Sting Reportedly No Longer Under Contract with WWE amid Rumors

Sting is no longer signed to WWE, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin.

Speculation as to Sting's status arose when The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast shared a statement from Mattel announcing it wouldn't be including the Hall of Famer in an upcoming line of action figures: "Due to circumstances out of our control Sting needed to be removed from Legends Series 7. We’ll look to include this figure in a future wave if he becomes available to us again."

All Elite Wrestling star Cody Rhodes fanned the flames when he responded on Twitter:

The timing of Sting's formal departure from WWE is unclear. The company made a number of layoffs in April as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were he to move to AEW or another company, he would almost certainly assume a non-wrestling role. The 61-year-old announced his retirement in April 2016 as he entered WWE's Hall of Fame.

While wrestling retirements are often flexible, Sting recounted the severity of the neck injury he suffered in his defeat to Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in September 2015. It's hard to envision any scenario in which he returns to the squared circle.

Given his lofty resume, Sting would still have value as an on-screen presence. AEW has utilized legends Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson and Jake "The Snake" Roberts as managers and occasional hype men for active stars.

Satin also reported Sting could potentially sign a merchandising contract with WWE that would allow his likeness to be used for action figures and video games.