[7.0] "I remember it a bit more fondly because of his retirement, but looking back now, it seems a little lacking to me as a wrestling match. If I were to rate it back then, I'd give it a 10, but right now it seems like at least a 7 or 7.5. Still, it was a very very good match."
[10.0] "This is the best retirement I can imagine. The match was crazy from start to finish. Of course, Darby took all the impact from the Bucks. But Sting looked like a superhero here. And of course the Swanton Bomb in the glass. It's probably one of the wildest things I've ever seen. Well, the emotional ending, where Sting ended his career as a champion. And a farewell speech that ended the saga of a true wrestling legend and gave Daria Allina a chance to move on as a solo. And the Bucks beat the incredible heels in this match, and that's probably all they needed to do in order for the match to be great."
[9.0] "Man, that intro to Sting's match up was just lovely. The nice touch with his son's as Surfer and Wolfpac Sting and of course Sting himself coming out as the icon, Crow style. What a wonderful moment, add in Metallica and that's just the entrance. Darby Allin going through that glass was probably the wildest moment i've seen in a match up, of course he did it for Sting, Matt and Nick as heels are great and Sting getting so many moments here to look great. This was a really wonderful match up. There's a lot going on and a lot to breakdown i wouldn't call this a perfect match up but it's certainly an excellent way for Sting to close out his career."
[10.0] "If you really look for things to criticize, you can find them, but this feels like the perfect combination of in-ring action, tribute, connection with the crowd, big moments and surprises. The Young Bucks play their heel roles brilliantly, but Sting in his final match taking two through a table, getting thrown into the glass, and having those comeback moments when he is completely outnumbered is just brilliant. The image of Darby Allin covered in blood from his back is incredibly powerful, but then having him come back and hit a Coffin Drop with his back already destroyed is another level of commitment. The opening with Sting's sons, the entrances from Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair, everyone putting their bodies on the line for the sake of the show, and a crowd that is completely invested make this deserving of the rating."
[7.0] "It was an emotionally charged match, the chemistry between the teams was good, but the problem was the same as with other Bucks matches - it was a classic hardcore spot-fest.The bumps and glass were clearly unnecessary."
[10.0] "Just everything it needed to be such a emotional moment this show had and was, Sting gets vengenece for his sons, Darby looked gruesome towards the end getting Steamboat and Flair, Sting does all his good stuff here, Bucks were a great choice here, just what a great match that is one of my favs in AEW history thank goodness his career didnt end with the Seth match."
[10.0] "Just a beautiful emotional high to end a stellar PPV on. Matches like these are why I love wrestling. Yes in terms of actual ring-work it isn't 5 stars, but that's not the point when it comes to matches like this and if you can't see and understand that I genuinely feel sorry for you."
[5.0] "Good the see Sting go out on his own terms but, as a match, this thing was not very good. Steamboat's involvement was pretty good. Flair looked like my grandfather when he forget who he was and wandered around his house. That Darby bump through the glass was completely unnecessary. Young Bucks were the perfect geeks for Sting to beat up on his way out though. Sting's mini-me's just kind of disappeared and never came back, which was weird. 5/10"
[10.0] "Electrifying. Everyone plays their part to genuine perfection. The Young Buck, even if I'm pretty mixed on them as a tag team, are just so charmingly loathsome and I love them so much in this match. Darby continues to have one of the greatest year of his career with that insane swanton bomb through a pane of glass (Darby, we love you) and STILL coming back in for the climax, but the star of the show, believe it or not, is Sting. Would I have liked to see Sting get one final hot tag? Yes. But when what we get is one of his finest performances ever, I can't be too mad with the results. The eternal superhero of pro wrestling continuously rising up with multiple no-selling spots, giving The Bucks every bit of comeuppance they deserve, and going out on top in a short list of one of the best retirement matches I've ever seen. I've got to agree with the consensus out there: LONG LIVE STING. ****3/4"
[10.0] "with the stakes of this match being the highest ever for sting it was valid that he no sold on multiple occasions and it looked good and brought a sense of faith into the match that he will find a way to be win the match the main story of this match other than it being stings last was the predicament darby in a careless and selfish matter put hiself in when he took the glass dive bump it took him out of vital stages of the match where the match couldve been won by the young bucks multiple times but sting didnt give up and kept fighting and enduring until in the nick of time darby returns and throws nic into the table and sting finishes off matt with the scorpion sharpshooter top moment for me was probably the darby spot it was so nasty looking and added a lot to the stakes and uncertainty of the outcome that sting and daby win"
