The legendary Ric Flair is a polarizing figure in pro wrestling due to his behavior behind the scenes. Flair was an all-time great in-ring performer and has an argument for being the greatest to ever do it. However, the larger-than-life personality extended to real-life with Flair clashing with other wrestlers outside of the ring.

Flair is never one to hold back from expressing his opinion, and it caused friction with others he didn’t like or respect in the industry. A hit list also exists of names who have a great relationship with the Nature Boy after all this time. Flair loved or hated the following wrestlers in real life for various reasons.

UPDATE: 2024/12/16 20:00 EST BY JOEY HAVERFORD

Controversy has become part of Ric Flair’s reputation in his post-retirement years due to how often he shares his opinion. Chances are the entire wrestling world will know if Flair loves or has an issue with you. Wrestlers from the past and present will see Flair randomly dropping his opinion on them.

Flair taking on different roles throughout the years saw him getting back involved in wrestling to work with new names. Wrestlers didn’t have to do much to see Flair giving all the information since he loves knowing people care about his opinion. The following wrestlers witnessed this for better or worse.

Loved: Mick Foley

Became Friends After Unexpected Rivalry

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’2”
287 pounds
59

Mick Foley is such a beloved person that he got along well with almost everyone in wrestling, including wrestlers who hated each other like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. However, one name to clash with Foley over petty personal issues was Ric Flair.

Flair insulting Foley in his book and demeaning his success by calling him a stunt man led to Foley firing back. The duo ended up having a backstage fight and worked shoot program off it. The bigger story is the end here as Flair and Foley became close after working together. Flair now calls Foley a great friend, and Foley went out of his way to attend Flair’s last match.

Hated: Becky Lynch

Flair Almost Ruined WWE Relationship Due To Drama

Height
Weight
Current Age

5’6”
135 pounds
37

Becky Lynch having a falling out with Charlotte Flair led to Ric Flair becoming an enemy as well. “The Man” moniker being used Lynch upset Ric enough to take their falling out and make it a more personal issue with public rants and lawsuits.

Flair issued a lawsuit to WWE and Lynch over the catchphrase that he felt was too similar to his “To be the man, you have to beat the man” quote. The bad blood almost ruined Flair’s WWE relationship, but he eventually thought better and apologized to Becky in a cordial meeting.

Loved: Will Ospreay

AEW Talent Received Massive Praise From Flair

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’1”
220 pounds
31

Ric Flair’s short time in AEW was mostly to add to Sting’s retirement story, but he enjoyed interacting with some new names. Will Ospreay made his PPV debut match as a full-time AEW roster member on the same night of Sting’s retirement.

Flair spoke glowingly about Ospreay by saying he was worth the hype and so much more after an instant classic against Konosuke Takeshita. Ospreay didn’t shy away from sharing his perspective for getting one of the greatest honors of his career to have Flair show him respect.

Hated: Sami Zayn

Flair Once Felt Disrespected By WWE Star

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’1”
212 pounds
40

Sami Zayn received some public criticism from Ric Flair over a backstage interaction that rubbed him the wrong way. Flair felt that Zayn didn’t have time to say hello to a legend like him and was more concerned about whatever his work day was about.

Most would agree that it’s hard to not focus on work first at work, but Flair felt Zayn had no respect for him. The two did make peace when Flair started attending WWE shows again and saw the skill set of Zayn helping the Bloodline storyline reach new heights.

Loved: Sting

Mutual Respect Led To Friendship Lasting Many Decades

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’2”
250 pounds
65

Sting’s career reached new heights thanks to Ric Flair elevating him in high-level matches to prove he was a budding star. WCW was built on the backs of Sting and Flair as the two top overall performers in company history having many matches along the way.

TNA, WWE, and AEW all saw them working together for small chapters of their careers. Flair having a short run in AEW was mostly due to Tony Khan wanting Sting to have everything he wanted on his retirement tour. Sting has always been praised and respected by Flair due to the shared love.

Hated: Eric Bischoff

Flair & Bischoff Still Exchange Insults To This Day

Height
Weight
Current Age

5’10”
195 pounds
69

Eric Bischoff became an enemy of Ric Flair in WCW due to their inability to get on the same page. Flair felt disrespected by Bischoff many times, but it reached a new level when he was suspended and threatened with lawsuits for missing Thunder to attend his son’s amateur wrestling match.

A personal vendetta saw Bischoff even talking about bankrupting Flair’s family in the court room. The two eventually turned it into a worked shoot program and made peace years later in WWE. However, Flair hearing Bischoff criticize him in documentaries today led to the beef returning with them insulting each other publicly.

