would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after years of waiting, possibly due to some controversies surrounding Luger's personal struggles outside the ring. The announcement, posted to WWE's social media pages and delivered to Luger by WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes and WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page, was resoundingly celebrated by wrestling fans and seen as a culmination of an impressive and decorated career.

There have been multiple conversations and discussions about who would induct Luger into the Hall of Fame, and most signs point to Page, Luger's close friend assisting with his physical rehabilitation, as well as a current WWE Legend. However, no one makes more sense to induct Lex Luger into the Hall of Fame than Sting, Luger's longtime friend and competitor, and WWE should make every effort possible to make this happen.

Lex and Sting's History Together

Former Tag Team Champions and Partners

Sting and Lex Luger share a long history together, as performers, friends, and opponents, sharing tag team gold within Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW. Throughout Luger's on-again, off-again heel turns in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and then again through the Monday Night Wars, the duo spent a significant part of the early WCW days competing together and against each other, with one of their more famous pairings including "Macho Man" Randy Savage at 1996's Bash at the Beach against The Outsiders and their partner who was later revealed to be Hulk Hogan.

Luger and Sting remained close friends throughout their time working together and beyond, forging a bond through their shared faith and personal struggles. As most of their more memorable moments in the ring involve one another, it seems fitting for Sting to be the appropriate person to induct Luger during the capstone moment of his career, and without Sting's involvement, it would put a blemish on an otherwise incredible moment for Luger.

Sting's WWE Woes

Underutilized and Underappreciated

Sting, one of the very few WCW talents who held out on ing WWE for decades, finally made his debut for the company in 2014. He competed in his first, and only, WrestleMania match with Triple H in a losing effort - an outcome that still doesn't make much sense. Sting's time was limited in WWE, as suspected cervical spinal stenosis that appeared during his match with Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship ended any immediate future plans for his in-ring work.

Although he remained under a Legends contract and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016, Sting and WWE had creative disagreements after his retirement, with both WWE and The Undertaker not agreeing to a cinematic match between the two, and he was never fully utilized in WWE again.

The main issue, however, is that Sting signed with AEW in 2020 and had a career resurgence as an in-ring competitor, competing in a tag team with Darby Allin that culminated in a proper retirement match in 2024, winning the AEW Tag Team Championship with Allin in a match that was celebrated as one of the best retirement matches of all time. While Sting found his swan song success with AEW, it didn't seem that there was any true acrimony between him and WWE, outside of some creative missteps that occurred during his time, and it seems the door is still open for his return in whatever capacity that can be in.

Will AEW Allow It?

It's Possible But Not Guaranteed

Save for a handful of moments, like Chris Jericho's appearance on "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's "Broken Skull Sessions," WWE and AEW have had a frosty relationship at best, with both companies competing against each other and taking significant shots across the bow. Whether it was the "Wednesday Night Wars" or the jumping of multiple talents across companies, their relationship has been tumultuous with no real clear sign of any intention to work together in an official capacity.

However, Luger was granted approval to attend Sting's retirement match with AEW, provided that he was not shown on camera during the event, as he was under a WWE Legends contract at the time. Tony Khan, the owner of AEW, has taken great lengths to show great respect to professional wrestling legends under his company's umbrella, and may allow the favor to be returned for Sting to complete the induction, provided WWE is willing to meet any specific guidelines they have.

Our Take on Sting Inducting Lex Luger

WWE and AEW Should Do the Right Thing

A Hall of Fame induction is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience, especially an induction from WWE for a man who has been waiting many years for this designation after a decorated career. Lex Luger getting his flowers ahead of WrestleMania 41 provides WWE an opportunity to allow a full celebration of his career with one of his closest friends. According to a recent report from Fightful Select, Luger has already indicated to WWE that he would like for Sting to induct him alongside DDP, and Luger himself expressed that thought in an interview on the podcast "83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff."

Additionally, AEW has the opportunity to show itself as having the advantage of playing fair with WWE by allowing Sting to be a part of the event, and that although the relationship has been both tense and frosty, they're still willing to provide a Legend his proper due. Allowing Sting to partake in the WWE Hall of Fame induction for Lex Luger, AEW and WWE can prove that a truce can be found to allow for a celebratory moment for a deserving inductee, even if only briefly.