#105: Sting & Darby Allin vs. Young Bucks, AEW Revolution (3/3/2024).
This is a Tornado Tag Match for Sting and Darby's AEW World Tag Team Championships, and is the retirement match of Sting.
Among the worst things that can happen to a wrestler is being forced to retire. That's what happened to Sting in 2015, when a buckle bomb from Seth Rollins at WWE's Night of Champions PPV injured Sting's neck to such a degree that he realized he would never Wrestle again.
It was sealed with his Hall of Fame Induction in 2016 that we had seen the last of the Stinger in a wrestling capacity. Then, in 2020, something incredible happened: he got cleared.
On December 2nd, during the "Winter is Coming" episode of Dynamite, Sting made his AEW debut, and made his allegiance with Darby Allin known to the world. The excitement to see Sting again was high, but the question remained: would he wrestle?
His first match back was at Revolution in March 2021, where he and Darby beat Ricky Starks and Brian Cage in a cinematic style Tag team match. From there, Sting would compete exclusively in Tag Matches, always with Darby, and sometimes with others.
Sting's AEW run can be described as "What crazy shit is Sting going to do now?" He'd often jump off of things, and do a lot of brawling. It was so sincere that it absolutely worked!
But in 2023, Sting announced that Revolution 2024 would be his last match. On the road to it, Sting and Darby won the AEW World Tag Team Titles, and drew the ire of Matthew and Nicholas Jackson.
The Bucks would attack the two, and beat the hell out of Sting's sons. Sting promised to give everything and leave everything at Revolution in order to give the Bucks the beating of a Lifetime.
The match is preceded by one of the most well done and emotional video packages I've ever seen in any form of media or entertainment, as Sting sits in an empty theater and watches a montage of his career. His sons enter as versions of his past self, and Sting enters to Metallica's "Seek & Destroy." Nice!
Darby dives to the outside onto the Bucks to start this off quickly. They bring the Bucks into the ring, and both men pop off Stinger Splashes. Then, Sting's sons - Stang and Stung - come in and do their own Stinger Splashes.
Sting places both Bucks on top of one another, and puts the Scorpion Deathlock on both! They're able to escape. On the outside, Sting throws Matthew into the barricade. Nicholas comes around, and Sting does the same to him.
Sting with a chair to the Bucks. Tables are set up at ringside, as Sting throws Nicholas over the barricade. He does the same to Matthew. Sting press slams Nicholas to the floor, but gets barraged by Matthew. He also gets back body dropped, and then Darby hits the Coffin Drop to the outside onto both.
Sting pulls a pane of glass out from under the ring. And then, he grabs another. This man is in his 60s. Darby places one of them onto a set of chairs set up in front of the Ring. Sting swings his bat at Nicholas, who hops the barricade to escape.
The champions pursue the Bucks into the crowd. They make their way up to the stage. Nicholas hits Darby with a jawbreaker. He hits a Falcon Arrow to Darby off the stage through some tables.
Matthew hits Sting three times uncontested. The Icon looks for the Scorpion Deathdrop, but Matthew escapes it and suplexes Sting off the stage through more Tables.
Nicholas drags Darby back to the Ring, as the crowd chants "Fuck the Young Bucks." Hey, that's not nice. He places a ladder against the turnbuckle, as Matthew also returns to the Ring. The Bucks lift Darby and hit a powerbomb, sending him flying into the ladder.
Darby is back up and kicks his way out of the corner. Stunner to Nicholas, and a Code Red to Matthew. Darby grabs the ladder and sets it up. It's a big ladder, by the way. He smashes Nicholas face first off the steel steps. He returns to the Ring, and climbs to the top of the ladder. Darby dives off with a senton, but misses Nicholas and lands right through the glass/chair set up.
Darby is immediately bleeding all over his body. He also has a fucking hole in his midsection now. According to reports, Darby had a Plan B for the remainder of this match, if he couldn't continue.
Matthew and Sting fight from the ramp, back to ringside. A table has been set up in the Ring. Doctors are checking on Darby. The Bucks try a Suplex on Sting, but he fights out of it. They send him into the turnbuckle, and pop off a double team move. Nicholas accidentally kicks Matthew though.
Sting chokes Matthew to the mat, then places him on the table. Now the Stinger is climbing the ladder. Nicholas has brought another pane of glass in and placed it against the turnbuckle. Matthew grabs Sting and powerbombs him off the ladder through the table.
Sting, naturally, just stands up and brushes it off. The Bucks fight him back and send him crashing through the glass pane. A low blow by Matthew, and then the Scorpion Deathdrop to Sting, but he's able to kick out!
Nicholas grabs one of the Tag Titles, but he's cut off by Ricky Steamboat! The Dragon attacks Nicholas, but eats a chair to the midsection by Matthew. Ric Flair comes in to protect Sting, but he gets an invite to the Superkick Party by the Bucks. One for Steamboat as well.
Matthew hits Sting with the title belt and makes the cover. Sting is still able to kick out! They superkick Sting again, but he just stays right on his feet! He pounds his chest and clotheslines both of them! Sting with the Scorpion Deathdrop on Matthew, but Nicholas breaks up the pin.
Matthew blocks another Deathdrop, and the Bucks hit the EVP Trigger to Sting, and he kicks out again! The Bucks mockingly shake Sting's hands, and hit the EVP Trigger again. This time, Sting kicks out at 1!!
He's smiling now, and he's asking for more! Another set of superkicks by the Bucks. They set Sting up for the TK Driver, but Darby is alive! He pushes Nicholas off the top rope, crashing through a table! Sting hits the Deathdrop on Matthew, but he somehow kicks out.
Darby is all taped up, and looks fucked up. He hits the Coffin Drop to Matthew, and Sting locks the Scorpion Deathlock in. The crowd explodes, as Matthew taps out! Sting retires with a victory to retain the Tag Titles with Darby!
This was really well done, and a great sendoff to a legend like Sting. It was violent, chaotic and full of emotion. The Bucks played our feelings like skilled musicians, and there were many times during this that I bit on the nearfalls.
But Sting wouldn't go out without a fight! And he, along with Darby, found the light at the end of the tunnel, and Sting got to end his career as a champion.
Shout out to Darby, who has been quoted as saying he was literally ready to die to ensure Sting had the perfect sendoff. That glass spot is gnarly, and the hole in Darby's side was worse. He's fucking nuts.
This was a fun mess of a match, with a nuclear hot crowd that ate everything up. It flowed well, it had great spots, and it built to an exciting conclusion where Sting stood victorious one last time.