clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

TNA fails to get mentioned on WWE television despite Ric Flair's Hall Of Fame appearance

You wouldn't realise it from watching WWE television, but Ric Flair still works for TNA.  Photo via <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Flair_TNA.jpg">upload.wikimedia.org</a>.
You wouldn't realise it from watching WWE television, but Ric Flair still works for TNA. Photo via upload.wikimedia.org.

We can now reveal the main sticking point between WWE and TNA that almost stopped Ric Flair from attending this year's WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony to be inducted for the second time as one of the Four Horsemen. According to Dave Meltzer on his subscriber only April 1st Observer Radio show, "TNA had the winning hand and they were the ones who folded the cards," but still managed to annoy Ric Flair in the process for dragging their feet in getting a deal done. They wanted it to be publicly mentioned that Flair currently works for TNA, but clearly WWE stuck to their guns on this point and TNA backed down from a position of strength, as there was no mention of their main competitor in the press release announcing Flair's appearance on WWE.com, at the ceremony itself or last night's television special airing highlights of the event.

However, there is a consolation prize for TNA. They did manage to procure an agreement for a WWE wrestler to come to their studios to be a talking head on one of their upcoming DVDs, likely in return for allowing WWE to show Flair's induction speech on the extended DVD version of WrestleMania 28. It will be interesting to see who they choose and how they try to make money off this unique opportunity, but in the end Flair's appearance on the WrestleMania DVD will likely mean a whole hell of a lot more than whatever TNA ends up doing.

In the end WWE got everything they wanted from TNA, being able to use Flair like any other high profile inductee, without giving TNA what they wanted in return, which hardly seems fair, but you can't blame WWE for TNA being spineless and failing to call their bluff. I suppose they get to be the good guys to the small number of hardcore fans that know the real story, but that means little in the big picture. Flair's appearance on WWE TV may have been much more beneficial to TNA if he was being featured heavily in a major storyline at present, but the company have not used him much of late and when they have he's been playing second fiddle to Hulk Hogan and the Bischoffs. Another fine mess by the promotion that specialises in them.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Cageside Seats Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your pro wrestling news from Cageside Seats