Former WWE manager shoots on why Vince McMahon was not a fan of Ric Flair's promo
Former WWE executive Bruce Prichard opened up on why Vince McMahon did not admire 16-time World Champion Ric Flair's promo in 2002.
Ric Flair was persuaded to return to the ring by Vince McMahon in 2002, and it appears that it meant just as much to the boss as it did to The Nature Boy.
However, the former CEO later had issues with the two-time Hall of Famer's in-ring promos. After weeks of build-up for the match, McMahon and Flair indulged in an intense street fight at the 2002 Royal Rumble. However, throughout their rivalry, The Nature Boy had to cut promos that included him yelling and insulting his former boss.
Vince McMahon and Ric Flair put on one of the best street fights ever at royal rumble 2002 in my opinion Mcmahon’s best wresting performance. #wwe #throwback #royalrumble https://t.co/7g8LguXfkb
Hence, this is something that Vince McMahon wasn't a fan of the 16-time World Champion. On the Something to Wrestle podcast, Bruce Prichard mentioned that Mr. McMahon thought Ric Flair was a fan favorite, especially at the time. However, given The Nature Boy's character, McMahon did not think Flair was the right person to be a general manager to verbally smack him.
"I think he [Vince McMahon] wasn't a big fan of Ric's promos by any stretch of the imagination," Prichard said. [0:24 - 0:28]
He further added:
"I think that he was a fan of Ric Flair, the person, especially at the time, and he was a fan of the work. He was a fan of Ric's if that makes any sense. But I think when you especially in 2002, we're talking ten years later, in 2002, he wasn't a fan of that." [1:18 - 1:37]
You can check out the video below:
What did Vince McMahon expect of Ric Flair as a general manager?
During the same interview, former WWE manager Bruce Prichard claimed what the company was looking for in Ric Flair. Since the WWE Hall of Famer was appointed as general manager, Mr. McMahon and the company's creative wanted him to carry the business persona rather than his in-ring character.
Flair graced and checked every box of being a WWE Superstar as a performer. However, the company desired The Nature Boy to venture into an authority figure.
"In this era of Ric being the owner and the general manager, whatever the hell it was, it was trying to present Ric in a different way, a different side of him and a business side of him, and not be that character that he had been for all those years as a performer. We were looking for a different side of him to have him grow," former WWE manager noted. [0:30 - 0:52]
On This Day in Wrestling History - Vince McMahon and Ric Flair 20 years ago today on RAW from MSG 1/7/02 https://t.co/P4zmwTCiXG
Irrespective of their on-screen rivalry, Ric Flair and Vince McMahon have a long history, and a large part of Flair's success in wrestling has been attributed to McMahon's love and support.
What do you think of McMahon and Flair's feud from two decades ago? Sound off in the comments section below.