Ric Flair sensationally RELEASED by WWE after legend demanded Vince McMahon let him go from contract after 30-years
RIC FLAIR has reportedly been RELEASED by WWE.
Wrestling Inc. claims that the 72-year-old two-time Hall of Famer left the company after asking Vince McMahon to rip up his contract.
The Nature Boy, whose daughter Charlotte is battling for the RAW Women's title at SummerSlam this month, is one of wrestling's most beloved figures.
Rumours of Flair's WWE exit first circulated last year after his former deal had expired back in May 2020.
Yet the 16-time world champion, a joint-record with John Cena, then decided to sign a lifetime contract with WWE.
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Fightful Select claim however that Flair has been left frustrated with his booking since then and appealed directly to McMahon to release him.
He was involved in a relationship angle with Lacey Evans that was ultimately nixed after the Sassy Southern Belle got legitimately pregnant.
And the limousine riding, jet flyin', stylin' and profilin', kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun publicly voiced his disdain for the angle.
He told Ariel Helwani: "In this instance, I didn’t [feel comfortable]. The one thing I’ve learned is you’re not going to win a war when someone’s got their mind made up.
When that was all over, I was mad but now I just look back and say it wasn’t it
Ric Flair on his angle with Lacey Evans
"She most definitely didn’t like it, but the one thing that I can say about me is I always said yes. I didn’t want to be that guy that was always going, “Oh, that isn’t perfect for me.”
"When that was all over, I was mad but now I just look back and say it wasn’t it.
"This was something that when I got to TV, [Vince] McMahon wasn’t there to argue the point with and he had stuff going on, I don’t like to put the pressure on someone if I can’t talk to him.’"
It remains to be seen whether Flair will ever return to WWE, where he first debuted in 1991, following several stints over the past three decades.
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Naitch has not wrestled for the company since losing in a retirement match to Shawn Michaels back at WrestleMania 24 in 2008.
He did go on to wrestle elsewhere, most notably TNA, but he has not competed in a WWE ring and has suffered several health issues in recent years.
A move to AEW could prove an attractive option after Tony Khan's promotion recently signed Flair's future son-in-law Andrade.