More information has been provided on Ric Flair, who was notably absent from the November 12 Blood and Guts special episode of AEW Dynamite.
Both Flair and Ricky Steamboat were advertised to be in attendance in Greensboro, North Carolina is part of the latest episode of Dynamite. However, while Steamboat did appear on the broadcast, which saw the Hall of Famer intimidated by FTR, there was no sign of The Nature Boy on the show.
As reported by Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline, Flair did not appear during the show as he was in “a lot of pain” following a recent rotator cuff surgery. It was also noted that while it is unknown when or how the 16-time World Champion suffered the injury, the show had to be altered to make up for the absence.
As seen by fans in attendance for the show, Flair did appear live when the cameras were not rolling. Flair last appeared on AEW TV earlier in the year as he paid tribute to longtime friend and former Four Horsemen member Steve “Mongo” McMichael following his passing.
When Did Ric Flair Join AEW?
Flair made his AEW debut back in October 2023 as he was revealed to be a special gift to Sting as part of The Icon’s retirement tour, which culminated at Revolution the following year. Following Sting’s retirement, Flair has been used much less frequently on TV.
The Hall of Famer was brought in to All Elite Wrestling as part of a collaborative deal between the pro wrestling company and WOOOO Energy, similar to the Slim Jim and WCW deal that saw World Championship Wrestling sign Randy Savage. However, the WOOOO Energy and AEW partnership has since concluded.
Featured image: AEW
