When Sting debuted for AEW and returned to professional wrestling for his first extended stint since 2015, fans had to know he was in it for a good time, not a long time.

Sure, despite being in his 60s, the Stinger has seemingly found the fountain of youth, or at least figured out a way to work around his limitations with a steady mix of Frankenstein's Monster-style offense and jumping off of high things, but in wrestling like in life, even the best tricks are going to run their course when there's no passion behind them.

And yet, according to “The Man Called Sting” himself, the addition of Ric Flair to his farewell storyline has breathed some new light into his internal fire, as if it wasn't for the “Nature Boy” this final chapter of his career may have looked much different and been noticeably shorter, as he explained to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

“I wanted to finish earlier, maybe in December. But now that Ric is here with me, I want to go longer, all the way to Revolution,” Sting told Sports Illustrated.

“When Ric came out, and I heard his music play, it hit me, had this flashback, and it made me emotional. Ric is the guy who put me on the map. We've traveled around the world together, and Ric helped make me. Now he's going to finish with me. After all the travel, all the matches, all the press slams, all the chops, and all the woos – woooo! – I experienced the same feeling on Dynamite this past week with Ric that I did on that final Nitro. Except this time, it was so much more positive.

“All I can say for now is I want people to walk away and say, ‘Wow, what an ending,' I'll be three weeks away from turning 65 at that point. I want to leave people with a memory that will mean something.”

So, had Tony Khan opted against bringing back Flair to serve as counsel to Sting over these final few months of his professional wrestling career, what would this final chapter have looked like? Would Sting have wrestled his final match at Full Gear 2023 instead of Revolution 2024? Or maybe at Worlds End, the new December Pay-Per-View Tony Khan is launching on Staten Island? Could the match in question have even been booked on television, taking place on Winter Is Coming as part of the same show he debuted on, in a match with or against Darby Allin? Either way, it's safe to say Flair's addition did one thing right, as it provides fans with a few more months of one of the sport's all-time legends.

Tony Schiavone reflects on reuniting with Sting and Ric Flair.

Speaking of Sting and Ric Flair, there's another AEW employee who has been riding the roads with that WCW duo for decades, who too will be a crucial part of this final chapter of their careers: Tony Schiavone.

Discussing his relationships with Sting and Flair on his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone reflected on an incredible career alongside the two Hall of Famers and how this final run will be an incredible full-circle moment.

“It was a special moment for me. It really was. I thought about and Tony Khan talked to me about 35 years ago where Sting and Flair each had that match at the Clash of the Champions, which was in Greensboro, the same day as WrestleMania, it was kind of the receipt from Jim Crockett for what Vince McMahon did to Starrcade of '87. It got me thinking about my career and it got me thinking about my relationship with Sting, and especially Flair, and it was a very special moment for me. I think my introduction of all of that in the ring that night was pretty genuine. So yeah, it was pretty cool. and I really enjoyed it. It was a very enjoyable moment for me. I was honored to be a part of it. I really was,” Tony Schiavone recalled via Fightful.

“So, it's been a year so far, the tail end of the year, of really great moments for me, personally. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame in Iowa and then celebrating the 40th year of me doing wrestling. I know you gotta subtract 18 years, I get that, but it was 40 years ago that I started. Then, being able to reconnect with Flair and Sting was a pretty big deal. So yeah, it was cool.”

Since beginning his career in the wrestling industry all the way back in 1983 in Jim Crockett Promotions, Schiavone has been part of many of the most interesting and important angles of both Flair and Sting's professional careers. Getting to be a part of the end of their runs, in turn, must feel incredibly important, too.