Ric Flair Reveals the Truth About Hulk Hogan’s Final Days, His Hall of Fame Career & His Wildest Stories

Summary

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DOUBL3 COVERAGE PODCAST

Episode: Ric Flair Reveals the Truth About Hulk Hogan’s Final Days, His Hall of Fame Career & His Wildest Stories

Hosts: N3on & Mystic Zach

Guest: Ric Flair

Date: November 23, 2025

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Overview

This episode features wrestling icon Ric Flair in a lively and candid conversation about his legendary career, the realities and legends of professional wrestling—including never-before-heard details about Hulk Hogan’s final days—his storied rivalries, wild personal stories, and life beyond the ring. The hosts and Flair delve into the evolution of wrestling, family legacies, and relationships with fellow sports and music superstars, all delivered with the wit and unapologetic tone expected from the “Nature Boy.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Athleticism in Wrestling, Then and Now

• [00:54–03:10]
  • Ric and the hosts open by discussing how pro wrestlers’ athleticism is now more widely recognized.
  • Ric lists Brock Lesnar, Rey Mysterio, and his daughter Charlotte as top-tier athletes.
  • Ric reminisces: "I don't wanna be in the ring the day Brock misses that vertical jump to the apron... almost made the Vikings." ([02:27])
• [02:56]
  • Flair praises Brock Lesnar: “He goes and wins the UFC championship. I mean, come on. And he's a tough kid, too.”

2. Flair’s Connections in Football & His Personal Life

• [03:15–04:25]
  • Ric talks about being friends with coaches like Jim and John Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, Lane Kiffin.
  • Flair jokes about his marital past:
    • “Nobody will have me. 1.8 million in alimony and 1:1 in attorney fees.” ([04:21])
    • “$17,000 a month for one of my wives for a year... I was paying all the money to three women at one time. Hey, top that, Lawrence.” ([04:47])

3. Rap, Pop Culture & The "Ric Flair Drip"

• [05:41–06:44]
  • Ric tells the story behind recording the "Ric Flair Drip" music video with Migos after recovering from a hospital stay.
    • “I made 39,000. You made 48 million... He said, I made you famous. I said, you wrote the song about me. I was famous.” ([06:41])

4. Legends, Heroes, and Athletic Icons

• [07:09–09:03]
  • Flair expresses admiration for Wilt Chamberlain:
    • “Wilt Chamberlain... greatest athlete that ever played basketball... at Kansas... bench pressed 400 pounds... threw the shot put 68ft... He led the league in whatever he wanted.” ([07:39–08:40])
  • Also shouts out Bill Russell and the business acumen of Wilt, Arnold Palmer.

5. The Old-School Grind: Wrestling Schedules, Surviving the '80s

• [10:46–11:59]
  • Flair on today’s easier conditions:
    • “Thankful for all that [medical advances]. The guys have it easy today, but I'm happy they do... From '83 to '85, I had 17 days off.” ([10:46])
    • On his wild lifestyle: “When do you drink?” Psychologist asks. “When I work. When do you work? Every day.” ([11:06])

6. Plane Crash, Recovery, and Unbreakable Dedication

• [12:11–13:28]
  • Surviving a devastating 1975 plane crash and wrestling after:
    • “The doctor said I'd never wrestle again... went from 255 to 180... here I am.” ([12:29])
    • “From 83 to 85, I had 17 days off. Twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday...” ([10:46])

7. Fatherhood, Regrets, and Social Media’s Impact

• [13:04–14:20]
  • Ric admits regrets about missing time with his older children due to constant travel:
    • “No guaranteed contract. You don't go to work, you don't get paid.” ([13:21])
    • On surviving the 80s with today’s social media:
      • “I would have never, ever survived social media... In the '80s, we were the Beatles.” ([13:28–14:20])

8. Rivalries & Legacy: Dusty Rhodes and the Next Generation

• [14:38–17:27]
  • Legendary rivalry with Dusty Rhodes, their differences on- and off-screen.
    • “He was much more conservative than I was. He knew when to go to bed, I didn’t. I still don’t.” ([15:43])
  • Flair declares his daughter Charlotte “the greatest female wrestler of all time” and praises Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.

9. Kayfabe, ESPN Spotlight, and Real Dangers of Wrestling

• [19:01–20:06]
  • Contrast between protecting kayfabe in the old days and today’s transparency.
  • On real injuries:
    • “Last three years, two broken necks... we've had seven broken necks in the last ten years... So it's not a game.” ([19:55])

10. Logan Paul, Social Media Stars & Wrestler Performers

• [20:20–21:39]
  • Flair respects Logan Paul’s rapid progress under Shawn Michaels: “He’s done great. Hats off to him.”
  • Regards Shawn Michaels as “the greatest of all time” and deep dives on “working both ways”—being both hero and villain.

11. Classic Matches & “Retirement” with Shawn Michaels

• [21:43–22:43]
  • On his WrestleMania retirement vs. Shawn Michaels:
    • “80,000 people up... he said, keep your mouth shut. Do exactly what I tell you.” ([22:28])
    • “Nobody will ever touch our retirement.” ([21:48])
  • Flair’s calling card: making others look good in the ring.

12. NWA Days: The Last Great Traveling Champion

• [25:20–28:12]
  • Grueling schedules, changing belts, and wrestling in multiple countries in a week.
  • “I wrestled a different guy every night for 10 years and for an hour.” ([27:45])
  • Stories of Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen:
    • “What do you think these kids would do with Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen right now? Jesus Christ.” ([27:44])

13. Big Men, Legends, and Mount Rushmore Reflections

• [29:03–31:47]
  • Flair names Undertaker as “the best big man ever.”
  • Considers being put on wrestling’s Mt. Rushmore a huge honor but notes the evolution of the style:
    • “We didn’t do moonsaults when I started... you were fighting for your life.” ([31:08])

14. Entertainers: Rock, Stone Cold, and the Nuts and Bolts of Being Over

• [32:10–33:27]
  • Flair on The Rock: “Nobody's more entertaining... not even close.” ([32:11])
  • Steve Austin out-drinking everyone: “He could drink like hell. You kidding me?” ([33:22])

15. Business Ventures & Vacation Destinations

• [33:43–35:56]
  • Ric’s "Wooooo! Energy" drink, Walmart deals, passion for Japan.
  • Favorite travel spots and how overexposure makes it hard to choose just one.
  • “I just have done so much and been so many places, but I have not been to Colombia...” ([35:25])

16. Celebrity Friends, Nashville, Kid Rock, and Wild Parties

• [36:04–39:14]
  • Ric’s Nashville exploits with Kid Rock, Post Malone, classic rockers (Waylon Jennings, Motley Crue, Guns N' Roses), and friendships with contemporary stars.
  • “Kid Rock... He’ll never cancel. He doesn’t give a about anything.” ([36:19])

17. Hulk Hogan’s Final Days: The Truth

• [40:30–43:38]
  • Ric reveals he spoke to Hulk the day before he died and shares the real cause:
    • “I talked to him the day before he died... What killed him was street drugs. When the doctor wouldn't prescribe anymore, he was in so much pain... they went and got the drugs off the street. His body just said, you know what? Bingo. I can't do it anymore.” ([40:38–41:29])
  • Details Hogan’s injuries, surgeries, and why dropping the leg drop ruined his back, not just lifting Andre.

18. On Loss, Health Scares & Longevity

• [44:00–46:41]
  • Flair underscores the toll of wrestling, and how many friends are now passing or suffering:
    • “Just hope to live another day and pray for your friends that are suffering now because a lot of people are.” ([44:00])
  • Hits on his own workout legacy, minimal steroid use, and surviving physically.

19. Strongest & Most Athletic Opponents

• [46:31–47:40]
  • Names Ken Patera as the strongest he’s encountered.
  • Praises modern strongmen like Cesaro, John Cena, and Kane.
    • “Ken Patera... first guy to ever push 500 overhead.” ([46:35])

20. Next Generation and Farewells

• [47:53–49:00]
  • Flair talks about Cena’s impending retirement:
    • “He did phenomenal. He’ll be missed.” ([48:56])
  • Flair’s admiration for younger stars, their charity work.

21. The Original Nature Boy & The Intergenerational Magic of Wrestling

• [49:18–51:38]
  • Ric’s relationship with Buddy Rogers and the legacy inheritance:
    • “Always tan, dressed immaculately... kid, there's only one diamond in this business. And you're talking to Buddy Rogers.” ([49:23])
  • On generational clashes: “Those older guys were tough as, man.” ([51:39])

22. Boxing, Celebrity Scenes, Stories of Toughness

• [51:56–55:30]
  • Flair’s boxing knowledge, from Sonny Liston to Emil Griffith.
  • Unexpected encounters: “I’m walking out the door and this guy is shining shoes, and I go, are you Emil Griffith?” ([53:10])
  • Anecdotes about celebrity meets, comedians in locker rooms, Snoop Dogg at fights.

23. Jake Paul, New-Age Boxing, and Fight Game Realities

• [54:40–55:30]
  • Ric’s thoughts on Jake and Logan Paul as legitimate tough guys, the age gap in a hypothetical Mike Tyson fight, and the unpredictability of the new boxing scene.
• Willingness to walk them to the ring: “…they wanted me to walk the ring with them this last time. So yeah, if they invite me again, I will.” ([56:36])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “From '83 to '85, I had 17 days off.” —Ric Flair ([10:46])
• “In the '80s, we were the Beatles. The bars were full of women. Now it’s a guy’s soap opera. You walk into the bar, 25 stiffs. Can we have your autograph? No.” — Ric Flair ([13:28–14:20])
• “My daughter is the greatest female wrestler of all time, and I truly believe she’s the best wrestler in the company right now.” —Ric Flair on Charlotte Flair ([16:14])
• “I talked to him the day before he died… What killed him was street drugs… When the doctor wouldn't prescribe anymore... they went and got the drugs off the street. His body just said, you know what? Bingo. I can't do it anymore.” — Ric Flair on Hulk Hogan ([40:38–41:29])
• “We didn't do moonsaults when I started. I'm sure I could have done it… you were fighting for your life… It's a different time.” — Ric Flair ([31:08])
• “Nobody's more entertaining. Not even close.” — Ric Flair on The Rock ([32:11])
• “He could drink like hell. You kidding me?” — Ric Flair on Steve Austin ([33:22])
• “Ken Patera... first guy to ever push 500 overhead.” — Ric Flair ([46:31])
• "You just hope to live another day and pray for your friends that are suffering now because a lot of people are." — Ric Flair ([44:00])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Hulk Hogan’s Final Days Revealed – [40:30–43:38]
• Flair's Plane Crash & Recovery – [12:11–13:28]
• Dusty Rhodes Rivalry – [14:38–15:56]
• Changing Nature of Wrestling/Kayfabe – [19:01–20:06]
• WrestleMania Retirement Match – [21:43–22:43]
• Traveling Champion Stories – [25:20–28:12]
• Strongest Opponents – [46:31–47:40]
• Reflections on Mount Rushmore – [31:08–31:47]
• Rock, Austin & Entertaining Mic Work – [32:10–33:27]
• Jake Paul in Boxing – [54:40–56:39]

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Tone and Language

Flair is frank, unfiltered, and reminiscing, blending humor and pathos (“praying for friends that are suffering now”), full of bravado but often tinged with honesty about regrets and losses. The hosts keep the mood conversational and fan-driven, asking for stories while sharing their own admiration and wrestling knowledge.

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This episode is a vivid, wide-ranging portrait of Ric Flair—his legendary highs and devastating lows, his place in the sport’s past and future, and inside stories you will not hear anywhere else. A must-listen for old-school fans and wrestling newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Interviewer]

Another wrestler, another Mount Rushmore type legend who resided in the Tampa area. Hulk Hogan passed away.

[Ric Flair]

I talked to him the day before he died. I shouldn't say this, but ready to.

[Leon]

Bet, ready to flex. Leon is at you see where it's at, come tune in. We on stream with a chat. You can Michael Parson get you a set some of my coverage. Deonna Santa bet like a Ricky. He'll be younger. Cook you a lockout in it for dinner with double coverage. And this is the anthem.

[Mystic Zach]

What's up, guys? Mystic Zach here. Welcome back to episode eight of Double Coverage.

[Interviewer]

I'm honored and privileged to be joined by another hall of Famer, a 16.

[Mystic Zach]

Time world champion, a man inducted into every pro wrestling hall of Fame and.

[Interviewer]

Someone who deserves to be on anyone's pro wrestling.

[Mystic Zach]

Mount Rushmore.

[Interviewer]

The great, the nature boy, Ric Flair.

[Ric Flair]

Thank you, sir.

[Interviewer]

Thank you.

[Ric Flair]

Honored to be here.

[Interviewer]

Honored to and privileged to be able to sit here with you. Especially after your man lt was our last guest.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, my man lt. My favorite human being.

[Interviewer]

Lt. In both the pro wrestling and the NFL hall of Fame. A lot of people don't know that.

[Ric Flair]

Well, you know he wrestled Bam Bam Bakerlo. You'd have thought he'd been in the business, what a great athlete he is. You'd have thought he'd been in the business for 10 years. They had a great match.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. He said he was shocked at the athleticism of Bam Bam Bigelow. He said that someone like him, he thought could play in the NFL for sure.

[Ric Flair]

I don't know about that. You better ask Andre the Giant about that because Andre beat the crap out of him. I don't know about that. But Bamboo was a good athlete. Yes, very good.

[Interviewer]

But is that something that people overlook? The athleticism, professional wrestlers?

[Ric Flair]

No, not anymore. No. I think that's, that's. That's been gone for a long time.

[Interviewer]

In modern times, people have kind of got. Now that we got the Brock Lesnar's and the.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Who was a phenomenal athlete, my daughter. Who was the best athlete in the company, Rey Mysterio. I mean, you can go down to listen.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Lesnar is insane.

[Interviewer]

There's nobody like him.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. I wanna, I don't wanna be in the ring with the day he misses that vertical jump to the apron. You know what I mean? No, I think it's about a 40 inch hike. And he jumps up there every time. He almost made the Vikings.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Without playing football since high school, he.

[Ric Flair]

Goes and wins the UFC championship. I mean, come on. And he's a tough kid, too.

[Interviewer]

You ran a 4 7, the 280 pound defensive tackle.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, I believe it.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. I would say Brock's right up there with the best athletes. Yes.

