Ric Flair leaves UK Tour

[Disturbed]

It appears as though Ric Flair has left TNA's tour of the United Kingdom.

The word is that Flair wanted a financial advance which was rejected by tour manager Craig Jenkins. As a result, Flair felt disrespected and decided to leave, not boarding the bus to leave Ireland for Germany.

Credit - Prowrestling.net

Could Flair be leaving TNA?

Didn't Matt Hardy leave a WWE tour pissed about something and that started all his rants. I never thought Flair would be in the company long because of his problems with Hogan and Bischoff. I hope they get over this though because I have loved seeing Flair as a heel again once more in TNA. If he doesn't leave TNA now, then it wouldn't suprise me if he left before long. I think he is doing well in the company though and hasn't spent to much time in the ring like he did in WWE the last decade. He just has stuck with managing Fortune, much like he did Evolution and I enjoy listening to Flair on the mic. If he leaves TNA, he will be missed or at least he will be by me.

Thoughts?

 

[Find'er Woo'er Ryder]

Just like Matt Hardy, crying over everything he dont get. I dont think he will quit TNA because he is a major part of Fortune and Immortal. If he does quit, it will be stupid because im sure WWE wont take him back even with all his history and effort to help with the company.

 

[Disturbed]

Just like Matt Hardy, crying over everything he dont get. I dont think he will quit TNA because he is a major part of Fortune and Immortal. If he does quit, it will be stupid because im sure WWE wont take him back even with all his history and effort to help with the company.

Are you serious? Comparing Matt Hardy to Ric Flair? I just said that Hardy left a tour and so did Flair but you should never claim them both to be cry babys. Do you know who Ric Flair is? Flair is God! That's right Ric Flair is a wrestling God! 16 time World champion! Woooo! Even if he were to leave TNA, who said he would go back to WWE? If Flair really wanted back in WWE that bad, then he could get back in the company. No need in critizing Flair, when you can be working on your grammar.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Before I start I want to say that I do love Flair and it really pains me to say this...

If this is true, he needs to be either massively conducted or let go. This whole tour has been built on Ric (it's called the 'Woooo' Tour). Dixie is along on the tour, if Ric's demands where at all reasonable I'm sure she would have ensured he received what he was asking. Flair should be a leader to the guys not a bad example.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

I agree. This sadly does not bode quite well in the land of TNA. What's even more pathetic is the fact that you've got veterans who are my age and younger. They are the ones who are acting like better professionals when it comes how to handle change and stress, and they are the ones who usually end up getting the short end of the stick. I'm quite surprised its taken Flair THIS LONG to realize TNA does not have WWE's budget to pay him what he was used to getting from McMahon and Inc. When asking for an 'advance'? I mean, Dixie sure doesn't have her own lear jet, but you don't hear her complaining about not having that kind of amenities. I mean, its about being thankful for just what you have, and even to have a job at his age. Sadly, he's one who seems to let ego get the best of him. No matter how good you perform, if your ego gets in the way, it will overpower you, and can ruin what good you have already done. I hate to say it, but I think he's doing good at burning bridges. I really think it would've been more beneficial to him to have stayed retired. Once he gets the praise of people, his ego gets inflated, then he becomes addicted to the fame, and then that's when the fame-monster comes out. Its really a sad state of affairs for him. He should take a lesson from his protege, Shawn Michaels.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This sounds more like that Ric was unhappy with accomodations or something similar...
I can imagine TNA are not exactly rolling the red carpet out in hotels and Ric Flair... well he's a Limo Riding, etc...

I can imagine Ric wanting some "flash money" and it not being available to him... it IS his gimmick... but times are tough... leaving the tour is bad news for he and TNA... Losing Kurt was bad luck, fans will understand... Losing Flair... spells cheap and shite...

 

[Van Dam]

I was at the Dublin show last night and Ric was in high spirits and seemed to be having a genuinely good time so I find this story very hard to believe. At the end of the night he got on the Mic and thanked us all for coming and said Dixie was the greatest boss of all time and that he was going to tear up the Radisson Hotel after the show.

Something REALLY bad must have happened as 24 hours ago he was having a ball.

 

[Disturbed]

UPDATE

To update on the Ric Flair incident in Dublin, Ireland, it is said that Flair allegedly played hardball, not getting on the bus after his request for a financial advance was refused. As this kind of thing has occured before and with Flair refusing to get on the plane, a decision was made to leave him behind.

One source revealed that because of Flair's outburst, members of the roster were in favor of leaving Flair, some even mocking him, using his "signature promo lines" after the bus left without him.

