"They all thought he was dying in the ring" - WWE Veteran recalls famous Ric Flair match
Many regard Ric Flair as possibly the greatest wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots and step in the squared circle. Having wrestled across multiple decades, Flair has truly established his legacy. However, his last match drew quite a lot of criticism from fans and critics alike. Dutch Mantell recalled his memory of watching the match and thinking that Flair was going to die.
Last year, Ric Flair competed in his heavily promoted "last match," where he tagged alongside his son-in-law Andrade to wrestle Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in a tag team match. While Flair and Andrade came out on top, the match was clearly designed to protect Flair as he was wrestling at the age of 73. While it did feature some classic Nature Boy spots, such as his chops, his signature strut, and his iconic figure four leglock, many felt that it lacked a lot more.
On the recent edition of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the former manager opened up his thoughts on Flair's final match and had a lot to say regarding the condition The Nature Boy was in.
"I said, 'the last match should be a big deal.' The last match against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal it should mean something. Well, it did mean something, Flair damn near died. They all thought he was dying in the ring. And he said he made it up because they wanted to do all kinds of things to him. No. Ric, you would have objected to that when they brought it up. They were gonna suplex him outside? No. They were gonna come off the top on him and drop the elbow? No. Watching the match, hell I thought he was gonna die", said Mantell [From 02:42 to 03:30]
Check out the full video below:
Many notable names were in attendance for Ric Flair's last match
Ric Flair's last match was a major attraction, and it caught the eyes of many around the world. With almost 7,000 fans in attendance, Flair attracted some of his old colleagues as well. Those in attendance included The Undertaker, Mick Foley, and Bret Hart.
Flair left the match bloodied and shared a passionate speech following the bout. He also embraced Hart, Foley, and The Undertaker, along with his family members, who were all sitting together in the front row.
While Ric Flair has expressed his desire to possibly have one more match, many believe that his match against Lethal and Jarrett was the last we'll see of The Nature Boy in the ring.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.