Highlights

• Ric Flair, a wrestling legend, solidified his status as a driving force in WCW's rise to prominence during the 1980s, holding the WCW World title seven times.
• Flair's final stint in WCW from 1993 to 2001 was filled with adversity as he found himself at odds with management and experienced disrespectful treatment.
• WCW's mishandling of Flair led to significant self-confidence issues and diminishing storylines, exposing him to brutalizations at the hands of wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and the NWO.

Ric Flair, a name etched in the annals of wrestling history, carved out a legacy of greatness that spanned decades. While modern audiences may associate him with his WWE triumphs, it was during the 1980s that Flair solidified his status as a driving force in WCW's rise to prominence. A larger-than-life figure with unparalleled charisma and in-ring prowess, he held the WCW World title an astounding seven times. Yet, beneath the glittering veneer of success, Flair's final stint in WCW, from 1993 to 2001, harbored a somber tale of a wrestling legend who found himself ensnared in a web of adversity. Fans today might not know the tumultuous circumstances that led to Flair's descent from icon to a broken man during his waning days in WCW.

Ric Flair In The Glory Days Of WCW

In the heyday of WCW, Ric Flair stood as a towering figure, solidifying his status as one of the greatest wrestling talents to ever step into the squared circle. His charisma, in-ring prowess, and unmatched mic skills drew fans in droves. His style was a unique blend of technical wrestling, flashy maneuvers, and the theatrics that defined the era. His signature "Figure-Four Leglock" submission hold became as iconic as his "Woo!" catchphrase. Flair's ability to tell a story in the ring, combined with his flamboyant persona, turned each match into a captivating spectacle.

Yet, as the 1990s rolled on, Flair's legacy took an unexpected turn during his final stint in WCW from 1993 to 2001. In 1991, Flair made a monumental departure from WCW to WWE, experiencing what many consider the zenith of his career. With a career resurgence in WWE, he left an indelible mark, only to return to WCW in 1993 to a rousing reception.

RELATED: Why Ric Flair Left WCW In 1991, Explained

Things Went South For Ric Flair In WCW

However, the backstage reality was far less celebratory. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Flair voiced his regrets about this return, citing Vince McMahon's inclination towards younger talent as the reason. He said, “I had another year and a half, the greatest time of my life, and the worst mistake I ever made was leaving.” Ric added, "Vince McMahon said to me ‘We’re going to go younger,’ and he said ‘if you want to go back, they’ve been calling me every day so I’m sure they’ve been calling you, go in and go.'”

Adding insult to injury, Flair found himself at odds with WCW management, particularly Eric Bischoff. In stark contrast to his earlier iconic status, Flair experienced disrespectful treatment from Bischoff. This sour relationship culminated in a lawsuit after Flair missed a WCW Thunder promo due to his commitment to attend his son's first wrestling meet. This was a clear reflection of the diminishing regard for a wrestling legend.

He talked about his hate for working with Eric on This Past Weekend and said, "Hated it, the worst. Well, I was out of sight, out of mind. It didn't work. He kept trying to lose me. He thought if he could take me off TV and bury me, he forgot where I'd been for 20 years, 25 years before I met him. You don't lose 25 years of being a man and then all of a sudden have some dipsh*t try and put you in the back of the pack. He beat my brains out, though. That was a big-time loss of self-confidence, period, in my life." Over the years Ric has stated several times that going back to WCW was one of the worst decisions he has ever made.

RELATED: 5 Wrestlers Who Loved Ric Flair (& 5 Who Hated Him In The Past)

Ric Flair's Fall From Grace In WCW

During his final years in WCW, Flair's once-glowing star was subjected to diminishing storylines, exposing him to brutalizations at the hands of wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and the New World Order (NWO). Despite being the biggest draw in many territories, the creative control wielded by Bischoff, Hogan, and Kevin Nash became a tool for burying Flair's legacy. Flair's admission that these circumstances led to significant self-confidence issues underscores the toll that WCW's mishandling of him had taken on his psyche

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Flair opened up about how anxiety detailed his career while talking to Helwani. He said, “I felt I was lost, I could not attach myself to it, I was not having any fun. It is hard to explain, but wrestling when you can’t feel your hands, especially when I’m gonna do a flip or I’m pushing off somebody for a backdrop, or take a press slam or something… it was brutal.” He added about the time he went back to WWE in 2001 after they bought WCW, he had to add a stringent no-compete clause. “I had self-confidence issues when they brought me back, but I didn’t experience any of that (before). When I went back, I was never supposed to wrestle again.” Luckily for Flair and his fans, he found his confidence back and wrestled for many more years in WWE and redefined his legacy.