[Ric Flair]

Yep. Exactly.

[Interviewer]

For sure.

[Ric Flair]

I couldn't argue that.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. And we were getting into for the interview. You're a massive football fan.

[Ric Flair]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

You're watching closely.

[Mystic Zach]

I think you play fantasy football.

[Interviewer]

I mean, you're all up in the action, you're breaking down the spreads, the odds.

[Ric Flair]

No, I don't. I don't play fantasy.

[Interviewer]

You don't play fantasy.

[Ric Flair]

No. But I've gotten the point now where all the guys that I know that played. So now I've. I follow the coaches like I'm real good friends with Jim Harbaugh, Good friends with John. Good friends with Mike Brabo. Good friends with Lane Kiffin.

[Interviewer]

Oh, wow.

[Ric Flair]

I'm trying to think who else I know. All good. I'm really good friends. I'm having a tough year with Dan Quinn, too.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, tough year, but great year last year.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, they'll come back.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Lane Kiff and I actually got to work under at FAU when I was 16.

[Ric Flair]

Really?

[Interviewer]

Yeah. And our videographer is his dad worked with him as his wide receivers Coach.

[Ric Flair]

Really?

[Interviewer]

Coach D.J. mcCarthy. Yep.

[Ric Flair]

He just got back with his wife. Can you believe it?

[Interviewer]

No, I cannot believe it. You would know a thing or two about, you know, a couple different wives. Are you single right now?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, I'm very single.

[Interviewer]

Very single.

[Ric Flair]

Nobody will have me.

[Interviewer]

Nobody has no more Miss Nature Boys.

[Ric Flair]

I know. Nope, nope, nope, Nope, nope, nope. 1.8 million in alimony and 1:1 in attorney fees.

[Interviewer]

Oh, my God.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. I'm not getting married again, I don't think.

[Interviewer]

Oh, my God. $3 million?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. It costs money when you make money.

[Mystic Zach]

Wow.

[Ric Flair]

$17,000 a month for one of my wives for a year.

[Interviewer]

Oh, God.

[Ric Flair]

$17,000. I was paying all the money to three women at one time. Hey, top that, Lawrence.

[Interviewer]

Healthy ain't got no.

[Ric Flair]

Nobody does.

[Interviewer]

Maybe a few rappers.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, I don't know. Oh, this would have been a holy field. You got 11 kids. I don't know.

[Interviewer]

Oh, you and Holyfield are in a good competition there.

[Ric Flair]

I think Cam Newton just had his ninth baby.

[Interviewer]

Shout out to Cam.

[Ric Flair]

Ralph Sampson's got 12 kids. Come on.

[Interviewer]

Maybe that's why the rappers get along with you so well here. I guess you live a similar lifestyle. Tell me about the Ric Flair drip and getting to record that video with the Migos.

[Ric Flair]

Unfortunately, it was a great thing for me, but I had just gotten out of the hospital. And when I got out of the hospital, I had no memory for six months. So when they called me to do it, I wasn't represented. So I tell the loft, said, that's all the time. I made 39,000. You made 48 million. He gets pissed when I tell him that. He said, I made you famous. I said, great hopeless ears. He goes, I made you famous. I said, you wrote the song about me. I was famous. Obvious enough for you to contact me. Okay, the hell you talking to. Me? I made you famous. Really? You wrote the song about me?

[Interviewer]

You. I inspired you?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. How about John Wayne and the Alamo? Okay, I mean, give me a break. Well, he's tore him now, but Cardi B and Stefan Diggs, man.

[Interviewer]

Oof. I don't want to get in the middle of that one.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, I don't want. I mean, I know her. I met her, of course, through him. And he really is a great guy. I actually got to meet Wilt. He's pretty cool.

[Interviewer]

How was that?

[Ric Flair]

Well, I've had three heroes in my life. Joe Namath, Wilt, and who was my third year old. I just thought about it the other day that I really admired when I was growing up. Will Chamberlain. I don't know. People don't know. Is the greatest athlete that ever played basketball and better than LeBron. Did you look at what he did at track and field?

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

At Kansas, people just, they stepped by that. He bench pressed 400 pounds. He threw the shot put 68ft. Come on. You know, I love LeBron, but LeBron can't do that. And he was just, you know, and he just did what he wanted to do in the court.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

I mean, if you want to lead the league in assist. He let an assist. He wanted to lead it in points. He led it in points. He did what he wanted to do. 54 point. Think about this. 54, 50, 50.4 points a game, 25 rebounds a game and 20 assists a game for one year. Come on. And they leave him out of the discussion altogether. Yeah, greatest. He just put his hand on Cream's head and said, calm down. Anyway, £300.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Huge. I mean, for him to bench press that much with arms that long, you could Google it. Yeah, no, I know, but it's unbelievable. I mean, what do you have a 90 inch reach? Just bench pressing 400.

[Ric Flair]

Well, not only that, but who throws the shop, what, 80ft? I think he took it third in NCAAs and 880.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

I mean, the guy was just unreal.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

At Kansas.

[Mystic Zach]

People discount.

[Ric Flair]

For the Globetrotters.

[Interviewer]

Piece of cake for him.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. You know who made him famous? The same guy that made Arnold palmer famous, Mike McCormick. Will. I don't know who has worlds at State now, but Will bought so much property in San Francisco, as you know. You know, Paul Palmer ended up. You can Google it right now. But Mark McCormick. Right. He was the first two. First two big athletes that he handled.

[Interviewer]

How did he. He handled like, their. What was his.

[Ric Flair]

Investments.

[Interviewer]

Investments. Okay.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer]

Else people don't. There's videos of Bill Russell literally jumping over people. I mean, his feet are clearing their head.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, Bill. Bill Russell. To me, he just had Will's number. I don't know what it was. But he was also surrounded by a better team every year. Wilt never had a team where everybody was the first team All Star.

[Interviewer]

No, not. Not until the kind of Jerry west era later on.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Where he'd already been dominating for 15 or so years.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, but he was older then.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. He'd gone through Kansas and all Sixers and the warriors. And it's not like today with modern medicine. It's a totally different game for these athletes. And wrestling as well.

[Ric Flair]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

With peptides and stem cells and all these different things.

[Ric Flair]

Thankful for all that stuff. The guys have it easy today, but I'm happy they do know that no one wants to do what I did. I telling someone the other day, from 83 to 85, I had 17 days off. Think about that. Twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday. My accountant goes, how can you wrestle 420 times? I said, because I wrestled twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday. Did you do like the psychologist said to me? When do you drink? When I work. When do you work? Every day. Time I got through with him, he was laying on the couch. I have to admit, I've done a few heavyweights, but I was blinded by the light. I woke up in the morning, oh, God, I've done something really terrible. How about a ham sandwich and a bath rub? What have I done? Richard, you're the world champion. She weighs more than you.

[Interviewer]

Oh, more than 240?

[Ric Flair]

No. I don't know. I don't think I ever did 240, but I might. I might have hit the 200 mark, at least.

[Interviewer]

Cruiserweight.

[Mystic Zach]

Wow.

[Ric Flair]

Wow. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Now you're going through this. This schedule and this calendar after surviving a plane crash. Talk to me about that and your recovery in the 70s where, you know, medical.

[Mystic Zach]

It's not like it is today.

[Ric Flair]

No, but I didn't. I would like Avoided surgery. I just had a compression fracture of 3, but I went from 255 to 180. Wow. And the doctor said I'd never wrestle again. So, knock on wood, here I am. 1975, a long time ago.

[Interviewer]

You wrestled for six decades after.

[Ric Flair]

And then my last match, I had a heart attack. Didn't even know it. Isn't that great? Legend.

[Interviewer]

Legend. Do you have any regrets when something like that happens or the Nature Boy doesn't regret anything?

[Ric Flair]

Oh, no, no, no. God, I have a thousand regrets about times I miss with my older children, but you got to go to work, you know.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Back then, no guaranteed contract. You don't go to work, you don't get paid. Yeah, you don't get paid. You can't pay the bills.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. You got to put food on the table.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. But that was one of the regrets I have. I can tell you right now that I would have never, ever survived social media. Back in the 80s, when we were in the 80s, we were the Beatles. The bars were full of women. Now it's a guy's soap opera. You walk into the bar, 25 stiffs. Can we have your autograph? No.

[Interviewer]

Please, Mr.

[Ric Flair]

Flair. No. I said no. Off. No, that's. I mean, that's the way it is. Yeah. In the 80s, we were the Beatles. We came to town, man, but every chick in town was there.

[Interviewer]

We're in a totally different era.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. No more stealing my Rolexes and telling me I threw it a bowl of spaghetti and said I had 13 more. No more taking my main coat off.

[Interviewer]

You had a legendary rivalry with Dusty Rhodes and he was sort of the antithesis.

[Ric Flair]

He put hard times on him.

[Mystic Zach]

Hard times.

[Interviewer]

He was the antithesis of what you represented. He was relatable to the common everyday man and you were the jet setting Nature Boy. Talk to me about that.

[Ric Flair]

It's the greatest rivalry in the history of wrestling. It went on for 20 years, which makes it even better. You know, he was great, charismatic. He was a genius in terms of, you know, thinking about these, like the war games and Star Arcade and a flair for the gold. I mean, just, he was a genius and stuff like that.

[Interviewer]

What was your relationship like with him out of the ring?

[Ric Flair]

Perfect. Well, we had conflicting ego things at times, but that happens. Everybody.

[Interviewer]

But you two got along really well.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, he was much more conservative than I was. I mean, he knew when to go to bed, I didn't. Yeah, I still don't.

[Interviewer]

No, you still don't. You wouldn't be the Nature Boy if you did. And how incredible is it now with your daughter Charlotte doing what she's doing in the WWE and his son Cody doing what he's doing in wwe?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Well, my daughter is the. The greatest female wrestler of all time, and I. I truly believe she's the best wrestler in the company right now. She can do that. Nobody else can do it. 5 11, about 55. It's not like she's 53 or 5 4. The corkscrew moon. Solid. I mean, come on. She could have gone to college and played a Division 1 sport in four different sports. She got recruited for four different sports.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Basketball, volleyball, of course, cheerleading and track and field. She ran a 5:13 mile in the 9th grade. Remember they used to have the president's fitness. Of course, some mothers have abolished that. God forbid your kid be better than your kid.

[Interviewer]

God forbid.

[Ric Flair]

I mean, it's the truth.

[Interviewer]

No facts.

[Ric Flair]

It was gold, silver, bronze.

[Interviewer]

No participation.

[Ric Flair]

Trouble, mothers. Eight. I mean, everybody gets a medal.

[Interviewer]

Everyone gets a medal.

[Ric Flair]

Thanks, mom. Generating a lot of. My son finished eighth. Yay. Don't get me going on that. I won't.

[Interviewer]

But how. How great has it been to see this next generation of wrestlers who are related to you and the guys that you wrestled with?

[Ric Flair]

I think it's great. Randy Orton, I mean, he's third generation. Randy's the best male worker in the company right now. They don't utilize him the way I would if I was Booker, but I'm not. So he can still work his ass off. Yeah, but, you know, he's making a lot of money, he's doing good, he's happy, and that's all that matters.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, absolutely. But yeah, Randy. One of my favorites. I think he's underutilized.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, look at his body. Oh, my God. He's off the gas. And so it still looks great.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. He's an Adonis.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. His symmetry is unreal.

[Interviewer]

And the emotions he gets out of people. I mean, I really hated him as a kid.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Oh, I know. He could really piss you off.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, he really pissed me off. When you would rko John Cena, I mean, I really wanted to get after him.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

There's a big difference in the way wrestling is today in your era and kayfabe in your era, you guys really protected that.

[Ric Flair]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

And really kept it close to the chest. Whereas today, everything is documented. In fact, there's a Netflix documentary that shows everything behind the scenes, social media.

[Ric Flair]

And it still thrives.

[Interviewer]

And it still thrives. It's still one of the biggest sports globally.

[Ric Flair]

Well, this deal With ESPN is really cool because it really legitimizes not only the athletic skill, but the sport, which. It is a sport. It might be choreographed, but I can think of it in the last three years, Last three years, two broken necks, Big E. And, yeah, he'll never wrestle again. And somebody else broke their neck. But, I mean, in the last 10 years, people have. I mean, we've had seven broken necks.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

So it's not a game.

[Interviewer]

No, certainly not.

[Ric Flair]

And we got guys that are messed up every day with, you know, torn muscle. I mean, it's a really physical, Physical contest.

[Interviewer]

There's a reason why when the celebrities do it, they have to train in Orlando.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, yeah. You know, just great. Bad bunnies are great.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

And I'll tell you who else has done great is Jake Logan.

[Interviewer]

Paul.

[Ric Flair]

Logan. Paul. Yeah. He's done great. Hats off to him.

[Interviewer]

I mean, the stuff. Logan Paul's doing is impressive, right?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. I didn't realize that he was being trained by Shawn Michaels. I said, but this kid is a really cool equipment. She's worked out with Sean. And Sean is a master. Probably the greatest of all time.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. He's the greatest performer, right?

[Ric Flair]

Yes, absolutely. Him and Steamboat.

[Interviewer]

Him and Steamboat.

[Ric Flair]

But Steamboat couldn't work both ways.

[Interviewer]

Elaborate on that. What does that mean to someone who's not super into wrestling?

[Ric Flair]

It means that Steamboat is a. Is a phenomenal great guy, but there's not a prick, there's not a bone that says, I'm a D. In Steamboat's body. Sean can be a D. Yeah. But he can also be the best. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

So it's a. You have a face and a heel, a good guy and bad guy. And in wrestling, you guys are trying to convey those emotions out of the fans.

[Ric Flair]

And Sean gonna do both very well.

[Interviewer]

Sean's had legendary matches with people from every era, including you.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Nobody will ever touch our retirement.

[Interviewer]

No. Right.

[Ric Flair]

Nobody.

[Interviewer]

Is that your favorite match throughout your career?

[Ric Flair]

Well, it's hard to say it's my favorite, but I think it's the biggest WrestleMania moment of all time. 80,000 people up. I didn't know what to expect because I didn't. Like. I don't handle when I'm retiring, but when I walked out the door, there I was. It's the first time anybody ever said to me, he said, keep your mouth shut. Do exactly what I tell you. Wow.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. When he says, I love you in the finish and no one sells better than you, that was always your calling card in the ring. You always made your opponents look incredible, which Is a hard skill to master.

