"Ric, I'm sorry, I can't" - Star reveals why he changed his mind about buying Ric Flair a drink (Exclusive)
Former TNA star Shawn Hernandez shared an epic story about Ric Flair during an appearance on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted.
Hernandez worked with Flair in the mid-2000s, and he recalled hanging out with The Nature Boy for dinner after a show in West Virginia.
Even in real life, Flair was known to drift in and out of his character, and Hernandez got a first-hand experience of the legend's vibrant persona when they met after a TNA event. The former tag team champion recalled how Ric Flair, seated with his son Reid, stood up and told Hernandez to join them at their table.
"(...)I put my head down because I'm not even dealing with this thing," said Hernandez. "'Hey Hernandez, get over here.' So, I go over there; he moves Reid over. Let Hernandez sit right next to me. And he starts putting, I guess, you know he was trying to get Reid more focused on wrestling."
Hernandez explained that he felt it was the perfect chance for him to buy the iconic Ric Flair a drink, and he didn't miss out on the opportunity to ask the legend.
The former WWE star immediately went into gimmick mode and warned Hernandez he would have to purchase drinks for everyone at the bar and not just him. Hernandez then rescinded his offer after realizing that Flair was not joking around with him.
"So, I tried to get my magic moment right there," Hernandez continued. "I said, 'Mr. Flair, may I buy you a drink, please?' And then he went straight to Ric Flair mode, 'He looked at me and goes 'Son, you buy Ric Flair a drink, you buy the whole bar a drink.' And I'm thinking; I thought he was screwing with me, right? So, I said, 'Come on, Ric, just let me buy you a drink.' Like I said, 'If you buy Ric Flair a drink, you've got to buy the whole bar a drink.' And I looked around; there might have been at least 1500 people at the bar. There is no way I'm going to have to call my wife and tell her I paid at least eight grand. I looked up and went, 'Ric, I'm sorry, I can't buy you a drink." [24:07 - 26:06]
Shawn Hernandez says Ric Flair left a house show that had only 500 people
While Flair was adored backstage in TNA, the 16-time world champion was still as spirited as ever and didn't carry himself like a superstar past his prime.
Hernandez revealed that before meeting Flair, when he offered to buy him a drink, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer left a TNA live event because it barely had 500 people in the arena.
"I'll tell an abbreviated PG version of a story; it's nothing bad at all," Hernandez recalled. "We had a house show in West Virginia, and he showed up, and it was a high school or something like this, and he left because there were only like 500 people there." [23:15 - 24:04]
In addition to his hilarious encounter with Flair, Shawn Hernandez also opened up about working with AJ Styles, Sting, and various other stars during this week's episode of UnSKripted, which you can check out above.
While using the quotes from this article, please add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video.