Ric Flair: The Nature Boy Discusses Loss of Son & His Own Near Death Experience

FOLLOW THE PIVOT PODCAST: MERCH | https://pivotpodcast.com YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/thepivotpodcast INSTAGRAM | https://instagram.com/thepivot TWITTER | https://twitter.com/thepivot TIKTOK | https://tiktok.com/@thepivot FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/thepivotpodcast FOLLOW HAPPY DAD: https://www.instagram.com/happydad FIND HAPPY DAD: https://www.happydad.com/find The Nature Boy joins the Pivot in an entertaining yet emotional conversation about life with Ryan, Channing and Fred. The conversation opens up with Flair explaining his inspiration for the larger than life persona he cultivated through his in-ring antics and lavish personality which became the standard of swagger for generations. "It all really started when I saw Joe Namath at Alabama and heard he slept with a hundred girls his freshman year and I said, that's my kind of man," Flair laughs while telling the story as the guys continue to reminisce with him over some of the more notable stories of his career. Wrestling was a gateway to being an entertainer for The Nature Boy who is proud of the reputation he created while setting a standard for people all over the world who genuinely admired him for his boastful behavior and carefree lifestyle. As the conversation continues, Flair opens up about some of the darker moments in his life: losing his son and his own near death experience. With the anniversary of his son's death near, Ric talks about the loss and how he cried everyday for years after losing him to a drug overdose. "For five years, I drank from 10 in the morning until 2am... Everyday I'd wake up and it's still right in front of me what happened," Ric shares in an emotional moment describing how hard it was to find his son and how it doesn't get easier even though it's been years. Offering comfort as fathers, the men relate to his post loss mentality and couldn't imagine being in that position. Flair goes on to share how he fortunate he feels to be alive and have made the global impact he did on so many lives sharing stories and conversations he's had with various celebrities and athletes over the years. Turning back to a positive note, Flair shares that his infamous coined phrase "Wooo!" was derived from Jerry Lee Lewis' 1957 hit "Great Balls of Fire" while listening to the song on a road trip. Channing goes right for the gusto asking if the rumored number of sleeping with 10,000 women is accurate... The Nature Boy breaks down the numbers by days and explains how although he doesn't know the exact number, it could be close to that figure! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest, or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra. Because it's not just a superior like beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 0:31Speaker 01

  How are you, man? What are you doing? How are you?

• 0:33Ryan Clark?

  Ryan Clark. It is such a pleasure, man. It is such a pleasure, man.

• 0:36Speaker 01

  I didn't know Ryan Clark could be here, man. I got that, I got that same coat.

• 0:41Ryan Clark?

  How are you?

• 0:42Speaker 01

  All right, brother. Look at you, what the hell?

• 0:44Ryan Clark?

  Man, you are clean, man.

• 0:46Speaker 01

  I watch you every goddamn morning, man.

• 0:48Ryan Clark?

  Oh, appreciate it, man.

• 0:49Speaker 01

  We gotta trade numbers. We gotta trade numbers.

• 0:50Ryan Clark?

  Absolutely, absolutely.

• 0:51Speaker 01

  How you doing, Rick Flair? How are you, man?

• 0:53Speaker 03

  I know who you are.

• 0:54Speaker 01

  Kelly, Ryan Clark, my man.

• 0:56Ryan Clark?

  How you doing?

• 0:57Speaker 01

  Mr. Twitter.

• 0:59Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, I know, right?

• 1:00Speaker 01

  I love him, man.

• 1:01Ryan Clark?

  My man, friend, man.

• 1:02Speaker 01

  How are you, Rick Flair?

• 1:03Fred Taylor?

  Pleased to meet you.

• 1:04Speaker 01

  Holy cow. Pittsburgh Steelers, man.

• 1:07Ryan Clark?

  Yes, sir. You got them Gators on too, right?

• 1:09Speaker 01

  I see you. I see you, man. The two of them, yeah.

• 1:12Ryan Clark?

  Bring it to you.

• 1:13Speaker 01

  I see you.

• 1:15Ryan Clark?

  Let's go, man.

• 1:16Speaker 01

  All right.

• 1:40Ryan Clark?

  I mean, the pivot, like, we didn't... This is it. This is it, man. I mean, you know what I'm saying?

• 1:46Fred Taylor?

  Major pivot.

• 1:47Ryan Clark?

  Major pivot. You know what I'm saying? We're talking to the Rolex wearing. You know what I'm saying? The ring wearing. You know what I'm saying? Jet flying. You know what I'm saying? Kid stealing. Son of a gun, man.

• 2:00Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, all the bucks.

• 2:03Ryan Clark?

