"Fails miserably as a man" – Ric Flair's former opponent blasts the WWE legend
Ric Flair lost the respect of Shane Douglas when he allegedly lied to The Franchise during their time together in WCW.
Douglas, who is 15 years younger than Flair, asked his experienced co-worker to provide feedback on his in-ring ability. After agreeing to help, The Nature Boy often made positive remarks about the former ECW star's wrestling technique.
In a WSI interview, Douglas recalled how he slowly realized that Flair was giving him feedback on matches he did not even watch. Following those conversations, the four-time ECW World Champion knew he could not trust the iconic superstar's opinion:
"Incredible in-ring performer and fails miserably as a man," Douglas said. "To me, if somebody comes up and says that to me, and I'm very cautious of this because I've told that story, when a young guy comes up to me, or girl, and says, 'Hey, will you watch my match?' if I have the time to do it, I will. And if I do, I give them the feedback, and I tell people, 'I don't sugar-coat stuff,' because it never was to me, and that's how you learn." [5:00 – 5:25]
Douglas and Flair faced each other in two singles matches in WCW in 2000, with both men winning one apiece.
What exactly did Ric Flair say to Shane Douglas?
Suspecting that Ric Flair had repeatedly lied to him, Shane Douglas pretended after a match that he had performed a crossbody on his opponent.
Unified NWA/WCW World Tag Team Champions Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Shane Douglas,back in 1992 https://t.co/lR2kEuHkmE
Upon returning backstage, he asked Flair what he thought of the crossbody. Despite the move never happening, the veteran allegedly described it as "perfect" and compared Douglas to legendary wrestler Ricky Steamboat:
"I came back and I went up to him and said, 'How was it [the match]?'" Douglas recalled. "He said, 'Oh, it was great.' Same generic stuff. I said, 'How was the crossbody?' and he went [silent], like he was thinking, and honest to God, in my head I'm saying, 'Please say you didn't see one, please say you didn't see one.' And after what seemed to be several seconds, he went, 'Perfect, better than Steamboat.'" [4:28 – 4:49]
Ric Flair rarely holds back when discussing his former opponents. In March 2022, he said Douglas "never succeeded anywhere" and does not belong in a wrestling Hall of Fame.
What do you make of the latest back-and-forth between Ric Flair and Shane Douglas? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.