5 signs that prove AEW and WWE has not struck a deal regarding Sting

The upcoming edition of the WWE Hall of Fame is shaping up to be a great show for fans. One of this year's inductees, Lex Luger, recently expressed a desire to get inducted into the Hall of Fame by his longtime friend and AEW star Sting. However, a deal between AEW and World Wrestling Entertainment might not be in place for the induction.

Sting is a WWE Hall of Famer in his own right. The Vigilante had an underwhelming run in the Stamford-based promotion. He suffered a major injury during his match against Seth Rollins at the 2015 Night of Champions PLE and was forced to step away from in-ring competition.

The Icon signed with AEW in 2020 and had a great run with the company. Sting retired from in-ring competition at last year's AEW Revolution PPV. The Vigilante has made appearances for the promotion since then and is reportedly signed to a legends deal with All Elite Wrestling. Therefore, he might not appear at this year's Hall of Fame to induct his friend Lex Luger.

CM Punk's shot at AEW

CM Punk left AEW in a controversial fashion. The Best in the World's contract was terminated after a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In 2023. This was his second altercation, as he also reportedly had a massive backstage incident with The Elite at All Out 2022 PPV.

During the latest episode of Monday Night RAW, CM Punk addressed Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and referred to them as children. This was a shot towards AEW, where he called The Elite 'children' after having a huge backstage fight with them. He was also seen in a segment where Drew McIntyre was put through a glass windshield by Damian Priest. Punk walked past McIntyre and gave out a large smile, in what seemed to be a shot at AEW and Perry's "real glass" incident.

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WWE Hall of Fame is already stacked

Last night on Friday Night SmackDown, WWE announced they will now be inducting matches into the Hall of Fame. The first match to get inducted will be Stone Cold versus Bret Hart from WrestleMania 13.

The Hitman and The Rattlesnake will be in attendance at the Hall of Fame as well, making it packed to the rafters with huge names and stars from bygone eras. In that regard, it seems that WWE already has enough star power to sell the event and may not go the extra mile to secure Sting's services.

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Sting's comment about AEW allowing him to appear

Sting is currently under contract with All Elite Wrestling. Many talents from both companies appear at their events but mostly stay backstage and are never showcased on television.

According to reports, Sting has privately claimed that All Elite Wrestling might not allow him to appear at the Hall of Fame to induct Lex Luger. However, this could change if both sides reach an agreement.

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Sting could appear via video to eliminate having to strike a deal

Many AEW stars, like Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson, have appeared on WWE programming via video on some occasions. Some other talents have also attended Hall of Fame ceremonies, but the company never promotes them on television.

Former AEW World Tag Team Champion Sting could appear at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to induct his friend Lex Luger via video.

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WWE booking a European tour during AEW Forbidden Door

The Stamford-based promotion is currently in the midst of a successful Europe tour during the build-up of WrestleMania 41. The company will be returning to Europe in August during AEW Forbidden Door weekend.

This is seemingly to compete with Forbidden Door, which will be held on August 24 in London. Both companies will likely stack up the cards for both events.

However, Tony Khan is not likely to take this cross-programming too lightly and may refuse any extensions for the services of Sting from WWE. As it is, the two promotions don't see eye to eye and WWE's jabs at AEW may not sit very well with the latter.