Ric Flair addresses his absence from AEW television.
In November 2023, Ric Flair inked a multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling, with his subsequent appearances linked to the retirement tour of his friend and former rival, Sting. Flair’s Wooooo! Energy was also named as the exclusive energy drink of AEW. Following Sting’s final match at AEW Revolution 2024, however, fans have not seen much of him.
“The reason I’m not on TV now is that [AEW CEO] Tony [Khan] didn’t know I was on blood thinners,” Flair explained on Busted Open Radio. “I’ve been on blood thinners because I had a real bad blood clot in my leg at one time. At Sting’s last match, I had already made a blade. I was ready to go. He said, ‘No, I don’t want you doing nothing.’ I made blades for all the guys in the old days, ‘Okay Ric, make me a blade.’ I said] ‘Okay, get me a scissors and some Johnson & Johnson tape.'”
Amidst his absence, reports have suggested that Flair had departed from AEW. Flair later confirmed that not to be the case as he was still working for AEW and its CEO Tony Khan.
Flair, while 76 years old, recently joked that he would have taken the day off of blood thinners to hit the ring for the WWE WrestleMania 41 match between John Cena and Cody Rhodes, specifically to aid “The American Nightmare.” Due to his contract with AEW, though, Flair would have been unable to appear on the show anyway.
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