WWE News: Ric Flair predicts the winner of Royal Rumble
What's the story?
Recently, WWE legend Ric Flair was asked by Sky Sports about his Royal Rumble victory in 1992 and how it shaped his career.
"The Nature Boy" also gave his picks to win both the Men's and Women's Royal Rumble Matches.
In case you didn't know...
In 1992, Ric Flair defied all the odds when he won the Royal Rumble, lasting over an hour to be only one of two men to ever win the World Championship by winning the Royal Rumble Match.
He had returned from a stint in World Championship Wrestling, where his role as one of the top performers in the company seemed to gradually deteriorate due to a hostile relationship with executive vice president, Jim Herd.
Flair, in fact, had only recently joined WWE (then known as WWF) in late 1991, bringing the WCW title belt with him, boasting to be "the real world champion" while holding the belt on WWE TV.
The heart of the matter
Well, anyone who watched the ESPN 30 for 30 on Flair, or indeed any promo he ever cut, will know just how proud he is of his wrestling career - and he recently reflected on what was potentially the single biggest moment of triumph in that lengthy career.
"What made it special was, number one, I didn't know I was going to win it. Number two, I had just left Atlanta (WCW) with no self-confidence, I just couldn't figure out how Jim Herd couldn't see who I was, he didn't understand.
"I went from Atlanta to Albany, New York and my life changed in one day. Literally one day, that's the truth. One day, I was just trying to figure out what I was going to do and the next day, I was the champion."
Ric Flair also cut an absolutely incredible promo in true Nature Boy style after the event, and he opened up about how that came about and why he said what he said.
"When I was walking back down the aisle, Pat Patterson came to me and said, 'You've got a promo.' That was it. He said, 'Talk about how happy you are' and I said, 'No problem'.
What I said was directed right at Jim Herd and anyone who had anything to do with WCW. I've always liked Ted Turner and Ted loved wrestling but he didn't have anything to do with hiring the idiots that ran it. And I repeat: idiots."
He also used his experience of winning the Royal Rumble to predict the two winners of this year's matches.
This year marks the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble Match and, with Ric's daughter Charlotte not featuring in the match by virtue of being the WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, The 16-time World Champion turned his attention to the red brand to pick his winner - dishing out some very high praise indeed for his pick.
"I would say Asuka. She's colourful, the fans love her and she's like the women's version of (Great) Muta, with the paint and everything, and she's very talented. All of the kids from Japan that come over are technically and mechanically very strong."
And the men's match?
Well, let's say it's a polarising choice from Flair.
"When you keep in mind a lot of the focus is pointing towards Mania, then I think Roman Reigns has got a good chance. I love Roman, he's a great character and a great guy. He deserves it."
What's next?
Well, we won't have to wait long to find out if Flair has got it right. The Royal Rumble event takes place tomorrow in Philadelphia.
The winner of each match will face off against the respective champions of their brand at WrestleMania and go down in history - particularly in the women's match as it's the first time such a match has happened in WWE.
Author's take
Well, it's hard to throw a flag on any insight Ric Flair gives about wrestling. Asuka will no doubt be a favourite of many. She's still undefeated and had a very strong showing on RAW, but we know that can sometimes be to the detriment of the Superstar who stands tall immediately before a pay-per-view. With rumblings of Ronda Rousey appearing, Asuka may have some stiff competition but, being undefeated in WWE, she's a hard lady to bet against.
In terms of Roman, there isn't a lot to be said. We know what happened last time the Rumble was held at the Wells Fargo Center, with "The Big Dog" walking out tall after a 30-minute spell where he eliminated six names from the match.
Nakamura seems to be a popular pick for this year's match, but who knows? We'll find out very soon indeed!
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