[10.0] "Unbelievable match, that completely transcends the concept of a 'match', it's a divine, spiritual experience, and certainly one of the best retirement matches of all time, I mean, holy fuck, that was incredible, what an amazing send-off for Sting, I don't think I've watched a better retirement match live up until that point, it's really great, and I like to compare it with Kobe Bryant's last match, where he dropped 60-points against the Jazz, and this is maybe the pro wrestling version of it, super thrilling and emotional, God bless Sting! I was already emotional at the entrances, with Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat showing up, a lot of legends in the building, and that vignette of Sting was fantastic, showing great moments of his career, very emotional like everything else here. Sting's entrance with his sons was remarkable, the boys were dressed as Surfer Sting and Wolfpac Sting, honoring several phases of his career, until finally the Icon arrived with Seek and Destroy by Metallica playing, an incredibly badass entrance. This entire thing was a journey, and the Bucks were the perfect opponents for this, the heel work was tremendous, and they've managed to attract hate and piss off the crowd the entire time, which always raises the level of tension, and consequently when the good guys have an awesome comeback or something like that, the place erupts... it was a very unselfish job by the Bucks, who took the beat when necessary and played along with Sting's night the whole time, even if it makes them look weak, doesn't matter, it's about making Sting look the most legendary guy ever. The beginning of the match was a fun trick, Sting and Darby started dominating with Sting's sons helping them, and you thought that maybe the match was going to be a squash, with such domination, and that double scorpion death lock, it had all the elements of a squash match but it wasn't, and thankfully it wasn't, because the match was terrific, and of course that was probably by design. It's an experience that you can't fully analize with critical eyes, this match asks for you to turn off the brain and enjoy the ride, and it's a phenomenal ride, they have the pass to do everything they want of course, and every no-sell here was awesome, it's a match where you have the time of your life the whole time, enjoying Sting's greatness and they knew how to produce fun moments, that would look shit at any other match, but the context matters a lot, and in this context, it was a brilliant structure. That iconic bump by Darby was one of the most insane things I've ever seen, he said prior to the match that he would die for Sting, and he almost did, unbelievable, I have goosebumps even remembering that bump on the glass. Sting wasn't so far behind too, and took several adrenaline shots here, including two bumps on the table, and one breaking the glass... the old man was there to have fun one final time, and he enjoyed the most out of the match. Sting was booked like a superhero, he survived many pinfall attempts, and even had an amazing kickout at 1, all after suffering extremely painful moves, but the crowd erupted whenever he showed superhuman abilities and so did I, the way those four guys played their roles here was truly incredible, so many correct choices. Flair and Steamboat had also a great and compelling appearance during the match, it's very cool that they've included the legends too, I'm sure both of them were having a blast. After Sting survived the impossible many times, it was looking like the Bucks would finally win and end his career, and that was a real possibility, but Darby returned to the match after that crazy bump, the crowd erupted again, and with Darby's help, Sting managed to win the match, retire with a win, undefeated at AEW, and still forever the champ. Brilliant stuff, later we found out that Sting wanted to put the Bucks over, but they profusely refused, which once again shows the genuine intentions they had towards this moment, hats off! It's pretty poetic that a guy who suffered from many bad booking decision during his career, and wasn't treated properly several times, had maybe the best send-off ever, it's beautiful, and an altruist selfless guy like Sting deserved that... congrats to Tony and everyone involved for pulling this off, one of wrestling's eternal moments without a doubt - {****3/4}"
[9.0] "Very good retirement match for the Icon. Having his sons involved early made the match feel even more special I have never been a fan of glass as a pro wrestling weapon so that part turned me off. Darby took some insane risks in this match for Sting. Selling was less than expected. If it wasn't Sting's goodbye match I don't know if I would have the same love for the match, but it was a perfect way to say goodbye to the Icon. Thank you, Steve Borden!"
[10.0] "Did sting kick out of way too much for someone who is 64 years old? Hell yeah he did and it ruled. This was such a fun and chaotic match. That Darby spot was INSANE and I hope the people in the front row didn't get hurt. Everything about this was perfect."
[10.0] "I was never a big Sting fan, but wow. I mean, watching a 60+ year-old do this and the performances from all four here, along with the incredible crowd, the A7X video package ... this was amazing. And in a way, I think it can show that you can win your retirement match and still promote others on the way out. It's a genius performance by AEW to do this. And props to Sting man, you deserve all the accolades!"
[10.0] "Pure euphoria. This is the greatest retirement match of all time and nothing will ever be as perfect of a sendoff as this is. Everything just falls perfectly into place here, whether it be the video package beforehand, Sting's sons coming out dressed as him, Sting making his entrance to Seek And Destroy, even just the way Sting is presented here is the best it couldve been. Then there's the match itself which is famously wild. Sting and Darby take the fight to the Bucks as soon as the bell rings but it doesnt take long for the Bucks to take advantage and isolate Sting after Darby's insane dive through a pane of glass. The Bucks are pretty incredible in this match and this is probably the greatest heel performance of their career. Their over the top antics work here because for one, the match is over the top as fuck and also nothing they do here works because Sting either just kicks out or no sells it and the Bucks immediately eat shit for it in a way that only they can. I cant really find a single complaint about this match as everything is just the best that it could be. This isn't just the best retirement match of all time, it's one of the greatest matches of all time period. Everything just works here and this entire match is probably the most euphoric experience ive ever had watching wrestling. *****"
[10.0] "The best retirement match in North American pro wrestling history. Even if the match played out the same but Sting lost, that would still be true. It was a match fitting for a legend and going out undefeated and as a champion makes it that much better. It also occurred in a place of historical significance to Sting's career which also is the way to do it."
[10.0] "Everyone played their roles perfectly. Bucks as the shit-eating heels, Darby as the underdog high-flyer, and Sting as the unkillable legend of pro-wrestling. Being allowed to no-sell a double superkick tells you all you need to know about the level of respect Sting has earned and received in AEW."
[10.0] "I just rewatched this match. Man. What a match. For all the criticism AEW and the Bucks have faced regarding storytelling, some fair, some unfair, this match, was the ultimate story. Or the perfect end to one of the greatest stories of wrestling - Sting. This match is what wrestling is all about. Amidst all the tribalism and hate spewing, we often forget to appreciate the people who are putting hours and hours of work, year after year, day in and out, to put a smile on our face. Steve Borden, The Icon, Sting, has been doing that for nearly 40 years nonstop. He is a true legend of the industry. One of the greatest ever to do it. And he deserved the grandest of farewells and I am incredibly glad that he got the serenade that wrestling owed him. The perfect ending to one of the finest wrestling careers through an incredible match. Long live pro wrestling."
[10.0] "Dignitive farewell. Participating of his sons in the match as his previous personas was really cool, no-selling for the final time was great as always. Darby's crazy glass stuff made a huge impact on his back, you could belive that he is going to retire alongside Sting. Flair and Steambot's appearance maybe wasn't necessary, but they didn't harm the show. Bucks made a good work to put The Icon over. Extreme, bloody spectacle. Thank you Sting."
[10.0] "Pre match video was fan-fucking-tastic, EVPs look as assholes, as they should too. Enterance was INCREDIBLE. Love the sons being involved, classic babyfaces retribution. AEW may have not delivered with the hype and build, but the payoff if AWESOME. Sting being the general of the match rules. Sting looks mad, deranged and violent just like he should. Best retirement march ever. I will never forget this night."
