Ric Flair was All Elite: Not any more.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Nov 2, 2023 23:06:45 GMT -5 Cry Me a Wiggle said:

It’s no coincidence that Woooo! spelled backwards is Ooooow! because that’s how much this news hurt my brain.

"HAVE MERC-AAAAY!"

[Feargus McReddit]

Yeah, not a fan of this at all. No ifs or buts about it.

It’s at least good to see people on social media not liking it, even if some of the hyperbole is super silly (as it always is and will be) and even if, honestly, it won’t make much difference. If people cheered Vince right after the WSJ accusations or even cheered Flair when he debuted last week, there’s basically a wild disconnect between SM and the general audience.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

[Rumble McSkirmish]

Nov 3, 2023 2:13:59 GMT -5 Gawk Rivers said:

Sponsored By Wooo Energy

Warner/Discovery Exec: Hey! How did you guys know we were going to ask for a "The Last of Us" themed match on Dynamite next week? We haven't even sent the memo out yet.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Nov 3, 2023 3:46:20 GMT -5 Feargus McReddit said:

Yeah, not a fan of this at all. No ifs or buts about it.

It’s at least good to see people on social media not liking it, even if some of the hyperbole is super silly (as it always is and will be) and even if, honestly, it won’t make much difference. If people cheered Vince right after the WSJ accusations or even cheered Flair when he debuted last week, there’s basically a wild disconnect between SM and the general audience.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

One of the only times it doesn't happen is Hulk Hogan

People seem completely done with Hulk Hogan and what he did reached the broad corners of the wrestling fandom at large whether they're current, old, or even barely fans, and they aren't going to let him forget it. Especially given how much he hasn't really apologized, he was sorry he got caught.

It was weird to see Ric blackballed for a hot minute and then just brought back like nothing ever happened. In WWE he showed up a few times but never showed up to a full deal, and I think the same tepid reaction would be the same for him being in AEW until Sting retired

But PAST it? A MULTI-YEAR deal for 74 year old Ric Flair? Even if he didn't have the baggage that he did, didn't he show everyone during his TNA run like TWELVE YEARS AGO that he is completely tapped as an act?

[Ryushinku]

I will be seriously staggered if that whole two year contract plays out.

Don't want to be overdramatic about things, but, I guess I still hoped Tony and AEW would be better than all this. They were meant to be different, y'know?

[The Thread Barbi]

Reads title

*audible groan*

[pinja]

The energy drink market isn't satiated and neither is Rice. This is a win-win situation for health problems and old creeps. Keep up the good shoot!

[willywonka666]

Nov 2, 2023 14:16:18 GMT -5 Zone Was Wrong said:

F***. Not a fan of this either. Like, I get bringing him in for Sting but MULTI YEAR? Like, dude can barely talk without slurring really noticeably, so you can't even have him manage people really. So you have to shill his energy drink now and get what in return?

Seems the public doesn't care-look at Motley Crue, from a musical standpoint, what are they doing? BUT people are still buying tickets presumably to say "I got to see them live" Running on fumes is a legit career phase now

[Final Countdown Jones]

After a full night's sleep, I think I'm seeing this differently. At the time, it really only seemed like a horrible idea to sign a broken-down sex pest to a multi-year contract when there's really no role or function he can even perform anymore and has proven himself unable to for over a decade now of embarrassing himself and being the nexus of bad television and awful ideas. Doesn't seem bad anymore. Instead, I know and feel in my bones that it's bad and terrible. I am more certain now than before my slumber that this is the f***ing dumbest thing Tony can possibly do and even if we want to avoid his segments we're going to have his gross mushroom drink put in front of us everywhere else to make sure our eyes are subsidizing Tony coddling Ric's debts like everyone else has had to and man this is going to be total dogshit.

[Allie Kitsune]

Nov 3, 2023 5:28:37 GMT -5 Ryushinku said:

I will be seriously staggered if that whole two year contract plays out.

Don't want to be overdramatic about things, but, I guess I still hoped Tony and AEW would be better than all this. They were meant to be different, y'know?

I think that was all Cody and The Elite (Kenny most of all)'s intent.

Now that Tony has asserted himself more to the forefront, it's meant to just be another wrestling company.

"Change the World" was Kenny's thing, not Tony's.

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Nov 3, 2023 5:15:34 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

Nov 3, 2023 3:46:20 GMT -5 Feargus McReddit said:

Yeah, not a fan of this at all. No ifs or buts about it.

