On Saturday night, the WWE held its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The inductees were:Â The Godfather, Stan Hansen, Big Bossman, The Fabulous Freebirds, Snoop Dogg, and “The Icon” himself…Â Sting.
Inducted by his longtime opponent (and friend)Â Ric Flair, Sting stood in front of not only thousands of fans, but hundreds of fellow wrestlers and legends to reflect on perhaps one of the greatest wrestling careers in the history of the industry.
He also announced that the career he has made… will officially be coming to a close.
“On this very night, at this very moment … I’m going to finish my wrestling carer under the WWE umbrella … and I am so proud of that,” he said.
Sting announced his retirement from active in-ring competition to a mixed reaction… many fans just don’t want to see one of their favorites retire, and who could blame them? Whether in Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and eventually, World Wrestling Entertainment, “The Icon” has been one of the most familiar faces around.
Last year at the PPV Night of Champions, Sting suffered a serious neck injury in a match against then-WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. The match had to be stopped for a brief period of time, but Sting was able to finish the match, albeit in a losing effort.
It turned out to be the last match he would wrestle for WWE.
For over 31 years, Sting has won over 30 championships, 15 of which were from WCW, the company that he was considered the “face of’. When WCW was purchased by WWF (now WWE) in March of 2001, instead of signing with the company, Sting went to other promotions, eventually joining the newly formed TNA in 2003, becoming the “face” of them as well.
He wound up winning five championships in TNA, and reignited old feuds against Flair and Hulk Hogan as time went on. But in 2014, Sting left TNA, and talks once again resumed as to whether he would join the WWE or not. This time, however, the dream became a reality when he did agree to join.
And when he debuted in St. Louis at Survivor Series 2014, the crowd was electric and the atmosphere was unbelievable. Staring face-to-face with Triple H, Sting eventually faced off against “The Game” at Wrestlemania 31, although he would be unsuccessful in winning.
For 31 years, Sting has cultivated a legacy as one of the greatest ever, and while it’ll be sad to see his in-ring days behind him… he will still be a part of the wrestling industry.
Sting closed his speech by saying: “I just want you to know this isn’t goodbye, it’s just see ya later.”
See you later, Sting.
And thank you.
