VIDEO: Wrestling icon makes surprise 2300 Arena debut after AEW Collision taping
Former AEW and WCW star Sting made his surprise 2300 Arena debut following Thursday’s AEW Collision taping in Philadelphia.
His appearance was part of a post-event tribute to Eddie Gilbert put on by AEW head Tony Khan that also saw Jeff Jarrett, Tommy Rich, and Eddie’s brother Doug Gilbert in attendance as well.
From our Dave Meltzer: “Eddie Gilbert was the guy who saw the potential in Sting before anyone else and was the architect of Sting’s babyface turn in the UWF just as the promotion was being sold to Jim Crockett.”
Gilbert was the booker for Eastern Championship Wrestling before he was fired by Tod Gordon, replaced by Paul Heyman, and the eventual creation of the Extreme Championship Wrestling brand. Heyman was a friend and protege of Gilbert.
After Doug, Jarrett and Rich came out talking about Eddie and the former ECW arena,
Khan called out Doug Gilbert, Eddie’s younger brother, who at one time was a star heel in Memphis. Gilbert talked about being the first person to jump out of the Eagle’s Nest in the arena and how Eddie was the King of Philadelphia.
Then, out came Sting who talked about Eddie and what he meant to his career. He asked the fans to chant “Hot Stuff” which led to Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” being played to end the night.
It’s unknown if the segment will be released on YouTube.
On X, Khan thanked the group for being there.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.