Tony Khan: Ric Flair ‘essentially paying us’ for his AEW appearances
According to AEW head Tony Khan, the company isn’t paying anything for Ric Flair’s appearances and that he “is essentially paying us.”
Talking to the New York Post about the road to Sting’s retirement match at March’s Revolution, Khan was asked about Flair’s inclusion as part of the final countdown. It first started when they were approached by Flair’s Wooooo Energy drink company for a “high-paying sponsorship.”
Khan then said, “We’re not paying Ric Flair; Ric Flair is essentially paying us. We’re getting paid by Wooooo Energy for all of his appearances, so we’re collecting revenue from them.”
He did not say how much revenue that was.
Flair debuted on a late-October edition of AEW Dynamite as Khan’s “special gift” to Sting and was later announced as signing a multi-year deal (later revealed by Flair as two) with AEW in conjunction with his energy drink becoming the official one of AEW.
Last week, Flair tweeted that he would leave the company is he was embarrassing Khan. While not specifically mentioning it, that came on the heels of a taped Rampage promo where a part about him inviting women between 18 and 28 years old to his hotel room was omitted prior to broadcast.
Khan said he approached Sting before the All In ticket sale announcement to see if he would be returning to London’s Wembley Stadium. However, Sting felt he couldn’t make it and they worked toward the final date.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.