Ric Flair’s final match this Sunday at the Ric Flair’s Last Match event will see him team with Andrade El Idolo to face Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in a tag team grudge match. The match was originally supposed to feature AEW’s FTR in a six-man tag team match, but plans seemed to change after Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat declined to take part in the match. The bout still wound up involving two wrestlers currently under contract for AEW President Tony Khan, but Flair claimed in a new interview with Chris Van Vliet this week that Khan played a role in changing the match’s plans for “political” reasons.
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“Conrad (Thompson) and I put it together initially,” Flair said. “We were going to go outside and get some people from AEW, and then it all became a little political with Tony. I’m not sure why he changed things around, but it’s okay. We worked around it and we’re sold out, and that’s all that matters.”
Flair explained elsewhere in the interview that he has turned down at least 10 offers for more matches, insisting that Sunday will be his career finale. He has wrestled 16 times since initially retired at WrestleMania XXIV in March 2008.
“It has to be,” Flair said. “That question, I get asked a lot. It will just have to be. Even if I do real well, I can’t go back on my word to the people that have given me all this respect and time and have bought tickets. I’ve already been offered 10 matches at 50 grand a piece. Over in Europe, a guy offered me $100,000. This will be the last one. I can manage somebody in the ring, but this will be my last match.”
“It’s not about money at all. I’m great, money-wise. When I saw Steve (Austin) and Vince (McMahon) at WrestleMania (38), people have been asking me to do it,” he added. “Some people offered me $100,000 to do it, and I thought, ‘Nah.’ I don’t want to go in and half-ass it, I need to really get in shape. I’m taking three months to get into shape, I feel great. I’ve had some ups and downs. I had plantar fasciitis, I still have it, but it’s almost 90% healed. I pretty much have that under control and I feel great. I don’t hurt, I don’t ache. Why not? Who doesn’t like the glory. If I pull it off, I’ll be bigger than ever. It’ll be more than a ‘Wooo,’ chop, and strut. I have to perform.”
