WWE HOFer Ric Flair Remembers Doing Business With Vince McMahon In Early 90s

In 1991, Ric Flair signed with the WWF (now known as WWE) after growing tired of the leadership in WCW, which had long been his home promotion. It marked the first time that Flair worked with Vince McMahon after previously turning him down in the 1980s. Appearing on "The Ariel Helwani Show" to discuss the late Hulk Hogan, Flair said that he was so eager to leave WCW at the time that he wasn't too concerned with what McMahon was offering him.

"You know what Vince said? He said, 'I'm not going to give you a guarantee. I'll shake your hand to make you more money,'" Flair stated. 

Flair had been WCW World Heavyweight Champion when he quit the company, and he brought the title belt along with him to WWE, carrying it around while accompanied by Bobby Heenan and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig.  It ended up working out fairly well for Flair, though, as McMahon booked him to win the 1992 Royal Rumble, which had the company's vacant World Heavyweight Championship on the line. 

"I didn't expect that," Flair continued. "I just wanted freedom from being belittled by Jim Herd."

Herd was an Executive Vice President of WCW at the time, but he resigned shortly after Flair left, with Eric Bischoff soon ascending to a position of power within the company. Meanwhile, Flair's first stint in the WWF didn't last too long. Because he was on a handshake deal with McMahon, Flair was allowed to return to WCW in 1993. In his interview with Helwani, Flair claimed that he set up a meeting between Hogan and Bischoff shortly after making the jump, setting the stage for Hogan to defect to WCW the following year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.