Teaming with Darby Allin in AEW had a big impact on who Sting is as a human being.
Before retiring in March 2024, Sting spent the last few years of his career paired with Allin. They became AEW Tag Team Champions and still held the belts when Sting went out victorious in his final match. Allin, now in the midst of the biggest singles run of his career, is AEW World Champion and has a title defense against MJF set for Double or Nothing this Sunday.
ESPN published a feature story on Allin ahead of the pay-per-view and interviewed Sting about their partnership. With Sting in his 60s, he initially tried to talk Allin out of some of his riskier ideas, but it was Allin who won out, with Sting even joining in and doing the stunts with him.
“At first, I was trying to talk some sense into him by saying he didn’t have to do these risky moves every match. But, man, he rubbed off on me, and I ended up taking way more risks than I anticipated myself taking,” Sting said. “By the end, you didn’t know whether the young guy was going to jump off the balcony or the old guy was going to jump off the balcony. And sometimes we both did together.”
The bond that Sting and Allin formed is one that Sting believes will be lifelong.
“We haven’t had a chance to go play miniature golf together. I still owe him that,” Sting told ESPN. “We’ll be friends until one of us leaves the earth. He taught me how to live life to the fullest.”
Sting was there when Allin won the AEW World Championship from MJF last month. The Allin vs. MJF rematch on Sunday is a hair vs. title match where MJF is putting his hair on the line for a shot to reclaim the belt.
Sting’s continuing legacy —
Allin is helping to continue Sting’s legacy with his AEW success, and now Sting’s two sons — Steven and Garrett — have entered the business. Neither had any interest in becoming wrestlers until taking part in their father’s retirement tour. Now, Steven has already worked dark matches for AEW and is competing on the indies. Allin helped train him for his debut and participated in Steven’s first-ever match in October 2025.
Not quite as far along as his brother, Garrett had his debut last weekend for Dustin Rhodes’ Rhodes Wrestling Association.
Sting’s elder son, Garrett Borden competed in his debut wrestling match at Rhodes Wrestling Association on May 17.
He faced Brandon Barretta at the promotion’s Final Reckoning event. Garrett used Sting’s signature Stinger Splash on Barretta to get the win in his first pro wrestling match.
Garrett’s younger brother, Steven made his NJPW debut a couple of months ago at Academy Showcase. They hyped their wrestling careers shortly after Sting’s retirement in 2024. Garrett and Steven made a few appearances for matches in his career, and paid tribute on his final match in AEW.
Garrett’s wife also trained at the Rhodes Wrestling Academy where she competes as Jael. Currently she is on hiatus but is actively involved in community outreach for AEW. Rhodes Wrestling Academy is operated by AEW’s Dustin Rhodes.
Sting is ready to start taking convention bookings again after retiring his iconic face paint.
In 2025, Sting embarked on a year-long convention tour where fans could meet him in full “war paint” and costume for the last time. He’s taken a break from conventions for the first part of 2026 but has now been confirmed for WrestleCon in Minneapolis this July.
“Our first guest announcement for Minneapolis is the Icon Sting! His first appearance after retiring the war paint will be in Minnesota,” WrestleCon announced. “He will be appearing exclusively on Friday July 31st from 4pm-8pm (Day 1).”
WrestleCon is being held at the Hilton Minneapolis during the same time that the city is hosting WWE SummerSlam weekend. For his appearance at the convention, Sting is advertised with a look from his Main Event Mafia run in TNA.
Sting retired from the ring with his final AEW match happening in March 2024. His sons Steven Borden and Garrett Borden are both now pursuing careers in the ring, with Steven already regularly competing in dark matches for AEW.
Both of Sting’s sons are now attempting to continue the Borden family legacy in pro wrestling.
It’s been announced that Garrett Borden, the eldest of Sting’s two sons, will make his pro wrestling debut this weekend for Rhodes Wrestling Association in Leander, Texas. Garrett is facing off against Brandon Barretta at the Sunday, May 17 Final Reckoning event.
Rhodes Wrestling Association and the Rhodes Wrestling Academy are both run by AEW wrestler/coach Dustin Rhodes.
“The son of the legendary @stinger makes his in ring debut at Final Reckoning!,” the promotion announced. “Standing in his way is up and coming midwest native @brandonbarretta98! Brandon is looking to rain on the parade of @garrett_borden, and make his mark in RWA!”
