There was a ton of conjecture over the past week regarding the careers of two of the best wrestlers of our generation and what, if any, plans there are for Ric Flair, who hasn’t been wrestling, and Shawn Michaels, who is out with a knee injury.
Flair who was doing a guest appearance on 9/22 at an auto race at the Dover International Speedway and was the hit of the media there. He told reporters that everything was fine with him and WWE and the stories that were being reported about him giving notice weren’t true. The reality was, by the weekend, they were even more true.
He said he never gave notice to WWE. What was funny was in the publicity for his appearance, he was being advertised as the recently retired pro wrestler Ric Flair. Flair said the Internet stories about him were false and he said he was coming back, denied his storyline had anything to do with it and basically said when you work for WWE, nobody is bigger than the organization and you do what they want you to do.
This was a really fun question and answer edition of the DragonKingKarl Show as I had numerous questions and topic suggestions submitted.
I have several follow-ups on Ric Flair in the WWF, winning the Royal Rumble, and his later return to WCW. Also, I discuss Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker, early 1990s WCW, as well as other questions.
Despite not appearing for the company since March 2024, two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is still under an AEW contract and won’t be involved in the John Cena storyline as he approaches breaking Flair’s World title record leading into WWE WrestleMania 41.
During a Tuesday appearance on Busted Open Radio where he addressed last Friday’s newsworthy Charlotte Flair/Tiffany Stratton promo segment, Flair said he still works for AEW, something that had flown under the radar even though he had casually mentioned it in interviews over the last year.
Dave Meltzer confirmed the news with both Flair and AEW.
“I work for another company. I’m sure I’d be more than welcome (at WrestleMania). It’s competition. (AEW) opens up more opportunities for guys to work. If I wasn’t working with Tony (Khan), I would be absolutely be there. You couldn’t keep me out of the building,” he said.
He didn’t specify and was not asked if WWE had approached him to be involved. His current deal is not considered to be a restrictive contract even though Flair said it was “very difficult for him to participate in activities while I’m working for Tony (Khan),” putting over the AEW head as “the greatest guy in the world.”
Flair was mentioned by name during one of the recent promo segments between Cena and Cody Rhodes as part of the build to their WrestleMania match. He was also referenced during the aforementioned Charlotte/Stratton segment.
In July 2024, it was reported that Flair was done with AEW as there were no creative plans for him with his energy drink company’s sponsorship wrapping up. Khan had said at one point that the sponsorship was “essentially paying” for Flair to appear on TV. In a November 2023 appearance on Wrestling Observer Radio a month after he made his on-screen debut, Flair said it was a two-year deal.
“I’m not mad about it by any means. Every time (WWE) talks about the title record, my name gets mentioned. It keeps me relevant. It’s cool,” he said.
While he thinks Rhodes should retain the undisputed WWE title against Cena later this month, Flair said if Cena breaks the unofficial record and becomes a 17-time World champion, he’s absolutely ok with that.
“I’m extremely happy for John. I wish I could be there and shake his hand. I actually wanted Charlotte to break the record, but if he breaks it, more power to him. I cannot say enough good things about John Cena,” Flair said, later discussing some of the various title changes he had in his career that weren’t recognized that put his actual record at more than 20.
As the father of Charlotte Flair, Ric Flair has some thoughts on what occurred last Friday on WWE SmackDown but isn’t telling anyone what they are.
Flair appeared on Busted Open Radio Tuesday and was asked about the segment between Charlotte and WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton as part of the build to their WrestleMania 41 title match. The in-ring promo segment went a bit off-script with Stratton poking fun at Charlotte’s divorces with the challenger asking why Stratton’s boyfriend – WWE’s Kaiser – was “in her DMs.”
“I have an opinion, but I don’t really want to voice it. I can say this: it’s very sensitive. I didn’t like it, but wrestling is wrestling. I hate when they use me, but Charlotte said it right: you think that’s the first time hearing my name?,” Flair said before putting over his daughter’s work ethic and that she is “so much better of a worker than I ever was.”
“She’ll be the best worker in the business, female, until the day she decides to retire,” he added.
