WWE HOFer Ric Flair Talks Last Match, Who Should Have Been There & Desire To Wrestle Again
Fans of professional wrestling have known for a long time to take the term "retirement" with a grain of salt. If Ric Flair has his way, at 74 years of age and despite having last competed at an event literally called Ric Flair's Last Match in 2022, he'd get out there again right away.
Appearing on the most recent episode of "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Flair reflected on his last match, a tag team bout alongside his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo against the team of Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett, and touched on how he prepared, how it all went, what could have been done differently, and if that was really his last time competing.
"Everything went great, including the 9,000 people we packed in there, which is more than WCW or WWE had had in [the Nashville Municipal Auditorium] in forever," Flair said. "I walked down the ramp and, a combination, I guess, of being nervous and everything, started out fine. Then all of a sudden, I don't know, I got lightheaded for a second."
The well-being of Flair, who survived a major health scare in 2017, was top of mind for all involved in the event so when he indicated that something didn't feel right, some expected the worst.
"I made the mistake of saying to one of the guys, 'I don't feel good,'" he explained. "They all thought I was talking about my heart or something like that ... I got real lightheaded, you know. I was in and out all during the match."
The Show Must Go On - But for How Long?
Flair endured not feeling great but had to fight just to get through the match, mentally more than anything. Looking back, he laments it not coming across better than it did.
"I just felt bad because the guys panicked, worried about my health," said the 16-time World Champion of his fellow participants in the match. "If it had come off the way we had practiced forever, it would have been a masterpiece."
Asked if that was really his last match, "The Nature Boy" was quick to say, "Oh God, I want to wrestle again right now." But instead of any grand plans for another final outing, he compares himself to another elder wrestler and notes one way his current last match could have been better.
"I feel great. Isn't that crazy?" Flair pondered. "I feel like Ricky Morton — the guy I should have chosen for my last match, it would have been great — Ricky Morton is still wrestling."
Whether it was his true last match or not, Flair sees the experience as a major positive, if only for the fitness routine it led him to, though that didn't take away from too much of the party.
"[Trainers] gave me a goal and I just attacked it," he said. "I didn't stop drinking or anything, but I was literally training three hours a day, five days a week, in the ring or I was doing the sled, the rope ... I got my bench press up to two and a quarter. I mean, so from being dead to all that was pretty cool."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.