This WWE Hall of Famer won’t be appearing at WrestleMania 41 due to being under contract to Tony Khan’s AEW.
At WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, John Cena will challenge Cody Rhodes in an attempt to win his 17th World Championship in WWE. If successful, he’ll no longer be tied with Ric Flair at the current record of 16 World Championship reigns.
Speaking on a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, Ric Flair was asked if he would be in attendance to witness the showdown on The Grandest Stage of Them All. He replied:
“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.”
Continuing, Ric Flair made it clear that he feels he’d be welcome in WWE if he weren’t currently working for Tony Khan’s company.
“I work for another company. I’m sure I would be more than welcome. Absolutely, if I wasn’t working with Tony, I would absolutely be there. They couldn’t keep me out of the building.” (h/t Fightful)
Elsewhere on the podcast, Ric Flair addressed the infamous promo segment between his daughter Charlotte Flair and current champion Tiffany Stratton.
Tony Khan Addressed Possibility of Sting At WWE WrestleMania 41
On March 7th, news broke that Lex Luger was the latest name confirmed to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class. Luger’s career was heavily entwined with Sting’s during their days in WCW, and many fans would love to see The Icon return to WWE to induct his friend into the Hall of Fame. However, Sting remains under contract to All Elite Wrestling, leading to speculation as to whether or not he is contractually allowed to appear in WWE.
Speaking on a media call ahead of AEW Dynasty, Tony Khan spoke with Inside the Ropes’ Alex Hunt about a potential Sting appearance at WrestleMania 41, saying:
“I’m not sure. I’m very focused on AEW Dynasty which is a few days away. I talked to Sting recently before AEW Revolution, looking back on some great memories. Of course, it’s hard to think of AEW Revolution without thinking of Sting. He debuted in AEW at Revolution and then ended his career at Revolution 3 years later so I’ll always think of Sting at Revolution season.
We caught up on the phone right around the pay-per-view and that was the last time we had spoken so haven’t heard from him about that. Certainly he’s doing very well and that relationship and that friendship means so much to me, and we’re all very grateful for Sting. […] I have to say the last time I talked to Sting, that didn’t come up but would have to talk to him about that.”
Also in the interview, Ric Flair spoke about Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena.