AEW’s Sting Talks Last Match at Revolution, Darby Allin, Faith, Taking Risks and More

For a lot of wrestlers, retiring from in-ring competition does not mean leaving the business. Many transition into roles such as agent, producer, trainer and on-screen manager or commentator. Some choose to open their own school while they are still active wrestlers to create a future for themselves. A perfect example is The Nightmare Factory.

For Sting, being a behind-the-scenes guy has never been a goal partly because it was never his goal to be a professional wrestler in the first place.

“I have never had a desire to do that,” Sting said. “I’ve always marveled at the guys who could hang out as a manager or an agent. I’m different. I didn’t know what pro wrestling was when I started. I didn’t know who Hulk Hogan was. I had no interest in breaking into pro wrestling. And even after Rick Bassman tried for weeks to get somebody, I just didn’t have any interest.”

The Stinger’s original desire was to be successful in traditional sports. He played multiple as a young man and stayed active into adulthood as a co-owner of a gym, but his love of pro wrestling was something that developed over time.

“I was the guy who was going to do football, baseball or basketball,” he said.

“But I got to be a young man and realized, ‘Okay, I’m not going anywhere in all three of those. What am I going to do?’ As a little kid, I always pictured myself doing something in stadiums and arenas and I thought it would be the big three.

“I was best at football but had a love of game for basketball. I tried the bodybuilding thing and I was looking at Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was making movies and he didn’t speak the English language when he first got here. Austrian guy who started doing movies and he was making money in real estate. And I thought, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.'”

“So I started lifting weights and doing the competitive bodybuilding thing, and bouncing and bartending in a nightclub in Hollywood and co-owned this Gold’s Gym. And here comes Rick Bassman and the rest is history.

“I never wanted to be a pro wrestler and I ended up as a pro wrestler. ‘Four or five years and I’m done. I’m going to make my money and get out.’ So prideful just like every young and dumb guy out there. I just didn’t have any direction.

“I stuck with it all these years and learned how to love wrestling. I got to love the camaraderie with the guys on the road and traveling all over the world and the roar of the crowd. And so here I am 40 years later [laughs].

“Once I made up my mind and had a resolve to do it, I’m going all out. Anything in life, if you’re trying to be successful in it, you can’t go halfway. You’ve got to go all out. All or nothing.”

Drulk @DrulkTVAs a kid, I watched these two be heroes on tv. As a man, I met two amazing humans who lived up to every bit of the legend built in my mind. Strong in faith and genuinely wonderful to meet. @Sting and @GenuineLexLuger, thank you for sharing some of your time with me. pic.twitter.com/xdeJQ8ElOQ

Outside of wrestling, Sting has also developed a love of real estate and has already been involved with it for some time, even going back to before his time as a wrestler. He plans to continue pursuing that while also using his platform to discuss his faith in the hopes of being a positive influence.

“Like Arnold who made money in real estate before he ever started making movies, I made money in real estate long before I got into pro wrestling,” He said. “Real estate is always something I have been interested in. The buying and selling of houses and dirt is a good thing.

“I’ve been outspoken about who Jesus is to me and the fact that I’m a born-again Christian and a believer since August of 1998 when my life changed drastically overnight. I’m lucky, blessed, that I’m alive. I should not be here.”

To hear Sting talk more about his faith and his love of real estate, you can hear his full response in the embedded video.