After making the vague announcement that Sting would be addressing the AEW audience on Dynamite, fans waited with bated breath to see what the 63-year-old had to say.

Would he be announcing some new venture? Addressing his part in the situation between Adam Copeland and Christian Cage? Or would he be delivering his dreaded retirement announcement, ending one of the most prolific careers in professional wrestling history?

Standing in the ring alongside the man who has called more of his matches than anyone else, Tony Schiavone, Sting finally put the speculation to bed, but not before putting over some of the people who lifted him up along the way.

“Caw! I can remember about 30-some years ago the first time I ever did that, and the crowd, they wooed back, I couldn't believe it. All these years later, here I am. Well, shall I say the word? Alright, before I say the word, I want to reflect for a moment with all of you, if it's okay. Can we just reflect? Cause that word makes me want to reflect a little bit, it makes me think about all of the years traveling up and down the road with guys like the ‘Total Package' Lex Luger, Rick and Scotty Steiner, Buff Bagwell; there's some names from the past,” Sting told the crowd in AEW.

“Yeah, but I traveled up and down with these guys all the time, and, you know, we'd look at the generation ahead of us, guys that shaped our my career, guys like Dusty Rhodes. Dusty Rhodes being the most charismatic man I've ever seen in my whole life; unreal Dusty, love ya. Hulk Hogan [boos rain in], I hear you, but Hulk Hogan transcended wrestling, and I did learn something from the guy, so I've gotta give him something on that. But one of the guys I want to give a lot to is the ‘Nature Boy,' Ric Flair. Thank you, Ric, thank you for all of the moments; I remember the Clash of Champions 1988, the very first World Title match that I had with you, and you put me on the map. What a moment that was. And then in 1990 at The Great American Bash in Baltimore, Maryland, World Title match, this time, I came out the victor, Ric; thank you once again, ‘Nature Boy.'”

Okay, shouting out a few legends isn't something folks usually do unless they are getting really retrospective; that's not a good sign. Still, Sting marched on, keeping the conversation going with an increasingly emotional crowd.

Sting is taking control of his in-ring destiny after his 2015 retirement.

Turning his eye to the future, Sting addressed his first retirement, his return to the ring, and when the wheels will finally come off once and for all.

“We used to wonder, though, ‘What makes these guys want to come back year after year, decade after decade after decade? What more do they have to prove?' I've gotta tell ya, all of these years later, and I understand why they hung on; it's the smell of the arenas, its the comradery on the road with the guys, traveling all over the globe. It is the roar of you, the fans! That's what makes us keep coming back for more. Does my body still work the way it did 20 years ago? Should I be jumping off of balconies? Okay, we'll talk about that, we'll get there,” Sting assured fans.

“So, getting back to that word, before I get there… and I know what some of you are thinking, he retired once already, yeah, I said the word retired. But I gotta tell ya, that retirement back in 2015 didn't sit right with me. And besides that, there was one very key moment in my ‘retirement speech' that I made, ‘The only thing for sure about Sting is nothing is for sure.' Which brings me now to the word retirement. No, I want to address it right here, live and in color on Dynamite, in the great state of Texas. Wow, what a mixed crowd tonight. I don't care at all, this is my moment, this is your moment; I wanna share it with ya. So here goes: My very first match with AEW was at Revolution 2021, and my very last match will be at Revolution 2024. One more key thing you all need to know: The only sure thing about Sting is, my retirement at Revolution 2024 is for sure.”

Welp, there you go, folks; make sure you have the first weekend in March off next year, as it will mark the end of an “Iconic” era for one of the most important performers in professional wrestling history. Hopefully, Darby Allin gets to share the ring with his long-time friend one final time.