The Rock reveals he asked Vince McMahon for a match against AEW star
AEW has hosted several legends of the wrestling business throughout its young history, but it has never seen the influx of star power WWE gained after the fall of WCW in 2001. At that time, The Rock had a few iconic names in mind for dream matches, with one of them being Sting.
The Stinger hung up his boots following his final match at this year's AEW Revolution. The legendary star wowed fans with his final run in All Elite Wrestling, but he'd reached the peak of his fame more than 20 years before in WCW.
When WWE's greatest rival folded, The Rock, who was one of the biggest stars in wrestling at that point, wanted to face The Icon. Speaking on the final episode of the hit Vice series, Who Killed WCW? The Great One revealed that he'd asked Vince McMahon about potentially competing against Sting, Randy Savage, and other top stars from the defunct promotion:
"I remember sitting down in my hotel room and writing down all the wrestlers who I had hoped to wrestle," said Dwayne Johnson. "Goldberg, Sting, [Randy] Savage, everybody in the nWo. I remember writing everybody down and going to Vince and saying, 'Hey, this might be a good idea. What about this guy and this guy, and this guy and this guy, let's bring them in.'" [H/T Fightful]
AEW President Tony Khan thinks Sting was unhappy in WWE
After WCW was bought by WWE, several of the former's top stars made the jump to the sole remaining superpower in wrestling. Others rode out their contracts, choosing to hit the independent scene or join the newly formed TNA. Sting was among the latter group.
The Icon continued his career outside the bounds of the Stamford-based promotion and didn't set foot in a WWE arena until 2014. He went on to have a short run in the company before retiring for the first time and accepting a Hall of Fame induction in 2016.
Now that his final run – an acclaimed three-year stint with AEW – is over, Tony Khan has reflected on The Icon's career. The All Elite President told Bleacher Report that he didn't think Sting had a good experience in WWE:
"When he had previously competed in WWE, I don't think he had a great experience with WWE. He was looking to do something very different. When I first talked to Sting, he was interested in having a comeback, but I don't think Steve [Borden] ever imagined it would lead to a three-year run in wrestling that would become legendary," Tony Khan said.
Many fans are hoping to see The Stinger on AEW television again in the future, either in the role of an authority figure or something else. Only time will tell whether the legend will return to the world of wrestling.