The feud between “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair and “Macho Man” Randy Savage is considered by many fans to be one of the greatest rivalries of the 1990s, culminating in a classic match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania VIII. However, in a surprising and candid admission, Ric Flair has revealed that he and Savage had “terrible chemistry” in the ring due to their completely opposite philosophies on how to structure a match.
Flair and Savage were two of the biggest and most charismatic stars of their generation, and their on-screen rivalry was incredibly intense and personal. The story, which involved Savage’s real-life wife Miss Elizabeth, is one of the most memorable in WrestleMania history. Behind the scenes, however, their styles did not mesh.
“Terrible Chemistry”
In a new interview with The Escapist Magazine, Flair was asked if he felt he had better chemistry with Savage than he did with Hulk Hogan. His response was surprisingly blunt.
“No, we had terrible chemistry.”
Rehearsing for WrestleMania
Flair then explained the reason for their lack of chemistry. While Flair was famous for his ability to call matches spontaneously in the ring and “feel the crowd,” Savage was a meticulous planner who wanted every single moment of his matches rehearsed ahead of time. This difference in philosophy led to a frustrating week of preparation for their legendary WrestleMania encounter.
“He wanted to rehearse and I didn’t rehearse. I only did it for WrestleMania. Instead of having a week off, I had to come to Tampa and wrestle for three hours a day with him to memorize a match. And that just wasn’t my style. You have to feel the crowd.”
Ric Flair’s surprising revelation about his “terrible chemistry” with Randy Savage provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most famous matches in WrestleMania history. Savage passed away in 2011 and was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. You can read the full interview with Ric Flair at The Escapist Magazine.
