Ric Flair claims WWE "didn't like" top AEW star being namedropped during his Hall of Fame speech

AEW might not have a Hall of Fame yet, but Ric Flair ended up name-dropping one of the promotion's major stars during his speech inducting Great Muta into the WWE Hall of Fame. Now, The Nature Boy has hinted that WWE wasn't too happy with him for mentioning Sting during the ceremony.

Sting's impact on the pro wrestling industry has often been brought up by fans and some of his peers online. His AEW debut during the first Winter is Coming edition of Dynamite remains etched in fans' memories to this day. The Icon has been a part of numerous memorable matches since his arrival.

During the latest episode of the To Be The Man podcast, The Nature Boy claimed that he heard rumblings that WWE was upset about him mentioning AEW veteran Sting.

“I didn’t hear from anybody in the WWE, but that’s not unusual (...) Who else could have inducted him? I did hear that they didn’t like me bringing up Sting. But Sting is in our Hall of Fame. I merely asked the question, ‘Are you sure that Muta wants me over Sting?’ That’s all I said."

32 years ago today, The Great Muta vs Sting at the first WCW/New Japan Supershow https://t.co/9uH2aFCGVW

Flair further pointed out that The Icon had more history with Muta than he did.

"And then if you can’t speak your truth without being criticized, it is what it is. I thought that was a very fair question of my part, because they actually wrestled more than I did with Muta." (H/T: 411Mania)

Reports from Fightful Select have corroborated Ric Flair's claims, as it was noted that of all the speeches during the WWE Hall of Fame, The Nature Boy's was the worst-received.

Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.

Dave Meltzer believes that AEW All In 2023 could be an adequate stage for Sting's retirement

While The Icon has had one of the best-received comebacks, Sting seems well aware that his days in the squared circle are numbered. While nothing has been confirmed, the 64-year-old hinted at retiring soon.

My boy @Sting is one crazy ass SOB! 💥 62 years young and still DOMINATING! Did you see AEW’s Revolution on Sunday? 🤯💥💎 https://t.co/J42badMXcA

During a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer speculated that Sting's retirement could headline the AEW pay-per-view.

"To run a stadium this large, they have to do the most loaded show they’ve ever done. Sting’s retirement should be the key to this thing. Wembley Stadium certainly is gigantic, so I don't know that that's gonna be it. I think given Sting is going to be retiring before the end of the year, if you're going to do something, that may be the place to do it." [H/T: TJRWrestling]

It remains to be seen whether or not AEW All In will be the stage for Sting's inevitable retirement. But with a stadium as big as Wembley, they might just have to use The Icon to boost sales.