[7.0] "It may be difficult to understand because I'm using the translation function. It was a fantastic retirement match for Sting, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. However, I personally couldn't empathize with it. If I had been a regular fan of AEW, I might have been more moved. His son's Stinger Splash, copying Crow's version of Sting, was impressive. I'm looking forward to his debut as a wrestler."
"This match is amazingly good for a retirement match, not many get to have that. Althought it sometimes depends too much in the big spots and they don't seem justified at times like the glass spot with darby. It's still a great match that has and tells the right amount of everything. They understood the limitations and what it needed to be, and did it as best as they could. The mere video package and build of the match really makes you root for Sting even if you aren't well informed in the legacy he has left behind"
[10.0] "[4.75*] This clown that gave it 0.0 needs to be studied, lmfao. Just an all-around phenomenal retirement match, with one of the best stories I have ever seen. Really, the storytelling was cinematic. This was just perfect, Stinger being a super man and resisting against the attacks of the douchebags that threw him into glass. I was against a new tournament, but now? I totally approve the result. This was a moment for the ages that will never ever be forgotten. The crowd popped in a way that legit gave me goosebumps. Of course it had a shit ton of insane bumps, including this crazy-ass dive from Darby that I do not even know if I liked, but I sure as hell respected. He said he was going to do this, and he did. A man of his words. I will probably rewatch this with my future sons, and this is everything I need to say to you about it. Thank you, Sting. Show-time is over."
[10.0] "As I am going back through all of my favorite matches throughout the last few years I stumbled upon this classic. And man was this awesome. Sting's last match ever, the ending of a iconic career, and man did they go all out with this and man was it amazing. Defnitely was not a conventional match up, but Sting is like 70 so ofcourse it was never going to be. Lets start.. Stings entrance - ICONIC, his sons portraying the different eras of Sting and his look during the eras , absolutely amazing. Sting being booked like ironman no selling 90% of the Young Bucks offense (although I am not a fan of no selling) was done perfectly, and perfectly fits Stings career so no complaining from me. Darby is insane, taking one of the craziest spots I have ever witnessed doing the suicide drop from the top rope through the glass on the outside, was insane. If you havent seen that , just go and watch that alone. His back full of cuts and blood was such a insane sight to see and that really was the best way for him to show the massive amount of respect he has for Sting and for what Sting has done for him being his mentor for the last few years. Any other circumstances I would have said that spot is insanely stupid and pointless but in this match, it was perfectly justified in a massive moment of respect for Sting. Sting taking the spot of the entrance ramp through the table on the bottom part of the ramp, at his age was also insane. Perfect send off to a iconic career, I cant think of any better way to have done this. 10/10. Thanks Sting for everything you gave us throughout your iconic career! One of the greatest ever."
[10.0] "***** / Hell fucking yeah, my goat going out on the greatest road and going as hard as he possibly could. A perfect love letter to The Stinger."
[10.0] "***** (10/10) I was happy they made this a tornado tag affair instead of your basic tag-team stipulation. The Bucks are one of the greatest tag-teams of all time, and their impact on the business could never go unnoticed, but their work was meant to be showcased in tornado tags, allowing them the freedom to exhibit what all the fuss is about. It was showtime. Showtime for the last time. It was time for Sting to do this, for one final round. The business move would have been to put the Bucks over. But there were other plans that made sense to the heart when the video package concluded with the Icon looking intensely into the Camera, piercing our souls as he says, "Let's do this! " And then who could give two s**ts about tradition. Sting had to win a last go 'round. For his family. For AEW. For his legacy. If Showtime for the Last Time had been entrusted without the poetic touch brushed by the winds of a mesmerizing video package that pushed the entrance to the Icon, I would have said that the Young Bucks should have won. But too lost into the gems and treasures of Stinger's iconic career, the only right ending saw Sting winning his 26 fight out of 26 fights in AEW. No, I don't hate the Darby glass spot like many people do, though, it isn't an easy piece to watch, and it's probably not everyone's cup of tea, but to Hardcore purists it was likely something out of Pro-Wrestling heaven. I didn't think Darby would be coming back, but he pulled himself back into the fight, using his shard up back to land a coffin drop on MJ, before (the man they call )Sting scorpion death locked the young f**k to make him tap to a most Iconic finish to a most Iconic career."
