Many WWE fans have been pining for the in-ring return of Sting, but WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross would advise against it.
"The Vigilante" signed with the WWE in late 2014 and had a few notable matches, including a clash with Triple H at WrestleMania 31. His final match to this point occurred at Night of Champions last September when he battled Seth Rollins and injured his neck in a loss.
Ross, a former WWE announcer, said he would advise against Sting making an in-ring return due to the unknown nature of his injury. The former WCW and TNA World Heavyweight Champion is now 56 and after sustaining a serious neck ailment, Ross thinks it's better to keep him sidelined.
Much like Daniel Bryan with his concussions that forced him to retire, Ross pointed out that WWE fans and pundits aren't all in the know when it comes to Sting's injury, and shouldn't be quick to want to see him return to the ring.
"I don't know how badly his neck is injured, but I understand he has stenosis," Ross told WrestlingInc.com. "With the narrowing of the spinal cord, I don't know that he'll ever be able to wrestle safely. If he can't wrestle safely at this stage of the game, why would you even consider? How much do we gain if he has one more match? I know he could be crippled, but let us see that one more match? Seriously?"
Ross elaborated, stating that even though he doesn't necessarily know all of the facts, he believes it's too dangerous for Sting to return.
"I would say based on what I know that if he has stenosis, and has all this damage from 30-plus years, my vote would be no," he said. "Let's do other things with Sting. He could be integral with the WWE and PR or the Network. I don't know why he couldn't work on the Network in some things. I could tell you that fans that think that he hasn't had the run he needed in WWE, they're more worried about it than he is. He's objective about it. It's not the NFL. It's closer to Broadway."
Ross raises a good point. Entertaining the fans is one thing, but to risk serious, permanent injury for a one-match blow off may be way too much of a risk at this stage.
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