Former WWE Champion claims he would have been at WrestleMania 41 if not for his AEW deal

Modified Apr 08, 2025 21:17 GMT

WrestleMania 41 is almost here [Image credit: WWE.com]

WWE WrestleMania 41 is fast approaching, and even AEW stars are joining in the festivities surrounding the biggest annual event in pro wrestling. However, legendary star Ric Flair won't be appearing at The Show of Shows due to his current deal with All Elite Wrestling.

Tony Khan brought Ric Flair into AEW in late 2023. The deal was mostly a partnership with The Nature Boy's Wooo! Energy brand, but the 16x World Champion also made a few appearances on television to support his longtime friend and rival, Sting, in the months leading up to his retirement.

John Cena is set to face Cody Rhodes for the latter's Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. If Cena wins, he will break Flair's record of 16 World Title reigns. In a recent conversation on Busted Open Radio, The Nature Boy was asked if he would get involved in the show:

"I wish I could say that I was, but I'm not, and I understand why, and I'm not mad about it by any means. Every time they talk about the title, my name gets mentioned. They keep me relevant. It's very cool. John [Cena] is a great guy. Cody is a great guy," said Flair.

He then addressed why he wouldn't be featured at 'Mania, noting that he's still under contract with AEW:

"I work for another company. I'm sure I would be more than welcome. Absolutely, if I wasn't working with Tony, I would absolutely be there. They couldn't keep me out of the building." [H/T: Fightful]

AEW's Ric Flair will still attend WWE WrestleMania 41

Despite not being able to appear on camera or get involved in Cena's potential victory at WrestleMania 41, Ric Flair has confirmed that he still plans to attend the show.

The Nature Boy has an infamous love of parties, and he's planning to show up for at least one on 'Mania weekend. TMZ recently asked Flair if he was planning to attend 'Mania, which he took as a ridiculous question:

"Hell yeah, I’m going there! I’m going to the pool party with you, what do you mean?" Flair said.

Flair's involvement in AEW has been controversial, and he remains unpopular with the promotion's fanbase. It's expected that he will ride out his branding deal with Tony Khan's company without making any more appearances.

About the author

Jacob is an AEW contributor and editor at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He has edited and published over 8,000 articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling in just over two years, and subsequently donned the hat of a contributor, demonstrating his commitment to continuous learning. His experience goes beyond wrestling, with five years as an editor for several independent publishing houses and three years as a captioning specialist.

Jacob's first memory of pro wrestling dates back to Sting vs. Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship at Great American Bash 1990. He later began writing for a newsletter and blog at the University of North Texas, and his love of wrestling naturally led him to seek opportunities in the media.

His favorite wrestler is The Icon, as he feels Sting has evolved throughout his career on a parallel path with his own growth as a person. He was Jacob's childhood hero and teenage idol, and now he makes him less afraid of getting older.

Jacob ensures relevance and accuracy in his articles by working hard to maintain his ideals and objectivity without sacrificing his unique voice, inspiring other writers in the section to follow suit.

Jacob’s non-wrestling interests include Anime, video games, and fantasy novels.

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Edited by Jeevak Ambalgi