He was asked about whether anything was off-limits when it came to promos while he was an active wrestler and he said they stayed away from each other’s families. He said he has no idea what led into the Charlotte/Tiffany promo but he imagined the content wasn’t discussed beforehand.
“If they wanted people talking about (the match), they got people talking about it,” he said.
Ric Flair is a fan of the direction WWE has taken with John Cena’s heel turn.
In the WWE record books, Flair and Cena are currently tied for the most World title reigns in history with 16 each. Cena has a chance to take sole possession of that record next month when he challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. It’s the final WrestleMania that Cena will ever compete at — and he’ll be doing so as a heel after aligning with The Rock and beating down Rhodes at Elimination Chamber.
“I love it,” Flair said. “I tell ya, I think it’s the coolest thing they could have done. I think it’s great. As a matter of fact, I was hoping he was going to win the Royal Rumble. I mean, that was a great finish there too, you know? So I’m excited for him.”
Cena and Jey Uso were the final two in the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble match. Uso got the victory, but Cena secured his own Mania path with a win at Elimination Chamber.
On Raw earlier this week, Cena name-dropped Flair by promising to make everyone forget about “The Nature Boy” when he breaks the World title record. Cena said he is going to defeat Rhodes at WrestleMania and then retire as champion when his in-ring career concludes this December.
Flair reacted to that mention during his interview with TMZ Sports.
“You know the saying, they’re talking about you, you’re doing something right,” Flair said.
The 76-year-old Flair will be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania 41 weekend. His daughter will be in one of the top matches at the show with Charlotte Flair challenging Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship. Praising his daughter as the greatest female wrestler of all time, Flair said he thinks Charlotte might be the best wrestler in the business today. Flair added that, while he thinks Charlotte can be a babyface, she works best as a heel and has found her niche as a badass right now.
WrestleMania 41 is taking place on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20.
A bill introduced in North Carolina could pave the way for a new professional wrestling hall of fame museum.
WRAL is reporting that the Ric Flair Act introduced Monday in the state’s senate would earmark $500,000 to study the possibility of creating a professional wrestling hall of fame. The bill would direct the money to go the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to study the possibility. The agency would need to report its findings to lawmakers by the summer of 2026.
Senate bill 404 is officially named “An Act to Remember Iconic Combatants through Fostering Learning Awareness and Interest In Rassling.”
“Our shared cultured heritage in this state is college basketball, NASCAR and professional wrestling,” Jay Chaudhuri, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, told WRAL. “Professional wrestling still hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves.”
Ric Flair at one point was the biggest star in the Mid-Atlantic territory of the National Wrestling Alliance, wrestling frequently in North Carolina as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Two notable pro wrestling museums are the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Albany, New York and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa.
A complete look at WWE & UFC business, the numbers, the trends, prospectus for 2025, why profits were so low, Saudi Arabia, media rights, crazy gates, boxing, , new TV shows and more.
The return to WWE of Dwayne Johnson, why it happened, where it has the most effect, the Rhodes angle and more.
Vince McMahon legal updates, latest arguments in the Grant case, as well as notes from the shareholder lawsuit against WWE and members of the board or letting McMahon back in the company, charges about the investigation and lots of new news regarding the board of directors actions from the day of the first Wall Street Journal article until the McMahon return.
Osamu Nishimura passes away, one of the smoothest wrestlers of modern times
Ryan Nemeth’s lawsuit against AEW, Tony Khan and CM Punk, legitimacy, silliness, claims and more details on those claims
Preview of Elimination Chamber and AEW Revolution, odds, cards and consumer demand
The most detailed look at the ratings for all the major U.S. wrestling shows
What is notable about Torneo Escuelas
Stardom has excellent PPV show
Fantastica Mania notes
Promotion sues a fan
Queen of the Ring notes and history form that period
Death of Portland announcer Don Coss
Lawsuit involving WWE Hall of Fame settled
Woman star has health issue
Major injury updates
WBD business
Lots of new AEW matches
Advance ticket sales for WWE & AEW shows
More on UFC & WWE 2026 business prospects with new deals coming in
Why the TKO stock price dropped greatly
Dark Side of the Cage notes
More on discontent with WWE employees
Goals of the WWE/UFC/PBR weekend in Kansas City
Stephanie McMahon update
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue
— We have two weekend shows on the site. Garrett Gonzales and I talked about the news of the week and did an interview that is a must for those interested in forgotten wrestling history with Ian Douglass. We talk about his new book on the original Roughhouse Rufus Jones (not the 70s and 80s wrestler but the 30s and 40s wrestler) and Jack Claybourne, the first major black main eventer and first black wrestler to have a lengthy run with a significant title (one year as Hawaiian champion for Al Karasick) and talk history including Rocky Johnson, Bobo Brazil, put into perspective Joe Louis doing pro wrestling and how wrestling was ahead of real sports first and then way behind for decades as well.
