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What's the story?
With the official launch of the new promotion, All Elite Wrestling, once the calendar turned to 2019, many former and current pro wrestlers have been asked about the new promotion.
One such former pro wrestler also happens to be the subject of the headlining roast of Starrcast II, Ric Flair. Flair was asked about AEW after his roast was announced recently. 411mania.com carried transcripts of Flair's interview with CBS Sports.
In case you didn't know...
AEW was rumored to be happening as members of the Elite Cody, Hangman Page and the Young Bucks would become free agents together. They also started filing trademarks before their contracts were officially up, only fueling the speculation.
The speculation became reality when news of the launch of the promotion was announced during a New Year's episode of Being the Elite.
The heart of the matter
Ric Flair came to prominence first as a member of Jim Crockett Promotions which later became WCW.
Since he was so popular, he eventually jumped ship to WWF and then back to WCW. He would later find a home back with WWE once WCW folded. He also spent time in TNA/Impact Wrestling.
But since the world of pro wrestling will be getting a new promotion this year, Flair was asked about AEW while being interviewed by CBS Sports.
“I’m old school, so I think anytime there is an opportunity for guys to work who are qualified and have been trained properly in a position to be somewhat successful in their attempt to work for either company, I’m all about that. I think that’s great. I don’t think [AEW] should focus on the competition [with WWE] as much as just developing their own product. Their success will come from that. The word competition is great. People love that part of time in the world, but this will be the first time someone with the kind of money that [Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner] Tony [Khan] brings."
Flair then went on to praise Khan and put him over promo-style while also wondering how things might have played out had he had Khan's money when Flair was on top of the game.
Tony Khan is a sophisticated, intelligent, well-bred ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair with money. Tony Khan is the limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss-stealing, bringing the hottest chick to every party that I go to with him, son of a gun. Now that he has the joint over in England [as co-owner of the Premier League team Fulham FC], I’m sure he has kissed girls all over the world and made them cry. If I had Tony’s bankroll in the ’80s, who knows where I would have been.”
What's next?
WrestleMania is a huge weekend for the business as a whole and a lot of those same eyes will be on All Elite Wrestling during its big weekend in May.
Starrcast II and Double or Nothing will set the tone for the young promotion going forward and it will also allow the competition Flair was talking about to see what they could possibly do in order to counter AEW.
