WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently appeared on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show, where he spoke about the time he signed with the WWE back in 1991, and if he hadn't signed with the promotion, then perhaps he wouldn't be able to return in 2001 and he wouldn't be where he is today.
Ric Flair said, “Once I got [to WWE], I was fine, I just had to get away from that.” “I had a bunch of friends there, I had another year and a half, greatest time of my life, and the worst mistake I ever made [was leaving]. If they hadn’t asked me back in 2001, I don’t even know if I’d been on this show today. They brought me back and [Triple H] would take nothing less, ‘You’re the only one who doesn’t know who you are Ric.’ When you’ve lost it [in your head], it is really hard to get it back. You can only be broken so many times.”
Flair then talked about why he left WWE in 1993, which was just a year and a half after he signed. He said he went back to WCW, but they did not know what to do with him, which really upset him.
Ric Flair said, “Vince [McMahon] said to me ‘We’re going to go younger,’ and he said ‘if you want to go back, they’ve been calling me everyday so I’m sure they’ve been calling you, go in and go’.” “I went back, between the time I left there and got there, management had changed and Ole Anderson was now in charge, he looked at me and said ‘You just got beat last night on T.V. in a loser leaves town match with Curt Hennig, what good are you to me?’"
“I thought to myself, I’ve been with WWE? WrestleMania? Royal Rumble? This place is in shambles. I looked at him and said I can compete every Monday Night and be a bigger star than anybody you got right now. All I did was work hard and a thousand guys that could say ‘Thank you Ric for making me who I am.’ That was my job and I didn’t look at it as a job.”
Ric then talked about now being the happiest time in his life despite all the heartaches and setbacks he experienced throughout his life and career.
Ric Flair said, “Well, the happiest I’ve ever been in my life is right now.” “I don’t even have to think twice about that. The other second happiest time was in the 80s, the most rewarding time was with the WWE from 2001 to 2008. Most fun the 80s, happiest right now, number one I’m healthy, number two I’ve got the greatest wife in the world. I say this because I deserve a lot of blame for anything that’s failed in my prior life, but when you’re not there because you’re at work, it’s hard to figure out where the blame comes from.”
You can check out Ric Flair's comments in the video below:
