"I was with Naitch when it first started" - WWE Hall of Famer opens up on the Becky Lynch - Ric Flair controversy (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page recently spoke about the controversy and verbal jabs between Becky Lynch and Ric Flair.
Things started to sour between Flair and Lynch when she started using "The Man" gimmick extensively on WWE TV. Flair claimed that he had rights to the name because he had been using the moniker for years during his time in the business. This led to a series of shots where both Flair and Becky dissed each other.
Speaking on the topic in this week's episode of The Bro Show, DDP mentioned that Ric Flair was upset when WWE started making money off "The Man" merchandise and did not give him a cut. The WCW veteran also stated that Flair was known as The Man long before Lynch, so WWE should have taken care of the legend when the company went ahead with the whole act.
"I was with Naitch when it first started," said DDP. "And I think Naitch was a little flattered thinking that it's gonna be here and gone. But then she really started to use it and she made all that money. Let's just say the WWE made all that money on that merchandise. Flair's expecting a cutback. Like A) That's my sh*t. That's mine you know, because, like Vince said, when you talk about 'To be the man, you gotta beat that man,' there's only one guy. He said it a million times."
DDP also compared Flair's usage of The Man to the way Muhammad Ali called himself "The Greatest of All Time." In both cases, the moniker was widely associated with the respective star.
It would be like taking Muhammad Ali's 'The Greatest of All Time,'" DDP continued. "If I just say who said that, you know. If you're going to do that, especially in our business, to me, there should have been some kind of taking care of Nature Boy." (from 26:54 onwards)
You can catch the full episode here:
Vince Russo believes Ric Flair is synonymous with "The Man" moniker
During the interview, Vince Russo also shared his thoughts on the situation. He mentioned it was confusing as to why a woman wanted to be addressed as The Man.
Russo also pointed out that Ric Flair had always been billed as The Man, so he argued that it would be respectful for WWE and Lynch to drop the gimmick altogether.
“Work so hard your heroes become your rivals. Then, become so good, Ric Flair loses his mind every time you breathe”- Becky Lynch - February 2022
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