Ric Flair is happy where he’s at.
Flair recently appeared on the Gabby AF podcast with Gabby LaSpisa. The “Nature Boy” was asked about how signing with All Elite Wrestling came to fruition. Flair appeared as the “surprise gift” for Sting last week, and AEW announced he’d signed a multi-year deal on Thursday.
“I’ve been friends with Tony [Khan] for a long time. I think we talked about me going to work there a couple times, but I was so involved with WWE. Obviously more involved because of my daughter working there. But, I don’t work for them anymore. [I’m not there for] a number of reasons, none of them are negative,” Flair explained. “I just wanted to be able to do my outside activities. The [WWE] contracts are really confining and they pay everybody a lot of money so they’re pretty much going to have the right to do what they want to do. I just didn’t agree with the formula, the philosophy.”
Flair says Tony Khan called him and pitched him on the Sting angle. He said the reception has been great so far, and AEW is a fitting home for him for many reasons.
Where I made my name
“When Tony called me and said, ‘What do you think about coming because of Sting announcing his retirement?’ and being part of it all. ‘I’d love to.’ I don’t think — as a matter of fact, I don’t think anybody’s upset about it, but WWE,” Flair stated. “I was hoping I wouldn’t come off of the opening, and I didn’t, so… [laughs]
“I think at this point in my career, people just want for the first time, that I’m happy. And I am. I love Sting, one of my closest and best opponents ever. Just to be working with him — we started working together in 1987, 88. First Clash of Champions, there’s a lot of history,” Flair noted. “And then there’s Tony Schiavone, who I’ve known for 40 years. It was a pretty surrealistic moment for me. TBS is where I made my name.”
Read More: Ric Flair On Having A Match In AEW: I’m Up For It, But They Won’t Let That Happen
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