[9.0] "My only complaint is why did Sting want his final match to be with the young bucks? I mean, he could've had his last singles match against Darby, but anyways, on with my review. This was just insane, Sting at his age shouldn't have done the things he did and that Darby glass spot, my lord, it still gives me goosebumps."
[10.0] "The best retirement match of all time. This was spectacle of wrestling and executed that story perfectly. I loved Darby going through glass and thought this was just all magnificent because it hit so many damn notes and used so many of the beautiful colors wrestling offers. Perhaps it can be knocked for even the brief Flair involvement, but its hard to discount the match in any way considering how fitting of a send off it was for one of Wrestling's most enduring talents in Sting."
[10.0] "Great match with Darby Allin being a twisted sadist as usual and the Young Buck being the Young Bucks. It was a fantastic and beautiful way to end the legendary career of Sting."
[10.0] "I've been watching some old Revolution matches and between the violence, the clear babyface/heel divide with the crowd full behind the babyface and the drama/stakes, this might be the best AEW match of all time. The perfect send off serving as an exclamation point to a perfect run."
[10.0] "My brother and I were there for his debut into WWE and that god awful HHH vs. Sting match. I am happy to say as he and I watched on the couch we were there to watch this love letter of a match. Words and number are meaningless to the Icon Sting. Thank you Sting."
[10.0] "To me, this falls into the generational match category. This was a beautiful swan-song for Sting that featured just about everything you could hope for. Sting's sons were involved, Darby risked his life again for the love of the game, and our hero got the victory one last time over the Young Bucks, who played the stooge heel role perfectly. This match perfectly encapsulates why so many people love professional wrestling."
[7.0] "I think there's a degree to which all the spots in this match - particularly the glass spot which looked like a stunt for a stunt's sake - overshadowed the actual match itself, and I can see where some of the negativity comes from surrounding that. With that said, Sting and Darby never really wrestled a straight up tag match in AEW as far as I can recall, I think almost every one of their matches were Tornado Tags. Its amazing what String could still do at this stage, like diving off the stage etc. All in all this was a great spectacle and had a hot crowd. It worked for me as a great send off for String and I enjoyed things like the video package beforehand and the ring announcements, but I don't think it was a "great" match."
[7.0] "****1/2 a great match, a very special and unique match, the ideal retirement for anyone, some very great spots, great chemistry, Sting being the main focus of the match, some great and well done "cameos " by Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat, a great heel job by the Young Bucks who sold like never before during this match, Darby excelled with his spots, the bad thing would be Sting's quite exaggerated kick-outs but due to the context of the match being a retirement match and that Sting in AEW was always sold as a very tough guy, his resistance is understandable, a great ending"
[10.0] "Without a doubt, the greatest retirement match there has ever been. A celebration of one of the greatest careers in the entire business. It really had everything. Cowardly heel Bucks working their asses off, appearances from legends and family of Sting, some of the best most insane spots Sting has ever been involved in and Darby's most insane spot to date. The arena rooted for the Stinger the whole way, a lot of great false finishes. If a perfect retirement match, or perfect match in general, exists then it would be this one. By far, match of the year. 10+/10"
[10.0] "One of the most fun matches I've had the pleasure of watching. What a joyous celebration of Sting's career, packed with emotion and heart. A lot of death defying spots, through tables and plates of glass which are INSANE. Great way to take out Darby and watch Sting take on the Bucks one by one proving why he's one of the best of all time. The Bucks are at their cowardly heel best, and serve as the perfect heat magnets so not a single soul in that building was rooting for anyone other than Sting, making that climatic sequence so heart in mouth showstopping. Superb."
