Ric Flair Had No Idea Major WWE Star Was Returning On SmackDown

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair has had his ups and downs with WWE recently, spending the past several years mostly on the outside. Having not appeared at a WWE event since the Vince McMahon regime, Flair showed up backstage at "WWE SmackDown" this past Friday, the same show where his daughter Charlotte became a 14-time WWE Women's Champion.

Charlotte made her surprise return on the night, stunning Ronda Rousey and defeating her in quick fashion to end her first match since WrestleMania Backlash. The WWE Hall of Famer spoke about his daughter's big win on the latest episode of "To Be The Man," stating Charlotte looked "better than ever." The 16-time World Champion also shared his happiness at being back in the WWE fold, stating that it felt "like a family again" and calling it a heartwarming situation. In regards to Charlotte's return, Flair detailed that he was as shocked by it as everyone else watching live.

"I was in the building and left and didn't know it," Flair said. "It is the first time in so many years that nobody knew, I was in the building. I went and saw Roman [Reigns] and John [Cena], it was the greatest time. ... I just had a ball, but I didn't even know. I left, I went to American Social, and then I got word that she was there, of course, I had a couple of drinks with the hockey players, so I wasn't going to go back to the building. I watched it, they put it on every TV for me and it was amazing." As to why Charlotte didn't inform her father about her return, Flair said his daughter likely didn't tell him because she knows Ric has a "big mouth" and would've publicly hinted about her coming back.