Opinion

Sting is Back!

Sting returned to TNT and a WWE rivals ring! What does this mean for AEW, Impact (with the implied corossover) and wrestling in 2020?

Published

5 years ago

December 3, 2020

Rob Bonnette

What does it all mean?

So the big surprise of the Winter is Coming themed episode of AEW Dynamite was the return to TNT wrestling television of none other than Sting. In what was a rare surprise nowadays (the TV appearance itself, not him coming to AEW) Sting showing up popped a lot of people and took over the twitter timeline this Wednesday. Sting stood face to face with Darby Allin in what was a cool visual and elicited a Nitro-esque (in a good way) call from Tony Schiavone. For a few moments it was 1997 all over again. And even as someone who has been very critical of AEW since their inception I kept any hateration I may have had at bay and didn’t crap on the moment that a lot of my friends were enjoying.

But now that the moment has passed, it’s time to start asking questions and firing off takes. After all Sting did not show up for a one shot, he’s going to be here for a while. So just what am I thinking, and asking here? Let’s see:

Is he gonna wrestle?

Sting signed what is being called a full time, multiyear deal to work for AEW. That it’s being called that and he’s not being lumped in with the other legends there (Jake Roberts, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Taz) suggests to me that he is going to get in the ring again. We know that he was bummed out with the way his last match, at WWE’s 2015 Night of Champions vs Seth Rollins, went. (If you don’t know or remember he took a buckle bomb from Rollins and it shot his neck and back to hell, leaving him barely able to get through the match). And we also know that he chose not to have surgery because in his words it would have rendered him unable to work again, Now it seemed like a bit of a pipe dream, a long shot that he would be able to go again but ultimately harmless. But it sure looks like him getting back in the ring is about to be a reality soon.

At 61 years old with a jacked up neck and back, isn’t this a really bad idea? Well………you can talk me into being ok with it if he doesn’t take any bumps. If he swings his bat, gets a hot tag, throws some punches, and hits a Scorpion Death Drop he’ll probably be alright. But will he be able to resist the temptation to show he can still do full service wrestling work? I hope so because if not (warning: AEW criticism incoming) he is in the wrong company to save him from himself. Just look at Matt Hardy as I did a few months ago here. I think there is a safe pathway for him to see some action but I until I see it followed I remain skeptical that the great enabler Tony Khan is going to hold him to it.

What’s it mean for everyone else?

Sting is starting off in some kind of deal with Darby Allin; probably a mentor/partner to start with, but who knows? And Cody Rhodes looks to be involved as well. Now the sales pitch to skeptics about this kind of thing is that the old guy will give some kind of rub to whatever youngster he’s working with, and when it’s all said and done the younger guy will benefit from the association. The track record on that is spotty at best. The optimal scenario is something like Evolution where HHH and Ric Flair gave the space for Randy Orton and Batista to grow into bigger roles. But what happens too often is that the older guy gets himself over while the younger guy is just kinda there to do the physical work. And to be honest that’s already been an issue in AEW with Taz and Roberts in particular regularly overshadowing their proteges.

And what of the rest of the roster? Dynamite is only two hours long and here’s another guy who’s going to eat up time that could be used by someone else. AEW already has a too many people, not enough time problem and throwing even five minutes a week to Sting only makes it worse. And then there’s the issue of overshadowing the rest of the show. My timeline was on fire for Sting’s return, then subsequently went cold for the main event of the show, a heavily advertised World Title match between champion Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega. Omega has been getting a multiweek character reinvention as he’s teased a return to his Cleaner persona, the match got the full contract signing treatment last week and yet nobody on my timeline seemed to care until the finish. Sting is very likely to pop a rating spike in his segment but God help whoever has to follow him, especially in the very next segment.

What’s it mean for Dynamite?

If it wasn’t clear before then it should be now what the strategy is here. Khan is going all in (see what I did there?) on maxing out every potential ratings point every week. Chris Jericho was the first piece a year ago, along with judiciously spreading out the members of the Elite across the show. Bringing in name guys like Roberts and Taz is another piece, then bringing in more recently departed WWE guys like Matt Hardy, Miro, Brodie Lee and FTR. And now there’s Sting. The point is to carpet bomb the two hours with these guys to keep people from changing the channel to NXT or something else. With no real ticket sales to speak of due to COVID and not expanding the pay per view schedule the play is to max out on television revenue. Which to be fair is probably the right strategy in the short run.

But that doesn’t bold well for the women’s division or for any of the more developmental talent there. Khan has said that he is meticulous about ratings down to the quarter hour and is going with who draws. That’s been used as justification for minimizing the women’s time on Wednesdays, and is going to affect a lot of the guys too in that anyone who shows they can’t keep up is likely out and relegated to AEW Dark. Will there come a point where the proverbial torches get passed to guys like Allin, Private Party, etc? That’s the million dollar (and maybe million viewer) question. But if I had to guess guys Sting is not here to pass any torches no matter what he says.

Final thoughts (for now)

Good for Sting. He wanted to be a regular, felt he had something to offer, and didn’t want to settle for a WWE Legends deal. And secured himself what is probably a real nice sized bag to close out his active career. Sting never was really a WWE guy so this really isn’t out of the ordinary for him. I hope he’s smart enough to not take any unnecessary chances. And I hope that we’re all realistic with our expectations of him. As for AEW, well…….this should put the nail in the coffin about them revolutionizing the business. That just is not happening here. Now who knows maybe they thought about that at first but they’ve decided their best path to success is to get well known people on their show and ride the wave of people who are fatigued or disgusted with the WWE and are more than happy to see someone else do it, even if they are largely doing a lot of the same things. It is what it is and the game is the game. Now we just got to see how well it works.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

1 week ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1