As previously reported, Ric Flair has been training with AEW’s Jay Lethal for an in-ring return as the WWE Hall of Famer plans on coming out of retirement to wrestle again at Starrcast V on July 31st for a pitched six-man tag team match where Flair will team with FTR to take on The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and Ricky Steamboat.
Conrad Thompson talked about Flair’s last match and fan concern regarding his health as he has a pacemaker in his chest during the “My World with Jeff Jarrett” podcast:
“Once upon a time, the greatest wrestling weekend of my life was ECW One Night Stand because ECW went away with a whimper. I mean, there was no final show. We didn’t really get to say goodbye. At least with the last Nitro, we knew it was the last Nitro. But for Jim Crockett promotions, it just went away. In a perfect world, there would have been a One Night Stand version of that 30 years ago, but it didn’t happen,” Thompson said (H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription).
“I’m sad that Jim Crockett Jr. won’t be here to see it. But David Crockett and as many of the Crocketts that we can get will be there on hand to celebrate one last run, one last match, not just for the Nature Boy, but for Jim Crockett promotions. We’ve licensed the music. It’s going to look and feel just like it did way back when in the mid ’80s.”
“The Nature Boy is going to walk that aisle one last time. I know there’s been some pushback and people who were all of a sudden are very concerned about Ric Flair’s well being. I wonder if those are the same folks who are clamoring for Undertaker to have one more match, or what they felt about Vince McMahon wrestling at WrestleMania, or Jerry Lawler wrestling every other weekend.”
“It’s not uncommon in Tennessee for these Tennessee boys to strut around, and by the way, Tennessee is the birthplace of Ric Flair. How fun is it that it’s come full circle with Jim Crockett promotions and him and one more match? Let me just say that I’m smarter than I look. We got some fun ideas for the show and I think some naysayers are going to come around and they’re going to like this idea.”
