AEW President Tony Khan sat down for an interview with journalist Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post recently. In the article published for the acclaimed publication, Khan talked about AEW’s progress, All In PPV, Sting’s last few days in the wrestling business, and their upcoming plans.

During the interview, he also discussed the inclusion of former WWE Champion Ric Flair. The Nature Boy joined AEW a few weeks ago on a peculiar deal as he was privy to special privileges due to the terms of his contract. The AEW head honcho disclosed the details of Flair’s deal and the impact he has made in AEW.

Tony Khan states that Ric Flair’s presence is helping AEW financially

Ric Flair has dabbled in many business ventures with his Wooooo! energy drink being the apple of his eye. Flair joined AEW as a superstar on its roster and his Woooo Energy drink gained a spot as the promotion’s official partner. Wooooo! Energy has also partnered with teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Till now, it was known that a major portion of Flair’s salary was paid by Wooooo! Energy drink. But Tony Khan’s recent interview with the NY Post reveals something else as his statement confuses the matter further. He 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.”

As of now, the drink is available through Giant Eagle Stores in select markets. Tony Khan had previously stated that Wooooo! energy drinks would be made available for all AEW superstars, in locker rooms, on the announcer’s table, during promotional events, and so on.

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It would not only benefit Flair in increasing sales but also help in advertising as well. It was estimated that it would pay a major portion of his salary from AEW. Thus, the deal was beneficial for Ric Flair and Tony Khan. But the AEW president had another primary reason to call on the services of The Nature Boy.

Tony Khan utilized the services of Ric Flair to fulfill a fairytale ending for a wrestler

In an interview with Variety, Ric Flair talked about how his deal to appear in AEW came to fruition. He stated, “I just reached out to Tony. Then Tony got back to me and he said he’d be interested in that. And I wasn’t selling myself. I was just selling energy drinks…And then Tony was thinking about Sting’s retirement and asked if I wanted to be a part of it.”

Flair joined AEW on October 25th in a segment where Sting announced his retirement date. The wrestling legend announced his intentions to retire from wrestling next year. Sting’s former rival, Ric Flair, was present to congratulate him. Nevertheless, Flair will inevitably play a part in the wrestling icon’s final appearance in the squared circle given their storied history.

What did you make of Khan’s proclamation about the WWE legend? Let us know in the comments section below.

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