Ric Flair on Why He Left WWE, If He'll Join AEW

08/31/2021 10:38 am EDT

Ric Flair was released by the WWE back at the start of August, and reports quickly emerged that the two-time WWE Hall of Famer requested his release over frustrations with how WWE was booking Charlotte Flair. "The Nature Boy" denied there being any issues when he released his initial statement about the release and echoed that sentiment while on Rene Paquette's Oral Sessions this week.

"I had a bunch of pending opportunities," Flair said (h/t Fightful). "I had things that I was doing currently at the time I signed my contract. They allowed those. Wendy got to keep her shop. These are big things. I got to keep cameo and a couple other things. A couple of deals were coming along and I got to the point where, I was asking them, I probably exhausted them asking, not to grandfather me in, but to let me do them. Of course, the answer was, 'You can do them, maybe.' I wanted to finally, which I did for three years, make a living not being under a wrestling payroll. That's all it was. There is no animosity, it's just business. I wanted to try something and they had a different vision."

Flair also addressed the speculation that he might join his future son-in-law Andrade El Idolo over in All Elite Wrestling. He mentioned he hasn't had any conversations with AEW president Tony Khan, then added, "Hypothetically, if I wanted to go work at AEW, I would go to [Vince] and say, 'I want to do this and want to get back in the ring and I know you don't like that, if I wanted to get knocked down or something. He would say to me, 'Ultimately, what's best for you is best for me.'"

He also didn't shut down the idea of possibly getting back in the ring one last time, something he's been seemingly teasing on social media lately.

AEW returns to pay-per-view this Sunday with the All Out event. Check out the full lineup for the show below:

• AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage
• AEW World Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros. (Steel Cage Match)
• AEW Women's World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander
• AEW TNT Championship: Miro vs. Eddie Kingston
• CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
• Pac vs. Andrade El Idolo
• Chris Jericho vs. MJF
• Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
• Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall
• Women's Casino Battle Royale: Thunder Rosa vs. Nyla Rose vs. The Bunny vs. Julia Hart vs. Red Velvet vs. Tay Conti vs. Penelope Ford vs. Diamante vs. TBA

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