Sting on his special connection with fans: ‘It was like a two-way street’

For Sting, what made his connection with the fans so special was how mutually beneficial it was.

The 66-year-old wrestling icon retired from the ring in March 2024 and is currently on his “2025 or Never” tour, which is the last time he’ll be appearing in the full Sting costume and makeup at conventions. He recently spoke to The Sportster at the Monster Mania convention in New Jersey, opening up how much the support from fans meant to him throughout his career.

“A lot of fans will talk about how much wrestling meant to them, how much my character meant to them,” Sting said. “And the thing that I always say is — and it’s true — it was a mutual thing. So they say ‘thank you’ to me for all the years. And I say ‘thank you’ back for all the years. And it was like a two-way street, it was a relationship. And so, I was blessed just as much as they were blessed. And sometimes I was pissed just like they were pissed. I mean, we have all of our different emotions. But overall, it’s just amazing to think that there is no Sting without the crowd.”

Sting said the best part of this convention tour has been hearing stories from fans, like how his vigilante character helped them overcome being bullied as kids. He’s also loved seeing old friends like Kevin Nash and Lex Luger.

At the moment, Sting has 16 more convention bookings through the end of the year. He will still be making appearances after that but will not be doing so in full costume.

Sting had his final match at AEW Revolution 2024, teaming with Darby Allin to defeat The Young Bucks. He remains under a licensing contract with AEW.