"Sting is the absolute man" - Former rival lavishes praise on the retiring AEW star

AEW is currently preparing for the retirement of the legendary Sting. Despite The Icon's various rivalries, he is receiving praise from his former enemies and allies.

As a member of The Acclaimed, Anthony Bowens has had his share of run-ins with Sting and Darby Allin. The two teams headlined the January 19, 2022, edition of AEW Dynamite in Washington, DC, as Sting and Allin defeated Bowens and Max Caster in around ten minutes.

The loss was sentimental for Bowens as Sting helped him fall in love with pro wrestling. Speaking to Compas On The Beat for a recent interview, the current AEW World Trios Champion recalled seeing The Stinger on WCW TV before Starrcade 1997, also held in the Nation's Capital.

"I saw Sting on TV. They were doing commercials for Starrcade 97', which is him versus Hulk Hogan. I was like, 'who's this guy with the face paint?' He's in this warehouse and he's got this baseball bat. Like, so cool and then I watched the match and I was hooked ever since. I was one of the typical fans, you know, channel flipping going back and forth to each company back then and it just couldn't get out of my system," he said. [H/T Fightful]

Bowens continued and revealed just how special the AEW Dynamite loss was:

"Sting is the absolute man and to have somebody like that who I grew up idolizing, one, have him as a coworker, two, to have his respect and approval of my work is just, it's a dream come true. I had a little full circle moment with him because that show, Starrcade 97, was in Washington, DC, and on my wrestling anniversary in Washington DC, we main evented Dynamite against Sting and it was just, it was so cool," he said.

Bowens, Caster, and Billy Gunn have held the AEW World Trios Championship since defeating The House of Black on August 27 at All In.

AEW planning a historic Revolution pay-per-view

The 2024 Revolution pay-per-view is set to take place on Sunday, March 3. The event will be held at the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Greensboro was chosen for Revolution because this will be Sting's official retirement, and Ric Flair will be in his corner. The Icon and The Nature Boy have a storied history in the venue, which will play into the match and the rest of the storyline.

Sting and Darby Allin defeated Big Bill and Ricky Starks on this week's Dynamite to become AEW World Tag Team Champions for the first time. They will likely face The Young Bucks at Revolution. The match might be confirmed soon.

The next top match at Revolution will see Samoa Joe defend the AEW World Championship against Swerve Strickland and Adam Page in a Triple Threat. The Swerve vs. Hangman singles bout ended in a draw, so the three-way bout was booked for the pay-per-view.

Revolution will also feature "Timeless" Toni Storm defending the Women's World Championship against Deonna Purrazzo. Moreover, International Champion Orange Cassidy defending against Roderick Strong. The rest of the card will be announced in the coming weeks.

What is your bold prediction for Revolution? Do you think Sting will ever wrestle again? Sound off in the comments section below!