  I mean, it's Ric Flair. The man needs no introduction. You know, Channing, Fred, you know, this might be it. I may retire from podcasting after this. Hey, man, this is the pivot. Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple. And make sure you like, you know, the more you like, the more we like you. Ric, so I'm just gonna jump right into it. We know what we got to see when we cut our TVs on and Ric Flair got under the lights.

• 2:34Ryan Clark?

  What type of childhood makes that man though? You had to, your parents, like, like my dad is friggin' awesome. My dad's here, like, he's crazy, parties, he, he taught me how to be a man in so many ways. What was your childhood like?

• 2:50Speaker 03

  Just the opposite. I mean, well, my parents were fabulous, but I was, um, my dad had two doctorates, medical doctor and a PhD in theater and English. My mother had a master's in theater and English. They were more than like well-educated. My dad was a valedictorian of the, of the high school, junior year. In high school, in Virginia, Minnesota, so, and I'm adopted, so.

• 3:18Speaker 03

  I don't know how they ended up with me.

• 3:22Speaker 03

  You know, I was 13, 13 years in high school.

• 3:27Speaker 03

  One more, and then I went to Minnesota, you know, and I ended up not predicting, you know, that is. I didn't go to class. Probably, probably got started my sophomore year, but, um, I don't know, I just, um, they, they were, they were great. I was just a lot to handle. But I'll be honest with you, I don't know how they put up with it. I was just born to be, to be the nature boy.

• 3:54Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, cuz I was gonna get into that.

• 3:56Ryan Clark?

  Freddie, Freddie, you gotta check your was in, man. We gotta check our channels.

• 4:00Fred Taylor?

  Oh, yeah.

• 4:04Fred Taylor?

  I should've worn my new, my new suit over here, man. So, yeah, I just wanted to say, uh, you know, you say being adopted. Is it safe to say you were never bullied as a kid?

• 4:13Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 4:14Fred Taylor?

  Yeah?

• 4:15Speaker 03

  Never bullied.

• 4:16Fred Taylor?

  Just a natural badass?

• 4:17Speaker 03

  No, no, I just got along with people, to be honest with you. I don't, I don't. I didn't conduct myself like that. I just, I didn't have problems. I just,

• 4:27Speaker 03

  it's kinda like when I got in the business, and I mean, it can be a very tough and sensitive business and you can fight it, you know, and you know what I'm talking about, who's going, who's gonna win, who's gonna lose. Right. Ric Flair, the persona. When, when did it start? You know, when I restarted thinking about it was when I saw Joe Namath. Really? At Alabama, yeah. He just, but I mean, he threw four years older than me, but I was in high school, obviously. And when I heard that he slept with a hundred girls, freshman year. Broadway Joe, baby. I said, that's what I got him at.

• 5:02Fred Taylor?

  I love it.

• 5:03Speaker 03

  Hey, I mean, I say this to this day, and then you guys tell me how you honestly feel about this, especially you, Ryan, I mean, all of your athletes. If you put Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers, all these guys in the room, and Joe Namath was sitting in a room with him, who's the first guy you'd want to? Joe Namath.

• 5:23Fred Taylor?

  Much respect, Joe.

• 5:24Speaker 03

  Broadway. Yeah. Nobody, nobody ever liked him. I mean, in terms of turning the league around, he's responsible for making the AFL, I mean, they're just, I mean, they, he doesn't get enough credit, you know, because he had so many injuries and the knees and that, but I mean, he just brought so much charisma to football and the sports. I saw this guy in the main code, then I went and got a main code, and then when I got older, and I just thought he was it, you know, reading about bachelors, three in the clubs, and, you know, we all, we all kinda grew up on that. Yeah.

• 5:53Fred Taylor?

  So, the difference is the NFL, though, they're gonna protect the shield.

• 5:56Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 5:57Fred Taylor?

  You know, they can't have one player bigger than.

• 5:59Speaker 03

  No, no, I realize, yeah.

• 6:00Fred Taylor?

  He was bigger than wrestling. Yeah, you were bigger than wrestling.

• 6:03Speaker 03

  Uh, well, I, I, you know,

• 6:04Fred Taylor?

  In our opinion.

• 6:05Speaker 03

  And is now because people look back on it and it, it's changed a lot, but, I mean, like my, some of my best friends are like, Snoop and I are really close, and Charles Barkley, and, I mean, I just have a, I don't know, I mean, well, like, I, I, it's just something I felt. To, to, to my dismay, once in a while, living my life, everything I said on TV, I pretty much did.

• 6:32Speaker 03

  Four marriages. Yeah.

• 6:35Channing Crowder?

  You have, you have to like crank up? Like do you, can you go from being Rick, you chilling, watching the game? Cause you love sports, obviously.