Like his brother Steven Borden, Garrett did not show any interest in becoming a wrestler until catching the bug during Sting’s retirement tour. Steven Borden is further along in the process than his brother, already competing on the indies and wrestling in dark matches at AEW events. Garrett and Steven Borden are both in their 30s.
Garrett’s wife Katelyn Borden works in community outreach for AEW and is also pursuing an in-ring career, having trained at the Rhodes Wrestling Academy. She competes as Jael but has been on hiatus from the ring since 2025, when she and Garrett welcomed their son Bronson into the world. During her pregnancy, Katelyn posted that she missed the ring and was excited to return when she was able to.
The history of pro wrestling on the Turner Networks
The skyrocketing success and rapid decline of WCW
The television heyday of Georgia Championship Wrestling
How Ted Turner first got involved in pro wrestling
Why Vince McMahon hated Ted Turner and how irrational it was at times
The local TV business in the early 70s
The 1972-74 Atlanta wrestling war, how it started and ended
The start of Gordon Solie and Tony Schiavone on TBS
The growth of TBS
The launching of CNN
How Vince McMahon got on TBS
Why McMahon and Turner had issues during their year working together
The role Jim Barnett played
The death of Mid South Wrestling
The death of Jim Crockett Promotions
The death of WCW
How Barnett manipulated the Crocketts getting on TBS
Vince McMahon’s cable power plays and Turner’s reactions
The signing of Hulk Hogan and rise of Eric Bischoff
Hall, Nash and Bret Hart come to WCW
How Bischoff nearly purchased WCW and how it fell through
A reprint of a 2001 article on the closing of WCW that Ted Turner himself read and praised
Reaction to the death of WCW
Numerous people react to the death
The tribute on AEW television
His exploits in other sports
Rupert Murdoch, Ric Flair, Jane Fonda, Tony Khan and others in sports comment on Turner’s death
Turner’s life after he lost control of the networks
His charitable work
Update on Tanea “Rebel” Brooks
A first look at how UFC is performing and its revenue driven vs. expense for Paramount
WWE cuts continue and are looked at
A crazy note about the income of just four of TKO’s top executives and how it compares to the pay for UFC and WWE athletes. This is absolutely shocking
Nick Khan’s new contract with TKO
Why so many cuts were made this year and more notes on the pay cuts
New Day bid farewell
WWE & UFC first quarter financials looked at
More talk regarding Middle East shows, Zuffa Boxing, and complaints regarding WWE and UFC
Backlash preview, business notes and odds
Notes on AEW Double or Nothing
New Japan Dontaku coverage
Nico Ali Walsh on Nick Khan’s testimony before Congress
NOAH big show notes
The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the pro wrestling and MMA shows this past week
Fantastica Mania Mexico
CMLL vs. MLW at Arena Mexico notes
Grande Americano vs. Grande Americano
Lots of injury updates
Who in AEW was set for a major push that is now on hold
Champion Carnival down to final four
Cuatrero convicted in domestic violence case involving Stephanie Vaquer
Raja Jackson case coming to a close
Former WWE wrestler murder case makes pub again
Worldwide YouTuber numbers
Dana White talks McGregor’s return
Notes on Roman Reigns and his schedule
When did Nick Khan learn Vince McMahon was being investigate for sex trafficking
Garrett Borden to make pro wrestling debut (Image credit: Rhodes Wrestling Association)
— Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk WWE, the Von Erichs, ratings woes, Rousey vs. Carano and more.
— Ronda Rousey was hyping her big fight with Hunter Campbell great today on Ariel Helwani’s show. “He was being so dismissive and just trying to get me and Gina to value ourselves less from the get-go. He was like, `Oh, I know, you guys are just so much older and I just don’t know how it’s gonna do.’ It just really rubbed me the wrong way that like this fucking guy is the person that’s going to be shepherding the company that I helped build. My mom is part of the California Athletic Commission and she had a meeting with him about trying to get Slap allowed for California. He goes, this is a really big opportunity for a lot of these people. A lot of these guys would just be doing meth in a trailer park if it wasn’t for this… We are glorified bum fights to this guy. This guy does not have a job because he’s good at it, he has a job because he is Dana and Lorenzo’s lawyer’s son. He was fing intern when I was there before and now he’s coming up to me saying, ‘I don’t know how you and Gina are going to do.’ Like motherfer I’m gonna put on a bigger fight with Gina than you have your entire fing career. Keep trying to fail upwards motherer. Keep trying to suck the right dicks in the right order. I’m fucking coming for your job.”
