Ric Flair talks about his wrestling career, and the Nature Boy’s love of the WNBA
At 75, Flair is is still at the top of his game. And he’s extremely grateful for that.
Professional wrestling isn’t a sport for the old. As wrestlers age, they fall out of the limelight, struggling to find their place in a sport that grows and morphs with the times, skewing younger and younger.
Unless, you’re the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. At 75, Flair remains in the limelight through a series of reinventions and creations, such as Wooooo! Energy drink, which has partnered with the Cleveland Cavaliers to be their newest energy drink. I spoke to Flair over Zoom about the partnership, as well as how he sees his legacy permeate throughout pro wrestling and culture.
J.P. Acosta (JA): One of the things that’s been popping up recently is that “professional wrestling is cool again”. Everyone is reaching back into the world of the WWE and AEW, and their popularity is rising. What do you think makes pro wrestling cool, and why do you think it’s seen a resurgence?
Ric Flair (RF): I think it’s always been relevant. I think in the last six months, to have The Rock involved really added a lot of momentum to it. But it’s always been something that the American people are going to love. People are going to love the good guy, and dislike the bad guy, and it’s very, very awesome entertainment. I love it to this day.
JA: How cool was it seeing the legacy of Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen last throughout not only pro wrestling, but in pop culture as well?
RF: It just kind of came to me, I didn’t search it out. I got to meet with Offset and Metro Boomin and those guys reached out. I’ve done stuff with Bad Bunny, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg. I’ve been friends with them for years. I don’t know how many different songs I’ve been in from different artists that I haven’t been paid for, but my name being mentioned is a big deal.
JA: As the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) champion, what was it like going from territory to territory, seeing the fans giving you love or hate?
RF: It was a phenomenal experience. There was a lot of work out there, though. You know, sometimes I traveled up to nine to 12,000 miles a week when I was going back and forth internationally. I used to go from Sydney, to Auckland, then Auckland to St. Louis. Then I went from there to Atlanta, and then back to Japan. I mean, I was wrestling an hour every night, you know? It was long trips but man, the gratitude is phenomenal. In the old days, the ‘80s when I went to Japan there would be probably 500 people waiting for me at the airport. They would have a press conference downtown, we’d have fun then get ready for the next day.
JA: Who was your favorite wrestler to work with during that time?
RF: My two favorite were [Ricky] Steamboat and Sting. Loved Wahoo McDaniel, that’s when I was really young. Blackjack Mulligan, I mean I’ve been lucky enough to wrestle everybody. I enojyed wrestling [Bruiser] Brody in Japan and in America. I’ve traveled the world, I’ve had a great time and I’m really fortunate to still be here.
JA: Were there any times where you had to change your style or changed the way you wrestled depending on the territory that you were in?
RF: No, I never changed what I was doing. You know, unfortunately I was wrestling a lot of guys who weren’t in the kind of shape to wrestle for an hour, so that became tedious at times. But that’s the way it went, we either went an hour or the champion won and that was the golden rule.
JA: It seems like such a physically taxing thing, pro wrestling. But when the crowd gets into it, it must be gratifying. What was it like hearing the crowd get more into it as you got deeper into a match?
RF: It’s great. Once you know you have them, then you can play with them. It’s about getting their attention, and when you get their attention, an hour feels more like 20 minutes. If you don’t have their attention an hour can feel like two hours. The big part of it is learning how to get the crowd up and down. That’s sometimes easier said than done, but you want them to feel every emotion you’re experiencing.
JA: One of the questions I wanted to ask you was about storytelling during a match. How did you go about that process?
RF: Well it just depended on who I was wrestling, it was a different story with every different opponent, if that makes sense. I can’t really explain it, with Steamboat we didn’t even talk we just knew we were going, we worked that many hours together. And with Sting it was an opportunity to kind of have a teaching process, but he caught on so quickly and he became so easy to work with. We were out there just having fun.
JA: What was it like both being on TV and seeing guys like Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Sting be on TV and the love that they had still remains not only with the fans, but current wrestlers?
RF: Oh, it’s been great. I mean it doesn’t change. They’re all very respectful of me, to the point where it’s flattering. You know, I try to stay relevant, involved in so many different things now still which is unusual for someone my age. I mean, even though I work for AEW, I can go to a WWE show and no one says anything. I’m not gonna not see my daughter when she’s back and healthy. I’m going to go and see her and Tony [AEW owner Tony Khan] doesn’t care. That’s the kind of guy Tony is, and what AEW is.
JA: Tell me a little bit about your budding WNBA fandom.
RF: Well I’ve always liked it, but this thing between [Indiana Fever G] Caitlin Clark and [Chicago Sky F] Angel Reese have just been phenomenal. I just wish they paid the girls more, to get that figured out because when Caitlin is in the building, it’s packed. I’m sure if we look for Angel it’s the exact same thing. There have always been such great female athletes, I’m happy they’re getting the recognition they deserve.
JA: What’s your partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers look like?
RF: It’s with my energy drink Woooo Energy, and we sponsor them. We’re also working with the Philadelphia 76ers this year too.
JA: What’s it like seeing the legacy of Ric Flair still living to this day, throughout all walks of life?
RF: Well I never take it for granted. I’m just thankful that it’s all happening. I do think it’s unusual that someone my age is still getting as much attention as I am, but I don’t mind it.
JA: My last question for you: who are some of your favorite current wrestlers to watch?
RF: Well number one would be my daughter, of course. But Randy [Orton], AJ [Styles]. I mean I like a lot of guys, like MJF. It’s hard to pick out four or five guys, but I mean we got great, great talent in both companies. You know, it’s hard to say who’s the best but I have some favorites. The Young Bucks are just absolutely sensational. What a phenomenal match they gave Sting and Darby [Allin]. (Laughing) Darby is too much, man. Orange Cassidy is one of my favorites. I mean, all those guys are great, wonderful people.