Nick Patrick discusses Sting's ongoing wrestling career.
When Nick Patrick was the referee of the Starrcade 1997 main event between Hulk Hogan and Sting, Sting was in the middle of a character reinvention, breathing new life into a decade-old career. Twenty-six years later, Sting is still competing in the squared circle on a part-time basis as a member of the AEW roster.
Speaking in an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Nick Patrick admitted that he is shocked to see "The Icon" still competing between the ropes, reflecting on an interaction he had with Sting nearly a decade ago, where he was worried about what could happen to him if he took the wrong bump following his match with Seth Rollins at the 2015 WWE Night of Champions event.
"Yeah, because I talked to him — Man, I don't know how long ago it was. Maybe 6 or 8 years ago, and he had a neck problem. He told me that if he took the wrong bump, the doctor told him that he'd be paralyzed. The next thing I know, he's back in the ring wrestling again. I'm like, 'Holy crap! Did you get it fixed? Did you change your mind? What's going on?' But I've seen other guys do it. Dean Malenko came back and he had a big giant scar down the back of his neck. There's been a couple of guys that have had that neck surgery — Daniel Bryan — different guys had major neck surgery and were told they were finished — Edge — and here they come. They're right back. I know that with physical therapy, you can get to where you're feeling 100%, even 110, but after time, those injuries are going to let you know they're there."
While Sting is still an active competitor, he knows his time in the ring is coming to an end relatively soon. Sting has already stated that he wants his last match to occur in a tag team situation. Read more here.
For now, Sting is still electrifying audiences as part of AEW. At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2, he will team with Darby Allin and a partner to be named against Sammy Guevara, Minoru Suzuki, and a man that Nick Patrick knows very well, Chris Jericho. Learn more about that at this link.
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