Ric Flair certainly didn’t waste any time in getting back in the ring. As we previously reported, Flair has been hitting the gym pretty hard and it’s paying off, it would seem.
As was reported by webisjericho.com, at 72, he appeared at AAA’s event, TripleMania XXIX, but he wasn’t just there to sign autographs. That was made quite clear in the early going. He actually accompanied his future son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo to the ring.
Idolo was in action against the belt collector himself, Kenny Omega. The match was specifically for the AAA Mega Championship.
Not only did the man throw a few chops, but he and Idolo got to chopping the big old willow tree that is Kenny Omega himself, alternating, each of them delivering some pretty impressive chops to the astonished Omega.
Flair also placed his old rival, Konnan, in the famed figure four leg lock. Honestly, as a wrestling fan and pro wrestling journalist, dare I say, that it was pretty magical to see. And I don’t mean magical in some Harry Potter type of way; I mean in a special, sort of nostalgia meets something I never thought I’d see again sort of way.
If I’m permitted to editorialize for a second, to see someone—an icon that I grew up watching—in the ring, doing what he always did best, was a pretty spectacular moment to watch.
Omega would win the match, but what a moment it certainly was overall. Now the rumors of Flair coming to AEW can only grow from where they undoubtedly already were.
And that’s not all that went down at the event: The Virtuosa and current Impact Knockouts Champion herself, Deonna Purrazzo, became the AAA Reina de Reinas Champion when she won against Faby Apache. It was a title vs. title match, and both belts were in danger of changing hands.
Chelsea Green chimed in and made a bold statement on the Virtuosa’s behalf: “She came for everything they said she couldn’t have.” Indeed she did. In Green’s statement, we can be convinced that she was referencing WWE, who didn’t give Deonna the opportunities she most obviously deserved.
The AAA Tag titles were also showcased in a match that had Fenix & Pentagon vs. Hijo del Vikingo & Laredo Kid vs. Taurus & Brian Cage in a three-way.
And amongst other contests, there was a Mask vs. Hair match in which Psycho Clown won over Rey Escorpion.
What is still quite amazing here, dear readers, is the fact that so many wrestlers from other rosters were present…specifically AEW stars like Brian Cage, Kenny Omega, Andrade El Idolo (and so many more) and from Impact, the Virtuosa herself.
The sharing of talent is doing wonders for the business and is making the product that much more enjoyable for true wrestling fans to watch, and yes I mean you, reading this.
It makes me think of the Monday Night Wars, specifically when DX invaded the WCW taping at the Norfolk Scope in April of 1998. Man…that was a million dollar opportunity missed by Eric Bischoff in not opening up those garage doors, allowing WWE guys on a WCW program, which would have obviously allowed WCW guys to be on WWE programming. Just think of what it would have done for either broadcast back then!
Today, in a sense, because of Tony Khan and the smaller promotions he has dealings or whatever arrangements he has with, we are getting what we didn’t get back then and it is therefore an epic time to be a fan of wrestling for sure.
