Sting and Darby Allin Retain Tag Team Championships In Sting's Final Match

The pre-match video package airs to set the stage for our AEW World Tag-Team Championship tornado match, which is the retirement match for one-half of the reigning and defending title-holders "The Icon" Sting, who along with Darby Allin, defend against AEW EVPs The Young Bucks -- Nicholas and Matthew Jackson.

Out first come the challengers, The Young Bucks. They settle in the ring and then the lights go out. A video plays and out comes Darby Allin. He stops and the lights go out. A lengthy cinematic experience-style video intro plays to set the stage for Sting's ring walk. In the arena again, we see three Sting's come out.

The first two are Sting's sons. One is dressed up like nWo Wolfpack black-and-red Sting. The other is the blond-top "Surfer" Sting. Finally, Metallica's "Seek and Destroy" plays and out comes "The Icon" himself with his sons. Darby joins them and they all head to the ring as Tony Schiavone, for the final time ever, yells, "It's STINGGGG!!!"

Now the bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this Tornado tag-team match with the AEW World Tag-Team Championships on-the-line with Sting, in his retirement match, and Darby Allin defend against former two-time tag-team champions, The Young Bucks. The crowd is white-hot for this one. Not red hot. White hot.

Darby Allin dives onto the Bucks as the bell rings, and then gets them into the ring. Allin and Sting deliver splashes to the Bucks in the corners, and then Sting’s sons get into the ring and deliver Stinger Splashes to the Bucks. Allin follows with Coffin Splashes and Sting delivers Stinger Splashes of his own.

Sting slams Nicholas with a spine-buster, and then slams Matthew onto top of Nicholas. Sting applies a double Scorpion Death lock, but they get free and roll to the outside. Sting slams Nicholas into the barricade a few times, and then does the same to Matthew. Sting hits Matthew with a chair, and then slams Nicholas over the barricade.

"The Icon" tosses Matthew over the barricade as well as his sons set up tables on the outside. Allin sets up a ladder, but Nicholas comes back with a shot to Sting. Sting comes right back with a press slam, but Matthew kicks Sting in the midsection. Sting comes back with a back-body drop, and then Allin drops the Bucks with a Coffin Drop from the top rope.

Sting pulls panes of glass from under the ring. One gets propped on some chairs by the ramp, and Allin slams Matthew into the steps. Allin slams Nicholas into the ring steps and Sting swings the bat, but Matthew dodges it. Sting swings the back at Nicholas against one of the panes of glass, but Nicholas dodges it and the bat shatters the glass.

The Young Bucks escape into the crowd, but Allin and Sting follow them and they brawl onto the stage. Nicholas comes back with a shot to Allin and they crash through tables on the floor. Matthew delivers a few shots to Sting, but Sting comes back for a Scorpion Death Drop. Matthew rakes at Sting’s eyes, and then suplexes him through some tables off the stage.

Nichols brings Allin to the ring and props the ladder in the corner. Another massive ladder is set up in the ring. The commentators point out that Sting hasn't moved in a while. Darby Allin comes off the enormous ladder and crashes through the pain of glass, which shatters everywhere. We see blood all over Allin's body from the glass cuts.

Sting is finally mobile in the ring again, and the Bucks are working him over. Matthew delivers shots to Sting and The Bucks go for a double suplex through a table, but Sting fights them off. The Bucks send Sting to the corner and Matthew goes for a Stinger Splash and Nicholas goes for an enzuigiri, but Stick dodges and Nicholas kicks Matthew in the face.

Now Sting delivers shots to Matthew and puts him onto the table. We see all hell break loose as The Bucks go out to the floor for weapons. They grab the title belts and look to use them, but Ricky Steamboat stops one of them, only to be attacked by the other. Ric Flair comes into the ring and throws himself over Sting's body.

He covers him and yells "No!" as he protects him from further punishment from the Bucks, who blast Flair with stereo super kicks. They do the same to Steamboat seconds later. They blast Sting in the face with a belt shot and go for the cover, but Sting again finds a way to kick out before the count of three to keep this match alive and going.

"Good God, what are we watching?!" says Tony Schiavone as fans again break out into a "Sting! Sting!" chant. "We're not sorry, we hate you!" says The Young Bucks, to do the opposite of Shawn Michaels' goodbye shot to Ric Flair in his retirement match, as they go for stereo super kicks on Sting. Sting avoids them, pounds his chest and starts to take over.

Sting goes for another Scorpion Death Drop, but The Young Bucks avoid it and counter with an EVP Trigger on Sting. They go for the cover, but Sting gets the shoulder up just before the count of three. The Bucks complain to the ref afterwards. They shake a lifeless Sting's hands and say, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you," before going for another EVP Trigger.

This time Sting avoids it and he hits double low blows. He laughs but the Bucks hit stereo super kicks to him again. Now the two set Sting up for the Tony Khan Driver, but Sting avoids it and hits a Scorpion Death Drop. Darby Allin, covered in blood all over his back, hits a top-rope Coffin Drop. Sting follows up with a Scorpion Death Lock. The crowd roars. Jackson taps out.