Top 10 AEW Debuts

10. Sting

And we’re kicking this list off with……

“IT’S STINNGGGG”

Honestly, I was more than a little skeptical about AEW bringing in Sting, as were many fans. Sting debuted on an episode of Dynamite. Cody Rhodes along with Dustin and Darby Allin was being attacked by Team Taz when the lights went out, some freaky music hit and it started snowing. Sting came out with his trusty bat, ran the heels off, and then had staredowns with all the babyfaces.

Since I was born this side of the 2000s, I’m not that familiar with Sting’s glory days in the NWA or WCW or his time in TNA. To me, Sting was a legend who was way past his prime, as proved by his run in WWE. So, I wasn’t too sure what to make of what seemed like AEW teasing Sting in matches with Cody and Darby.

Boy, was I wrong to doubt any of it.

Sting in AEW has been a home run from start to finish.

First of all, the debut itself was an amazing moment. Furthermore, AEW did an amazing job of pairing Sting up with Darby Allin. The parallels were drawn between the two from the very first moment they laid eyes on one another. Sting repeatedly referenced Darby in his promos like he was the second coming of the Icon himself.

This “rub” from Sting managed to get Darby over even more than he already was and the pair felt like a badass father-son duo who only trusted one another and had each other’s backs. This unspoken bond between Darby and Sting worked so well because neither of them tried to undermine or outshine the other.

Sting’s first feud in AEW happened when he and Darby went up against Team Taz, and while there may have been a lot of  “Sting Talks” segments in the buildup to their cinematic match at Revolution 2021, it was all worth it because that match was awesome.

It was like an elongated, dark, underground fight sequence at the end of the coolest action movie you’ve ever seen, in which the badass father-son duo beat up the goons and then ride off into the night.

Has Sting’s debut aged well? You tell me.

His first-ever in-ring match in AEW alongside Darby against the Men of the Year was awesome! Their tag match against 2.0 was awesome! Their tag match against FTR was awesome! Their interactions with Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston and the possibilities of a stable with them are awesome!

I’ll tell you what has aged well. It’s Sting!!!

IF there’s something called an Age for Age ranking system in pro-wrestling, Sting has to be the best wrestler in the world.

Thank God he skipped the RAW Legends Night.