It’s at least good to see people on social media not liking it, even if some of the hyperbole is super silly (as it always is and will be) and even if, honestly, it won’t make much difference. If people cheered Vince right after the WSJ accusations or even cheered Flair when he debuted last week, there’s basically a wild disconnect between SM and the general audience.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

One of the only times it doesn't happen is Hulk Hogan

People seem completely done with Hulk Hogan and what he did reached the broad corners of the wrestling fandom at large whether they're current, old, or even barely fans, and they aren't going to let him forget it. Especially given how much he hasn't really apologized, he was sorry he got caught.

It was weird to see Ric blackballed for a hot minute and then just brought back like nothing ever happened. In WWE he showed up a few times but never showed up to a full deal, and I think the same tepid reaction would be the same for him being in AEW until Sting retired

But PAST it? A MULTI-YEAR deal for 74 year old Ric Flair? Even if he didn't have the baggage that he did, didn't he show everyone during his TNA run like TWELVE YEARS AGO that he is completely tapped as an act?

Hogan gets blackballed for his racist rant, and non-apology, completely understandable. Flair is a sex pest and has allegations of racism, and that shit is forgotten by too many people.

What the f*** is it about Flair that he gets so little blowback? Stephanie's gotten more shit for her dumbass 9/11 comments than Flair has seemingly gotten for, well, everything.

[coleslaw]

you know:

A. They're gonna do a Ric Flair/Jay Lethal segment

B. I'm gonna f***ing Roblox myself as a result

[Texas Tornado]

Nov 2, 2023 17:39:39 GMT -5 The Captain said:

People are acting like Cody wouldn't be personally rolling out the red carpet for Flair if he was still there when he signed.

Yeah, Cody would've wanted to be the old man's first feud out the gate lol.

This all sucks. No other way to put it. I hope all this backlash is some sort of wake up call to Tony that AEW has stopped paying attention to its fanbase. I'm not gonna call the guy Dixie Carter or anything, but he's doing things that feel so far away from the company he started, that's what's most disappointing.

[SneakMan]

Nov 3, 2023 6:43:10 GMT -5 Texas Tornado said:

Nov 2, 2023 17:39:39 GMT -5 The Captain said:

People are acting like Cody wouldn't be personally rolling out the red carpet for Flair if he was still there when he signed.

Yeah, Cody would've wanted to be the old man's first feud out the gate lol.

This all sucks. No other way to put it. I hope all this backlash is some sort of wake up call to Tony that AEW has stopped paying attention to its fanbase. I'm not gonna call the guy Dixie Carter or anything, but he's doing things that feel so far away from the company he started, that's what's most disappointing.

That’s the thing, unless this backlash actually manifests in the real world, nothing is going to change.

Hogan was “banned from AEW” but it was easy for TK to do that when Hogan was getting booed even just making brief appearances at Mania. Flair got a pop when he showed up on Dynamite. Hell, Vince McMahon’s alleged monstrous behavior is well known and the last time he showed up the crowds still did the “we’re not worthy” bow to him. Wrestling crowds in general have no problem supporting scum.

Unless all this online outrage over Flair’s signing results in pissed off live crowds and a ratings death spiral whenever he’s on TV, nothing will change.

[XIII]

MJF definitely going to eventually shoot on this dudes real life issues and it’s going to cringey even for MJF.

[markymark]

Nov 3, 2023 1:39:20 GMT -5 Duke Cameron said:

Nov 2, 2023 18:08:05 GMT -5 markymark said:

Sapp said last week the locker room doesnt mind Flair being there and they dont care about what the twitter thinks of him

Well, maybe they should.

They will if Flair causes trouble, they did it with Punk....

[dbsot]

I hate this with the fire of 1000 suns. First off, keep Ric Flair off TV and away from bumping ever again. Secondly, pairing up with Ric's garbage energy drink company is just desperate. Either Ric comes in because he wants to work with AEW or not. There is no need to sweeten the deal by hawking his mushroom ass drink.

This feels like TK is using Ric as a ploy to pull more money out of WBD. Giving him a two year is just long enough to get the new TV deal done and boot Ric out the door.

[cornettesracket]

Ah for f*** sake Tony. Why ? Is the energy drink even any good ? This is a very bad move, because flair still thinks he can go in the ring, when he clearly can’t. It’s 2023, not 1983 ric. I hope that Tony Kahn has the balls to say no to ric wanting to get in the ring again.

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

After 16 pages, is there literally anyone who likes this idea?

[polarbearpete]

Nov 3, 2023 7:53:48 GMT -5 markymark said:

Nov 3, 2023 1:39:20 GMT -5 Duke Cameron said:

Well, maybe they should.

They will if Flair causes trouble, they did it with Punk....

The problem with Flair isn’t that he’ll cause locker room trouble like Punk so that if he doesn’t then the signing was fine. The problem with Flair is that he’s a sex pest and shouldn’t have been hired at all. The signing doesn’t become okay if there are no new issues that come up.