Ric Flair On When He "Really Went To Work Drinking," How Much Time He Was Spending At Bars, More
As anticipation continues to build for tonight's Ric Flair 30 For 30 film, Flair spoke to Dave LaGreca and Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio about the in-depth documentary that reveals the many sides of The Nature Boy.
30 For 30: Nature Boy will premiere tonight at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN and will offer a three-dimensional look at the life and career of arguably the greatest professional wrestler of all time. After his health scare over the summer, Flair said he's slowing down and taking things one day at a time.
"'Naitch' is done, it's Richard Morgan Fliehr from now on (laughs)," he said. "After you see this 30 For 30
Flair detailed the two-year process of making the documentary. He said it covers all aspects of his life from the heights he reached as a wrestler to the lows he experienced in his personal life. It will be the first time Flair publicly discusses the death of his son Reid.
"First of all, they're really intense, it took two years to do. There were some ups and downs, but I'm very honest in it," he said. "There's some great moments about wrestling, great moments about how much fun I had, and then there's the tragedy of my son dying and me second-guessing myself, wondering if I could've been a better father, because he was like my best friend."
Reid Flair was found dead in his hotel room in March 2013 after an accidental heroin overdose. It understandably hit his father hard and exacerbated his heavy reliance on drinking alcohol.
"That's when I really, really went to work drinking," Flair said. "I drank from the time the bars opened at 10 a.m. to two o'clock every day I wasn't working for a year, at least. I just couldn't shake it any other way. And all of that is in the film."
30 For 30: Nature Boy is probably the most anticipated 30 For 30 film to date. It has already received rave reviews from those who've seen it, and Flair said ESPN is treating it with high importance and giving it a strong promotional push.
"They (ESPN) think so too. It was so awesome, the people I've worked with," Flair said. "I'll tell you how big it is: they're gonna play a minute-long clip of it on Monday Night Football the day before it airs. That's what kind of exposure, what kind of push they're giving it. They've never done that with a 30 For 30 before."
You can check out the full interview on SiriusXM On-Demand. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Busted Open Radio