[10.0] "10 points is not meant to imply perfect in this rating scale, and while I don't personally believe a perfect match is possible, some matches come damn close, and this is one of those matches. All four men are completely locked in here and the supporting cast of characters builds to an amazingly satisfying conclusion; a spectacle that holds up even months later. I watch a lot of good or even really good wrestling, but the best matches stick with you, and this is truly an all-time great in that sense."
[8.0] "A really fun match to close to show wasn't a five star match but still had tons of fun watching to celebrate stings final match with darby taking an insane spot through the glass and flair and steamboat taking superkicks and sting himself taking a couple bumps through the tables"
[10.0] "Insane close to a phenomenal ppv. A fantastic balance between tension building with all the emotional stakes of Sting's career and the delivery of catharsis through the most ridiculous, astonishing spots, be they Darby flying through glass or Sting offering up some of the best fighting spirit moments of the year. A beautiful culmination and tribute to a beautiful career, with not a single moment going to waste."
[9.0] "This is an awesome hardcore spotfest with real heart given the occasion. Stings sons get involved early on after an emotionally charged promo video, and an emotionally charged entrance to Seek and Destroy with the Borden Boys dressed as the surfer and Wolfpac variants of Sting. Them hitting Stinger Splashes was a great moment. Glass is also brought in early on! Go cry me a river! Its set up very nicely for Darby to do the scariest dumbest spot ever! I loved it! He flips off a ladder in the ring, through this glass pane set up on chairs on the outside, after one of the EVPs moves. The look of his back is something else. Shortly after, Sting goes through a pane of glass! He is 64! Darby is a terrible influence on him! This was also awesome though. Another fun spot is when duel superkicks are preceded by an emotional sentiment of were not sorry, we hate you from the EVPs. Sting doesn't take that though, even if he is two-on-one. This was just a great time from start to finish! Sting and Darby retain when they dump Nicholas through a table, Scorpion Death Drop on Matthew, kick out, but a Coffin Drop into a Scorpion Deathlock combo wins it! Fuck you, this was the right decision. It was much more fun to just have him win and silence the heels, just like he always has."
[10.0] "it is rare to see something perfect in pro wrestling, but here aew managed it. seek and destroy played him and his sons out before they all did stinger splashes. they all took bumps off the stage after going through the crowd. then darby had the most insane spot i've ever seen in my life going through the glass, it won't be for everyone but i loved it. this left sting to solo both the bucks, no selling super kicks and kicking out at one, leading to the tap out. the greatest retirement in wrestling history. *****"
[10.0] "This is one of the wildest and craziest just matches in general. Even if this wasn't the retirement of Sting, it would still be remembered forever due to the INSANE dive spot from Darby that should have killed him. But Darby kept fighting while Sting put on the performance of a lifetime in his last hoorah. What an amazing way to end a show packed full of great wrestling."
[10.0] "I can't say much other than this is one of the greatest matches of all time, and it is perfect. Somehow the Bucks were good for one final time. Thank you Sting. The full 5. *****"
[10.0] "I was expecting this to be a heart wrenching story driven match with some gimmicked spots to send off Sting... then I remembered it's Sting & Darby Allin. The physicality of this match went well beyond what my expectations were going in. People have called this the best retirement match ever, but I'll add on that this is the best no DQ match ever as well"
[9.0] "So much fun. This was just an awesome way for Sting to close out his career. It may not have been what everyone envisioned when it was announced, but it ended up giving Sting a really good final match. Sting getting to retire as a champion is super cool as well."
[8.0] "There really isn't anything that needs to be said that hasn't already. Four absolute professionals in this match in entirely different aspects of the sport but none more important than Sting. For people who have always strayed away from the mainstream in this sport, Sting has been a beacon for the alternatives. What he represents for a lot of fans, especially those 40ish and up cant be put into words. A perfect send off for maybe the guy who deserved it most in American Pro Wrestling."
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