Screw You, Ric Flair!

[GameOver]

Earth to stupid guy, WWE didn't cast Mick Foley or Ric Flair to the curb, they walked away.
WWE was paying them to do nothing but appearances and be an ambassador

TNA pays what? and to do what? Help get them over which is virtually impossible.

Ric Flair onscreen has time and time again spouted good things about TNA and has did decent job makin AJ relevant as a heel, and Mick Foley just cause they can't get there head out of there asses and take offence to one "joke" is there problem

[rge2010]

I aint a Flair fan, never understood all the hype surrounding him BUT the match against HBK was his last proper match. Nobody watches TNA or really cares for the product so whatever he has done there doesn't really count does it?

When you talk about Flair you talk about WCW and WWE. Simple really.

[PEP3]

As a lifelong Ric Flair fan -- I just posted about him in the "Greatest Heel of All-Time Thread" -- it pains me to watch him in his current state. I really wish his last match was with Shawn Michaels.

Unfortunately, he hasn't allowed that to be our last memory of him. He's out there, week-in, week-out sometimes, working overtime to tarnish my memory of him. Not only is he a shell of his former self physically, his once utterly amazing promos have been reduced to frequently incoherent rants where it looks like his head might actually explode at any given moment. On occasion, it's downright frightening.

Were TNA to properly use Flair, I think it would be in a managerial capacity. At this point, he should be actively "passing on" what he has accumulated during his 40-year career rather than ever stepping into the ring again. Every time he does, I cringe -- because each occasion further erases a legacy he worked ridiculously hard to build.

Each time a 15-year-old kid watches the haggard, sagging Flair battered around, his legend dies just a little bit. It lessens the likelihood that same kid will take the initiative to find out who "The Nature Boy" was and what he once meant to the industry.

I wish he could see it like so many other people, those who he has wowed so many times over the years, do. It might make him think a little less about how he represents himself, talks about his career and handles himself professionally.

At this point, though, it might be too late. Too many new viewers will always remember him as that tired old man still acting like a 30-year-old Playboy. God, I'm embarrassed for him just thinking about it.

[OneTooManyPunts]

I get what the OP is trying to say, but are you really that surprised that Flair isn't going out of his way to promote TNA?

If you're on these forums, then there is a decent chance you've read plenty of articles detailing Flair's financial woes, and his personal issues as well. There's a good chance you've seen that he's willing to do endorsements for smaller companies, and that, at this point in his career, it's about the money.

The Ric Flair that had a passion for the business, and that was looking to contribute as a big name in ring competitor, was retired by HBK at Wrestlemania. What is left now is just Ric Flair in name.

When you think of Flair, you think of his accolades, and his legacy in pro wrestling. His legacy is profound. Now, he's working for the default #2 promotion, and his talents are being used to promote the likes of Gunner and Garrett Bischoff, all the while being a part of stable that most fans wouldn't really be able to say is still a stable.

I'm not shocked in the least that Flair didn't name drop TNA, especially when you consider those statements were made around Wrestlemania and the HOF. He is if nothing else these days, a business man, and I find it hard to believe Flair wouldn't return to WWE if the price is right.

At this point, I'd just rather see Flair leave the business all together. He's done an immeasurable amount of good for the business over the years, but now his time in TNA is tainting that legacy. He's the first two time HOF'er, and his biggest achievement in the last six months has been helping Gunner get wins over Garrett Bischoff and RVD.

I don't think TNA knows what to do with Flair, because I think TNA knows Flair is only there for the paycheck. He's been less then cooperative on many occasions regarding publicity, and non Impact/PPV events for TNA, and a result he's not their most reliable big name.

If you are a TNA fan, it's easy to get angry at Flair for essentially disallowing their existence, but if you look at what he has become, as opposed to what you remember he used to be, I think you'll find it's not that hard to believe these days.

[reddevil69]

I'm not going to bash Flair, but I will say that I have an interview with the man from 2006 and he openly criticizes and slags TNA....I think it's pretty sad that two years later when he is shown the door by WWE, (let's not forget, Vince made the decision to have him retire, he did not do it on his own terms, he was told that Mania 24 would be his last match and we all know he was not crazy about the idea) he then goes to TNA with his hand out and takes their money to continue making a living.

You can't have it both ways. I understand his need to maintain an income but you can't work for McDonalds for 10 years and bash Burger King all the time and find negative things to say about them and all of a sudden go and work for them and be all smiles and pro-company because of money...that's called being a sell-out.

Flair may have not put over TNA in the particular interview that this thread started over, but he has put them over quite a bit the past three years. Does he believe what he's saying or is he saying it because he needs a paycheck?

[Raiden46]

Originally Posted by The Killjoy

...........









.....So?

It was his last major PPV match. All he's had after that is pointless filler and a rule-less brawl with Mick Foley. Is it a matter of him disrespecting TNA or him honoring what WWE tried to do? He can say whatever the hell he wants. If TNA doesn't care, neither should anyone else.

When you work for a company, you represent their brand, their image, and the people who work there. You can say whatever you want, but there are consequences for your words/actions as well. Flair's refusal to acknowledge TNA while at the same time publicly praising the competitor is a direct slap in the face to TNA. He is passively diminishing the TNA brand, its image, and the people who work there. The fact that he hasn't been reprimanded (that we know of) or fired shows a lack of courage on their part to do anything; probably because they are afraid to lose him back to WWE. The fact that TNA doesn't care what Ric Flair is saying doesn't make it any less disrespectful.

So there.

[BIG Jimmy 2115]

Originally Posted by willross

Dragon Saga just owned the shit out of Ferreira lmao......I don't like Ric Flair at all, I think he is over-rated to the max, I don't feel he drew as much as many others and gets a lot of credit that I feel is exaggerated.

I feel his overall skill is lackluster and that there are many many many many better than him including his Horsemen teammate Arn Anderson but I am not dumb and know I am in the minority with that opinion and will likely get little to no support from anyone on here.

HOWEVER, Ric Flair IS the biggest name in TNA other than Hogan so the company should be kissing his feet for joining the minor leagues, cause that is what TNA is in comparison to WWE, and not just sitting on a Legends contract in WWE which would allow him to live comfortably. He went to TNA to make money, YES, but he also jumped cause of the potential they had when Hogan showed up.

I really think you should just stop whining cause only hardcores watch TNA so all the casuals are completely unaware that he has wrestled since WM24 and probably don't care either way. But then again, if nobody saw the matches after WM24, did they really happen? Like the old tree falling in the woods, if no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?

LMAO oh man are the TNA fans gonna troll my ass after that one

Yes they are my friend, yes they are lol. But youre right tho

[fmwfan]

Flair probably didnt aknowlege tna because hes probably embarrased to be part a shitty company. Lets face it anything flair (and hogan) have dont in tna have been complete shit imo

[HBsam31]

I tend to agree with the poster that said he is Ric Flair, he can say whatever he wants. It seems to me he has been unhappy in TNA for a while. Who knows maybe he is trying to get himself fired. I am sure Vince would sign him in a heartbeat. Didn't I hear he wanted him for the WWE network or something. I think we should give Ric a break, and besides he would probably rather be remembered for the match against HBK anyway.

[Hugh G. Rection]

Hold on is there an actual link to the interview where Flair says this? Don Tony and Kevin Castle talk a lot of crap sometimes.