Ric Flair is still a live wire with an open mic. The 76-year-old legend was a guest on Ariel Helwani’s show on Monday and he was asked about a number of recent topics, not least of which was about the death of his contemporary and fellow wrestling icon Hulk Hogan.
Helwani also asked Flair how he felt about his daughter Charlotte’s current storyline with Alexa Bliss. Flair said he thinks “it’s the best part of the show.” Helwani also made mention of a recent promo from current women’s WWE champion Tiffany Stratton that strayed into a very personal area.
“You know what? I’m embarrassed for her…,” Flair said. “I’m not gonna say anymore because I don’t want it to affect anything, but that was the cheapest s**t I’ve ever heard in my life.” Helwani said he didn’t know if it was a shoot or a work.
“Well, whatever it was (whether it was a work or a shoot), it was hurtful,” Flair said. “If it was a shoot, that’s even worse, because that’s nothing to joke about.”
In case you missed it, Flair is referring to the promo from the April 4 episode of SmackDown ahead of Charlotte and Stratton’s championship match at WrestleMania.
Stratton made comments about Charlotte Flair being alone and having an 0-3 record outside of the ring. That was a shot at Charlotte’s three marriages and subsequent divorces.
Yeah, it was pretty nasty, and Charlotte looked visibly and legitimately bothered. She even fired back, “Is that why Kaiser is in my DMs?” That was a reference to Ludwig Kaiser, Stratton’s real-life boyfriend.
Here is a look at the segment.
We’ve seen promos flow into some uncomfortable places over the years, but this was one of the cringiest spots I can recall. I can imagine Ric wouldn’t have appreciated his daughter’s business being referenced that way.
The two went on to have a strong match at WrestleMania, and Charlotte has rebounded well. As Flair and Helwani mentioned in their interview, the current program that has Flair and Alexa Bliss chasing the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles is strong.
Charlotte is as over with the crowd as she’s been her entire career, and most importantly, she seems happy.
Stratton is an outstanding performer, and at 26, she is one of the brightest stars in WWE. In 10 years, it will be interesting to see if she regrets taking that promo to a forbidden place, or if there are other things behind the scenes that led to the ether.
As it is, Stratton is still the WWE Women’s Champion, and both women are thriving in their current roles.
