Ric Flair On If This Weekend’s Match Really Will Be His Last

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet for Insight, Ric Flair spoke about whether or not his match this weekend will actually be his last match. He is set to team with Andrade el Idolo against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal on Sunday. We were sent the following highlights:

On Vince McMahon retiring: “I wasn’t happy about it at all, I love Vince McMahon. I don’t know what he is doing right now but I feel like he will have a hard time. He will adjust obviously, but he loved the business and he made us all who we are, from Hulk to everybody. I don’t care what everybody else thinks, he made us, and I have nothing but respect for him. He is a majority stockholder; I don’t know if he will [stay away] or not. He’s a genius.”

On if this really will be the final match for Ric Flair: “It has to be. I get that question asked a lot, but it has to be. Even if I do well, I can’t go back on my word to the people that have given me all this respect, time and bought tickets. I have been offered 10 matches at 50 grand a piece, and I think in Europe someone offered me 100 grand. But this will be the last one. I can manage somebody and be in the ring, but it will be my last match.”

On possibly having a legendary opponent like Hulk Hogan or Ricky Steamboat as the last match: “Well neither one of them are physically able to do it. I talked with Steamboat for a long time and he’s got issues with his back and his shoulder. I think that if Ricky wanted to go out, he had that great run with Jericho back in 2011, I think. I think Ricky wanted to go out with that memory, because he was as good back then as he was in his prime. He had some great matches and he liked the ‘You still got it.’ Why put that on the line again? And Hulk, he has had so many back surgeries, a double hip replacement, double knee replacement, why take a chance? For me, everything is still hooked up still, thank God!”

On John Cena possibly becoming a 17-time world champion: “I don’t think so. I don’t think they will ever give it to a part time performer. I think that Randy Orton has a better shot at it, Randy will come back, he has to have surgery. But I certainly wouldn’t be offended because the real number is 21. They all have a way to go. But I love John Cena, he is a such a credible performer and just one of the great guys in the business. About 10 years ago they told John that he couldn’t hang around with me. No, like 2008, I would go out drinking with John, and John could drink some beers back then. But then they said ‘Hey, we would like you to hang around a bit less with Flair on those European tours. I didn’t take it personally.”