Update on Ric Flair’s contractual status with AEW after he says a WrestleMania 41 appearance won’t be happening

After his name was dropped in a Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena promo battle, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair revealed that he won’t be appearing at WWE WrestleMania 41 because he is currently under contract to AEW. Flair said the following during an interview with Busted Open Radio…

“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 is a great guy. Cody is a great guy. I work for another company. I’m sure I would be more than welcome. Absolutely, if I wasn’t working with Tony [Khan], I would absolutely be there. They couldn’t keep me out of the building.” (quote courtesy of Jeremy Lambert)

According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, Flair signed a two-year contract in late 2023 with AEW that was largely as part of the sponsorship deal from Whooo! Energy. Meltzer noted the following…

“His contact was described to us as not very restrictive and that if he wanted to do something with his daughter in WWE he could do it. AEW hasn’t used him since the Sting retirement show 13 months ago and isn’t likely to any time soon.”

There were reportedly plans for Flair to make an AEW television return in early 2025 but they were scrapped.