Sting Announces Retirement at WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony: Comments, Reaction

Sting's professional wrestling career is over. The legendary Superstar announced he is done as an in-ring performer at WWE's Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday.

WWE provided a clip of the announcement:

Sting's last match was a loss to Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. The 57-year-old also suffered a major injury in that match. In an interview with Greg Adkins for WWE.com (via Fox Sports' Jimmy Traina), he described the scary details of the injury:

"

Bottom line, I had tingling, numbness down both arms, all the way to my fingertips. And then, later in the match, I just fell wrong, whatever it was, and this time [the tingling and numbness] went down both arms and into my legs, and I couldn't feel my legs too well. They just felt like rubber. I don't know how to describe it. I had to go down on all fours there for a minute, get my composure. I was a little . . . I was worried.

"

TMZ Sports reported on March 17 that doctors advised Sting not to wrestle again.

Former Superstar and current announcer John "Bradshaw" Layfield saluted the 10-time WCW/NWA champion:

Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas was also happy to have seen Sting succeed over the years:

While his time as a wrestler in WWE was brief, at least he made the jump while he was healthy enough to compete—an idea many fans had given up on before it happened. Sting was the lone WCW holdout from the Monday Night War until he made his shocking debut at Survivor Series 2014.

That led to a match between Triple H and Sting at WrestleMania 31:

The feud between Sting and The Authority reignited last summer, when The Icon interrupted the unveiling of Rollins' statue on the Aug. 24 episode of Raw:

It's debatable whether Sting's WWE run did anything to enhance his legacy, since he was already one of the biggest stars of his era, though it did allow a new generation of fans to appreciate his work and understand how much he meant to WCW.

While Sting may be done wrestling, fans will likely see him again in WWE. Plenty of retired Superstars such as Edge, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels have returned in various on-screen and ambassadorial roles, and WWE would likely afford Sting a similar opportunity if he wants to stay involved.