When writing the story of Sting's professional wrestling career, it's hard to get through the first act without mentioning the name Jim Hellwig, aka the man eventually known as the Ultimate Warrior in WWE.

Working together for the first time all the way back in 1985, in Sting's first match ever, under the Freedom Fighters moniker, the duo eventually became the Blade Runners – taking inspiration from a 1980s film a la the Road Warriors – with the man born Steve Borden nicknamed Blade Runner Sting and Hellwig going by Blade Runner Rock. Though the pairing only lasted a little over a year, working 23 matches over 15 months largely in the South, the fact that the duo were initially paired up together before going on to fantastic heights as two of the biggest singles stars in wrestling history has retroactively made the team incredibly interesting indeed.

Asked about the first chapter of his professional wrestling career at the AEW Revolution media scrum, Sting reflected fondly on their initial pairing before letting it slip that, unlike the Warrior, he quit doing steroids in 1990.

“I think it was definitely good that we were both together to begin with because looked like a freak. I was 265 pounds, and I looked like a little kid compared to him. But both of us together, we were pretty intimidating, and we had a lot of people saying ‘Maybelline Road Warriors.' But we thought, ‘Who cares? We get a match with the Road Warriors, we hit the big time,'” Sting shared via 411 Mania. “But I think it was good that we ended up splitting up. It was good that he went his way and I went mine. We were not meant to be together. We were meant to start together, and it got us in the door, for sure. But he needed to be in his own. We were going to kill each other, literally on the road. Two roided out young men. That's what it was then. Two roided-out guys. Just shooting straight here. That stopped in 1990 for me, so yeah. Didn't stop for him, but it stopped for him.”

Now, for fans out of the know or who have simply attempted to divorce themselves from the nuts and bolts of professional wrestling, the idea of Sting and Warrior using steroids during their primes might be a surprise but frankly, it really shouldn't be, as there's a reason Vince McMahon almost went to jail for his involvement in the great WWE steroids scandal. Still, learning that Sting got off the juice before he really became the top performer in WCW – and Warrior crucially did not – certainly played some role in how their respective careers shook out.

Sting reflects on his final match and future with AEW.

Elsewhere in the Revolution media scrum, Sting commented on Tony Khan's desire to keep him involved in the promotion moving forward and what sort of role he could fill.

While Sting isn't looking to become a backstage agent or on-screen manager, he doesn't want to never appear on a wrestling show ever again either, as he's simply given too much of his life to the business to walk away from it forever.

“Well, Tony has mentioned me staying on board in some form or fashion. We haven't really worked anything out there yet, but I'm sure we'll have some kind of conversation,” Sting explained via 411 Mania. “And I'm saying — you know, maybe. We'll see what happens. I have no interest in being a manager or anything like that. Or an agent, I don't want to do any of that kind of stuff. I'm not sure what I can offer… I'm willing to have a talk.”

So, if Sting doesn't want to show up weekly to either manage someone like Darby Allin or to help put together matches, segments, or storylines for a wrestler or two, what role could he fill in AEW moving forward? Well, he could be a special presenter, a guest cornerman for a performer like Allin in a huge match, or even christen some sort of Stinger Cup, where he oversees a tournament that results in a winning act being awarded a belt, trophy, or even tribute bate a la the Owen Cup. While such an outcome isn't as exciting as “The Icon” throwing on the makeup for another match, or throwing down at Wimbley Stadium at All In 2024, who knows, maybe fans will still see him hit another Stinger Splash or Scorpion Death Lock in the next six months or so on a dastardly heel, which is a very fun way to keep his legacy alive even if his time as an active wrestler has come to an end.