When Sting announced to the professional wrestling world that he was going to hang up his boots once and for all and call it a career at Revolution 2024, it was met with (almost) universal acclaim from fans inside and out of AEW.

After seemingly leaving the business behind two times before, the “Man Called Sting” was officially making it official, and fans would be afforded a few more months, a few more matches, and ultimately, a few more memories before Steve Borden finally wiped off the paint and said goodbye for good.

One of the few dissenters who did not appreciate Sting's big announcement, granted more for how it was delivered than the contents of the speech, was none other than Jim Cornette, who has crossed paths with the Stinger more than a few times over the years. Discussing his initial Dynamite segment on his Drive-Thru podcast, Cornette expressed his issues with the segment and why he wishes it would have been presented differently, at the very least.

“Now I know why we never let him talk too long. I actually knew that beforehand, but it was driven home here. The people love him; he's an icon. This was brutal; it was a news-making thing, to say the least. Sting has been a wrestler since 1985, that would be 39 years in 2024. He's one of the biggest stars in the history of the modern business. He's going to retire,” Jim Cornette noted via PW Mania.

“I felt I had to watch this out of respect, but Jiminy Christmas! The wandering around… Sting has never had a great promo voice. You know, to lay down the law, or to swear revenge; when he was young, and he had the body, and the hair, and the howl, and ‘It's showtime!' and the energy – that carried it. But having to give a long or detailed explanation? Having to have something flow, kind of naturally and/or logically? Going a long period of time in his own particular monologue? These are not and have never been Sting's strengths.

“He mentioned the word retirement that he wasn't going to mention about 500 times, and his go-home line was potentially as flat a home line as I've ever heard. Because he had made a point in his promo of saying what he said in his Hall of Fame and his previous retirement or whatever; ‘the one thing for sure about Sting is nothing's for sure.' And his go-home line here was, ‘The one thing for sure about Sting's retirement is it's for sure.' It was a 10-minute segment, and it felt like 30 minutes.”

Yikes, while Cornette does have a segment of fans who really like his takes – a Cult of Cornette – that is certainly a… shall we say, unique take that may even get some pushback from his fans. Now, I wonder what he thinks about Ric Flair's return?

Paul Wight reveals his personal experiences with Sting.

Speaking of Sting's forthcoming exit from professional wrestling, Paul Wight sat down with Tim & Eli on Battleground and revealed his relationship with the 64-year-old, whom he considers to be a very good friend but not the best cards player.

“Even with Sting, who has had such a tremendous career and is such an incredible dude, even backstage. Sting is a guy who has always had a positive attitude about stuff and willing to do anything, willing to work hard to get anyone over, knows who he is as a character, knows his audience, goes out of his way every time to give the audience 100%. Nothing but respect for Sting,” Paul Wight said via Fightful.

“The fact that I owe him $5 in a gin game because he's up one game right now… I'd like to say he's a great guy and really crappy card player, Sting is a guy I play cards with in case I want to get some extra Starbucks money, I go to Sting and get $10 or $15 bucks from. He's been putting up quite the battle lately. He's improved his card game since the last time we've played. It took me by surprise a little bit. I'm in the hole right now. Every now and then, I get a text, ‘You got that $5 you owe me?' At this stage of the game, you just want to be the one ahead so you can aggravate the other guy. It's not really about the money. It's about that right now, in this gin game, he has his foot on my neck, and he's loving it. When the roles are reversed, believe me, every day, I will send a message or two, I will send a note, that he owes me $5. I'll spend $100 to remind him that he owes me $5. That's it. That's where the fun comes into it.”

As time ticks closer and closer to Sting's retirement, it's safe to say more stories about his backstage kindness and work ethic will come to light as his co-workers attempt to celebrate his career as it winds down. Cherish the Stinger while you still can, folks; you don't have much time left to do so.