Real Reason Ric Flair In AEW! Why AEW Star LEFT! AEW Dynamite Review! | WrestleTalk
- 6 months ago
Hello and welcome to the WrestleTalk News, I am Luke Owen and this… is wrestling news.
Our top story for today comes from last night’s AEW Dynamite, where Tony Khan revealed his gift for Sting’s retirement. No, it wasn’t a gold watch. No, it wasn’t TNA. No, it wasn’t the other Sting. It was instead his old rival, and the guy who put him on the map as a top babyface in this industry, Ric Flair.
A controversial signing for All Elite Wrestling - and one that has garnered some backlash online - but there have been rumours of Flair joining AEW for a few years now; back when Andrade El Idolo was looking for a manager in 2021 with persistent reports it would be revealed as Flair, who is his irl father-in-law.
Those plans fell apart following the airing of a Dark Side of the Ring episode about The Plane Ride From Hell, which made accusations of sexual harassment against Flair. Flair was dropped from a sponsor deal he was doing at the time, and Tommy Dreamer was suspended by Impact Wrestling for defending Flair on the episode.
So why bring Flair in now?
Well, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, it’s all about those TV contracts.
As we’ve seen with WWE for the last few weeks and months, NXT has been loading up with main roster talent in an effort to boost ratings which will, in turn, mean they will get a better TV deal during rights negotiation season.
And AEW are doing the same thing. There have been rumours and reports of a new deal for some time now, and Meltzer explains that Flair is another name being brought in to bump ratings in order to get a big piece of the Turner pie.
“It’s the contract year, and they’re really trying to hotshot as many stars for ratings purposes, and using ‘name value’ and things like that.”
Meltzer adds that Flair - on nostalgia alone - could be a “short-term” benefit to the program, but isn’t sure if he’ll be a weekly character on the show.
Sean Ross Sapp on the Fightful Post-Show for Dynamite added that he’s looking into how this will affect Flair’s relationship with WWE, as being a part of All Elite Wrestling could sour any friendliness due to the ongoing wrestling war. We heard from Rob Van Dam recently that he was dropped from his WrestleMania 40 bookings because he appeared on Dynamite to face Jack Perry for the FTW Championship earlier this year.
Someone who won’t be around to see Flair in AEW, though, is the son of Flair’s Four Horseman running buddy Arn Anderson, Brock Anderson. Though maybe that’s for the best, as his advanced years might have meant that he’d confuse Brock for Arn backstage.
It was reported a few days ago that Brock Anderson was removed from the AEW roster page, and was later confirmed that his contract had ended and he would be finishing up with the company.
Fightful Select are now reporting that the split was “amicable” and that “there doesn't appear to be any bad blood” between the two. SRS adds in the report that Brock already has a lot of interest from indie promotions looking
Our top story for today comes from last night’s AEW Dynamite, where Tony Khan revealed his gift for Sting’s retirement. No, it wasn’t a gold watch. No, it wasn’t TNA. No, it wasn’t the other Sting. It was instead his old rival, and the guy who put him on the map as a top babyface in this industry, Ric Flair.
A controversial signing for All Elite Wrestling - and one that has garnered some backlash online - but there have been rumours of Flair joining AEW for a few years now; back when Andrade El Idolo was looking for a manager in 2021 with persistent reports it would be revealed as Flair, who is his irl father-in-law.
Those plans fell apart following the airing of a Dark Side of the Ring episode about The Plane Ride From Hell, which made accusations of sexual harassment against Flair. Flair was dropped from a sponsor deal he was doing at the time, and Tommy Dreamer was suspended by Impact Wrestling for defending Flair on the episode.
So why bring Flair in now?
Well, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, it’s all about those TV contracts.
As we’ve seen with WWE for the last few weeks and months, NXT has been loading up with main roster talent in an effort to boost ratings which will, in turn, mean they will get a better TV deal during rights negotiation season.
And AEW are doing the same thing. There have been rumours and reports of a new deal for some time now, and Meltzer explains that Flair is another name being brought in to bump ratings in order to get a big piece of the Turner pie.
“It’s the contract year, and they’re really trying to hotshot as many stars for ratings purposes, and using ‘name value’ and things like that.”
Meltzer adds that Flair - on nostalgia alone - could be a “short-term” benefit to the program, but isn’t sure if he’ll be a weekly character on the show.
Sean Ross Sapp on the Fightful Post-Show for Dynamite added that he’s looking into how this will affect Flair’s relationship with WWE, as being a part of All Elite Wrestling could sour any friendliness due to the ongoing wrestling war. We heard from Rob Van Dam recently that he was dropped from his WrestleMania 40 bookings because he appeared on Dynamite to face Jack Perry for the FTW Championship earlier this year.
Someone who won’t be around to see Flair in AEW, though, is the son of Flair’s Four Horseman running buddy Arn Anderson, Brock Anderson. Though maybe that’s for the best, as his advanced years might have meant that he’d confuse Brock for Arn backstage.
It was reported a few days ago that Brock Anderson was removed from the AEW roster page, and was later confirmed that his contract had ended and he would be finishing up with the company.
Fightful Select are now reporting that the split was “amicable” and that “there doesn't appear to be any bad blood” between the two. SRS adds in the report that Brock already has a lot of interest from indie promotions looking