[Ric Flair]

That's the job, right? I spent my whole life doing that.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

When you gotta wrestle a guy for an hour, which I'm the only guy that wrestled everybody for an hour, you gotta figure out a way to get through it. Because a lot of guys, number one, aren't conditioned to wrestle hour number two, they don't have the skill. And number three, they just don't have the mental capacity. Hour's a long time, guys.

[Interviewer]

Who is your favorite person to work with in the ring?

[Ric Flair]

Oh, Steamboat. Steamboat or Hunter. Harley Reese.

[Interviewer]

I love another legendary NWA champ, Harley Reese.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, my God. So, what's your first name?

[Interviewer]

Zach.

[Ric Flair]

Zach. I'm Harley. So, Zach, what makes you think you could ask me questions about my career? I am Harley Rees, the world champion. So this is a great story. I tell it to everybody. So Triple H was coming into the business, right? Paul Levax comes in the dressing room and I go. And Harley was there. I go to Harley. Harley spoke in the Marlboro. And I go, harley, this is. I go, harley, this is a new guy coming in. His name is Paula Beckham. So I'm Hunter now. Yeah, hello. Mr. Race. Who trained you? Killer Kowalski. He said, Oh, God. Harley with a drip, man.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, God. He couldn't take him anywhere, man. Go ahead.

[Interviewer]

A lot of.

[Ric Flair]

Sorry.

[Interviewer]

No problem. Ric Flair, Harley Race, Jack Briscoe, yourself, all great NWA Heavyweight champs. A lot of people consider you the last great NWA Heavyweight Championship. Even though a lot of newer fans know you for your work in wwe the hardcore fans recognize all the stuff you did in nwa. Talk to me about that era, in the travel. I mean, you're going to Japan, Australia, Canada. Yeah, talk to me about that.

[Ric Flair]

I just said that during that span. I had that.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

So Sydney for an hour with Mark Lewin. Fly over to Auckland, New Zealand. An hour in Auckland. Harley says, let's change the belt and help. I can't think of the Moore's name and we'll draw a bigger house tomorrow in Christchurch. I go, harley, I can't even wish you to do that. You've got my permission, Ricky. So I dropped the bell to go to Christchurch. I went in, and of course, some stooge called. They called me, what'd you do with Harley? I said, bob, I didn't do anything with Harley. If you got a problem with this, call Harley. Tell Gaillon. They go, I'll be back on the mainland in 24 hours anyway. So I go from there to St. Louis for an hour, to Atlanta for an hour. And then to Tokyo for three straight hour matches, three days in a row.

[Interviewer]

You are the real traveling world heavyweight champion.

[Ric Flair]

The most traveled.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Yeah. Totally different than today.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, God, please.

[Interviewer]

It's almost. For a modern wrestling fan, it's almost.

[Ric Flair]

No, no, no. But I'm saying that with. Not demeaning, but no, with love. When you only wrestle 50 guys.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Because that's basically in a five year period, you might just wrestle 50 guys. I wrestled a different guy every night for 10 years and for an hour. What do you think these kids would do with Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen right now? Jesus Christ. He talk about a different world.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

And then wrestling these guys in Japan. I wrestled Brody on Japan TV for an hour, but it made me famous in Japan. But still, it's a long hour with Brody. And he was good. Great shape, but he's so intimidating. But he never hurt me. Never once.

[Interviewer]

Oh, wow.

[Ric Flair]

But to watch him come running across the ring, six, six, 300 pounds, do that flying knee and out. He never, never hurt me. And he's hold for me. So that's all I need to do is get him down to my size like Big Show. I tell Big Show, I'd say just sell your eyes and your nuts. Listen to me. So I go hand him in balls, right? He drops to his knees. Now we're the same side.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Now I can punch him right where people live. I'm gonna punch your guys some, but I mean, you know what I mean?

[Interviewer]

They look a little crazy.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. He tells that story. It's a great story. Tell your ass nuts, kid. Come on, let's go.

[Interviewer]

The biggest professional athlete. Was there someone who is someone that you worked with? Yeah. Incredible. I was just talking about this with my father.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Who actually you met and were really nice to when he was a kid. He what?

[Ric Flair]

He played basketball at Wichita State?

[Interviewer]

No. For him to be a seven footer with that type of agility is really incredible. You don't see that a guy's that big.

[Ric Flair]

No, no. He's the best big man I've ever seen. The best. Including Andre.

[Interviewer]

Including Andre. Wow.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Well, I'm not putting him over Undertaker, but I mean, Undertaker's a lot smaller.

[Interviewer]

He's not quite their size. It's a different league.

[Ric Flair]

Undertaker's the best big man ever.

[Interviewer]

How does he do that?

[Ric Flair]

Diving through the ropes and all that walking on the top rope. He's just a great athlete, but. And even a better person. Mark is one of the greatest guys of all time.

[Interviewer]

Wow. The stuff he was doing with Shawn Michaels. I mean, he was going move for move with someone so much smaller than him and so incredible at that stuff.

[Ric Flair]

That match. Yeah, that was Sean's retirement match.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Phenomenal.

[Interviewer]

It's my favorite match in Atlanta. Mm.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, Sean could work with anybody, man. I mean, unbelievable. Let's hope with Mark, you know what I mean? Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Both of them. Both of them are Mount Rushmore type.

[Ric Flair]

Exactly.

[Interviewer]

How does that feel when people rank you as the greatest professional wrestler ever, put you on their Mount Rushmore and show you the love and adulation.

[Ric Flair]

What makes you feel true, it makes you feel great, but it's not that I couldn't have done that. But we didn't do moonsaults when I started. I'm sure I could have done it. Does that make sense? Yeah, I'm sure I could do all that shit about. But it didn't. Wasn't that back when I started. You were fighting for your life. I mean, you're getting hit in the mouth by guys that they don't like. Young guys coming into the business and taking their spot. Good guys punching you in the. You gotta hit them back or you don't hit them back, brother. You're lost. You don't walk in the dressing room. So, you know, it's a different time.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Ric Flair]

But I think Sean and Taker and Stone Cole's one of my favorite, but the most entertaining guy in the world. I can look at his stuff now is the Rock. He's such a gifted guy.

[Interviewer]

Nobody's more entertaining.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, nobody. Not even close.

[Interviewer]

The accents, the singing.

[Ric Flair]

What's your. What's that thing he says? What's your. I don't care what you. You fabulous.

[Interviewer]

I agree. The best on the mic and stone cold. So great in the ring and on the mic. He's hilarious.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, Steve. Steve is great. One pint, two pints, three pints, four. Two tequilas, two bloody Marys, three what?

[Interviewer]

What?

[Ric Flair]

What? He used to sit back there and go, this is the greatest I've ever seen. I flew into Manchester and I had one pint. Oh. Then I had two pints. The crowd was just eating it up. I like Manchester. I'll have four pints, then five, then six.

[Interviewer]

Was he really like that out of the ring?

[Ric Flair]

Oh, God, yeah. He was great. He could drink like hell. You kidding me?

[Interviewer]

He could keep up with you.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, yeah, okay. Yeah. I guarantee you. What time is it? In an hour, he'll have a margarita in his hand.

[Interviewer]

You got your energy drink here. Woo. Energy.

[Ric Flair]

Yep.

[Interviewer]

Talk to me about that. You're actually drinking. A lot of people have products, but they don't actually use it, but you're literally drinking it.

[Ric Flair]

Well, I wanted to be alert and entertained for you.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

I didn't want to disappoint.

[Interviewer]

No. And you're not. So it really is the best for.

[Ric Flair]

That with mushroom infused. And we're about to do a big deal with Walmart, which will take us over the top. And then I'm trying to get it in Japan. When I get it in Japan, it'll be hard to find. You'll call me for a podcast and I'll say, yeah, send me 500 grand and I'll come back.

[Interviewer]

Where is your ideal vacation spot?

[Ric Flair]

If you had to pick my ideal vacation as well? I vacationed everywhere. I can't say that I have one. When you lived my life and done what I've done, I mean, it's hard to pick one out. Does that make sense?

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

I used to love the Caribbean, but I've done that so much. I guess if I was going to go on vacation right now, I could go anywhere. I might go back to Hawaii. I used to go all the time and I have been out 10 years. It was so Japanese occupied that it was just. Wasn't like a. It wasn't like a good vibe. You know what I mean?

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

But now that we've reclaimed and bought back some of the property and nothing against the Japanese, I don't know. I love the Japanese.

[Interviewer]

You had a lot of great times there. So you're looking forward towards Hawaii, potentially going there?

[Ric Flair]

I might go back there. I'm trying to think. I'd. You know, it's funny, I don't. I just have done so much and been so many places, but I have not been to Colombia, so I'm really looking forward to that.

[Interviewer]

No, that'll be great.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Beautiful.

[Ric Flair]

It's on the water too, right?

[Interviewer]

Not really. Medellin.

[Ric Flair]

No, There is one city over there.

[Interviewer]

There is a city. Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Bogota.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Bogota is.

[Ric Flair]

It's underwater.

[Interviewer]

Yep.

[Ric Flair]

Okay.

[Interviewer]

It's like a few hours.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Medellin, they got like, beautiful, like hiking and.

[Mystic Zach]

Oh, yeah.

[Interviewer]

Oh, yeah. It's like a nightclub.

[Ric Flair]

You know what? I love Nashville. I can date.

[Interviewer]

Oh, do you?

[Ric Flair]

I hang out with Kid Rock in Nashville. That's our trip.

[Interviewer]

Oh, that must be a hoot. So what's it like hanging with Kid Rock in Nashville?

[Ric Flair]

Well, he's calmed down a lot.

[Interviewer]

Oh, yes.

[Ric Flair]

It's just the aura of Kid Rock. I mean, he's talking about a guy. He'll never cancel. He doesn't give a about anything. He says exactly what he thinks and he's a great guy. USC. His house there, man, it's about 30 miles out of National. His house is 25,000 square feet. It's an exact replica of the White House.

[Interviewer]

What?

[Ric Flair]

He's got two bars on it. They each hold over 300 people. One's country, one is like contemporary, right. 600 cattle. And you drive up to this warehouse, right? And you go inside the warehouse. He's got a studio that'll hold 50 people, maybe 80. Where he records right there. Then he's got a collection of cars and shit. I mean, he lives. He lives large, private jet. Great guy.

[Interviewer]

Have you been to any of his concerts?

[Ric Flair]

I go all the time.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, I heard they're incredible.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

That he can do.

[Ric Flair]

Well, he can play every instrument.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, he can play every instrument. He can play rock, country, pop, he can rap.

[Ric Flair]

Never being another Never be another quite like me No, I love that.

[Interviewer]

Me. You.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Think I'm cocky with that song and one of like with they Don't Speak Anymore, but is it promise or picture? Picture. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. It's a good one, too.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Oh, he's got a whole bunch of bangers.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, they don't talk anymore. Oh, I tell you who's a great guy as Post Malone. God, he's the best.

[Interviewer]

Is he?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. God. He's about a 10,000 acre ranch right at the base of the mountains of Salt Lake.

[Interviewer]

But a really kind person.

[Ric Flair]

Kind. Great, great. Phenomenal.

[Interviewer]

His music's amazing, too. Obviously. He's got.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, God, he's killing it.

[Interviewer]

So much commercial success.

[Ric Flair]

He's killing it. Yep.

[Interviewer]

Were there any musicians in the 70s and 80s you got to hang out with and party with that maybe someone wouldn't know.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, I got to hang out with Waylon Jennings a lot. Hung out with Motley Crue, Guns N Roses.

[Interviewer]

Oh, wow.

[Ric Flair]

I didn't have time to go to concerts if I met him along the way. Well, Stevie. I know Stevie Nicks real well, man. She can sing her ass off.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, she's incredible.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Trying to think that's about it.

[Interviewer]

But the rock star lifestyle, pretty similar to how you guys were living.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. They don't live as hard as we do by any means.

[Interviewer]

Oh, they're not as hard.

[Ric Flair]

No. They're living in these luxury. They travel in these luxury. Yeah. Watte was a great guy, too. Fun. He was Darius Rucker. Darius might be my best friend. He loves wrestling.

[Interviewer]

So when you're going out, do you Prefer like a real nice fancy spot, or do you prefer, like a more down to earth?

[Ric Flair]

I'm pretty simple, man. I don't go out of my way. It's not like there's a place called Sunset Rodeo that I go to once in a while, but I got a Uber over there, or get a limo, everything. There's so much right here.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, it's all right here.

[Ric Flair]

You've got Wagamama, you've got Boulogne, you've got the Pearl. There's a lot going on right here in this area.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. So you keep it simple.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Another wrestler, another Mount Rushmore type legend resided in the Tampa area. Hulk Hogan passed away.

[Ric Flair]

I talked to him the day before he died. I shouldn't say this, but what killed him was street drugs. When the doctor wouldn't prescribe anymore, he was in so much pain, and he had that neck surgery and it got infected. So back in the hospital mentioned 10 back surgeries, two knees, two hips, all this. And then when the doctor would not prescribe any more pain medicine, they just couldn't do it. All too conscious, right?

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

So they went and got the drugs off the street. His body just said, you know what? Bingo. I can't do it anymore.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Sad.

[Interviewer]

That's terrible.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. What a great guy. Wow. Yeah. All my buddies are going, boy.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

You know Mike Rotundo, irs.

[Interviewer]

Do I know what?

[Ric Flair]

Remember irs? Mike Rotundo?

[Interviewer]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Ric Flair]

He's real sick right now. My best friend just had a stroke. Joe Gomez.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Knock on wood, guys.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Live it out every day.

[Interviewer]

Serious. You had a great relationship with Hulk.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, yeah, tremendous. Yeah. But is. Is these guys just. I don't want to mention names, just re. New. It's all going to come out in the media the next 30 days. You'll read about it. Anyway, I just. I just don't want. I don't. Feel free to.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, no, no, don't talk about it. No, I don't want you to. But, I mean, it makes sense. His body being beat up like. I mean, the stuff he was doing was superhuman.

[Ric Flair]

Well, it just. 10 back surgeries, guys. I mean, come on.

[Interviewer]

When you're putting Andre the Giant on your back.

[Ric Flair]

No, it wasn't that. You know what? You know what caused the back surgeries? What was it dropping the leg?

[Interviewer]

Mmm.

[Ric Flair]

Dropping a leg. Jab that bones. That's what did it.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Ric Flair]

I go, hey, you mother. If you hadn't insisted on dropping that leg on everybody, you'd be walking around just fine.

[Interviewer]

But that made him the Hulkster.

[Ric Flair]

I know.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. I didn't know that. I would have thought it was from the slams.

[Ric Flair]

No, no. You know, doctor told him that you just. How many times you do it? A hundred thousand times. I mean, 50. What?

[Interviewer]

Yeah. It's hard for someone who's never wrestled to know what hurts and what doesn't. And I'm sure there's a lot of moves that we wouldn't expect you really feel. But it does.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. That's life.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Just hope to live another day and pray for your friends that are suffering now because a lot of people are.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Ric Flair]

I went to the cancer institute yesterday and my God, see all these people with their head shaved, all the chemo and all that. It's a real wake up call.

[Interviewer]

It is. You've had a legendary workout routine since the 70s. You still get after it, lift heavy weights.

[Ric Flair]

Well, I don't. With a rotator or before that.

[Interviewer]

I mean, this was very recent. Up until then, you were deadlifting huge amounts.

[Ric Flair]

I did three weeks ago. A foreigner, but my best ever was 600.

[Interviewer]

Wow. Do you think the workout routine and staying fit and lifting those weights has helped you get through your scares?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Plus I was very, very minimal. Steroids. What happens when you take these steroids? You gotta remember that steroids make the muscle grow, but they don't make the ligament grow.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

And these guys that tear these ligaments and have all this. But, you know, you can't. You just can't put too much on the ligaments because the steroids don't. I mean, the ligaments are one size. You put too much beef on them. That's why all those guys were getting. The old days.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Tearing everything up because they were gassed for the gills.

[Interviewer]

So.

[Ric Flair]

Obviously I took steroids. But I'm very limited. Very limited.

[Interviewer]

Even though you were 240 plus?

[Ric Flair]

Well, no, but I mean, I took like DECA and antivirates.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

I didn't take testosterone or Anadol 50 or anything like that.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

And I only took that one. I remembered.

[Interviewer]

That tracks.

[Ric Flair]

Take a shot. Oh, I forgot.

[Interviewer]

No, that trash.

[Ric Flair]

And ain't carrying the. On the road with you. What a pain in the ass that was too.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, well, you got some guys who are probably freaks with it.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, God, please. Look at the guys in the 80s.

[Interviewer]

Who was the strongest guy that you worked with?

[Ric Flair]

The strongest guy ever?

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Ken Patero.

[Interviewer]

Ken Patero.

[Ric Flair]

First guy to ever push 500 overhead. He took a bronze in the Olympics.

[Interviewer]

That's incredible. And how did his strength feel in the ring?

[Ric Flair]

He didn't feel it, but, I mean, he just throw me around like a rubber, you know? I mean, nothing hurt, but he literally could press me and throw me across the ring like nothing.

[Interviewer]

Oh, my God.

[Ric Flair]

A lot of guys compressed me and slam me, but not throwing me across the goddamn ring.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. That's insane. Six, one, two, forty.

[Ric Flair]

Boom.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Any shocking smaller guys who got you up? Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

No, I can't think of that stands out like that. A lot of guys are real strong, you know.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. No, we talked about. I mean, a lot of guys real strong, real athletic.

[Ric Flair]

Cesaro's real strong. Yeah, real strong. John Cena's strong.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Everyone says Cena. And Kane.

[Ric Flair]

And Kane. Yeah. Glenn, I don't know. That strong. Big guy. Yeah, could have been.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Everyone says Cena's real strong.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, he is.

[Interviewer]

He's not the tallest guy and a great guy. Great guy. Are you. How do you feel about his retirement tour and him hanging it up? I mean, that's coming up soon.

[Ric Flair]

I know. I'm. I'm. I'm elated for him.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

I heard they shared for him for 10 minutes in the Guard Monday night.

[Interviewer]

You'll be there.

[Ric Flair]

No, they did.

[Interviewer]

Oh, they did. Yeah. Absolutely. But he's received a lot of fanfare. Deserved.

[Ric Flair]

Yes. He's. He's a phenomenal man. And he's a man. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What he does with the Make a Wish kids and everything. Yeah. Is he one of your favorites in the ring, too, John?

[Ric Flair]

I never got to work with John.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. But do you like to watch him as a fan?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

For our generation, the Gen Z, I mean, he was our biggest guy.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, for sure.

[Interviewer]

Super Cena.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Larger than life.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

No, he really, I think, carried on the mantle and did a good job representing the sport.

[Ric Flair]

Yep. He did phenomenal. He'll be missed.

[Interviewer]

He'll be missed for sure. Do you think for someone like him it's too soon to give it up or do you know?

[Ric Flair]

No, it's perfect.

[Interviewer]

It's perfect.

[Ric Flair]

So active in Hollywood now and he's done so well. His acting is. He's spot on now and he's doing great.

[Interviewer]

What was your relationship like with the original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers?

[Ric Flair]

Oh, it was good, but it was fun. I'll tell you. It was strange. So I really admired Buddy. I never worked with him when you obviously were 30 years, difference in age. But I did finally work with him. He came to Charlotte, he walked in a dressing room. And what made Rogers. This is what formed my gimmick. Always tan, dressed immaculately Right. And he walked over to me and he looked at me and said, kid, there's only one diamond in this business. And you're talking to Buddy Riders. He was a man, but he looked phenomenal. But I never wrestled him twice. But it was. He was like in his 60s or something like that. But he knew back then, brother. He was big time. He told me. Well, I've heard it several times. I think about in the 50s, he was making 50 grand a week. He'd go from Montreal to New York to St. Louis. I mean, everywhere. Everywhere he went wrestling with Billy Watson, wrestling San Martino, Gene Kinisky, Pat O'.

[Interviewer]

Connor.

[Ric Flair]

I mean. I mean, he was making 50 grand a week back in the 50s.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

He sold everything. He was. And he really. He had that strut down. He's the first guy to ever do what we call high spots, where you, like, you drop down, a guy jumps over you and all that. He was the first guy to ever do that stuff.

[Interviewer]

That's one of the beautiful things about wrestling is you can get those intragenerational matchups that you can't get in boxing. Because in boxing you talk about what would happen if Sugar A. Robinson box. Sugar A. Leonard. You never get to see it, really. It's just hearsay. But in wrestling, you can get some cool stuff with different generations.

[Ric Flair]

Let me tell you the answer to that.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, true.

[Ric Flair]

Ray Robinson.

[Interviewer]

All right.

[Ric Flair]

Those older guys were tough as, man. Yeah, it's like Archie Moore, they. Archie Moore, he did a favor for Muhammad Ali because Archie Moore was what we call a shooter. Archie Moore was tough as shit.

[Interviewer]

Oh, yeah.

[Ric Flair]

It's like, you know, to this day, Sunday. Liston, come on. He was bad. Nobody would fight Sonny Liston. He was Eddie Machin. Those guys were scared of.

