Report: Ric Flair Pushing For More Physical Spots In AEW
Ewww, no.
Ric Flair has been actively pushing to do more physical spots in AEW, reports Fightful Select.
The 74-year-old, who threw a few punches on Wednesday's episode of Dynamite, wants to be more involved in that regard. Fortunately for many AEW fans, the promotion hasn't considered booking Flair in a match.
Flair was a controversial AEW hire in October 2023, when the promotion brought the legendary wrestler in to support career-long rival Sting on the latter's retirement tour heading towards Revolution 2024. Ric has been a regular televised presence since then, accompanying Sting and Darby Allin in several appearances, while his Wooooo Energy drink's branding adorns AEW stages as part of a linked sponsorship deal.
In December, AEW founder and CEO Tony Khan stated that Flair's contract with the promotion is covered by the Wooooo deal:
“We’re not paying Ric Flair; Ric Flair is essentially paying us. We’re getting paid by Wooooo Energy for all of his appearances, so we’re collecting revenue from them.”
AEW has attracted significant backlash for working with Flair, who has been the subject of multiple sexual misconduct allegations throughout his career. These include the awful Plane Ride from Hell of 2022, during which Flair is alleged to have sexually assaulted flight attendant Heidi Doyle. A September 2021 episode of Dark Side of the Ring chronicling these incidents increased public awareness of the long-standing allegations.