Ric Flair Appears at NWA 73, Thanks Vince McMahon & Stresses Need For Brands in Wrestling

Ric Flair made his return to the National Wrestling Alliance at NWA 73, cutting a promo where he thanked Vince McMahon and teased having a drink with Tony Khan. Flair appeared at Sunday’s PPV and delivered a lengthy speech in the ring, a couple of clips you can listen to below.

One of those clips features Flair thanking several people in his life and career, including McMahon who he says wouldn’t be watching, but he’d hear about it. He noted:

“I want to thank my beautiful wife Wendy. Every time I’ve fell down, she picked me up. Just like Triple H picked me up, just like Shawn picked me up, just like Taker picked me up, just like Austin picked me up. Just like everybody!

“Vince McMahon, I love you! Thank you. That’s why I’m here. And you know what, Vince McMahon’s not gonna watch this, but he’s gonna hear about it. He’s gonna say, ‘Ric Flair’s back where he belongs, with anybody he wants to be with on a given night.’ And I deserve that right.

“And Hunter, thank you for every time you told me that I was Ric Flair, and to go out and be the best I can be. Because I let myself down night after night, you would not give up. But he didn’t care about my WCW run. Hunter grew up on the NWA. And guess what’s hanging in his office? Not the WWE belt, but the NWA belt he bought from me.

“And Shawn Michaels, who carried me at the age of 59, WrestleMania. Thank you again! Taker, who carried me at WrestleMania, thank you! Steve Austin, who every time I’m with asks me to tell him an NWA story.”

Flair went on to talk about the legends he’s worked with in the NWA and said said he’s happy, so is McMahon, and so is Tony Khan. He talked about how wrestling needs brands and he can visit with Steve McMichael, then fly to Chicago and have a drink with Tony Khan and watch Chris Jericho wrestle.

He thanked Undertaker, Michaels, and Triple H again, as well as Randy Orton and Bob Orton, noting that he wanted Randy Orton Orton to break his record “until the Queen went 12.” He thanked Billy Corgan and joked that when he got the call, he thought they wanted him to face Nick Aldis for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title, but Corgan said they just needed him to talk. He proceeded to thank everyone again including the crowd as a “Thank You Ric” cant went through the venue.

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