Ric Flair Has Been Invited To Big WWE Event

The 30th anniversary of "WWE Raw" is scheduled for January 23, and the show has already added one big name who's set to appear for the first time since 2021. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair will be making his long-awaited return to the company following his release last year over issues with the promotion.

"Raw XXX" will happen just a week before Royal Rumble 2023 in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome, which is currently tracking as the most successful Rumble event in the company's history. Flair revealed the news during the latest episode of his podcast "To Be The Man," stating that he's "honored" to come back for the show.

"I have been invited and it's a f***ing big deal," Flair said. "Why? Because it's Raw and it's a big f***ing deal. I'm honored, hell yeah, are you kidding me? 30 years, how about that?

"Remember [WCW Monday Nitro] was just going to destroy Raw? I can't even spell Nitro anymore, can you? 'We're putting you out of business Vince!' Good lord. For me, it'll be getting in there Sunday night, looking for [Steve] Austin, Undertaker, anybody in site looking for a cool beverage, I'll be buying."

This will be Flair's first appearance in the WWE following Vince McMahon's retirement from his role as CEO and Chairman of the company, a role he held when he let Flair leave in 2021. At the time, Flair cited trademark issues and business-related disagreements as reasons why he left, shortly after being removed from the WWE's intro before shows. Flair was put back into the WWE opening montage once Triple H took over, a move he very much appreciated.