Ric Flair Training For In-Ring Wrestling Return?!
If nothing else, the Nature Boy WANTS you to think he's getting into ring shape...
Ric Flair has uploaded a short clip of him training in a wrestling ring, working out a few short exchanges with All Elite Wrestling's Jay Lethal.
The 73-year-old posted the footage to his own YouTube channel earlier this week. Though only 78 seconds long, it goes through a few basic tie-ups, takeovers, holds, and other transitions (understandably slow ones, given Flair's age), on top of a handful of soft back bumps from the 'Nature Boy.' It appears to be stitched together from a longer video, as there are constant cuts throughout.
Check it out yourself at the foot of this page.
Publicising the video on Twitter, Flair quipped:-
Someone Had The Audacity This Weekend To Ask Me If I Can Still Do This. I Said “Really??? Naitch Don’t Play!” WOOOOO! @TheLethalJay
Ric hasn't wrestled since September 2011, when he was defeated by Sting in his final match for IMPACT Wrestling. Hopes of any kind of in-ring return would be fanciful in 2022, given the myriad health issues that have dogged Flair in recent years (including the kidney failure that almost took his life in 2017) and his age, though this wouldn't be the first time Flair has teased stepping through the ropes since recovering.
Parting ways with WWE in August 2021, Flair appeared set to jump ship to AEW before allegations of sexual assault against flight attendant Heidi Doyle resurfaced through the 'Plane Ride from Hell' episode of Dark Side of the Ring. As things stand, Flair's last mainstream wrestling appearance came when he cornered his future son-in-law Andrade El Idolo against Kenny Omega for AAA on 14 August 2021.