Steven Borden got his highest-profile AEW moment to date at All In inside Wembley Stadium, appearing alongside Sting to help Darby Allin in his TNT Championship match against Kevin Knight. Borden even hit a ladder dive onto Brian Cage and Jake Doyle during the bout.
Eric Bischoff, however, believes AEW is pushing Sting’s son into the spotlight well before he’s actually ready.
On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, the former WCW president said his concern comes down entirely to Steven’s lack of experience.
“I’ve got to be careful what I say here because Sting was very supportive of my son Garrett when Garrett broke into the business. And I don’t want to sound like I’m unsupportive, but my concern, and I say this as a friend, my concern is that they’re pushing Sting’s son a little too early.”
“He’s not ready for the positions that he’s being put into. He barely knows his way around the ring, and now he’s doing high spots like he did. I would just love to see him take a little more time before he’s thrust into the kind of limelight he’s being thrust into because if he’s not ready, he’ll end up in the same position as a Erik Watts, for example. Getting the push, getting the visibility, getting the highlights or the spot, but not really having the experience.”
“And that’s all it is, is reps. It’s all it is, is reps and confidence that comes with it to really showcase himself out there and not look unprepared.”
Bischoff’s argument largely centers on Borden’s limited track record. According to Cagematch, Steven has worked just 32 matches since debuting on March 10, 2025, and 26 of those came in dark matches on AEW shows.
Notably, Darby Allin himself voiced a similar concern back in 2024. Months into training Borden, Allin said he wanted to avoid rushing things so Steven wouldn’t come across as someone getting opportunities solely because he’s Sting’s son.