— Bryan Alvarez and I talked about Elimination Chamber, Smackdown and Collision on last night’s show.
— The Chamber show in my mind was one of the best WWE PPV shows ever. Three excellent bouts out of four plus the angle where John Cena turned heel with Rock and Travis Scott on Cody Rhodes.
— We didn’t hear much in the way of other great bouts over the weekend other than the Chamber and some of the Friday night Lucha stuff from Tokyo and Mexico City. We’ll talk more about that on tomorrow’s show covering Raw.
— I expect a big number for Raw (which we don’t get until a week from Tuesday). One thing notable is that we will get a Chamber viewership number outside the U.S. from Netflix on Tuesday. The comparison would be 2.1 million views that the Rumble did. Rumble in theory would do more but with Dwayne Johnson a focal point on Chamber, we’ll see how close it comes. Collision, on the other hand, going against Chamber, will undoubtedly be much lower than the last three weeks. The show had good wrestling but was low on marquee type matches.
— We’re looking for your thoughts on Elimination Chamber, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
— The man who is widely considered the greatest freestyle wrestler of all-time, Buvaisar Saitiev, an Olympic gold medalist in 1996, 2004 and 2008, died earlier today at the age of 49. The early reports were that he died of cardiac arrest after suddenly getting sick in front of his home and being rushed to the hospital.
— The Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano loser leaves Stardom match for the World of Stardom title will be airing free on YouTube starting at about 5:45 a.m. Eastern time. The entire show will air on the Stardom streaming service but they are putting up the main event for free. This is a gigantic match. Nakano did an appearance at Aminate in Ikebukuro and Kamitani attacked her yesterday.
— Raw tomorrow in Buffalo, NY has Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky for the women’s title, Lyra Valkyria vs. Ivy Nile for the IC title, War Raiders vs. Creeds for the tag title plus CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair and Gunther doing promos.
— As far as Google trends, from Chamber, John Cena had 200,000 searches, Travis Scott had 20,000, WrestleMania had 20,000, Jade Cargill had 20,000, Randy Orton had 20,000, Elimination Chamber had 200,000 and Trish Stratus had 50,000. Nothing from last night’s UFC hit 20,000. A few of the fights were at 10,000.
— Ric Flair did a post about it being 25 years since he won his 16th world title according to WWE. The real number would be 18 minimum and more than 23 max, depending on a few matches like Victor Jovica, Midnight Rider and Jack Veneno and how you categorize them. Flair said he loved and respected John Cena but he’d fight his way through security and take a day off blood thinners to save Cody Rhodes if he had to. That is not going to happen.
— For AEW on Wednesday there will be a contract signing for Ricochet and Swerve Strickland, Adam Copeland vs. Wheeler Yuta, and Thunder Rosa & Kris Statlander vs. Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford.
— They did an off-TV angle where Gabe Kidd ran down Mark Briscoe, leading to a backstage brawl. So they are building that as a match, but not on the PPV since Briscoe teams with Orange Cassidy & AJ vs. MxM Collection & Johnny TV on the Revolution show.
— On last night’s show, we did get complaints about if you started the show in the middle while it was live that it was difficult for some to scroll back.
— Lance LeVine mentioned to us that the issue with DirecTV and Collision where for weeks it was hit and miss if the DVR would record the show has happened the past few weeks for Impact. He noted that if you have DirecTV you should check for this Thursday.