Evidently there was an issue with Ronda’s mother, who is on the Athletic Commission in California, who told Campbell when he was trying to get SlapFighting approved in the state that she thought SlapFighting was analogous to so many things wrong with society. Rousey has done a great job in building up a Rousey vs. Campbell match. She also doubled down on this being her last fight, saying, “I promised my husband up and down that this is the last one. He’s the one that I really got to convince to get on board for this promoter shit afterwards. He’s not 100 percent sold on it. He’s not going for the fighting at all after this. This is the dream fight. This is the absolute pinnacle. This is the perfect way to end it.”
— Too bad the fight isn’t against Hunter Campbell on Saturday.
— Jake Paul predicted more than 20 million views for Rousey vs Carano. I hope so. Keep in mind that would be easily four times what WrestleMania did worldwide (Mania was on Netflix everywhere but the U.S. and ESPN and the app in the U.S.
— Gina Carano recently turned 44.
— Raw tonight is from Knoxville, TN. I wonder if we’ll get a Kane cameo since he’s the mayor. They had 9,448 tickets out as of this afternoon so a strong crowd. Asuka is there and whatever her situation is would likely be explained. Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu will be doing an angle. Brie Bella & Paige will have an angle presumably with Roxanne Perez & Raque Rodriguez. Oba Femi has an open challenge. The Street Profits & Joe Hendry face Bron Breakker & Austin Theory & Logan Paul.
— Regarding the new dates Roman Reigns has been put back on for Raw (he was listed, taken off last week, put back on two shows this week), I don’t know yet if that means he’s on the Saudi Arabia card. But it does mean the next time someone mocks the term “plans change,” you can laugh in their faces given they change daily.
— We’re looking for your thoughts on WWE Backlash Saturday. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
— We have a story up on the site for members on the TNA and AEW ratings including a stat that is clearly making zero sense.
— Box Brown noted to us that Labor of Love Wrestling came up with the Danhausen cloning idea and did it at a show three weeks ago in Philadelphia. I was sent the video. It was identical. The only thing is that the wrestler doing the cloning had an identical twin brother who came out. But the box was exactly the same, the smoke was the same, I mean the thing at Backlash was so clearly taken from the show in Philadelphia.
— Garrett Borden, Sting’s other son who was involved in the Sting & Darby Allin vs. Young Bucks match makes his pro wrestling debut as an official competitor on Sunday for Dustin Rhodes’ Rhodes Wrestling Association.
— Tonight’s CMLL show in Puebla was sold out before I even woke up. The main event is Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Atlantsi Jr. vs. Averno & Soberan Jr. & Hechicero. We mistakenly listed that as the main event for last night’s show. Last night was Mistico & Templario & Esfinge over Angel de Oro & Hechicero & Niebla Roja.
— Something notable about the 9/11 and 9/13 TripeMania announcements are that WWE has a tour of South America on 9/9 to 9/12 and Penta and Grande Americano are advertised although I suppose there are two Grande’s and one could at TripleMania and the other in Argentina. But after 5/30 there should only be one Grande, unless WWE changes the tradition and a guy loses his mask and still works with a mask.
— Kevin Gil’s lawsuit against Game Changer Wrestling was settled this week in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. Gill had filed a suit in 2024 claiming that he and GCW agreed to start a Patreon together and he would receive 20 percent of the patreon revenue. He said that he was underpaid his percentage and that he stopped being paid in 2020. He had sued for a figure in excess of $150,000.
— The WWE shareholder lawsuit against WWE is scheduled for a 6/8 trial date, so there are only a few weeks to go before a likely settlement would be reached.
— TNA will debut a Wicked Garden match at its Friday taping in Sacramento. It will be Hardys vs. Righteous and air on 6/4. They are taping Thursday and Friday in Sacramento. Skip Caray, the great grandson of Harry Caray (one of the most famous baseball announcers of all-time) and the A’s announcer, will be on Thursday’s live TNA broadcast from Sacramento.
