Eric Bischoff Assesses Ric Flair's AEW Debut

Sting's retirement tour is in full swing, and the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair is officially along for the ride. The wrestling legend, and controversial figure, made his AEW debut last week on "Dynamite" as Sting's gift from Tony Khan, and Sting has since suggested Flair will be around for most of his final few months heading into his official retirement at AEW Revolution. The question for many, including Flair and Sting's old boss, Eric Bischoff, is how Flair will be used.

One thing Bischoff does believe, as he revealed on "Strictly Business," is that Flair's debut last week wasn't reflected in AEW's ratings due to the fact that no one knew about Flair showing up beforehand.

"I don't think anybody should suggest or interpret the fact that Ric didn't have a big impact, because it was a surprise, and I think it was a well done [surprise]," Bischoff said. "I love surprises, and I think not promoting Ric was the right thing to do. We'll see next week, now that Ric has been established, everyone knows that he's there. Next week, I think we're going to get an indication of added value that Ric Flair brings to 'Dynamite.'"

One thing Bischoff didn't love about Flair's debut was the verbal beating that the "Nature Boy" took from Christian Cage. But Bischoff is willing to not rush to judgment on it for now, in order to see how things go for Flair from this point forward.

"If it doesn't go anywhere and Ric doesn't get an opportunity to shine and have his moment at the end of the story, I'll be very disappointed for Ric," Bischoff said. "But again, it's how you use a guy like Ric Flair. How do you set up Sting's retirement?"

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Strictly Business" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription