AEW officially announces Ric Flair's return in a special role

Ric Flair is officially set to return to AEW television. The Hall of Famer and veteran, it has been revealed, will attend one of the promotion's upcoming shows to honor the recently departed football and pro-wrestling legend, Steve McMichael.

The former Chicago Bears defensive tackle and four-time All-Pro passed away last month after years of battling ALS, a neurodegenerative illness with which he was diagnosed in 2021. Besides football, McMichael also tried his hand at pro wrestling, most notably in WCW, where he teamed with the legendary Four Horsemen and shared the ring with the likes of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Curt Hennig, and even Jeff Jarrett.

Last week, All Elite Wrestling announced that the promotion would host a segment on Collision: Beach Break to pay tribute to Steve McMichael after his passing, with The Nature Boy scheduled to be in attendance. The company's X/Twitter profile has now officially confirmed that Ric Flair will be returning to AEW to honor "Mongo" this weekend.

"Saturday, May 17 #AEWCollision 8ET/7CT on TNT + MAX! Tribute to Steve "Mongo" McMichael [All Elite Wrestling] with Mongo's family + @RicFlairNatrBoy, will honor the life of pro wrestler + Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Steve "Mongo" McMichael, at [All Elite Wrestling] Collision Beach Break, Saturday May 17!"

Check out the tweet below:

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Despite rumors that Flair had parted ways with the Tony Khan-led promotion, the Hall of Famer claimed earlier this year that he was still working for All Elite Wrestling.

Tentative card for AEW Beach Break 2025

Before Collision, AEW will air Dynamite: Beach Break live from the NOW Arena in Chicago, Illinois. This action-packed episode is set to feature many of the promotion's top stars. Check out the matches and segments that have been announced for the show below:

Ricochet vs Zach Gowen
Bobby Lashley gives his answer to MJF as to whether he can officially join The Hurt Syndicate
Hangman Page and Will Ospreay vs Konosuke Takeshita and Josh Alexander
Toni Storm (c) vs Skye Blue vs Mina Shirakawa vs AZM [Women's World Championship Eliminator Four-Way]
Jon Moxley (c) vs Samoa Joe [World Championship Steel Cage match]

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So far, only one bout has been announced for Collision: Beach Break—a singles match between Anna Jay and the formidable Megan Bayne.

About the author

Anurag is an AEW writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling. He holds a BA and MA degree in English along with a TEFL certification to teach English. Before Sportskeeda, he worked as a Content and Correspondence writer at Nayabad Titas, a theater group. He has also worked as a English language tutor.

To ensure complete accuracy, he uses internet resources, social media platforms, and especially pieces composed by his peers to find solid, verified information that he presents as objectively as possible. Thanks to his academic background, he can research different subjects thoroughly.

Anurag's interest in wrestling began as a child. He watched RAW and Smackdown frequently from age 10 or 11 and was officially hooked by the YES Movement story in WWE heading into WrestleMania 30.

As a lifelong wrestling fan and lover of stories, Anurag would read news, articles, and other content about the talent and events he enjoyed watching. His understanding of the business continued to grow with time, and his interest in the art and sport of wrestling led him to pursue a career as a writer.

Apart from writing, he loves to read books, watch movies and television programs, play and listen to music, and write poetry and fiction.

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Edited by Anurag Mukherjee