WWE Reportedly Tried To Film Documentary Footage At Starrcast V
WWE was interested in filming its own footage during Starrcast V, but the company reportedly couldn't reach a deal with the event's organizer.
According to this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE tried to broker a deal to film portions of the event for a future documentary. In exchange, Starrcast boss Conrad Thompson wanted permission to use WWE-owned footage to promote the event. However, the two sides were not able to come to an agreement.
The Observer pointed out that AEW was able to make a deal with Thompson that allowed them to show footage of Mance Warner winning the Bunkhouse Battle Royal at the "Ric Flair's Last Match" event, which was a central feature of Starrcast V. The footage was shown during this past Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite" to promote an upcoming match between Warner and AEW Interim World Champion Jon Moxley on Friday night's "AEW Rampage".
Starrcast V was held in Nashville, TN, this past weekend, the same city that hosted WWE's SummerSlam event last Saturday night. Many individuals tied to WWE were involved in events during Starrcast, and number of WWE Hall of Famers and legends were sitting ringside for "Ric Flair's Last Match," including Al Snow, Bret Hart, Diamond Dallas Page, Jerry Lawler, Michelle McCool, Mick Foley, Santino Marella, and the Undertaker. WWE Hall of Famers Bully Ray, Diamond Dallas Page, Eric Bischoff, and Torrie Wilson, as well as longtime WWE performer Vickie Guerrero, appeared live at The Roast of Ric Flair last Friday night. There were also prerecorded video messages from Dolph Ziggler, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kurt Angle, and Trish Stratus.
Flair was released from his WWE contract last year. There was speculation that he would sign with AEW, but the deal fell through after the airing of a "Dark Side Of The Ring" episode that covered Flair's involvement in the infamous "Plane Ride From Hell" back in 2002. WWE also distanced itself from Flair after the episode aired, though he has since been restored to his place in the company's opening signature.