[Interviewer]

Oh, yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Floyd Patterson dodged him. Nobody to fight, so.

[Mystic Zach]

Didn't go well.

[Interviewer]

When they did fight, I mean. Yeah, Sonny listened to, you know, a really young guy named Cassius Clay.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. Well, it made him. But Sonny never got enough credit for his. He was bad at a bone, man. I'll tell you what's funny. Do you remember Emil Griffith? Uh huh, Right. Remember he was in a boxing match. Benny Kid Pratt. Yep. Right. So I was at the Planet Hollywood in New York years ago, right? And I'm walking. He had that phenomenal body on him, Emil Griffith did. And I'm walking out the door and this guy is shining shoes, and I go, are you Emil Griffith? He said, yeah, man. I said, God, I'm a big fan of yours. Can I get into your Shoes. I mean, it's just a shame.

[Interviewer]

Wow, that is a shame.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. I mean, the guy was phenomenal.

[Interviewer]

Incredible. Yeah. All time.

[Ric Flair]

Great. Anyway, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.

[Interviewer]

No, no, no, no. It's. The story is that Perrette called him, mentioned how you. Milgris. Yeah, he really did.

[Ric Flair]

I watched him fighting.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Saturday night. Advice. Yeah, Watch it. Yeah. Griffith was something. What a body. I don't know.

[Interviewer]

I tell you what, I was working with Jake, trying to make sure everything was all good. I was like a liaison. And Pete walks in, he's smoking cigarettes in the locker room.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

And I'm telling Triller. I'm like, you guys have this comedian in your chain smoking, and Jake's got to come in here and warm up. He can't have a smoky room. I said, get him out of here.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

So he got out of there and they Febrezed it. And then he comes in and he was like kind of mocking everyone to their face. And like, you know, Davidson was. Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Huh. Well, that's. That's their humor.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, Like a different. It didn't go well with the boxing guys. Yeah, the old school. I think BJ wanted to hit him in the ear, but he didn't catch him.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. God, everybody was thinking of Snoop Dogg.

[Interviewer]

Snoop Dogg? Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

Ricky Ross.

[Interviewer]

So Jake said when he knocked him out, he could hear Snoop Dogg yelling.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Because there was no audience. It was just me. You. There wasn't many people there.

[Ric Flair]

No, I know.

[Interviewer]

What do you think about Jake Paul and his boxing career?

[Ric Flair]

Well, I was supposed to go to that fight last Monday. Last one in Miami.

[Interviewer]

Last. The one that got canceled.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ric Flair]

He's a tough kid. Both those kids are tough. I mean, I know for a fact, but I shouldn't say it, but I don't mind. He pulled up on Mike, he could have. He could have done some damage to Mike. 30 years, difference in age. I don't care. I mean, yeah, Mike's 57 or 58 and the kid's 30, but Jake's 28. 28. I mean, 30 years, I don't care how tough you are. And Mike, where you got in shape for that? Mike was running six miles a day and trimmed down and, you know. But you're still not gonna be the same at 57. No, the Paul guys are tough kids. Yeah, they both are.

[Interviewer]

Now he's got a fight coming up in Miami next month. He's fighting Anthony Joshua, the six foot six, two time heavyweight champion. Josh was a 15 to 1 favorite.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, Joshua with gloves on.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. 10 ounce pro.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, wow. So you actually box.

[Interviewer]

Yep. On Netflix.

[Ric Flair]

He's gonna. On Joshua.

[Interviewer]

Yep. Heavyweight.

[Ric Flair]

Oh, God. Well, I'd be surprised if Joshua. Yeah, but you never know with the ball gets. They're tough.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. You think it's a one round fight?

[Ric Flair]

I have no idea anymore.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, the public seems to think it's a big mismatch.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, but that's what they do with. They trying to get you to bet.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, yeah, but it's, it's a pro sanction. I mean it's, it's 10 ounce gloves.

[Ric Flair]

Yeah. I don't know. I'll go talk to him.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Are you gonna catch it? Maybe.

[Ric Flair]

Well, they wanted me to walk the ring with them this last time.

[Interviewer]

Oh, wow.

[Ric Flair]

Last Friday. So yeah, if they invite me again, I will.

[Interviewer]

Okay. All right, we'll be there.

[Ric Flair]

The team.

[Interviewer]

Oh, yeah. It's my good friend for a long time, Jake. It was an honor and privilege to sit down with you. Get your time. The Nature boy and for the cameras. Can we get one?

[Ric Flair]

Thanks guys. Great show. Great time.

[Mystic Zach]

What's up, guys? Mystic Zach here after a legendary interview with the nature Boy, Ric Flair. We couldn't let you go without giving you the picks of the week.

[Interviewer]

To start off.

[Mystic Zach]

I like the Seattle Seahawks over the Tennessee Titans. The Seattle Seahawks are a team that I've talked about all year. I touted them as a potential super bowl threat. I said they were a good pick at plus 1300 to win the NFC and I think it's been going well ever since. Their odds have increased, creeping up in that area. And also they have been winning games. Last week, tough game against Los Angeles Rams, the division rival. But I take positives out of that against a two loss Rams team. They were right in the thick of it until the very end with a quarterback in Sam Darnold who threw for four interceptions. I don't see that happening again against the Tennessee Titans team. And I also don't see this Tennessee Titans team being able to surmise or surmount any type of offense against a dominant Seattle Seahawks defense. This is a defense that's been revitalized. They're in a totally different era. With head coach Mike McDonald, they acquire DeMarcus Lawrence from the Dallas Cowboys. They get Leonard Williams, they have a dominant defensive line, they have a great secondary led by young corner Tariq Wulin. And I think it's going to be a tough day for the Tennessee Titans. I like The Seattle Seahawks -13. My second pick of the week is the Dallas Cowboys. Against the Philadelphia Eagles. This spreads three and a half in the Eagles direction. The over under is 47.5 and when I look at this line, I like the Cowboys with the over. A lot of people have been hitting the under and that's because the Eagles offense has struggled. And the Dallas Cowboys defense looked revitalized against a poor Raiders offense. But a Raiders offense. They acquired Quinn and Williams at the trade deadline. They dealt with the tragedy of Martian. Nealon seem to respond really strongly. But this offense I think is going to put up points better than most teams. They've got one A and one B and CD Lamb and George Pickens. There's not too many casinos in Philly, so I think these guys will be ready for game day. I like the Cowboys plus nine and a half along with over 41.5. My final pick of the week is the Carolina Panthers against the San Francisco 49ers. A lot of the times when I'm looking at lines, I think the 49ers are a bit inflated. They've had a lot of success this decade. This is a team that's been to the super bowl, but I think they're riding off the coattails of their previous defenses. They've had guys like DeForest Buckner in the building. Previously they had a healthy Nick Bosa, a healthy Fred Warner. That's no longer the case. This is a struggling defense going against the Carolina Panthers team that's looked a lot better this year. They draft McMillan in the first round. They acquire Rico Daddle and what else do they do? They got Bryce Young going. He was throwing the ball deep last week. He had 450 passing yards. He looks really good. Probably his best career performance as a professional. This is the guy who's the number one overall pick. Seems to be finally putting it together a little bit. I like the Carolina Panthers plus seven going against the San Francisco 49ers. Those are my picks of the week right here on double coverage.

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