Tony Khan’s AEW Rejected Ric Flair’s Heel Turn Pitch on Sting Before Going Silent About His Future
Amid speculation about his AEW exit, Ric Flair reveals the Tony Khan-owned company went silent on his future after rejecting his pitched heel turn on Sting.
![Ric Flair and Tony Khan. Image Credits: Getty Images Getty](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-07/1130303922_tonflair.jpg)
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair signed with the Tony Khan-owned company in November 2023. The Nature Boy was brought to AEW as a “gift” for Sting, as the latter set out on the last leg of his in-ring career. After Sting’s last match, Flair was written off AEW TV, leading to speculations about his potential exit from the Jacksonville promotion.
In a recent interview, the 75-year-old wrestling legend came clean about his current standing with AEW. According to Flair, he hasn’t heard from the company since pitching an idea for his heel turn on Sting on the day of The Icon’s last match.
Ric Flair’s pitched idea for Sting’s last match in AEW was not accepted by the promotion
Ric Flair signed a multi-year deal with AEW in November 2023. In addition to his presence as a supporter of Sting, Flair’s energy drink, Wooooo! Energy became the exclusive drink of the promotion. However, AEW has visibly stopped promoting Flair’s energy drink. Additionally, Flair hasn’t been making any appearances on AEW.
While speaking on the Busted Open podcast, the sixteen-time World Champion revealed that AEW ghosted him after he pitched an idea for his heel turn on Sting. According to Flair, his pitched heel turn would evoke nostalgia among the wrestling fans, bringing Sting and Flair to full circle.
Flair’s pitched plan would have seen Sting finish his match at AEW Revolution and catch a sneak attack from Naitch. Ultimately, Sting would overpower Flair and go out the way they did 31 years ago.
He stated on Busted Open, “At the end, as Sting is standing there and those guys are gone, I jump on Sting, boom, boom, boom, he does one big move to me, puts the scorpion (death lock) on me, and we go out the way we started 31 years ago. It would have blown the roof off the joint and it would have made me a heel so I had somewhere to go.”
Flair also pointed out that AEW didn’t go ahead with his pitch due to health concerns, as Flair is on blood thinners. Considering Flair's recent heart condition, Khan may have made the right call. Nonetheless, Flair wanted a direction to go after Sting’s retirement match. And his heel turn would have given him that in the future programming of AEW. Flair then stated that he hadn’t heard from AEW since pitching his idea.
He further mentioned, “I haven’t heard back from them since. ‘Ric, that’s a great idea. We’ll call you later on.’”
Anyway, Sting and Darby Allin defeated the Young Bucks at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event. At one point during the match, Ric Flair got involved, shielding Sting from the YB’s onslaught, leading to him taking a double super kick.
What’s next for Ric Flair?
Ric Flair may be done with AEW but he is still a massive name in the wrestling industry. That said, former WWE star and self-proclaimed ‘Indy God’ recently revealed that Flair is poised for a major deal with the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con.
Read More: Ric Flair Opens Up On Possibility Of John Cena Breaking His World Title Record Before WWE Retirement
Besides that, Flair Energy Drink, Wooooo Energy! continues to be a cash cow during his retirement from wrestling. At this point, we will have to wait and see what Flair intends to do next. And considering his AEW exit, it’s not too far-fetched to believe he could make an appearance in WWE in the foreseeable future.
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