— On last night’s show I brought up the Toronto crowd booing the U.S. national anthem and how that never happens with real sports. However, that’s not the case. It’s been a major story in the NHL and during the 4 Nations Cup that ever since President Trump talked about annexing Canada and the tariffs, the national anthem has been heavily booed at NHL games throughout Canada. (thanks to many)
— Manami Toyota, the best in-ring woman pro wrestler who ever lived, turns 54 today.
— Dylan Playfiar, a Canadian actor who was a former minor league hockey player, wrestled in a Rumble match for the BOOM promotion in Vancouver, BC, last night. Boom, which has sold out 32 straight shows in a 250-seat building, has booked an 850-seat building for 7/26 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. Playfair is best known for playing Reilly in the TV series Lettrekenny from 2016 to 2023 and also played Marty Howe in the 2013 movie “Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe story.”
— Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox) made an unannounced appearance last night at Attack Pro Wrestling in Cardiff, Wales. It is streaming on the Attack Pro YouTube channel. This was to set up a 5/18 match in Penarth, Wales against Dani Luna.
— On Memphis Wrestling, Nic Nemeth was challenged by Aaron Roberts, a huge WWE ID prospect. That match will air on TV in Memphis in two weeks. Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes beat Cappuccino Jones & Sean Legacy in a battle of WE ID talent who will be on the Evolve TV show.
— Matt Hardy was at the Memphis WrestleCenter to wrestle and do a signing. Last night the Memphis Grizzlies had a wrestling night where Matt Hardy & The Grizz, the mascot for the Grizzlies, beat Aaron Roberts & Sycho Simon at the game. Dave Brown and Dustin Starr did commentary for the live fans. (thanks to Brian Tramel)
— Empire State Wrestling on 3/15 in Niagara Falls, NY at the Frontier Fire Hall.
— Jonathan Gresham will wrestle on the Bloodsport show over WrestleMania week in Las Vegas.
— Moose has been announced for ACW Aftershock on 5/17 at the MJN Center in Poughkeepsie NY.
— 18 episodes of AEW Dynamite were uploaded to MAX this week. They are shows from early 2020.
— Longtime reader Tom Mele noted he’s doing an ISPW Weekly kayfabe show on the ISPW Facebook page. They also have a 3/14 show in Hackettstown, NJ at the High School with appearances by Bret Hart, Vampiro, Tony Atlas and Jimmy Valiant.
— Lucha Va Voom on Thursday night at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles with Misterioso Jr., TJP, Magno, Xtreme Tiger and Mr. Iguana.
As you might remember or might be learning, Hulk Hogan was entering his first full year as WWF World champion and also was a huge star in Japan, Ric Flair was the NWA World champion and looking forward to a big year and Rick Martel was the AWA World champion and feuding with Jimmy Garvin.
Plus, I talk about the Road Warriors, Antonio Inoki, and much more.
We have reached the end of 1984 in my long-form deep dive series in pro wrestling.
In December 1984, the pro wrestling world was massively changing with WWF gaining more and more ground. Still, the AWA, NWA, World Class, and others remained strong, setting up for an interesting 1985.
Not only do we look at the day-to-day happenings for the month, but I also recap the various year-end awards as it was a big year for Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and the Road Warriors.
The Five Star Podcast interviewed Flair ahead of AEW Collision taking place from Charlotte, North Carolina this Saturday. Flair will not be at the event personally but said AEW is “doing a phenomenal job” and is on a level playing field with anyone else in the entertainment industry.
Flair was asked what his relationship with AEW owner Tony Khan is like.
“Oh god, we’re very close,” Flair responded. “I think he’s one of the greatest — not just great promoter, I think he’s one of the greatest people, human beings I’ve ever met. Very caring, genuine guy. And he’s got more money than God.”
Flair debuted for AEW in October 2023 and was featured as part of Sting’s retirement tour. It was confirmed this summer that AEW had no future creative plans for Flair with his Wooooo! Energy sponsorship deal with the promotion wrapping up.
Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte is hosting Collision on Saturday (January 4). It’s the first episode of the show that will be simulcast live on Max.
Ric Flair is mourning the loss of his stepson Sebastian Kidder, who died by suicide over the weekend at 24 years old.
Kidder, a musician who released his first album “Under the Moon” this summer, was the son of Flair’s longtime partner Wendy Barlow. Flair helped raise Kidder during the 13 years that he and Barlow were together. Drawing on the experience of tragically losing his son Reid at a similar age, Flair shared a statement to social media remembering Kidder and offering encouragement to Barlow.
