Following the news of Sting’s upcoming retirement, it was announced that Tony Khan would have a surprise for the wrestling legend during this week’s Dynamite. That surprise ended up being an appearance by 16-time world champion Ric Flair, who was making his AEW debut. However, while Flair would put over his longtime friend and rival on the mic, he would end up being interrupted by Christian Cage, who, after insulting Flair, issued a challenge to Sting, Darby Allin, and an undetermined partner for a three-on-three match against Luchasaurus, Nick Wayne and himself.
Following Flair’s WWE departure in 2021, it was rumored that he was headed to AEW full-time, potentially to work alongside his son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo. Former WCW commentator Mark Madden would later corroborate this after he and Flair had a falling out, divulging that Tony Khan actually canceled this after the now infamous “Plane Ride From Hell” episode of Dark Side of the Ring episode marred Flair’s reputation. Still, Flair has since rebounded from the controversy, and clearly, AEW management feels enough time has passed for them to work with Flair now.
