Ric Flair is arguably one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. The Nature Boy generated a legacy that’ll live on forever, especially as his daughter Charlotte followed in his footsteps. However, a recent dispute with WWE almost led to Roman Reigns, WWE’s top star, losing respect for him.

Ric Flair was afraid Roman Reigns lost respect for him

In 2019, Becky Lynch got over with the WWE Universe hugely with ‘The Man’ gimmick. To capitalise on her popularity, WWE decided to trademark the name but met resistance from Ric Flair.

‘The Man’ was Flair’s gimmick during the 80s and 90s, and he felt WWE wronged him by having Becky take the gimmick against his own daughter, Charlotte.

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Under the impression that he would make money, WWE threw him a curveball and gained the rights to the name in 2020. Flair remained upset with WWE for a while, but they have buried the hatchet. Speaking on a pop up show with Conrad Thompson. Flair explained why he didn’t want to lose respect in the eyes of the Tribal Chief.

“I was concerned that I had lost the respect of Roman Reigns. When that whole ‘The Man’ thing went upside down, I had to file the trademark and whatever transpired, it means nothing now.

“I walked right up to him and said ‘Hey, it means a lot to me.’ You want the kids to look forward to you coming, not here he comes again. Especially when you have a daughter that is at the most elite position she can be in. You don’t hear Bob Orton at home, and Bob was a huge star, complaining about anybody. Let bygones be bygones and let it go.”

What was ‘The Man’ issue?

In 2018, Becky Lynch‘s rise to superstardom came at the expense of Charlotte Flair. Although booked as a babyface, Flair was forced to turn heel in her rivalry against Lynch, as the fans wouldn’t stop backing Becky. Ultimately, Lynch went over Flair, and ‘The Man’ gimmick became a reality in 2019.

In September 2019, Flair filed for the trademark for ‘The Man’, which was his gimmick/catchphrase [to be the man, you gotta beat the man]. In an ironic sense, WWE beat the Man to become The Man, as losing respect overcame his need to be called the Man.

Speaking to TMZ, Flair said, “Becky can have [The Man] all day long. I’m glad! But I want the company to pay me for it because I’m going to take care of my family. I am going to be ‘The Man’, and if I don’t get it, you know what my tombstone will say? ‘He died trying to be The Man’.” In the end, Becky became The Man, and Flair continued supporting her and Charlotte’s careers.

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