Ric Flair missing WWE NXT Takeover 2 last night has the WWE rumor mill running wild once again. It now seems uncertain what exactly the Nature Boy will be doing in the WWE for the long term.
In a related report by The Inquisitr , former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin claims Ric Flair ripped off ROH for a cool $40,000, and only showed up to a scheduled appearance just to announce had a commitment with the WWE. You should also check out our article on the WWE NXT Takeover 2 results .
The Japanese wrestler KENTA made his second appearance with NXT since signing with the WWE. KENTA said it was a dream come true and he was happy to be there. His debut has also been much hyped by the management.
“I’m very excited about this,” Triple H said. “Whenever you can globally recruit a Superstar of that level from someplace else…The dream of everybody in the world is to make it to the WWE.”
It’s said that KENTA has been working on his English and the two times we’ve heard him work the mic we haven’t had any trouble following him. Although, he’s never been given a chance to finish what he’s saying, and at Takeover 2 the Ascension interrupted and laid him out. It was hoped KENTA’s debut would include an actual match, or even a shot at the NXT title as was previously hinted at, but Adrian Neville retains the NXT Championship belt for now.
But KENTA’s debut was also supposed to have an extra Flair that never materialized. Hulk Hogan himself signed up the Japanese wrestler, and it was believed Ric Flair would do the introduction in order to quickly establish KENTA with the WWE Universe. According to PWInsider , something went wrong before the event.
“Flair had been originally scheduled for a segment that would introduce KENTA to WWE fans. We are told that a personal conflict required Flair to drop out of the appearance.”
Another Ric Flair rumor that did a Flair flop was the idea that his daughter Charlotte would lose to Bayley, but Charlotte defeated Bayley via pinfall after Natural Selection to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. In the weeks leading up to WWE NXT Takeover 2, it was widely speculated Flair would be joining his daughter in the main WWE roster as manager in order to get the Nature Boy close to the ring in a long term position.
With Charlotte retaining the belt, that rumor seems unlikely. When Triple H spoke about Charlotte earlier in the week, he didn’t seem to give any hint to her future.
“Again next generation Superstar when you look at Charlotte,” he said. “You wanna talk about the future. Every genetic gift that her father had and then some. Just, especially as a female, on a different level as an athlete.”
It’s possible Triple H is trying to build up the talent within NXT in hopes of building the brand to the point that people purchase a WWE Network subscription in order to watch it.
In the meantime, what the WWE will do with Ric Flair now is anyone’s guess. His last few spots on Monday Night RAW have been described as strange. Before the Charlotte rumor, it was believed Flair would act as manager to mentor The Miz or Dolph Ziggler, but those ideas seemed to have dissipated.
What do you think the WWE should do with Ric Flair in the long term?