Steven Borden’s move from ringside participant to active competitor has happened quickly, but he is embracing every part of the experience. The son of Sting is set for one of the most significant matches of his young wrestling career at AEW All Out, where he will join forces with TNT Champion Darby Allin against Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight.
The stakes are substantial beyond the personal spotlight. The winning team in the All Out tag match will earn an opportunity to challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. For Borden, it is another major step in a journey that began with a powerful realization during one of the most emotional nights in AEW history: his father’s retirement match at Revolution 2024.
Borden and Allin recently discussed their partnership and Borden’s development during an interview with Good Karma Wrestling. Borden described the demanding pace of preparing for AEW television, particularly while training alongside Allin in Atlanta.
“It’s been a lot of training, a lot of time in Atlanta with this guy,” Borden said, referring to Allin. “Just trying to get as ready as I can. I think the last month or so has been a whirlwind. You don’t really have time to think about what’s happening. It’s just the next show. Okay, Dynamite. Okay, Collision. Here we go. But it’s been a fun ride so far.”
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That assessment captures the challenge facing a newcomer who is learning in front of a national audience. AEW’s schedule does not leave much room for slowing down once a wrestler becomes involved in ongoing programming. Each appearance can bring new expectations, and Borden is entering that environment while carrying one of the most recognizable family names in professional wrestling.
Still, his decision to pursue the profession was not simply a matter of legacy. Borden explained that the moment which made him commit to wrestling came when he took part in Sting’s final match at Revolution in 2024. The event represented the conclusion of Sting’s legendary in-ring career, and Borden was directly involved in an occasion that carried enormous emotional weight for his family.
Revolution 2024 Provided the Defining Moment
At Revolution 2024, Sting and Darby Allin defeated The Young Bucks, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson, to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship. The bout served as Sting’s retirement match, allowing him to finish his career as a champion alongside Allin, his on-screen and real-life ally during Sting’s final AEW run.
For Borden, being present for that farewell changed the way he looked at his own future. He said seeing his father close such an important chapter made him confront the question of whether he would regret not pursuing a path that had become increasingly meaningful to him.
“Pretty much during Revolution at my dad’s retirement match,” Borden said when asked when he knew he wanted to become a wrestler. “Watching him kind of ride off into the sunset and realizing that my life is gonna pass quickly too and I’m gonna be his age one day and I could either look back and say I took the step that I wanted to take or I could look back and say what if, and I just didn’t want to live with that what-if question. So it was right after Revolution pretty much.”
The decision links Borden’s story to a historic AEW moment, but it also gives his own career a clear point of origin. He was not merely watching Sting’s farewell from a distance. He experienced the preparation, the scale of the presentation, and the finality of a retirement match involving a performer whose career has influenced generations of fans and wrestlers.
That context makes his present alliance with Allin especially fitting. Allin was Sting’s final tag team partner and the wrestler who stood beside him throughout the last chapter of his career. Now, Allin is helping Borden prepare for the beginning of his own in-ring path. Their work together in Atlanta has provided Borden with a close mentor as he adjusts to the physical and mental demands of professional wrestling.
Darby Allin Partnership Brings Both Opportunity and Pressure
Allin has long built his reputation around an unorthodox, high-risk style and a willingness to place himself in punishing situations inside the ring. As TNT Champion, he also arrives at All Out with the responsibilities of a singles titleholder. Teaming with Borden adds another layer to his workload, but it gives Borden a partner who understands exactly what it means to carry the Sting connection in AEW.
Their opponents present a formidable test. Fletcher is a highly accomplished and physically imposing competitor, while Knight brings athleticism, speed, and experience as a tag team wrestler. In a match where a future AEW World Tag Team Championship opportunity is on the line, neither side can afford to treat the contest as merely a showcase.
For Borden, the situation will demand that he deliver under a level of pressure that training alone cannot replicate. Training can build conditioning, timing, confidence, and familiarity with the fundamentals. Live AEW competition adds the unpredictability of an opponent, a crowd, the consequences of every decision, and the importance of staying composed when the pace accelerates.
His comments suggest he understands that adjustment is already underway. Calling the past month a “whirlwind” is not an exaggeration for someone moving through Dynamite and Collision appearances while attempting to establish himself as a credible part of the roster. The pace may be intense, but Borden’s outlook remains positive. He is focused on the immediate work rather than becoming overwhelmed by the broader significance of the opportunity.
A Career Beginning Under a Famous Name
Professional wrestling is filled with second- and third-generation performers, but family connections can be both an advantage and an unavoidable source of scrutiny. Borden has access to a unique perspective on the industry through Sting’s career, which spans decades and includes landmark runs across multiple eras of wrestling. At the same time, Borden will need to show that he can develop his own instincts, presence, and identity in AEW.
His early approach appears grounded in preparation. Rather than presenting himself as a finished product, Borden has openly emphasized training and the need to get ready for every appearance. That is a sensible foundation for a performer whose exposure is arriving rapidly. AEW audiences are familiar with Sting’s legacy, and many will naturally be curious to see what elements of that legacy Borden carries into the ring—and which aspects of his presentation emerge as distinctly his own.
The All Out match offers a meaningful first measuring stick. A victory with Allin would not only give the pair a potential route toward the AEW World Tag Team Championship, but it would also establish Borden as someone capable of contributing in a match with tangible consequences. A loss would not define his career, particularly at such an early stage, but the contest will still be an important learning experience against serious opposition.
There is also an emotional continuity in the situation. Sting’s final AEW match ended with a tag team championship retention beside Allin. Borden’s current AEW trajectory includes a tag match beside that same partner, with a championship opportunity waiting for the winners. The circumstances are not identical, and Borden is only beginning a journey that Sting completed at Revolution 2024, but the connection is impossible to miss.
All Out Could Mark the Next Major Step
Borden’s comments make clear that he did not want to look back years from now wondering what might have happened if he had taken the chance to wrestle. That motivation is now being tested in real time, in front of AEW audiences and alongside one of his father’s closest partners from Sting’s final run.
At All Out, Borden and Allin will have the opportunity to turn that momentum into a championship path. Fletcher and Knight stand in their way, and the match will require more than enthusiasm from AEW’s newest prospect. It will require the preparation Borden has been putting in, the guidance he has received from Allin, and the ability to perform when the stakes are highest.
For now, Borden is taking the experience one show at a time. The whirlwind he described is still moving quickly, with Dynamite, Collision, and a major pay-per-view match all part of the process. But from his perspective, the ride has been rewarding—and All Out could provide the biggest chapter of it yet.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.