— Paul Diamond of WWE fame (as opposed to the 60s and 70s wrestlers) turned 65 today. He was a former pro soccer player in the old North American Soccer League. Billy Kidman turned 52. Bobby Roode turned 50. Lince Dorado turned 39. Rollerball Mark Rocco/Original Black Tiger was born on this day in 1951. He was one of the greatest U.K. wrestlers in history and a Hall of Famer. Silver King was 51 when he passed away seven years ago. Sabu was 61 when he passed away last year. Steve Austin debuted on this day in 1989. (thanks to Tony Richards)
— The movie Nacho Libre, where Silver King played the lead heel, was the No. 4 movie for yesterday on Paramount + and No. 8 overall. It had more views than UFC on Sunday (not more than Saturday obviously since that was the No. 1 show for the day on the service and more than Zuffa Boxing.
— WWE sent out a press release saying that the first two-night TripleMania takes place in September. There have been multiple day TripleManias in 1994, 1995, 1996,1997, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
— Jeet Rama, who formerly worked for WWE, has started Pro Wrestling Rebellion in India. Mansoor was announced for the show as both a writer and working in production, and Mark Dallas of Insane Championship Wrestling will also be involved.
On a day where broadcasting icon and massive wrestling fan Ted Turner passed away, Sting and Tony Schiavone both paid tribute to the man who brought wrestling to TBS and TNT to open Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
Both men were big parts of the Jim Crockett Promotions and later WCW that aired on the Turner networks.
Schiavone opened the show talking about Turner’s love of wrestling, saying he was “someone that changed pro wrestling forever” and that he believed in it, the fans, and that it belonged on national TV.
He then talked about his own past on TBS and that through Tony Khan’s leadership, “wrestling still survives. We are here today because of him.”
Schiavone then introduced Sting, making a surprise appearance and his first since he was in the house for Darby Allin’s first AEW World title win last month.
The former AEW World Tag Team Champion entered to no music, but in full face paint. He said both he and Schiavone both knew “Big Ted” very well and Turner made it possible for he and Schiavone to have four decades together.
He said, “Can you imagine an all in billionaire that loved pro wrestling?,” adding that Turner was completely committed to the wrestlers, saying Turner joked to those in CNN Tower that he had “some deep pockets” whenever they tried to cancel wrestling.
He then thanked Turner again and said there would be no TNT title, no Sting and no Darby Allin without him, adding there was a “second all in billionaire keeping wrestling going” in Khan.
The two then remained in the ring for a ten bell salute as the screen faded to black before the traditional show open.
All Elite Wrestling honors a man who changed pro wrestling forever, Ted Turner, whose contributions to television, pro wrestling and more are impossible to measure.@TonySchiavone24 and @Sting pay tribute to the legend on behalf of us all. Rest in Peace – and thank you. pic.twitter.com/UI39qRx5QO
Whenever he’s around backstage in AEW, Sting is willing to help younger wrestlers and give them advice on the things they’re working on.
Sting retired from the ring in 2024 but remains under contract with AEW in his post-wrestling life. While speaking with the Hunter, Jessica & Cush radio show in South Carolina this week, Sting was asked if he plays an active role in mentoring the up-and-coming talent in AEW. He said he does not attend many AEW shows but is always available to give feedback when he is there. The wrestlers are all very gracious and happy to hear from him.
“When I’m there, when I’m with the guys, yes, of course,” Sting said. “I will give feedback on a match that I saw or a gimmick or a certain move or whatever, psychology that somebody’s trying to use or somebody’s trying to develop their character. I definitely am there to always lend some sort of advice. And they’re all so gracious. You know, they’re so happy to hear from me. So it’s good. But I’m not there, I’m not there a whole lot, but when I am there, I am involved.
“And some of the guys I’m in contact with, and I’ll talk with them on the phone. And so I do have some contact with them. And Darby [Allin], we talk pretty consistently.”
Sting had very high praise for Kevin Knight, who is challenging Allin for the AEW World Championship at this Wednesday’s three-hour Dynamite/Collision special. Sting said he loves watching Knight and thinks Knight is one of the best athletes around right now.
In addition to Knight, Sting named Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, Tommaso Ciampa, Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Samoa Joe, and Jon Moxley as some of the AEW wrestlers people should be watching.
Sting told Hunter, Jessica & Cush that real estate has always been one of his interests, and he’s focusing on that now that he’s retired. He did make an AEW appearance a few weeks back when his former tag team partner Allin defeated MJF to win the World title.
The Borden lineage is being carried on in wrestling by Sting’s son Steven Borden, who regularly works dark matches at AEW shows.
Darby Allin says he’s grateful that Sting was there to witness him win the AEW World Championship.
Allin won the title from Maxwell Jacob Friedman on the April 15 edition of Dynamite in Everett, Washington. Sting was shown giving Darby some last-minute advice backstage before the world title match and later came out to celebrate the win with his former tag team partner.
During a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, Darby said it meant a lot to have Sting there so he could see that Darby was applying what he had learned from him about being humble.
Darby said:
“Having [Sting] there, I’ve said it to him before in private — I look up to him outside of the ring like no other,” says Allin. “The fact that he’s climbed to the top of the sport, and he’s been the most humble, cool guy in the world, that’s all I ever wanted. I didn’t want to let any of the ego or the fame consume me, because this is just a 15-minute ride. I want to look at myself in the mirror when this is all done — and now I’m looking back at — and I feel Sting is the quintessential guy for that.
He’s so grounded. So to have him there, it was amazing. It was amazing because he could see that I was taking notes from him, and I didn’t walk around like I was the king of the world afterwards. I’m very grateful for it all.”
Sting was also interviewed for the article and compared his relationship with Darby to the one he had with Ric Flair. Sting said that while he and Darby were not rivals in the same way he and Flair were, he saw something in Darby similar to what Flair saw in him.
“I had somebody like Ric Flair that had the ability to make or break me. And I think I probably had the ability to do the same thing with Darby, even though we weren’t opponents, we were on the same team,” Sting says.
“But I saw something in him, he saw something in me, and the rest just clicked.”
Darby will look to defend the AEW World Championship for the second time on tonight’s Dynamite from Fairfax, Virginia. He is scheduled to defend the title against Brody King after successfully defending it against Tommaso Ciampa last week.
Darby Allin ended MJF’s second reign as AEW World Champion on last week’s edition of Dynamite, earning praise from Tony Khan and Sting for the milestone moment.
AEW shared footage of Allin’s win, celebrating the special moment with Tony Khan, Sting and other wrestlers. Khan told him ‘you earned it’ and they embraced backstage. Meanwhile, Sting gave props to Allin and recalled how he told him he was World Title worthy years ago, and that he was proud of him like his own son.
“I told him years ago that he is World Championship calibre and he proved it tonight. The rest is history. It’s not showtime, it’s Darby time.”
“I’m proud of him like he’s my son, yeah.”
Allin was one of the first few stars signed with AEW when it was established in 2019. Around a year later, Sting mentored him and accompanied him for matches. His rise has been closely tied to the wrestling veteran who has played a vital role in the development of his AEW career.
This Wednesday, Allin will defend the title for the first time against Tommaso Ciampa.
"He proved it tonight. The rest is history."
Follow NEW AEW World Champion @DarbyAllin + @Sting in the moments surrounding Darby's monumental title win.
For the first time ever, Darby Allin can call himself AEW World Champion.
Allin defeated MJF in front of his home crowd in Everett, Washington, to win the championship in quick fashion on Wednesday’s Spring BreakThru episode of AEW Dynamite, hitting the now-former champion with four coffin drops and a side headlock takeover for the pin and win, a call back to their past AEW match.
The match surprisingly took only a few minutes, started by an MJF low blow with Allin later hitting one of his own, followed by a Scorpion Death Drop and the sequence above.
Sting, Allin’s former AEW Tag Team Championship partner, made a surprise appearance as Allin was preparing to walk to the ring, saying it wasn’t showtime but Allin’s time. He then came out to take part in the post-match celebration along with the locker room.
Allin earned the shot with his Dynasty victory over Andrade El Idolo this past Sunday.
The win ends MJF’s second title run that began at last December’s Worlds End and saw seven successful title defenses.
At the onset of Dynamite, they played off that MJF had no idea the match was happening Wednesday even though it was announced Sunday night after Dynasty, saying AEW officials had been trying to get in touch with him all week and that the match was starting the show.
Allin came out to start the show, soon followed by an irate MJF who ran down the crowd, said he wasn’t doing the match, and would sue everyone involved. An emotional Allin tried to goad him into it, but MJF said his back was hurt from Sunday and wasn’t doing it.
