Ric Flair says there wasn’t much separation between “The Nature Boy” fans saw on television and the person he was away from the wrestling ring.
During an appearance on Booker T’s podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer discussed how he marketed himself throughout his legendary career and explained why portraying his extravagant character came naturally.
According to Flair, almost everything he bragged about on television reflected the life he was actually living.
“Basically everything I said I was doing. Actually, 99% of what I said I was doing.
So, it wasn’t hard. I was really having fun. And once I got on a roll, I mean, I obviously—and this is not an embellishment because Book [Booker T] has known me forever—I spent more money on clothes than I made. Thank God for credit cards.
I’m a big fan of First Take. I like Stephen A. He was—and we’re good friends. But what he spends on clothes of the year reminds me about me. I mean, I just tried to have a different suit every week for TV. He has something different on every damn day.
I mean, and it—but it stands out. I mean, it just does. I mean, when Book—when Book walks in all tricked out, man, and Book is one of these guys with that great physique, he doesn’t have to do that.
I was physically gifted in terms of being healthy, but I was no Adonis by any means, right? So I just played off the strengths of what I knew I was good at.
People didn’t like me bragging about my clothes. They don’t like me bragging about my cars. And most of all, they didn’t like me bragging about my women.
And that ain’t work.”
Flair explained that his expensive clothing and lavish lifestyle became important elements of his presentation because they helped him stand out, particularly since he didn’t consider himself to have the imposing physique possessed by some of his contemporaries.
Instead, Flair leaned into his strengths and turned his real-life spending habits, designer suits, cars and reputation with women into defining elements of “The Nature Boy” character.
The persona ultimately produced some of professional wrestling’s most recognizable catchphrases and became inseparable from Flair throughout his decades-long career.
As Flair made clear, however, much of what audiences assumed was simply part of the act wasn’t an act at all.
