Conrad Thompson addressed issues about Ric Flair’s return to the ring during a press conference to promote the Ric Flair’s Last Match pay-per-view on Sunday.
“This is about him wanting to feel like Ric Flair, ‘The Nature Boy’, one last time. When that whole 2008 retirement happened, that wasn’t his idea. He was dictated to. That was created in a creative meeting, and they said, ‘Hey, you’re having your last match,’ and by the way, it was fabulous. It was ten out of ten. But he wasn’t necessarily ready to do that, which is why he wrestled again. But at this point, he’s been gone for so long, I think everybody understands he’s not gonna wrestle again. This really is it. It if he wants to feel like Ric Flair ‘The Nature Boy’ one last time, having lost his son nearly ten years ago and as you saw in episode one, he said as soon as that happened, he walked across the street to the bar, and he didn’t quit drinking for five years. He nearly lost his life because he was self-medicating, [he] wasn’t taking care of himself. But he’s worked himself back, and Ric Flair is in a better place mentally, emotionally, physically, financially, than I’ve ever known him right.”
“This is not a cash grab for Ric Flair. This is not, ‘Ric Flair needs a payday.’ This is about Ric Flair wants the glory and the rush of being in front of a crowd that paid to come see him one last time. Who are we to say that he can’t do that? I understand there are naysayers who have concerns about his health. But they’re not his doctor. His doctor has cleared him for it, and his trainer has told him that he’s ready. I just wanna remind everybody that this, when he steps through the ropes this Sunday night, it won’t be the first time he’s stepped through the ropes. It will be the first time you’ve seen him step through the ropes, but he’s been training almost every other day for months. So if there was a concern about something that could happen with Ric medically, it would have already happened in training, candidly, because he’s already done it. He’s been put through the paces, he’s pushed himself. This is not, ‘He wants to get out there and chop and strut and ‘Woo.’ He wants to go out there and steal the show, and he’s gonna have his work cut out for him following guys from AAA and New Japan and MLW and IMPACT Wrestling and all of these fabulous wrestlers who are here and in the prime of their career. He feels incredible pressure to deliver. Now luckily, his tag team partner is one of the best wrestlers in the world today, no matter what anybody says, and they’re gonna put on one hell of a show this Sunday night.”
You can watch the press conference below:
(h/t to Fightful.com for the transcription)
