“There it is” - Fans go berserk as legendary WWE Superstar returns to AEW programming after 440 days

A former WWE star made his return to AEW TV after a long time. Fans have now given their thoughts on this.

Ric Flair first showed up on AEW TV in late 2023 to be involved in Sting's retirement storyline. He was also involved in The Icon's retirement match at AEW Revolution 2024 against The Young Bucks. Since then, he has not been seen on AEW TV for several months until last night.

Last night on Collision, AEW paid tribute to WCW veteran and football Hall of Famer Steve 'Mongo' McMichael, who passed away recently. Tony Schiavone was joined on stage by Steve's wife, Misty, Dean Malenko, and Ric Flair as they honored the football great. Following this, the WWE legend even took to social media to thank Tony Khan for giving him the chance to pay homage to his friend.

"Thank You @AEW & @TonyKhan For Giving Me The Opportunity To Honor Mongo During #AEWCollision! Mongo, You Will Be In Our Hearts Forever! ❤️🙏🏻"

What was Sabu really like? More info HERE.

Check out his tweet below:

Expand Tweet

Fans have since taken to social media to give their thoughts on the WWE Hall of Famer's AEW return after 440 days.

Check out some of the reactions below:

Screengrab of fan reactions (Credit: Fan reactions on Ric X)

Former WWE writer Vince Russo believes Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan have done a lot of damage to themselves

Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan are two of the most well-known names in professional wrestling. They have been part of the industry for several years and spent a majority of their lives portraying a character onscreen, which has, in many ways, affected their personal lives.

Speaking on a recent episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Outlaws podcast, Vince Russo said that these two WWE Hall of Famers don't know who they are outside of their character, and this has affected their family life.

"Look at the family history. Bro, neither him nor Ric Flair, they don't know who they are... I can't imagine me still believing I was that guy on television. Like all these years later, I don't even know what that would look like, what that would feel like, same with EC3... They don't know who they are. I mean, Hulk Hogan does not know Terry Bollea, the same way Richard Fliehr and Ric Flair. And bro, look at the families. They can't even relate. The real person can't even relate to their real families," Russo said. [5:48 onwards]

It will be interesting to see whether Ric Flair will make more appearances for AEW in the future.

About the author

Sunil is a pro wrestling journalist, covering AEW and WWE news stories at Sportskeeda. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing, and has nearly 7 years of experience. A wrestling aficionado since childhood, Sunil used to imitate his favorite wrestlers as a young kid, and started writing professionally about the sport via Sportskeeda’s revenue-sharing opportunity.

Sunil admires former world champions AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega for their ability to consistently deliver great matches as well as entertain crowds with their mic skills.

If ever given a chance to change a storyline, Sunil would have booked Roman Reigns to end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. According to him, The Tribal Chief needed the victory more than Brock Lesnar, as the latter was already an established performer when he defeated ‘Taker. He would’ve also made that as Taker’s final match.

Always focused on making his work accurate and reliable, Sunil thoroughly checks his facts before writing his articles. When not writing for pro wrestling, he spends his time watching cricket.

Know More

Edited by Harish Raj S