WWE Hall of Famer refused to wrestle Ric Flair fearing the legend could "pass away" inside the ring (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat recently spilled the beans on why he refused to wrestle his arch-rival Ric Flair in the latter's last match.
Steamboat vs. Flair is one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history, with the duo colliding in several legendary encounters in NWA that hold up to this date. As such, fans believed Ricky Steamboat would have been the perfect last opponent for The Nature before he hung up his boots for good. However, this didn't materialize, and Steamboat has now revealed why he refused to be a part of Flair's last match.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter, the WWE Hall of Famer disclosed that he did have discussions with Conrad Thompson, the promoter of the match. Though the talks went well, Steamboat revealed he backed out of the agreement upon learning that Ric Flair had a pacemaker placed in his heart.
"Initially, you know, Conrad, who's the promoter, we talked, we went to Nashville, and we had a sit down, and it was Conrad, his wife, and me and my wife, Sandy. I was still training pretty good and feeling pretty good. So I said okay, and we hadn't signed or sealed the deal on the money part of it. But what put the nail in the coffin was a week after that when I found out Flair was wearing a pacemaker," said Ricky Steamboat.
The former Intercontinental Champion added that he wasn't aware of Flair's condition. Ricky Steamboat explained that he didn't want his legacy to be tarnished in case something unfortunate happened to The Nature Boy during the match.
"All these years, I never knew, and I immediately said I don't think I wanna do this. I don't want to my legacy to be, you know, I was in a ring with when he happened to pass away or something went wrong," added Ricky Steamboat [1:37 - 2:40]
Check out the full video below:
WWE legend Ric Flair's last match was a tag team affair
Though a dream match against Ricky Steamboat didn't materialize, Ric Flair still had a memorable final hurrah inside the squared circle. The Nature Boy teamed up with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to square off against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal at the pay-per-view aptly named Ric Flair's Last Match on July 31st.
The GIF that keeps on giving. @RealJeffJarrett
Be sure to check out @FiteTV's #12daysofFITEPlus to watch back Ric Flair's Last Match and The Roast! They also got Tyson, Jake Paul and a bunch more. https://t.co/S7a2p84gQB
As expected, Flair didn't leave any stone unturned and gave it his all in the ring. By the end, the WWE Hall of Famer was drenched in blood but still managed to secure the win for his side by locking in Jeff Jarrett in a Figure Four lock.
Did you enjoy Ric Flair's last match? Do you think he should step back inside the ring again for a bout with Steamboat? Sound off in the comments section below.
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