Former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair appeared at NWA 73 in St. Louis.
Flair said he wasn’t going to cry until the end. He said he signed autographs with Pete Rose yesterday and talked with Dennis Rodman and Daris Rucker and he talked with Lawrence Taylor…all because he was the NWA Champion and they all grew up watching him.
Flair said that as long as he is alive he will never let people forget about the NWA. He got emotional when talking about his time in St. Louis.
Flair thanked his wife Wendy because she picked him up every time he fell down just like HBK, The Undertaker, Vince Mcmahon, and Steve Austin picked him up. He said, “Vince McMahon, I love you. That’s why I’m here.”
Flair said he knows Vince is not watching but he will hear about this and knows that Vince knows that Flair is where he belongs. He thanked Triple H for not giving up on him and said that the NWA Title is hanging in Triple H’s office. Flair said Shawn Michaels carried him at the age of 59 and Taker carried him. Flair said that Steve Austin always asks him to tell NWA stories.
Flair then told a Harley Race story and then talked about wrestling names like Race, Terry Funk, Dory, Jack Brisco, Ted DiBiase, Baron Von Raschke, Lanza, and Dick The Bruiser in St. Louis. He named Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold and others that grew up on the NWA and that is why they respect the brand and they respect him.
Flair said he is happy and so is Tony Khan and Billy Corgan because more brands are needed because there’s not enough spots. Flair said he can fly to St. Louis and see Steve McMichael tomorrow and have a drink with Tony Khan on Thursday night. Flair said that he went from being great, to getting his haircut and being buried in the desert in WCW and looking “like crap” on the final Nitro and then getting the call from Jim Ross to go back to WWE. He talked about wrestling The Undertaker in 2002 and he thanked Hunter and Shawn. He also tanked Randy and Bob Orton and he wanted Randy to break his title record. He also mentioned his kids Ashley, Megan and David. He also thanked Billy Corgan for calling him and he thought that Corgan wanted to give him a title shot with Nick Aldis. Flair talked about his appearance at Triplemania. Flair hit the ropes and then did his strut and said that Corgan only wanted him to talk and not wrestle.
Click here for complete results from NWA 73.
Incredible speech by Ric Flair at #NWA73 https://t.co/cPyoQfJ44f
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) August 30, 2021