AEW founder Tony Khan has reflected on the time he first pitched teaming up with Darby Allin to Sting.

Sting and Darby have been aligned since late 2020. Many believe the two are a perfect pairing and that Sting’s wealth of knowledge has been a great asset to Darby.

Speaking to Z100 New York, Khan looked back at the time he first told Sting about the idea of pairing him with Darby Allin.

“When he first talked to me, I said, ‘There’s a young kid, please look at him because I think you’d be so great together and it’d be such a great pairing.’ And now, in real life, they’re such close friends, and they’re such a big part of each other’s life. They have so much in common. They’re both these straightedge, gray-hearted people who do all this great work, charitable stuff for kids. Neither of them does drugs, drink, nothing, and they’re both completely straightedge, and they’re both just so cool and have so much in common. But they had never met, and bringing them together and now seeing what it’s become to people around the world, it’s one of my favorite things about wrestling.”

Since making his AEW debut, many have been surprised by Sting’s performances in the ring. After all, he suffered a scary injury in a match against Seth Rollins back in 2015 and it appeared his in-ring career was over. Sting has since had a few matches in AEW and most agree he’s looked better than he has in years.

Not bad for a 62-year-old.

As for Darby, he’s one of the bright young stars of AEW. He’s currently involved in a feud with another young star in MJF. The two are expected to clash at the Full Gear PPV on Nov. 13.