Why Ric Flair Didn't Appear During AEW Blood & Guts

Ric Flair was advertised to appear during the televised portion of AEW Blood & Guts from the Greensboro Coliseum on Wednesday night, but the 16-time world champion was nowhere to be seen on TBS or HBO Max.

Instead, Flair appeared in front of the live crowd before Blood & Guts went on the air, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reporting that Flair left following his brief appearance before Dynamite due to being in a "ton of pain" from a recent rotator cuff tear.

Flair being pulled from Dynamite resulted in changes being made to the show as he was originally scheduled to appear on the televised portion of the show, likely as part of the Ricky Steamboat-FTR segment which saw Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler beat down the legend.

Ric Flair has seldom been used by All Elite Wrestling since Sting's retirement in March 2024, but he remains under contract to the promotion. Flair revealed earlier this year that he isn't on TV often as AEW CEO Tony Khan didn't realise he was on blood thinners.

Flair suffered from health issues earlier this year, undergoing surgery to remove skin cancer.