"He's doing it because of vanity" - Former WWE star on Ric Flair's in-ring return
Dutch Mantell is not too keen on Ric Flair returning to the ring at 73 years old.
On July 31, 2022, The Nature Boy will wrestle in an official match for the first time since 2011. He recently stated that FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) would be part of the upcoming tag team bout.
Speaking to WSI's James Romero, Mantell speculated that Flair "doesn't want to be remembered as a guy who just couldn't do it anymore" inside the squared circle. While considering possible reasons why the two-time WWE Hall of Famer would risk an in-ring return, he said:
"I think he's doing it because of vanity." Mantell continued, "That's exactly why I think he's doing it because there's no other reason, really." [1:20-1:27]
He also said that the tag team contest could be good in terms of quality if Flair's "participation is held down to a minimum."
Dutch Mantell on Ricky Steamboat's response to possibly facing Ric Flair in 2022
Widely considered one of Ric Flair's greatest opponents, Ricky Steamboat — currently 69 years old — has declined an offer to wrestle in The Nature Boy's last match. While the legendary babyface could have received a good payday for the bout, he does not want to tarnish fans' memories of his work inside the squared circle.
During a recent appearance on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell gave his take on Steamboat's reluctance towards an in-ring comeback:
"He [Steamboat] had to turn him down; hell, he might drop dead. What if both of them got into the match and both of them dropped dead?" said Mantell. [20:44-20:51]
Although the wrestling world has been split with contrasting opinions on Ric Flair's imminent return, it would be interesting to see how the man himself fares against his opponents this summer.
While using quotes from this article, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.