Sting Debuts On AEW Dynamite

For the first time since March 26, 2001, former multi-time World champion Sting returned to TNT, appearing on Wednesday night's "Winter is Coming" edition of AEW Dynamite.

Sting made his debut by saving Cody Rhodes, Dustin Rhodes, and Darby Allin from a beatdown at the hands of Team Taz. After running the heels off, he individually stared down each person in Rhodes' camp, including manager Arn Anderson.

Tony Schiavone announced shortly after Sting's debut that, per Tony Khan, "The Icon" has signed a multi-year deal with AEW. AEW's Twitter account confirmed his signing with the usual announcement.

Though he's been retired from the ring following September 2015, Sting remained under WWE contract into 2020 for legends and merchandising purposes, before its reported expiration this past May. As of October, WWE had pulled all of its Sting-related merchandise from its online retailers, leading to speculation about his future.

It's not known if Sting (who retired due to a spinal injury sustained in his final match) will wrestle at all for AEW. He is scheduled to speak on next week's episode of Dynamite.