As fans of AEW and beyond eagerly await a chance to see what kind of gift Tony Khan has to offer Sting after “The Icon” announced his intentions to retire at Revolution in 2024, the wrestling world has begun to reflect on the 24-time champion‘s career and what story is left to be written before he says one final goodbye.

Who will he wrestle? How many times will he wrestle? And how will he leave the wrestling business better off than where he found it, a mission largely accomplished but that could be defined once and for all by its final frames?

Needless to say, Tony Khan has a lot to think about moving forward, as does Steve Borden, the man behind the Crow facepaint, but what if he just… doesn't retire? That's right, what if Sting has that match at Revolution 2024 but then just sort of keeps going, putting on the mask, appearing at AEW a few times a year, and maybe even hitting the occasional Stinger Splash or maybe something a little less physically taxing like a Stinger Punch?

Sounds crazy? Maybe, but Booker T made the case for it on his Hall of Fame podcast, as he feels as though retirement maybe isn't all it's cracked up to be.

“I'm glad for him. I'm glad he's finally gonna hang it up and be able to move on to what's next. At 65, by then, that's like senior citizen, AARP stuff, man, grandpa-like stuff. So I don't know, man. It's mixed emotions. I think his retiring is gonna be great, but I think it's something honestly that's well overdue,” Booker T said via Fightful. “To have done this thing your whole life, then when you walk away from it, it's hard to walk. I'll tell you right now, he might not want to retire. He might want to say, I ain't gonna say I'm ever gonna retire. I might just want to leave the business. But retire though, I wouldn't say that. Because I'm gonna tell you right now, sitting at home, becoming an old man, receding, [laughs] it can get lonely. I say stay in the ring, Sting. Don't retire. Don't quit [laughs], don't ever quit. That's what wrestlers do. That's me, that's my opinion.”

Confusing, right? His cohost Brad Gilmore was too, but that didn't stop him from asking for further clarification, which King Book was happy to provide.

“I'm just saying, I wouldn't retire if I was you, Sting. I'd stay in the ring forever. Take bumps, fly off of stuff [laughs]. Sting, I'm just saying, I love Sting. He's got a h*ll of a career. I feel like if stopped doing this, that's when the light could really go dim. I say keep that door open. Make appearances, even if you don't wrestle. Keep that door open. Keep that check coming in from Tony Khan for the next ten years,” Booker T suggested.

“You keep him active somehow. He's gotta be a part of that show. Sting goes away, a lot of part of that show's blueprint goes away as well.”

Alright, when you put it that way, Booker has a point, as despite retiring from wrestling himself, as he noted that the 2023 Royal Rumble proved his finale from in-ring action, he still remains active in his Reality of Wrestling promotion and still goes to television each week as the color commentator on NXT. Even if Sting can't physically go anymore, it would behoove AEW to find a way to keep him involved, even if it's just as part of a yearly “Icon Battle Royal” a la the Owen Hart Cup or as a pre-Pay-Per-View panelist alongside the likes of RJ City, Paul Wight, and Renee Paquette.

Dave Meltzer believes AEW has an ideal temple for Sting's retirement.

Sitting down for an interview on the McGuire on Wrestling podcast, Dave Meltzer was asked about Sting's retirement and how he thinks AEW should handle the situation.

Though Meltzer obviously isn't booking AEW – no matter what some angry online fans might have you believe – he did reach out to Tony Khan to let him know that, after watching Pro Wrestling Noah give The Great Muta a sendoff for the ages, the templet has been set for “The Icon's” exit.

“I don't remember if I sent – talked or emailed Tony Khan, but I definitely contacted Tony Khan after that final Noah match that [Great] Muta wrestled, and I go, ‘This is your template,'” Dave Meltzer said via Wrestle Talk.

“You know what I mean. Whenever it comes time for Sting, look for this for ideas because [Pro Wrestling] NOAH did such a phenomenal job.”

Now, for fans who don't recall, Muta announced months in advance that he was going to end his professional wrestling career and went on a tour around Japan and even America to work with many of the important performers from throughout his career, with his final matches featuring Shinsuke Nakamura, Darby Allin, Tetsuya Naito, and even Sting at the beginning of the year. If Khan wants to follow that templet and deliver the greatest hits of Sting's career as he prepares for one final Scorpion Death Lock, then the real winner will be the fans who get to come along for the ride.