There was also talk that Flair's legendary "partying" habits on the tour may have had something to do with his decision not to get on the bus.

Finally, just to clarify, TNA management did not send Flair home. He was simply left behind after "blowing up" and subsequently refusing to travel, and is likely still in Europe.

Credit-Pwinsider.com

I think at the end of the day, everything will work out. It is just Ric Flair being the Nature Boy that he is. I wander if he was drunk or what? It said party habbits may have something to do with not getting on the bus.

 

[SpecialFNK]

Ric Flair is a legend, great on the mic, and enjoyable to watch on TV. but I don't think he is a "must have" for TNA. if somehow he is no longer with TNA, I don't think it really has that much of an impact.
might even work out better if Flair was not there anymore. TNA could then break up Fortune. Styles could go back to being face where the was better. Kazarian could continue to be great X division champion, and Beer Money could continue to be great tag team champions. Flair isn't NEEDED.
now if Flair continues to be in TNA I'm sure it's going to work out well.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If, and I do mean if, this is true then I can't say it surprises me. There have been instances in the past in which Flair has sort of behaved like a Diva. Not the female wrestler but an actual Diva that's extremely high on herself. For instance, hasn't he raised holy hell at times if a ref doesn't hold the ropes open for him? That's extremely petty and a different situation that this one is, if this does indeed turn out to be true.

Like a lot of veterans, it wouldn't surprise me if Flair thinks himself to be someone that TNA can't do without. After all, Ric Flair is a legend among legends in wrestling. Once again, if this is about money, I think that Flair might be trying to take advantage of TNA. Ric Flair wouldn't try something like that in the WWE because he knows that Vince McMahon would pat him on the head and tell him to run along. Dixie Carter, however, won't do that. She's bent over backwards in the past to make Sting & Kurt Angle happy in the past and maybe Flair is looking for similar treatment.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

If, and I do mean if, this is true then I can't say it surprises me. There have been instances in the past in which Flair has sort of behaved like a Diva. Not the female wrestler but an actual Diva that's extremely high on herself. For instance, hasn't he raised holy hell at times if a ref doesn't hold the ropes open for him? That's extremely petty and a different situation that this one is, if this does indeed turn out to be true.

Like a lot of veterans, it wouldn't surprise me if Flair thinks himself to be someone that TNA can't do without. After all, Ric Flair is a legend among legends in wrestling. Once again, if this is about money, I think that Flair might be trying to take advantage of TNA. Ric Flair wouldn't try something like that in the WWE because he knows that Vince McMahon would pat him on the head and tell him to run along. Dixie Carter, however, won't do that. She's bent over backwards in the past to make Sting & Kurt Angle happy in the past and maybe Flair is looking for similar treatment.

Hammer...I am SO in love with your thoughts. I mean, this European tour is really losing a lot of some of their top draws. AJ out injured. Angle out with family issues. Sting no longer with TNA right now. Now Flair behaving like a diva with these antics? If he keeps that up, he could possibly be in the same side of Nash if he wants to behave like that, and keep belly-achin. You complain so much about what you DON'T have, you should be grateful for what you DO have. There are SO many people who even WISH they could just have a spot on one of the two main Wrestling Federation rosters right now. You don't appreciate right now, then leave. There are TONS of others who would kill for a shot to be in your shoes. I'm sure there would be many others that would work for probably free just to have the exposure you have on TNA basically. Flair is just not used to the lifestyle under the budget of TNA. You don't hear Jarrett pissing and moaning. Even Matt Hardy is not complaining, he's seemingly cool as cucumber, and taking things in stride. All of Flair's past allies, HBK, Sting, and even Hogan, should take these antics and consider "Is he 'REALLY' what we want as good publicity for this company? With those diva antics? When we tried SO hard to wipe that stuff away with that Bubba mess, and Scott Hall, and XPac favortism debacle?" That should be something to think about for the TNA head honchos.

 

[MisterRob]

I use to be such a fan of Ric Flair the wrestler. I was a huge Ric Flair mark. But man, over the last few years, the more that happens with the real life Flair and the choices he makes the less respect I feel for him. This is just ridiculous, really. It's a completely unprofessional and immature thing to do from a 60-something year old man who has an inflated ego and thinks he deserves to be given more then anyone else working in TNA. This is a business and you just don't do that, and anyone else would've been repremanded or worse for stunts like this. It's sad that Flair's likely going to get away with it because Dixie Carter is nothing but a mark and won't do a thing about this.

Flair's lost more of his shine in my eyes. Quite sad.

