Ric Flair's return to WWE imminent, possible cause of AJ Lee stepping down as Raw General Manager

It's a number of days later and the storyline involving AJ Lee being accused of having an affair with John Cena and that leading to her resigning as General Manger (GM) of Monday Night Raw -- only to be replaced by Vickie Guerrero, who herself has gotten around -- is still as bizarre as it was live. It still feels a bit rushed and out of nowhere but it turns out their could be a very good reason for that.

The return of "The Nature Boy."

According to Bryan Alvarez in his latest Figure Four Weekly (subscription required but I highly recommend it), there were plans at one time to fire both AJ and Booker T and have Ric Flair come back as GM of both shows. That appears to no longer be in play but that doesn't mean there aren't still plans to have him back as the head of Raw.

Hence the AJ firing.

Furthering speculation is the fact that Raw next Monday night emanates from Charlotte, North Carolina, Flair's hometown. Obviously, that would be a prime spot to bring him back into the fold, especially considering it will be the Raw following the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view (PPV).

Of course, there are issues to consider here. It's been widely reported that Vince McMahon has been hesitant to bring Flair back because of the ongoing legal issues between WWE and TNA, which stemmed from apparent talks with Flair himself, though he's not involved in the lawsuit and his non-compete clause has ended.

That means he's free to sign but WWE has been weary of doing so despite the fact that both parties want to work together again.

Alvarez also notes it's possible Guerrero remains GM of Raw and finally breaks away from Dolph Ziggler, giving that managerial slot to Flair. The idea there is that there is no better guy available than "The Nature Boy" to present Ziggler as a real star and teach him the ins and outs of the business on the road. Considering he's got the Money in the Bank briefcase and is about to become world heavyweight champion sometime soon, the timing really couldn't be better.

This doesn't mean you should expect to see Flair next week, just don't be surprised if that's exactly what happens. He's coming, Cagesiders, we just can't be sure when.

Happy to have him back?