Sting Concedes His Career Didn't Play Out Like He Intended

Despite the fact he originally retired from professional wrestling when he was inducted into WWE's Hall Of Fame back in 2016, Sting remains an active wrestler to this day at the age of 63, having competed 13 times since he joined AEW in 2020. Wrestling to that age at a high level is rare in the business, and he admitted to D Magazine that he never planned on doing that.

"I swore to myself, 'I'm never going to be one of those guys,'" he said. "And I'm one of those guys 10 times over. I looked at all these guys a generation before me, and I thought, 'Man, why do they stay in it so long?'" he says. "I don't get it. Make your money, do what you want to do, and get out."

Retirements in wrestling are always hard to believe, as few people have genuinely stayed away from the ring when they have claimed to be finished. The likes of Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, and most recently Ric Flair have stepped back for at least one more match over the years, and Sting always thought, "I'm not going to be like all the rest of the guys."

"Just like I said in the beginning, 'I'm not going to be in this in 45 years,'" he said. "And here I am."

Sting has yet to compete in 2023 with his most recent match being at Full Gear last November when he and Darby Allin teamed up to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, and since then he has only appeared in non-physical roles due to the fact he underwent knee surgery. However, he is due back in the ring soon as he and Allin will be teaming with Keiji Muto for the latter's retirement match as the trio faces Hakushi, AKIRA, and Naomichi Marufuji on January 22.