Steven Borden Jr. continues to turn heads as his momentum quietly builds behind the scenes.

The son of Sting returned to the ring ahead of AEW Collision, competing at the Ring of Honor tapings from the eSports Arena in Arlington, Texas. Borden faced Jon Cruz in a match that has yet to be confirmed for future ROH TV airing, but the performance itself made plenty of noise backstage.

Borden has stayed active over the past several months, including working a dark match at AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming and taking bookings with DEFY Wrestling on the independent circuit. Each appearance has added to a growing belief internally that he is ahead of schedule.

That belief was reinforced in a December report noting strong reactions to his work. When asked directly about Borden, AEW President Tony Khan did not hesitate to praise what he has seen so far.

“I THOUGHT HE WAS EXCELLENT. He’s doing a great job. Very exciting in my opinion,” Khan said.

Backstage feedback has also focused on Borden’s physical presence. One longtime AEW staff member said he “did great” and specifically highlighted his physique, joking they would “sacrifice years of their NFL team winning to look like him.” According to those backstage, Borden’s look was one of the most talked about positives coming out of the tapings.

As for what comes next, at least one source within AEW believes Borden is expected to be under contract before long, if he is not already officially signed. With consistent ring time and growing internal praise, his path forward appears to be accelerating.

The legacy continues!

I got to witness @flyborden wrestle tonight!
I was a huge fan of @Sting growing up and now I got to be a fan of his son Steven Borden. #ROH #AEWCollision pic.twitter.com/gi1iu49aoD

, aaronloveswrestling (@A_L_W_podcast) January 4, 2026

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