5 Reasons why Sting should sign with AEW
News broke earlier this week suggesting that Sting is no longer under WWE contract.
According to reports, the 61-year-old was pulled from an upcoming series of WWE action figures - with toy manufacturer Mattel revealing they no longer had the rights to make figures based on the Sting character.
The wrestling rumor mill then quickly got going when AEW executive vice president Cody Rhodes posted a GIF of himself listening enthusiastically to the news.
Cody's reaction as good as confirms that AEW would be interested in working with the man known as "The Icon". It is a move that makes sense for both parties as well. Sting was under WWE contract for six years, but made little overall impact in that time.
Although always presented as a legend, Sting ultimately lost both of the pay-per-view matches he had in WWE. If the real-life Steve Borden still has a hunger to perform, then a link up with AEW provides him with a final opportunity to thrill the audience.
A link-up can pay dividends for both parties. Here are five reasons why Sting joining AEW makes sense.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.
#5 Merchandise sales potential
Given that Sting's contract status with WWE became public following a canceled action figure, this seems like an excellent place to start.
A man who has had thousands of pieces of merchandise in his over 30-year career, Sting is one of the most recognizable characters in wrestling history.
AEW, announced in February, that they had inked an action figure deal with Jazwares toy company. While the first series of figures will include only members of the current roster, AEW also has many professional wrestling legends under contract - and so a "legends" collection of figures must surely be in the works soon. Sting would be the perfect headline act for such a series.
AEW has also been vocal about wanting to produce a quality wrestling video game soon. As the character is so well-loved, having a name like Sting on board would likely increase the value of the AEW brand in the eyes of many video game developers.
The same would also be true for other AEW-themed products. A deal with Sting could be a great business opportunity for the promotion.