Paul Wight speaks highly of Sting.
Sting's legendary career as an active wrestler will come to an end at AEW Revolution on March 3. There, he and Darby Allin will defend the AEW World Tag Team Championship against the Young Bucks (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson).
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Paul Wight discussed Sting and his legendary career.
“We met in December of ’94. Before I’d even signed with WCW, I got invited to a show in Chicago and we met there. He was extremely humble and gracious. Throughout my career, I’ve seen stars, guys who thought they were stars, guys who made money, and guys who didn’t. Sting was everything you could ask for. He was this incredible babyface. As far as the locker room goes, Sting never had heat with anyone. There were all these different camps in WCW, but Sting got along with everybody. You could always tell he cared about the fans. That’s why he still connects with people. It’s very genuine," Wight said.
Wight then called Sting a master at knowing his character and his opponent. He also praised his timing and his patience. Wight went on to share how Sting taught him a fundamental philosophy about wrestling, as someone has to cook, and someone has to eat.
“Somebody has to cook and somebody has to eat, and Sting taught me that core philosophy. I learned that my first job in a match is to get my opponent over, then get the match over. That’s Point A and Point B. If you do that right, you’ll automatically get yourself over. That’s not, ‘You do your stuff, I’ll do my stuff.' It’s bigger than you. Some guys only take care of themselves, and good for them. But the guys I respect most are the ones who make people better in the ring. That’s someone like Ric Flair, he has to be mentioned. So does Sting. I couldn’t have asked for a better influence early in my career," Wight said.
Wight also highlighted Sting's status as a franchise player for WCW and his success throughout his career. He noted that Sting has always understood what it was like to work against talented stars who had not made their name yet. Wight emphasized that he would not be where he is without Sting, and he said the same was true for wrestling as a whole.
“Sting made towns for WCW and became a household name. If you booked Sting in Tupelo, Mississippi on a Saturday night, Sting would show up and do it. He put in the work and became their franchise guy. He became a legend in Japan, too. He’s now an incredible asset for AEW. Sting is a guy who understood what it is like to work against guys who were really good, but the wrestling world didn’t know them yet. He did that for Crockett Promotions, WCW, TNA, and now again in AEW. Sting’s the guy that always understood what this is about. Whether he was getting his shoulders pinned, or getting his arm raised, he made sure the crowd enjoyed the hell out of a match. He never got involved in the locker room drama. When there were problems, he worked through them. For him, this was never about ego. I wouldn’t be where I am without him, and wrestling wouldn’t be where it is, either," Wight said.
Click here to see what Kevin Nash had to say about why he will not be attending Sting's last match.
Check out Tony Schiavone's comments about Sting's last match here.
Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Revolution as it airs on March 3.