I Have Spent Hours Wondering What To Say. After Hearing The News Of Sebastian’s Passing, I Can Only Imagine What Wendy & Paul Are Going Through Having Lost A Son Approximately The Same Age In 2013. I Know The Pain Of Your Loss Will Be With You The Rest Of Your Life. I Still Every Day Of My Life Think About Reid As You Will Continue To Think About Sebastian. You Can’t Blame Yourselves As I Blamed Myself For Making Reid My Best Friend Instead Of Being A Good Parent. Sometimes We Get So Close To Our Kids, We Forget That They Need Us In So Many Different Ways. I’m So Thankful For The Time I Had With Sebastian. I Have So Many Great Memories & Bonding Time With Him As He Grew Up! He Stood Tall By His Mother Along With The Whole Family- Sophia, Paris, And Summer, While I Was Dying [Flair’s near-death experience during a health battle in 2017]. He Was So Unselfish Sharing His Mother With Me As I Was Dying. And Also, At The Passing Of My Son Reid. He Was Multi-Talented & In Everybody’s Eyes A Huge Success And Will Always Be Remembered That Way. I’m So Sorry! Wendy, Please Stay Strong & Don’t Let Anything Deter You From All Your Successful Endeavors You Have In Place In The Future. God Bless You Both! Rest In Peace Sebastian! @sebastianonthemic
Charlotte Flair also expressed how heartbroken she is following Kidder’s death.
Barlow confirmed Kidder’s passing to TMZ on Sunday. “I am devastated and shocked,” she told the outlet. “This is an epidemic with your young men. And mental health…”
Note: If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, mental health struggles, or emotional crisis, the 988 Lifeline is available as a resource online or through calling/texting 988.
Ric Flair announced that he and Wendy Barlow have decided to go their separate ways.
The pair met in 1993 while working together in WCW. Barlow portrayed the character of a French maid named Fifi in the “Flair for the Gold” segments the company was producing at the time. They announced their engagement in 2016 and held a wedding ceremony in 2018.
Flair revealed on Monday that after 13 years, they have decided to “part ways respectfully”
“Wendy And I Enjoyed 13 Great Years. As With Every Couple, We Have Experienced Our Ups And Downs. I Think It’s Important For Everyone To Know Right Now That We Have Decided To Part Ways Respectfully. I’ll Never Ever Be Able To Thank Her Enough For Standing By My Side Through My Terrible Health Crisis In 2017. She Never Left My Side! And For That I Will Always Be Grateful! We Both Are Working On Different Projects At The Current Time & It Becomes Difficult With My Schedule & Her Schedule To Make This Work. I Wish Her The Best Of Luck With Her Projects, And I Know That She Supports Mine!”
Wendy And I Enjoyed 13 Great Years. As With Every Couple, We Have Experienced Our Ups And Downs. I Think It’s Important For Everyone To Know Right Now That We Have Decided To Part Ways Respectfully. I’ll Never Ever Be Able To Thank Her Enough For Standing By My Side Through My…
This is the second time in recent years Flair has announced that he and Barlow are splitting. Flair also did so in January 2022.
“After Taking Some Time Apart, Wendy And I Have Decided To Go Our Separate Ways. Please Respect Our Privacy & Our Families During This Time! I Will Love & Cherish All Of Our Memories Together Forever, And I Will Forever Be Thankful For All She Has Done To Make My Life Better!”
After Taking Some Time Apart, Wendy And I Have Decided To Go Our Separate Ways. Please Respect Our Privacy & Our Families During This Time! I Will Love & Cherish All Of Our Memories Together Forever, And I Will Forever Be Thankful For All She Has Done To Make My Life Better!
Flair finished up with AEW in July as the Wooooo! Energy AEW sponsorship appeared to end earlier this summer. He first appeared in AEW in October 2023 and the company issued a press release that he had signed a multi-year deal with the company.
Dwight Howard may have become a professional wrestler if it wasn’t for Ric Flair.
Howard took part in a WWE tryout in Nashville over SummerSlam weekend in 2022. Triple H would later say “The ball is in his court” regarding whether he would end up with the company.
