Sting leaping off a ladder through a table - sensible or stupid?
At the grand old age of 64, Sting is still dropping the jaws of wrestling fans all over the world with his ability to perform death-defying stunts. But was his most recent leap of faith one stupid or sensible?
On the June 28th episode of AEW Dynamite, The Icon and Darby Allin took on Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in a "No Rules Tornado Tag Team Match," which turned out to be one of the wildest bouts Dynamite has ever seen.
During the match, Sting thought it would be a great idea to dive off the top of a ladder in the ring to two tables and Sammy Guevara. While spectacular, the dive has drawn some criticism from people for its ugly landing that led to the WWE Hall of Famer requiring, in his own words, a lot of stitches in his mouth.
It's many kinds of insane that Sting can still dive this well not only at 64 - but three decades after knee surgery. He has held up remarkably well not even factoring in the spinal stenosis. https://t.co/mOt6m5f2M7
But was it stupid, or was it sensible? Well, in a way, it was both. That may sound a bit strange but think about it, the idea of jumping off the top of a 10-foot ladder, to begin with, is ridiculous. So to do that, plus jump a great distance to try and flatten someone through a pair of tables, is even more insane.
On the face of it, yes, it is stupid for any person, but the fact that Sting is a 64-year-old man has people thinking it was an even worse decision. However, the WWE Hall of Famer has been in the business for a really long time, so if Sting didn't think it was a good idea, he wouldn't have done it.
That is what makes it sensible. Yes, it's a dangerous move, but so is a suplex and a bodyslam. Kenny Omega took a "Tiger Driver '91" at Forbidden Door and was fine after his match, while Bryan Danielson had his arm in the wrong place for a split second and is now unable to wrestle for two months.
Overall, the spot was certainly dangerous, perhaps even a little unnecessary in the eyes of some people. But given how much of a professional The Icon is, there was no way he would have done it if Sammy Guevara or himself would get severely hurt.
Sting handed The Painmaker his first loss in AEW
It might not have been the focal point of the match, but the contest between Sting, Darby Allin, and The Jericho Appreciation Society also had the added wrinkle of having a couple of undefeated streaks on the line.
The Icon is yet to taste defeat in AEW, but Jericho, despite suffering losses in his career, had not lost a bout when wrestling as "The Painmaker." However, that all changed during this Tornado Tag Team match.
What a back and forth between two legends!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS
@DarbyAllin | @Sting | @sammyguevara | #PAINMAKER @IAmJericho https://t.co/vDgD8b1kWU
After a brutal and chaotic bout, Sting forced Jericho to tap out to the Scorpion Death Lock, meaning that after four years without a loss in AEW, The Painmaker can no longer boast about an undefeated record.
Did you think The Stinger's dive was stupid or sensible? Let us know in the comments section down below.