Why Ric Flair Left AEW Dynamite Before Planned Appearance

Details have come to light as to why Ric Flair really left AEW Dynamite before making an advertised appearance on the show.

The November 12th edition of AEW Dynamite saw two brutal Blood & Guts matches take place, with Jon Moxley forced to quit once again in the men’s bout as Kyle O’Reilly led his side to victory over the Death Riders. In the women’s match, Toni Storm surrendered in heartbreaking circumstances to save her partner from certain disaster.

The show took place in Greensboro, North Carolina, a city synonymous with WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. Flair and his old rival, Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat, had been advertised to appear on the show, but it was only Steamboat who ended up doing so. That is despite Flair actually showing up.

Ric Flair Attended Dynamite

The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer has reported on why Flair missed appearing on the show despite actually being in attendance. Meltzer noted that Flair made a brief appearance for the live crowd but then left the building due to being in “a ton of pain” due to a recent rotator cuff tear.

There was no information on how or when Flair suffered the injury, but AEW did have to change its original plans to compensate for it.

It’s presumed that Ric Flair was meant to be part of the segment that saw FTR take out Ricky Steamboat in a sickening attack.