Howard told TMZ recently that Flair talked him out of a post-NBA career in WWE.
“I was talking to Ric Flair,” Howard said. “He said I don’t know if my knees is good for wrestling.”
Howard dealt with knee injuries throughout his 18-season NBA career.
“My knees feel good, it’s just wrestling,” he continued. “You’re talking about picking up 300-pound dudes and all that stuff. Nobody wants to do that for their whole life!”
It doesn’t look like a wrestling career is in the cards for the 38-year-old, who signed a contract with the Taiwan Mustangs of The Asian Tournament (TAT) earlier this year. He also told TMZ he is interested in getting into stand-up comedy.
The new AEW International Champion says he’s just like Ric Flair, only better.
Following MJF’s victory over Will Ospreay on Dynamite last week, Flair posted to X writing, “Congratulations @The_MJF On Becoming The International Champion! Once Again, Great Minds And Great Talent Think Alike! WOOOOO!”
Congratulations @The_MJF On Becoming The International Champion! Once Again, Great Minds And Great Talent Think Alike! WOOOOO! pic.twitter.com/CNBdqOKJzN
MJF responded to Flair’s post during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.
“There’s a reason that after my match, Ric Flair posted a side-by-side comparison photo,” said Friedman. “I’m Ric Flair incarnated–and with all due respect to Ric, better.”
He continued:
“What’s this company without MJF? It’s boring. This is the most people have talked about my company in months. Thank me later. If you’re not going to give me my just due now, you’ll have to when it’s all said and done.”
“I’m the most interesting man in professional wrestling,” said Friedman. “I’ve been that way since I laced up a pair of boots. There are two types of people: the ones who admit I’m probably the greatest overall package in the history of this sport, and then there are people who want to pretend they know better. They won’t admit what’s right in front of them. For years, people said John Cena was not the GOAT. They said Randy Orton was boring. Those people actually exist in the world. Those are the type of the people who see mediocrity when they look in the mirror, and you can quote me on that.”
After winning the International Championship on last week’s episode, AEW is advertising that fans will hear from MJF on this week’s episode. He says he plans on making the International title more important than it ever has been.
“I’m going to make this title more important than it ever has before. I’m waiting for the right time and the right place to strike for the world title that I never lost fairly. That’s my belt. Anybody with brain cells knows that. However, right now, I am highly focused on bringing real prestige to this championship. If anybody can do it, it’s me.”
Ric Flair wouldn’t have a problem with John Cena breaking his World title record.
WWE recognizes Flair and Cena as being tied for the record with 16 World Championship reigns each. With Cena set to retire from in-ring competition in 2025, some fans have brought up that they’d like to see him take sole possession of the record and have one final run as champion.
Flair told Busted Open Radio on Monday that, while the record is something he likes having because of its sentimentality, he’d have no problem if Cena broke it. Ideally, Flair would like to remain tied with Cena until Charlotte Flair surpasses both of them.
“You want the honest to God truth? I think so much personally of John Cena. He’s just one of those really great guys, in my opinion. And I’ve known a few,” Flair said. “In a perfect world, it would be my daughter, which I think would be the biggest thing that could ever happen. I told her one time, and she got upset — not upset but she didn’t like the comparison, I said, ‘You’d be as famous as Serena Williams if you broke that record that’s been there for so long.’ She didn’t like the comparison, but she’s as good an athlete as there is alive today. But if they do it with John, I have no problem. I’d be the first one to hit the ring and shake his hand.”
Given that Paul “Triple H” Levesque is such a Flair fan, Busted Open Radio asked Flair if he thinks Levesque would be hesitant to book Cena breaking the record.
“I personally kind of agree with you, I don’t think he wants to pull the trigger on it,” Flair responded.
Flair said he just loves wrestling and would give his blessing to have the record broken. He named Randy Orton as someone else who would be deserving of it.
Cena’s retirement tour will last from January through December 2025. The amount of dates he plans on working is “in the mid-30s to 40s.”
Though 16 is the number that’s commonly recognized, Flair has had more World title reigns than that. Dave Meltzer notes that Flair’s actual number of reigns is at least 18.
