Subscribe
Follow Us
When Ric Flair walked out on AEW Dynamite as Tony Khan's special present for Sting, it drew wide reactions from around the professional wrestling world.
To some, the decision was a wholesome effort to give something special to “The Man Called Sting” after a career wrestled the right way, allowing him to enjoy his final ride through professional wrestling alongside one of the men who put him on the map, while other took issues with the addition to the storyline, be it because of Flair's age, his experience in WWE, or just the general way he's lived his life outside of the squared circle.
And yet, if there's one person fans wanted to hear from more than most regarding the addition of Flair, it's one of the men the “Nature Boy” likes the least, his former booker in WCW, Eric Bischoff, who noted one major issue with the debut on his Strictly Business podcast.
“Now, I didn't watch the Ric Flair segment in its entirety; I watched a little bit of it, I'll probably have some time to check into it today. But from what I've heard from people who did watch it is Christian came out and basically just ran him into the dirt. And I'm not sure that's the smartest way to introduce someone like Ric Flair,” Eric Bischoff said via 411 Mania.
“A legitimate legend and somebody that is well-known. Ric is probably more well-known nationwide now than he was at the peak of his career. Certainly Ric was very, very popular with the wrestling audience, but Ric has transcended the wrestling audience and is a legitimate celebrity outside of the world of wrestling. And to bring someone like that in with the legacy that Ric has and just s**t on them, and degrade him basically. Now, if there's a story there, if there's going to be if, Ric's going to get his comeback, and it gets interesting. And I leave the door open for that possibility, then I may not agree with that strategy, but at least I can understand it. If it doesn't go anywhere and Ric doesn't get an opportunity to shine and have his moment at the end of the story, I'll be really disappointed for Ric.”
Whoa, harsh words from Bischoff, right? But wait, it gets better, as he just kept rolling as he compared Flair's usage of that to Becky Lynch, who was similarly used as a short-term storytelling device during her run in NXT.
Eric Bischoff hopes AEW shows respect to Ric Flair on the way out.
Discussing how to use an older performer in a new promotion further, Eric Bischoff compared Ric Flair's addition to AEW to Becky Lynch's return to NXT back in September, where she was not only used to elevate her own stock but also helped to establish younger stars along the way.
“But again, it's how do you use a guy like Ric Flair? How are you setting up Sting's retirement? I think you asked me last week if I think it will have an impact on the ratings. My answer was, I think it could, but we have to wait and see how it's done. And if it's not done well, if it's not done correctly. If the psychology isn't right, if it's not nuanced carefully, then it's just going to be another match. And it won't really reach the potential that it has. So we'll see. We just have to sit back and wait and see and hope that they come up with something creatively really good that really showcases some of this established talent that has the equity that a lot of that younger talent doesn't have,” Bischoff noted.
“You talked about Becky Lynch and how Becky's been utilized in NXT? Great story, showcases Becky. It didn't take anything away from Becky, but it allowed Becky to share some of her value and equity, and raise the level of the talent that she was working with. That's how you use talent correctly. Establish talent when you're working with younger talent. Just throwing them out there for the sake of throwing them out there is not going to get you to where you want to be. It's a waste of great talent.”
When Sting first came to AEW, fans wondered how he would be utilized. Would he wrestle a few matches, get one big comeback match to put over a star like Kenny Omega, who was the champion at the time, or simply work a program with one of his biggest fans like Cody Rhodes without doing much actual wrestling? Tony Khan's plan, as it turns out, was to pair Stinger up with Darby Allin and do exactly what Bischoff suggested. With Flair now in the fray, too, let's hope that another young star or two can earn a similar rub on his way out of the door.
