Booker T: Sting’s Retirement Is Well Overdue
Booker T thinks Sting might not want to retire despite announcing when he will have his final match in wrestling.
On AEW Dynamite in Rosenberg, Texas Sting gave the sad but inevitable announcement that his in-ring career is nearing its end. After spending several decades in the wrestling business across the NWA, WCW, TNA, WWE, and now AEW The Stinger revealed that it the final showtime will come at Revolution in 2024.
No date has been announced as of yet for that event but in the last three years Revolution has taken place in the first week of March. Sting made his AEW debut at that event in 2021 when he teamed with Darby Allin to defeat Brian Cage and Ricky Starks in a cinematic Street Fight.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T gave his thoughts on his fellow former WCW star deciding to walk away from the ring and thinks it’s something that has been a long time coming:
“I’m glad for him. I’m glad he’s finally gonna hang it up and be able to, you know, move on to what’s next. You know at 65, you know, that’s like senior citizen, AARP stuff, man. Grandpa stuff.
“I don’t know, man. It’s mixed emotions, you know, because I think he’s retiring, it’s gonna be great, but I think it’s something, honestly, that’s well overdue. To have done this thing your whole life and then when you walk away from it, you know, it’s hard to walk. I’m gonna tell you right now. He might not want to retire. He might want to just say man, I’m just, you know, I ain’t gonna say I’m ever going to retire. I might just want to go walk away and leave the business, but retire?”
Booker T jokes Sting should keep going forever
Booker T then joked that he thinks Sting should keep going forever since that’s what most wrestlers try and do in a business where retirements rarely last:
“I wouldn’t say that because I’m gonna tell you right now, sitting at home, becoming an old man, receding. It can get lonely. I say stay in the ring, Sting. Don’t retire. Don’t quit. Don’t ever quit. That’s what wrestlers do. That’s just, that’s me. That’s my opinion on it. I wouldn’t retire if I was you Sting. I would stay in the ring forever. Take bumps. Fly off of stuff (he laughs).”
Booker T began winding down his full-time in-ring career in 2010 following his departure from TNA. He has competed as recently as the 2023 Royal Rumble, however, when he was a surprise entrant in the men’s Rumble match.