Bryan Danielson got up from commentary and said he got a message from Tony Khan in the back who said the match would be pushed until the main event and if MJF didn’t defend, he would stripped of the title.
WITH FOUR COFFIN DROPS AND A HEADLOCK TAKEOVER, DARBY'S DONE IT! #AndNEW!
Sting’s son, Steven Borden, made his NJPW debut last weekend in a tag team match.
YouTuber Bighorn Blockbuster shared a vlog about the NJPW Academy 3rd Anniversary Showcase. The event took place at NJPW’s LA Dojo on March 21. Borden teamed with Allan Breeze against Hitt & Vin Parker.
Breeze and Parker kicked off the match and a struggle of supremacy began with their multiple attempts to wear down each other. Borden and Hitt were tagged in simultaneously, but despite Hitt’s overtowering physique, Borden managed to gain the upper hand. He took a few brutal slams during the bout but sustained momentum.
Borden paid tribute to his father with his in-ring moves and eventually pinned Parker to get the win for his team.
Borden made his wrestling debut in October 2025 and competed in a few AEW dark matches and ROH tapings. Earlier this year, NJPW’s Fred Rosser announced that he was training Borden. Tony Khan is also cited to have an interest in signing the second-generation wrestler.
During a commercial promoting the upcoming Foul Play With Anthony Davis, it was shown that Sting and Darby Allin will be among those getting pranked. The show is set to premiere April 6 on TBS following the NCAA National Championship game.
In the brief clip, the Washington Wizards player can be seen instructing a police car to come in as Allin was briefly seen being held in the back of the car, possibly detained as part of the prank.
TBS’s website gives a description of the show: “Foul Play With Anthony Davis turns the tables on the locker room dynamic, as athletes from all sports pull pranks on their oblivious teammates and sports-world friends. They do this with an assist from the creative team behind Impractical Jokers and an ensemble cast of writers/performers who help them see the prank through from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer.”
Sting retired from pro wrestling back at Revolution 2024 but remains under AEW contract, making sporadic on-screen appearances to aid his longtime friend Allin.
With less than ten career matches, Steven Borden Jr. is set to make his debut in NJPW.
Announced by the company on social media Wednesday, Sting’s son will compete as part of the NJPW Academy’s third anniversary showcase event at the LA Dojo on Saturday, March 21 at 2 pm local time. His opponent was not revealed.
After making his debut last October in a tag match that included Darby Allin, Killer Kross and JD Drake, Borden has appeared for DEFY Wrestling twice and AEW four times, competing in dark matches. He also worked a dark match for Ring of Honor. He was last in the ring in early-February.
In February, NJPW roster member Fred Rosser revealed he has been training Borden while AEW head Tony Khan said in February that “developing (Borden) for the future is a huge priority to me and everyone in AEW.” He has not stated whether he is under an AEW contract.
A couple of years after his retirement, Sting has now filed for two new trademarks related to his career’s early years.
On Monday, March 9, 2026, Sting filed to trademark “Flash Borden” and “Blade Runner Sting” for goods and services: shirts; sweatshirts; hooded sweatshirts; hats; bandanas; and socks.
The description for the above filed trademarks read: “Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Providing online interviews featuring professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes.“
According to USPTO, Flash Borden was first used in December 1984, while Blade Runner Sting was first used on December 28, 1985.
He started his pro wrestling career in 1985 as Flash in Memphis and later joined The Blade Runners as Blade Runner Sting on MSW Mid-South Wrestling TV.
According to documents available on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website, Sting filed to trademark “IT’S STIIIIIIIING!” with eight I’s in “Sting” and an exclamation mark at the end on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Tony Schiavone is also listed as an owner of the trademark relating to his signature call.
Michael E. Dockins is listed as the attorney of record.
Real name Steve Borden, Sting also filed to trademark the name “Old Man Sting” on January 7, 2025 for wrestling purposes.
Sting also has trademarks listed for his signature face paint designs, his black-and-white scorpion image, and the nickname “The Icon.”
Sting’s son, Steven Borden, has begun his wrestling career. He has wrestled dark matches for AEW throughout 2026. He also competed in a couple of matches for DEFY last year and at the ACW 52W Hardway event/art exhibit in New York on October 3, 2025.