Loved: Ricky Steamboat

Flair & Steamboat Have Been Close Since Iconic Series

Height
Weight
Current Age

5’10”
237 pounds
71

The multiple matches between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat felt like the first of its kind to have such a high level of work rate quality. Future generations getting inspired by the two saw more talents hoping to deliver exciting matches over the Hulk Hogan or Ultimate Warrior style of that era.

Steamboat has always been considered one of the kindest people in the wrestling world. Flair felt that with the two becoming close friends after working together all over the world. Steamboat has been at various events honoring Flair and vice versa with their friendship still strong today.

Hated: Paul Roma

Flair & Arn Anderson Loathed Having Less Talented Horsemen Member

Height
Weight
Current Age

5’11”
235 pounds
64

WCW talked Ric Flair and Arn Anderson into forming a new version of the Four Horsemen with Paul Roma as the newest member. Roma had a great look and athletic background to make WCW want to invest in him as a future top star after coming over from WWE.

Fans didn’t buy into Roma joining such a top act, and the other members felt the same. Flair and Anderson both clashed with Roma leading to a failed run together. All three have said negative things about each other through the years, with Roma saying he stole Flair’s spotlight in a 2008 interview.

Loved: The Undertaker

Undertaker Sat In Crowd For Flair’s Last Match Out Of Respect

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’10”
309 pounds
59

Ric Flair made many new friends during his WWE tenures, but his friendship with The Undertaker took off when they were paired together for WrestleMania 18. Undertaker has talked about having the choice between Flair and Rob Van Dam for that match before picking the veteran.

Both men were extremely respectful towards the other’s accomplishments and legacy. Undertaker is close enough with Flair to attend his last match and sit in the front row to watch it. Flair felt emotional about Undertaker and others showing their love by actually attending the event.

Hated: Scott Steiner

Steiner Thought Flair Made Him Look Bad On Purpose

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’1”
276 pounds
62

Scott Steiner having a big world title match against Ric Flair earlier in his singles career saw him accusing Flair of trying to make him look bad with a weak performance. The anger and resentment from Steiner existed for years until he became a bigger star to have more creative freedom.

Steiner cut shoot promos burying Flair on a personal level towards the end of WCW. Flair has talked about not appreciating Steiner’s disrespect, but they have been cordial whenever working together. Steiner continued trashing Flair after his 2000s WWE stint.

Loved: Bret Hart

Legends Are Friends After Having One Of Wrestling’s Biggest Beefs

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’0”
235 pounds
67

Bret Hart and Ric Flair used to insult each other based on the name of competition. Neither man enjoyed the other’s working style compared to their own and took it seriously when fans or critics said the other was better.

Hart went as far as to make comics mocking Flair for bleeding so much in matches during his older years. The two legends made peace after working together for a Charlotte Flair vs Natalya program. Flair has talked about Hart becoming one of his best friends, and Bret was another name to attend Ric’s last match.

Hated: Vince Russo

Russo Embarrassed Flair On WCW Television

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’2”
220 pounds
63

The Vince Russo era of WCW placed Ric Flair in quite a few embarrassing storylines. Russo had a personal feud against Flair that culminated with moments of Russo shaving Ric’s head and attempting to make out with his wife.

Flair has insulted Russo for being one of the worst writers in wrestling history after WCW ended. The issues re-emerged in recent years when Flair named Russo on the short list of names who deserve the most blame for WCW dying.

Loved: Steve Austin

Flair & Stone Cold Have Always Had Positive Relationship

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’2”
252 pounds
59

Steve Austin grew up viewing Ric Flair as the standard-bearer for pro wrestling when entering the business. The two legends had a lackluster feud in 2002 when Flair was an authority figure and Austin was struggling to find an ideal role in WWE, but they became closer in real life.

Both men slowing down and leaving the ring led to them staying close throughout the years. Flair has appeared on Austin’s various podcasts and interview shows multiple times. Even though Ric did say Austin has been quiet in recent years, the two have never ended the friendship based on respect.

Hated: Shane Douglas

Douglas Insulted Flair On Television For ‘Holding Him Down’

Height
Weight
Current Age

6’0”
240 pounds
59

Shane Douglas felt Ric Flair played a role in holding him down during the early portion of his career in WCW. Douglas’ ECW success came with him naming Flair among others from WWE and WCW he felt deserved to be called out for being a selfish politician.

WCW signed Douglas to work a program with Flair, and it led to terrible worked shoot segments. Flair held his grudge for many years and insulted Douglas for having to work a normal job at Target. Both men clearly dislike each other and have kept the disdain going for over three decades now.