What Are AEW’s Long-Term Plans with ‘The Stinger’s’ Son Beyond 2026?
AEW hasn’t been the same since Sting’s retirement back in 2024. Wrestling fans from all over the world came together to witness the legacy he left behind in the wrestling world in his farewell match alongside protégé Darby Allin against The Young Bucks’ Nick Jackson and Matt Jackson. Sting’s sons would come out during their father’s entrance, donning previous gimmicks throughout his career. They would even get involved in the match as Allin. ‘The Stinger’ and ‘The Daredevil’ would successfully defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships, allowing the WWE and inaugural TNA Hall of Famer to retire on top as a champion.
One of Sting’s sons, Steven Borden, came out in a full nWo Wolfpac outfit, calling back to the time in WCW when Sting felt he had no choice but to join his friend Lex Luger and The Wolfpac to protect WCW from long-time nemesis Hulk Hogan and nWo Hollywood. It’s been rumored for a while that AEW wanted to sign Borden to a full-time deal. On an appearance on the Chris Van Vliet podcast, Allin had mentioned training Borden in the ring for his eventual start in professional wrestling. He’s been performing dark matches in AEW since December of last year and made a pay-per-view appearance alongside his dad at All Out: London. Don Callis Family members Brian Cage and Jake Doyle came out to help Kevin Knight retain his belt during his Falls Count Anywhere match with ‘The Daredevil’ before the father-son duo came out to even the odds. The father-son duo would climb up a ladder together before the WWE and the TNA Hall of Famer conceded and encouraged his son to perform a Crossbody from the top of the ladder. They ultimately helped ‘The Stinger’s’ original protégé regain the TNT Championship.
Borden has been featured on AEW television since, primarily partnered up with Allin. The son of ‘The Stinger’ attempted to make the save on ‘The Daredevil’ after the latter successfully defended the TNT Championship against Don Callis Family member Mark Davis. Don Callis Family members Trent Baretta and Rocky Romero would come out post-match to continue the beatdown on the champ, but Borden would come out to attempt to save his friend and father’s protégé. The numbers game became too much when former TNA World Champion Josh Alexander returned to AEW television to beat the duo up and put the Don Callis Family on top to end the segment.
This past episode of Dynamite, dedicated to the late Andy Williams, saw the in-ring debut of Borden on television teaming up with Allin to take on Don Callis Family members Alexander and Davis. ‘The Daredevil’ and ‘The Stinger’s’ son would cut a backstage promo, where Borden talked about the fear of being overshadowed by his dad’s illustrious career. He then talked about the potential regret of never wrestling, which is why he decided to jump in the ring now. ‘The Icon’s’ son would show out on his debut televised Dynamite match, showing off incredible strength and athleticism that could define his character and moveset. ‘Dunkzilla’ would pull off multiple tributes to ‘The Butcher’, but ‘The Icon’s’ protégés came out with the victory after hitting a Scorpion Death Drop-Coffin Drop combo move that looked like a legitimate tag team finishing maneuver.
Where does that leave Borden? ‘The Stinger’s’ son has shown these past few weeks that he has the basic in-ring skills and the upside potential to be a main staple of AEW television. He’s performed a death-defying Crossbody off the top of a ladder, hit a near-perfect Standing Dropkick last week, and showed the tenacity and strength his father once did during his hot tag spot. It would be safer for Borden to stay involved in a tag team like the one he’s seemingly in with Allin. It takes time to adjust to televised wrestling, from having to know where all the cameras are and understanding how to move past a botched spot, to live time limits a match has and changing spots mid-match. Having veterans like members of The Don Callis Family and someone like ‘The Daredevil’ to help Borden adjust to televised wrestling is a great start. It also makes perfect sense for Sting’s protégés to stay close friends and rely on each other whenever necessary. ‘The Icon’ took Allin under his wing shortly after his AEW debut, and that mentorship helped ‘The Daredevil’ become an upper card and occasional main event staple in AEW.
The TNT Champion could pay it forward by mentoring his mentor’s son. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they should go after the World Tag Team Championships now, as that division seems the most stacked in all of AEW, but they could sniff the gold eventually and win it once the dust settles in the division. It also leaves creative room for some sort of heel turn between Borden, Allin, and Sting if he wants to return to television. The TNA Hall of Famer proved how good of a heel he could be in TNA, but outside of that company, he was primarily booked as a babyface or antihero that the fans dedicated their support to. Should ‘The Icon’s’ son want to have a different career than his father, he should look no further than what Dominik Mysterio did in WWE. This could help ‘The Icon’s’ son become one of the top heels in AEW alongside the likes of Maxwell Jacob Friedman with the proper storytelling. Wrestling fans today are treating Allin like today’s version of Jeff Hardy or Ricky Steamboat: someone who you could never hate and always love. An attack from Borden on ‘The Daredevil’ could light the proper heel heat that’s necessary for this angle, one we never got to see between Allin and Sting.
