Ric Flair 'Effectively Paying' AEW To Appear On TV

Ric Flair recently made his arrival to All Elite Wrestling, with the legendary 21-time world champion coming along for long-time rival Sting’s retirement tour.

Sting is set to wrestle his final match at AEW Revolution on March 3, with Flair set to be involved in some capacity. Flair’s involvement with AEW has not been without controversy due to Flair being the subject of sexual misconduct allegations throughout his career, with a recent promo on AEW Rampage cut due to ill-advised remarks from 'The Nature Boy'.

In an NY Post piece looking at Sting’s final run before he hangs up his boots, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that Flair is essentially paying to be involved with AEW:

“We’re not paying Ric Flair; Ric Flair is essentially paying us,” Khan said. “We’re getting paid by Wooooo Energy for all of his appearances, so we’re collecting revenue from them.”

When Flair made his AEW debut it was quickly revealed that Wooooo Energy were involved, with the drink becoming the premier energy drink of AEW. Despite Khan’s claims, the NY Post piece states that an AEW spokesperson revealed that Flair has a separate talent agreement in place, with the deal seen as ‘mutually beneficial’ to both sides.