Ric Flair has spoken out about his WWE release. The Nature Boy, arguably the most decorated professional wrestler of all time, was released from his WWE contract this past Monday. Many speculated that the release was a result of growing animosity between himself and the WWE over the storyline which took place earlier in the year, which saw Flair announced as the father of Lacey Evans‘ unborn child. Flair had admitted, himself, that he was uncomfortable with the story at the time. However, this does not appear to be the reason behind his release. Speaking to PEOPLE, Flair said:
“We just didn’t see eye to eye on some business opportunities that I wanted to pursue, so I asked for my release. There has been no animosity and everything has been on friendly terms. It happens sometimes in business; you just don’t see eye to eye. But how could I have any animosity towards the company who made me who I am? They literally made me who I am. Some of my best friends in the world work at the company [WWE]. How could I possibly be upset with the company where my daughter [Charlotte Flair] is currently the most decorated woman’s wrestler in history? It was a mutually agreed-upon decision and I will be moving forward to pursue other exciting endeavors such as my own line of wine, my own network, as well as comic books. I had to make this decision personally for my business and my brand.”
What the business opportunities Flair speaks of are remains to be seen. Flair is, of course, closely tied with AEW performer, Andrade El Idolo, who is involved in a relationship with Flair’s daughter, Charlotte. However, to say Flair is heading to AEW for this reason would be mere speculation. Andrade is now managed by another legend in Chavo Guerrero. Time will tell where Flair ends up but one thing is for certain, he did not leave the WWE on bad terms.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network.
