Sting Pushed for Cinematic Match vs. The Undertaker in WWE Before Joining AEW

We can end the speculation: Sting will have an in-ring presence in AEW—although it may be in a cinematic format. 

The 61-year-old appeared on Thursday's episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast, saying AEW president Tony Khan asked him about his willingness to do a cinematic match and lamenting how his time with WWE came to a close:

"I didn't want to end the way it ended. I was pushing to get a cinema-style match with Undertaker. For probably a litany of reasons, it just wasn't going to happen. When Tony called and spoke with me, he said, 'Are you interested in doing cinema-style matches?' I said, 'Yeah, I am.' I'd like to come back and do that and not disappear with my tail between my legs. I don't have to go out on top, I'd like to go out in a positive light."

Sting last wrestled at the 2015 Night of Champions pay-per-view in a WWE championship match against Seth Rollins. He was forced into medical retirement after suffering a neck injury in the match.

Dating back to the height of the Monday Night Wars decades ago, fans have been clamoring for a Sting-Undertaker match. It's unclear why WWE declined to move forward with Sting's pitch, given the cinematic style would have allowed Sting and Taker to do multiple takes, film scenes ahead of time and atone for their physical shortcomings at their advanced ages.

There is no word whether Sting will attempt to compete live with AEW, though it'll likely be in tag-team action if he does. AEW was able to successfully host 63-year-old Diamond Dallas Page's return to the ring in January's Bash at the Beach event without incident.

Regardless, filming cinema-style matches will allow AEW to greatly limit the amount of potential liability for Sting's health and help avoid any moments when he looks well past his prime.