Ric Flair is arguably the greatest professional wrestler of all time.
The genre is so subjective and has evolved so much over the years that it really depends who you ask and the criteria used to make such a determination. Some will cite Flair for his amazing series of matches with names like Funk, Brisco, Race, and Steamboat. Some might give the nod to Bret Hart for his ability to have a good match with anyone and a level of consistent quality bouts before his career was cut short. There’s also an argument to be made for Japanese grapplers like Kenta Kobashi or the late, Misawa. If a viewer wants their wrestling to be more entertainment based then they might name Hulk Hogan even though his matches were basic and often repetitive, their ability to sell tickets, especially in the heyday of Hulkamania, can’t be denied.
Ric Flair, the 16-time champion, (and a few phantom switches that were unrecognized during tours of Japan in the 80s,) is undoubtedly in the conversation as one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. Regardless of opinions on Flair’s style, which has been criticized at times over the years for it’s simplistic nature, you can’t take away from his tireless work ethic.
The choice of the top worker is subjective, but there was no question that Ric Flair was one of the hardest working guys in the entire industry throughout his extensive career, but also particularly in his prime. Nobody will take away how hard he worked bell-to-bell, but his tenancy to make totally outlandish statements, especially in more recent years, at the very least makes you question his credibility about such topics.
With as over-the-top as Flair was as a performer, it’s not exactly a shock that he wouldn’t let the facts stop him from adding a little extra shine to a narrative with some jovial exaggeration. Some of that is ingrained in the nature of the business, as promoting “must see” cards was key to getting fans to the box office. How many of those steel cages were actually 15 feet?
Flair’s claims about wild parties and women at the Marriott in the 80s may or may not be embellished to add some extra entertainment value to an interview. If Andre drank two dozen or ten dozen beers one night is rather harmless in the grand scheme of things. However, Ric Flair has made himself look terrible in recent years when he’s allowed to spout off on social media or talk a little too freely without much thought during interviews outside of the WWE umbrella.
An example of this was last week when Flair addressed the continuing controversy about Hogan Hogan’s death on the Double Coverage podcast. It’s important to keep in mind that details are murky about the legendary grappler’s passing, and there was speculation online about potential legal action for malpractice. Hulk’s daughter. Brooke claimed on social media that she was told that there was more to the story of Hogan’s death and that she should request the body cam footage of when paramedics were called to his home. Bubba The Love Sponge, a media parasite if there ever was one, has perpetuated the rumors with his coverage of Brooke’s remarks, as well as having her call into his radio show.
It’s understandable that Hogan’s family wants answers, and given that there were credible reports that complications from a surgery contributed to his death, it’s very possible that the Bollea estate, which is controlled by his son, Nick might have a case for medical malpractice. Of course, all of that remains to be seen, but with the amount of chatter that has persisted the past few months, it wouldn’t be too surprising if there was at least an attempt at legal action at some point in the future.
For whatever reason, Ric Flair thought it was necessary that he comment on the matter, and it was essentially one of the many reasons that the Hall of Fame wrestler isn’t featured on television too often these days.
Flair has a tendency to go off the rails, saying too much too often for seemingly no other reason than to give himself a platform in some form or fashion. On the Double Coverage podcast, Flair claimed that Hulk Hogan died from street drugs. Flair said that the reason the Hulkster turned to street drugs was that after so many injuries and the series of surgeries to attempt to repair them that Hogan turned to illicit drugs to deal with the pain.
That’s a very bold statement to make and thus had a major reaction from many online, specifically because of the speculation that still swirled around Hulk’s passing in recent months. Flair attempted to clarify his statements with a post on social media, explaining that he was only saying what he was being told by the family and that he wasn’t trying to demean Hulk’s legacy. Unfortunately, as is usually the case when he tries to address the outrage that he sparks on social media, The Nature Boy didn’t do himself any favors this time either.
First and most importantly, it’s irresponsible for Flair to make such claims in a public forum, if for no other reason that it’s another topic that could paint Hogan in a negative light, and obviously, he’s not here to defend himself or answer to the claims of illegal drug use to deal with the pain he had after his retirement from the ring. Furthermore, and this might be a much bigger point as the story unfolds in the future, Ric Flair said in the follow-up post on social media that he was relaying what he was told from the family, implying that Terry Bollea’s relatives know more about what happened then they would’ve told the medical staff that treated him before his death. If the Bollea estate does try to sue the medical team for malpractice, Ric Flair just made their case much more difficult to win, as the legal proceedings might depend on the Bollea side proving that street drugs didn’t play a role in the condition that ultimately led to Hulk’s death. Given that there could be legal action pending, you’d have to wonder if Flair could be held liable for such statements, specifically because he claimed that he was told that drugs were involved by the family.
As outrageous as this story has become as it picked up steam this week, it’s nothing new for Flair to make wild statements that make him look foolish in the process. After his ill-fated tenure in TNA, he claimed during a shoot interview that he was there the night that Bruiser Brody was murdered in Puerto Rico by Jose Gonzalez in 1988. In reality, Flair was wrestling as a part of The Great American Bash tour in the United States on the July night that the real-life Frank Goodish was killed. When Flair was on the Theo Von podcast a few years ago, he recalled the time that he went to rehab and bragged that “it was a work” so he went to a bar after he left the facility. Flair also had a extremely bizarre interaction with Jim Ross on Twitter when the announcer updated the fans as he was going through treatment for colon cancer. The former NWA champion said that Ross was “attention seeking” before he said that the tweet was a joke after backlash online. He also had a public riff with his longtime friend and radio host, Mark Madden after the former WCW color commentator opted to end their podcast project since Flair was supposedly unprepared for their recording sessions. Flair mocked and criticized his former friend, who revealed in the aftermath that Flair isn’t on speaking terms with Arn Anderson, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, or David Flair.
Plus, he almost died from drinking in 2017, but still posts photos of himself drinking on social media regularly, despite the second chance at life. The sum total of all of this is that Flair, despite being under contract to All Elite Wrestling, has made himself more or less unusable for television in either of the major leagues. You simply don’t know what Flair will say with a live mic on the wrestling program, or what he will say outside of a wrestling event that could bring negative publicity to an organization that promotes him on television. So, he’s getting paid by Tony Khan to not work for WWE, but realistically is there anything to use Ric Flair for in AEW?
It’s sad to say since Flair should be known as Joe Montana or Mickey Mantle of professional wrestling, but he made himself into such a circus, including with these latest claims about Hulk Hogan’s death that despite The Nature Boy legacy and a noticeable degree of notoriety in pop culture in more recent years, he’s basically too much of a liability to have a role in sports entertainment today.
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
