Despite being advertised for AEW’s annual Blood & Guts (their version of War Games) edition of Dynamite last Wednesday, Ric Flair made an appearance for the live crowd in Greensboro, North Carolina. But unlike the other legend advertised for the Coliseum on Nov. 12, Flair did not appear on television.
A report quickly followed that the Nature Boy missed the show due to a rotator cuff injury that was causing him a lot of pain. Flair basically confirmed that this afternoon (Nov. 17), via a social media
post with a picture of himself with AEW president and head booker Tony Khan. It is, of course, in Naitch’s signature Title Case style:
I Want To Apologize To Everyone For Having To Leave The @AEW Show Early Last Wednesday Due To My Rotator Cuff Injury. I Appreciate @TonyKhan Giving Me The Opportunity To Be On The Show. It Was Nice Catching Up With All The Great Talent And Ricky Steamboat. I Look Forward To Being Invited Again. After I Have My Shoulder Healed Up, I Will Be Back Up & Running. I Just Want You All To Know That I Would Never Disappoint You Intentionally.
The legend who did appear on television last week — FTR foil Ricky Steamboat — also had something to say about last Wednesday’s show.
Steamboat didn’t like the show-opening Women’s Blood & Guts match. But it wasn’t the gore or violence that got to him, it was putting 12 women in the two-rings one-cage set-up. He told Bill Apter:
“God bless those girls that were in that match, but I didn’t care for it. I don’t know if it was just too much. I thought, personally, they had 16 girls in there or something like that, that there’s just too much going on.”
“Over in this one corner two girls are doing something, two or three girls are doing something in the middle of the ring, then you go to the other ring and two or three girls are doing something. You just couldn’t focus on anything because there was just so much going on, and for me it’s hard to react.“
The Dragon admitted to Apter that he didn’t talk to any of the wrestlers after the match, and wasn’t aware it was the first Women’s Blood & Guts AEW has ever booked. But like his legendary rival and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Flair, Steamboat still had nothing but good things to say about TK:
“First class operation. Tony Khan does a lot for the boys.”
You can give Apter and Steamboat’s entire conversation a listen here.
