90% Of Fans Don't Want To See Ric Flair Wrestle In AEW

The idea of a 74-year-old Ric Flair wrestling again shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who's followed the carny business of pro wrestling. Since making his AEW debut, Flair has made it abundantly clear that he faces no physical limitations and that he's open to another match — though he doesn't expect AEW to grant his wish. Furthermore, Flair revealed he's got "a doctor's release to do anything" he wishes including going through tables and taking other bumps.

It appears that sentiment isn't shared by wrestling fans, most of whom would rather "The Nature Boy" stay retired. A recent poll conducted by Wrestling Inc. on X asked fans to choose between Sting, MJF, Orange Cassidy, and nobody for Flair's prospective opponent in AEW — a whopping 90.6 percent of the voters urged Flair to never return to the squared circle. The nearly seven percent of fans that do want Flair to return would prefer to see him renew his decades-long rivalry with Sting, which could be a poetic end considering his storied history with fellow WCW legend. 

With Ric Flair's arrival to #AEW, who would you want to see the Nature Boy work a match with, if he were to get back into the ring?

— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) October 27, 2023

With Flair recently inking a multi-year deal with AEW, it could be premature to rule out his in-ring return. In the meantime, however, AEW is focused on Sting's final match set to take place at next year's Revolution pay-per-view, where Flair has vowed to be in "The Icon's" corner.

All in all, Flair has had four retirement/farewell matches — against Hollywood Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1994, Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV, Sting at a "TNA Impact" taping in September 2011, and the recent "Ric Flair's Last Match" in which he teamed up with Andrade El Idolo to wrestle Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.