Real Reason Ric Flair Appeared On AEW Dynamite

There was a surprising debut on the Wednesday, October 25 edition of AEW Dynamite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Ric Flair was revealed to be Tony Khan's gift to Sting on the show. The two men reunited and reflected on their history of appearing and wrestling on TBS before Sting's match was set up for Full Gear which will see him team with Darby Allin and a third partner to take on Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne.

AEW had a specific reason for bringing in Ric Flair, though, and according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, it all comes down to ratings as AEW's TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery expires at the end of 2024. 

"I know that he was gonna go there right when that Dark Side of the Ring thing came out. I don't know this but I was assuming that he was gonna go as the manager of Andrade. But he and Tony Khan had a verbal deal, and then after Dark Side came out, it was not the right time," Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio.

"It's the (TV) contract year and I think they're really trying to hotshot as many stars for ratings purposes because of the name value and things like that, but by doing that you're also ageing the show, and nostalgia when it comes to TV ratings is usually a short drug, not a long-term thing."

The 'Dark Side of the Ring thing' was that Flair was accused of sexual misconduct by flight attendant Heidi Doyle during the episode on the Plane Ride from Hell. The flight itself was from Europe to the United States following an international tour in 2002. Flair was accused of imposing himself on Doyle and forcing her to touch his genitals. The WWE Hall of Famer has denied the allegations.

H/T to WrestleTalk