 

[dwith]

Why should he be asking anyone from TNA for money anyway's? HIs paycheck comes from PANDA ENERGY I believe because TNA couldn't afford him so PANDA picked up the bill, but JESUS as long as that man has been in the business, and you can't tell me he wasn't knocking back at least a million a year with WWE, that he can't offord to splurge his own money for his outrageous partying habit's. Everyone else on the roster has to deal with it, should be no special treatment because he's RIC FLAIR.

 

[dansaun77]

Um, Flair got over his problems with Hogan when he forgot about his retirement and let Hogan buy him off and tour Australia in 2009. Flair and Hogan get on fine, have done for years. Sure their is professional problems, b ut do not for a minute suggest they are not friends. Only marks think thAT

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

At the end of the night he got on the Mic and thanked us all for coming and said Dixie was the greatest boss of all time and that he was going to tear up the Radisson Hotel after the show.

Something REALLY bad must have happened as 24 hours ago he was having a ball.

Are you kidding me? Dixie fucking Carter is the greatest owner of all-time. God, he should NEVER be allowed back in the WWE again. No, maybe that's a bit extreme of an idictment, but c'mon. Vince McMahon basically remade Ric Flair when WCW destroyed him. And Jim Crockett? How about the fact that Jim Crockett Sr. was the one who almost singlehandedly MADE Ric Flair an NWA World Champion in 1981 when they were still using the voting system. Gimme a break. Whether or not he meant it, Flair should have never opened his mouth and said that about Dixie, I don't care if she is writing his checks. No wait, he SHOULD HAVE NEVER MADE THAT COMMENT if he was going to leave tour a day or whenever later.

I hate to say this, but IMO Ric Flair is completely a shell of his former self. He hasn't understood that the business has since passed him by, way before his "retirement" match. He is either bitter or just completely blind and it's ironic that Jerry Lawler gets more respect on a weekly basis than Ric Flair is monthly. Something's gotta give here. TNA will NOT survive with someone like this. If Flair loved the business as much as he swears he does, then he'd walk away forever. Everyone has. Why can't he? Because he loves himself more and that's just plain sad. "Greatest Boss of All-Time!" What a joke.

 

[KoC417]

Leave Flair in Europe! After all isn't it acceptable in some parts of Europe to remain without the clothes? Isn't that what Flair loves doing? Stripping down, getting drunk and going WOOOO all night long?
I USED to be a huge Ric Flair fan just due to the fact that he essentially gave his life for the fans (well he obviously did it for the money but ya gotta believe he did it for the love of the fans too)

If this is his idea of playing hard ball, well... Game, Set and Match for TNA.

TNA taught Flair a lesson and in effect sent a message down the chain to all the talent at TNA. That message is: It doesn't matter if this tour is named after you, or what your name is. You either play ball with us, or you get left behind. Very solid message sent by TNA. Should help keep a lot of the younger talent in line. I mean if they would do that to the Legend Ric Flair whats to stop them from doing it to anyone?

 

[Swarles Barkley]

No need in critizing Flair, when you can be working on your grammar.

I just said that Hardy left a tour and so did Flair but you should never claim them both to be cry babys.

I wander if he was drunk or what? It said party habbits may have something to do with not getting on the bus.

What is the old saying about those living in glass houses? (For the record, it is criticizing, not critizing, babies, not babys, wonder, not wander and habits, not habbits.) If you are going to criticize others for their grammar, you should be more diligent in making sure your grammar cannot be ridiculed.

As far as Flair is concerned, sounds like it is just Flair being Flair. Nothing sadder than a 60-year-old who can't give up the lifestyle. I'm not saying Flair needs to hang them up or anything, but for the love of God, it sounds like he doesn't know how to act like a grown man. He's still partying it up "Nature Boy style" at his age? Sheesh.

 

[Rayne]

Well, we're all assuming that he didn't come down with the flu, pneumonia, or something else that people in their 60's who've spent their lives in smoky rooms being thrown to the ground catch. But fuck it, let's indulge our fantasies and say that Ric Flair is a healthy man who decided to leave the tour; let's go further and say that he did because he was refused a pay advance.

First, this is the kind of play someone would make when they're one of the biggest stars on the tour. TNA's been getting clobbered with injuries, and soon criminal sentences, so each remaining top-tier star has become that much more valuable. There's an awful lot of leverage to say "give me this or I bail"; maybe not in that language, but certainly to that effect.

Second, Ric isn't leaving TNA unless they don't want him back. He still has plenty of alimony to pay, and Ric Flair has to have known for the past decade that whichever run he's currently on could be his last. Ric Flair makes Brett Favre look like some 45 year-old pensioner, but at some point, television executives in the big companies are just going to say "he's too old to be credible." It's already happened in one of them.

Three, good for TNA for refusing the pay advance! They've spent the past 6 months clawing back salaries and refusing to pay what several of their older stars are looking for. (Calm down, board zeitgeist- Jeff Jarrett said "we are profitable", not "we have enough money to never ever have to negotiate salaries", and whenever I accuse TNA of trying to save a buck, the horror, the horror, there are a couple of people who feel the need to chastise me for claiming TNA's going broke- let's just kill that puppy before it starts biting.) What kind of message does it send that as TNA's trying to lower their labor cost with other wrestlers, they're forwarding money to Ric Flair?

Fourth, leverage. Again. Ric Flair may have thought he had TNA over a barrel by being able to leave and ruin their tour; what he forgot about was that TNA had him over a barrel, being quite possibly the last company on television he's going to work for, fast food chain advertisements for companies south of the Mason-Dixon line excluded.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Not good news for people who are going to the show.

I was going to go to the event in Manchester with a mate. He knows Nick Aldis (Brutus Magnus) and was trying to get us free tickets, but Nick isn't able to give him an answer until the day....but now my mate has to go to a funeral down south that day so he cant go himself. He is still going to pass the tickets on to me if he can get them, and I will go if its free

But with Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Alex Shelley and now Ric Flair off the tour I am definitely not gonna pay to watch. There is only RVD, Tara and The Hardyz I have much interest in seeing, so I will save the £35 and go out with friends instead.

Very disappointing, I was looking forward to seeing Naitch live

 

[Mustang Sally]

As far as Flair is concerned, sounds like it is just Flair being Flair.

Sounds as if Ric Flair is the Manny Ramirez of TNA, eh?

If the whole flap is about money, we shouldn't be surprised, because nothing busts up a business or personal relationship faster than the almighty dollar. On the other hand, does Flair realistically think he can call the shots and leave TNA if he wants? I'm not sure whether he really wants to stay in the profession, or the fact he's paying alimony to 16 wives is the reason he's still around. And now, presuming he can't go back to WWE, what else is left for him except TNA? Does he want to handle his own bookings on the independent circuit at his age?

Probably, the matter will soon be settled and he'll join the troupe in Scotland after paying his own airfare. But this time, the Nature Boy will have to swallow his pride and back down. Wooooo!

 

[Post]

I really hope Ric Flair doesn't leave TNA. He has contributed so much to Impact since he joined TNA that it would be a huge loss. His mic work is still the best they have and you can't put a value on what he can provide in being a mentor.

I'm not surprised if he needed money. I read his book. The Ric Flair we see on TV is the real Ric Flair. He has expensive tastes...

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Flair won't be leaving TNA. His finances are still floating in the toilet and he needs the money. That was his initial reasoning for joining TNA, and that remains hi reasoning at this point in time. Flair, as has already been mentioned, has a history of acting like a diva and throwing a fit if he doesn't get what he wants. It's merely Flair's ego getting the better of him once again.

On a separate note, fans who have tickets to the remaining shows should be asking for a refund. I know Kurt Angle has become a father once again and that injury is preventing Shelley & Styles from competing but when one of the bigger acts on the card doesn’t show because of their diva like behaviour, to me that's worthy of asking for a refund. Flair's behaviour is childish and I feel bad for those who purchased tickets in the hope of seeing Flair appear.

 

[The_Gizzame]

I hope he stays because Flair is awesome and I'm loving the Fortune storyline. Hopefully it was just a little spat and he'll stay in the company. We've seen instances like this before with vets wanting special treatment and whatnot and usually they are resolved.

 

[Next Jericho]

I am actually going to the Manchester TNA event this Friday so I am disappointed to not be seeing him on the tour as I have always wanted to see him live. But what is more funny is that the Europe tour has been called the Wooooo!!! tour with the main attraction being Ric Flair so he may have to swallow his pride and accept what TNA is paying him to attend. I think their is nothing more in WWE for him so that leaves him in TNA or even on the Indy scene, but at Flair age and legal ties TNA seems like his only option.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I realise that some of the big names are missing but TNA has a rep for putting on great house shows unlike the entertainers who are known to put on very safe shows. I would imagine the lower and mid carders are more likely to go all out if given the chance to fill the shoes of the bigger names... besides, I may be wrong but is Flair not still over here? He may be at the Manchester show yet!