AEW World Champ Samoa Joe Talks History With Sting In Wake Of Revolution Retirement

Last night, AEW Revolution went off the air with the legendary Sting bidding farewell to fans both at home and in the arena. The show's main event saw Sting and Darby Allin retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship in a widely acclaimed match against the Young Bucks, serving as an ending to Sting's 39-year wrestling career. Speaking at the post-show media scrum following his own successful title defense, Samoa Joe shared his thoughts on Sting's legacy.

"I've known Sting as a rival, as a friend — outside the ring, as a confidante," Joe said. "Somebody who has been a steady and sobering voice during a lot of chaotic situations throughout my career. Aside from that, for 40 years, Sting has elicited emotions from crowds around the world that most wrestlers could only hope they would achieve."

Joe feels that the pay-per-view was a fitting send-off for "The Icon," with both fans as well as his AEW co-workers showing the veteran performer just how much he's meant to everyone over the years. The AEW World Champion credited Sting for putting in as much effort as he has despite having many opportunities to simply take an easy paycheck. Not only did Sting give his full effort, but Joe said he continued to succeed at the highest levels of the industry.

"It speaks to his character," Joe continued. "It speaks to who he is as a human being. And it speaks to the legacy that ... deserves to be celebrated tonight."

The 64-year-old's final match featured a great deal of action, including both Sting and Allin falling through glass, before Sting addressed the crowd for the last time as a wrestler. Following their victory, AEW CEO Tony Khan announced that the tag titles would be vacated and a tournament would soon take place to decide a new pair of champions.