What will happen to Ric Flair when Sting officially hangs up his boots in the spring at the end of Revolution? Will he take a step back from his relatively regular bookings in AEW, appearing for “mainstream” media matters and on sporadic shows but nothing else? Or will he instead take on a new client, likely his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo, and keep on keeping on until his contract expires in 2025?
While fans won't know the answer to that question until it actually happens, Flair recently stopped by Las Vegas’ Planet 13 to promote his new strain of cannabis, Ric Flair Drip, and explained to reporters his managerial philosophy, which he seems to be thinking about for when Sting calls it a career.
“I just feel very strongly, and this is a point you can emphasize — I think if you are in a managerial role and you are put in a position of getting heat on somebody, which even after Steve retires and they keep me along, I would love to do that. But I think it's very important if you're going to help get the heat, then you gotta be able to get knocked down. There's no better answer to the question than that,” Ric Flair said via WrestleZone.
“I don't expect to wrestle. Could I? Yes, because I'll learn from my mistakes. You always learn from past mistakes. But I don't think that'll ever happen, but I certainly want to be able to feed a guy if I've helped get heat on them because it's only fair to the babyface, or the good guy rather, that he gets a shot at the guy. That's how they prevail. They beat the villain, and then they have to smack someone around that's been associated with them. I am cleared for that. And even if I wasn't, I'm feeding. That's the way it works.
“I think I'm a guy that's lucky enough to be along for the ride, and what happens, happens. As Pedro Morales said years ago, ‘I am ready for any kind of action.' And by the way, I'll have a blade on my finger, brother. So you can pass that along. I don't go to work without a blade. [laughs] I'll take an aspirin, so I really bleed.”
Whoa, evoking the name of one of the true OG WWF World Champions? Say what you will about Flair's game in 2023, about his strange aura or his promos so controversial that they occasionally need to be censored, but hey, he at least knows which names to evoke to pop a headline. How he does as a manager in such a role, however, is far less clear, as he's only filled it a few times since his “final match” a few years back, and none were for a high-profile promotion like AEW. Having to talk regularly on AEW Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision may truly be too controversial for television.
Ric Flair explains his unique relationship and admiration for Sting.
Elsewhere in his conversation with reporters in Las Vegas, Ric Flair opened up some more about his relationship with Sting, the man he's helping to retire in a few short months.
While Flair admitted he and Sting didn't have the exact same interests outside of the ring, their work inside the squared circle forged a bond that would go on to make them best friends forever.
“We've always been friends. We've been close friends, but he's like Steamboat. I didn't socialize with those guys; I just made money with them because I'm a little bit different as well. I do my thing. And those guys are considerably more conservative than I am. We have mutual respect, all of us, and the word respect means the world to me,” Flair said.
“Steve always says I made him, he made himself that night [at NWA Clash Of The Champions in 1988]. Who goes 45 minutes, but you've never done more than 10, you know what I mean? I thought it was 52 minutes, but Meltzer told me it was 45. I think he knocked a few seconds off. [laughs]
Asked about the plans for his AEW run once Sting is gone, Flair admitted he wasn't sure, but he was willing to do whatever TK wanted him to do.
“To be honest with you, I don't know. I'm not obviously going to talk about the contract, but I just know I'm looking forward to working for [Tony Khan],” Flair noted. “And the reception backstage for me was over the top, and that's all you want. I don't want to be a politician, I don't want to do anything. I just want to do what they ask me to do and do the best job of it I can. And I hope they turn me loose.”
Oh no, “turn me loose,” you say? Goodness, if this isn't what Ric Flair looks like all loosened up, what kind of madness could he unleash on the AEW Galaxy when he goes All In? Hopefully, fans never have to find out.
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