaknesses. The fans can see that I don’t do some of the things I used to do, but I know my weaknesses better than anyone. I’ve gotten some inspiration from Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. He did all the classic spaghetti westerns, and now he’s the aged western guy. He’s still getting the job done, he’s just using different tactics. I’ve figured out new ways to entertain, new ways to go balls to the wall. But it doesn’t mean I’m any less hard on myself.”
On his pairing with Darby All In:
“Darby’s risk-taking, psychology, I’m beyond impressed,” said Sting. “The idea was to put me in a tag team and have Sting give the rub to Darby, but he’s given me the rub. In the best way, we’ve helped each other. We’re totally different people, but we have so much in common. When I was the new guy, the young surfer Sting, I was taking risks. I was one of the only guys my size doing headfirst dives out of the ring. Darby takes risks to a whole new level. And he knows what it’s like to sleep in his car, just like I did, as we were looking for our first break. He’s good to his parents and his friends. He remembers what it’s like to have nothing, and he’s always lending a helping hand. I can’t wait to watch him go climb Mount Everest. I have so much respect for him, and I could not have done this without him.”