As noted earlier, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke with CBS Sports to promote his upcoming “Roast of Ric Flair” that will headline the Starrcast II convention in late May. The Nature Boy talked about daughter Charlotte Flair being in the main event of WrestleMania 35 and how she arrived to MetLife Stadium in a helicopter for her entrance, which was a callback to Flair’s own entrance at the 1985 Great American Bash pay-per-view in Charlotte, NC. Flair said he is thankful to the McMahon Family for what they’ve done with his daughter. He also said he’s cried a lot lately.
“I probably cried the whole week, I’ve been crying since it first came about,” Flair said. “I’m so thankful to WWE, from Vince [McMahon] to Hunter [Triple H] and Stephanie [McMahon] and all the powers-that-be who put that together and taking that step forward with the woman. For me, I’ve used the expression about passing the torch, but my daughter just took the torch from me years ago. She is so good but she is just getting going. She has only been in the business for six years, which is hard to believe. The thing about her that separates her from a lot of people is that she’s never satisfied with a performance. I was really proud and I’m proud of WWE for taking that step forward because they deserve it.”
WrestleMania 35 also saw Flair get involved in Triple H’s No Holds Barred win over Batista when he brought a sledgehammer out to The Game. Flair indicated that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, who was on commentary for the match, didn’t know he was coming out.
“Oh, I had a blade on [me]! ” Flair joked when asked if he would have taken a bump or bladed at age 70 if asked. “Just kidding. But you know what Shawn Michaels said to me? They thought another mark was hitting the ring like the night before with Bret Hart [at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony]. Shawn almost had to superkick me from the announce table.”
Regarding All Elite Wrestling, The Nature Boy said he has plenty of respect for what AEW is trying to do to the world of professional wrestling. Flair did say that AEW shouldn’t focus on competing with WWE. He also praised AEW’s Tony Khan.
“I’m old school, so I think anytime there is an opportunity for guys to work who are qualified and have been trained properly in a position to be somewhat successful in their attempt to work for either company, I’m all about that,” Flair said. “I think that’s great. I don’t think [AEW] should focus on the competition [with WWE] as much as just developing their own product. Their success will come from that.
“The word competition is great. People love that part of time in the world, but this will be the first time someone with the kind of money that [Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner] Tony [Khan] brings. You know who Tony Khan is? Tony Khan is a sophisticated, intelligent, well-bred ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair with money. Tony Khan is the limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss-stealing, bringing the hottest chick to every party that I go to with him, son of a gun. Now that he has the joint over in England [as co-owner of the Premier League team Fulham FC], I’m sure he has kissed girls all over the world and made them cry. If I had Tony’s bankroll in the ’80s, who knows where I would have been.”