• 6:41Speaker 03

  Right.

• 6:42Channing Crowder?

  And then you have to, you have to come nature boy? Like what's that?

• 6:46Speaker 03

  One cup of coffee and Nate's ready to go.

• 6:48Channing Crowder?

  Always.

• 6:49Speaker 03

  But no, I would have had two before I got over there.

• 6:53Channing Crowder?

  But, but, but, but you have to like, you have, you, you, you know that you have to change? That you have to?

• 6:59Speaker 03

  No. I don't have a problem with that. I don't, I don't overthink it. I just, you know, we used to remember Buckhead when Buckhead was just fabulous, right? We'd, we'd fly in there on a private jet Friday night, stay out till four in the morning, five. Show up at Tech Wood, Turner Studios and.

• 7:17Speaker 03

  Me two hours of live TV and then you guys watch it at six that night. So, but it was just, that's the way we were like Dusty, the same thing. Dusty just had that charisma, you know? It's, it's just really not fair for the kids today. They don't have the, they don't travel like we did. They don't have the lifetime experience because social media doesn't let you go out and have fun. I mean, we just had so much fun. I mean, I was with, I saw Ricky Morton yesterday, remember Rock and Roll for us?

• 7:43Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 7:43Speaker 03

  I wrestled in eighteen consecutive hour draws. And when, oh, it went back in like eighty-six when we shot the Lango back then.

• 7:51Channing Crowder?

  Right.

• 7:52Speaker 03

  Eighteen consecutive hours, nine, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday, two weeks in a row. I saw him yesterday. You know, people don't understand, I didn't, I didn't have a day off for, from seventy-four to eighty-nine.

• 8:08Channing Crowder?

  Wow.

• 8:09Speaker 03

  And if I did, they would want me to go, you know, someone needs a favor, you know, you're the champion. Don't want, don't make the board of directors mad. But I just made the best of it. I had fun and traveled the world and. You know, got to meet so many great people and now look at I'm here today.

• 8:27Fred Taylor?

  Right, well, Rick, I just wanna, just staying with Dusty Rowe, one time I watched the interview, you said he inspired you. I wanna know what it was like when you guys had your matchups, like.

• 8:37Speaker 03

  Well, it was great, but with me and Dusty, man, I would argue about who was gonna go first, cuz I wanted him to make the first interview. But he was a booker, so he put me out there first, more so, um, and we just went at each other and it was, it was fun, you know, it was. Now, it's like half-ass shoot, you know what I mean by that, but it's not, not trying to kill each other, but we were, we were very competitive. But that's what, at any level of sports, whether, you know, whether they, we are choreographed, but if you guys watch it, it's.

• 9:11Fred Taylor?

  Oh, it's a high level of athleticism, crazy, yeah, like the things you guys did.

• 9:16Speaker 03

  My daughter and Rhonda went down, and Rhonda Rousey, by the way, can kick anybody the ass in this room.

• 9:21Fred Taylor?

  Hundred percent.

• 9:22Speaker 03

  Oh, no, I go to her sometimes, she goes, I'll kill you.

• 9:27Fred Taylor?

  How, how is that, though, watching your daughter do what you do?

• 9:31Speaker 03

  Oh, it's great, God, it's, it's, it's the highest, the high of my life, forget anything I ever did, she's eclipsed it. And I've become good friends with Rhonda, and I mean, they're two of the greatest athletes, I think, in the, in the world today.

• 9:43Channing Crowder?

  But your daughter, like, playing ball, like, our sons play ball, Ryan's son is Arizona, Arizona State.

• 9:50Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 9:51Channing Crowder?

  Joe's a monster, like, watch, watching our kids play a sport like that, a competitive sport, or even a combat sport, you're scared of them getting hurt, you don't watch your daughter fight with fear, because I don't, like, every time my son hits somebody, I'm like.

• 10:06Speaker 03

  I, I did it first, but I've heard Ryan say this on TV, the minute you worry about getting hurt, you can't compete at that level. If you're thinking, when I, as I got older and they except, I mean, I was 56 years old, they wanted me to wrestle Brock Lesnar, I go, come on, Kim.

• 10:21Speaker 03

  Wait, I go to Brock, just go, you can't listen to me, I won't hurt you, don't hurt me.

• 10:26Channing Crowder?

  More so, don't hurt me.

• 10:27Speaker 03

  I'll just poke you in the eye and that's it, just go, ah.

• 10:31Speaker 03

  But um, your son's out there with um.

• 10:34Ryan Clark?

  He's out there with her, Herm Edwards.

• 10:36Speaker 03

  Yeah, I love him. I never got to meet him. I love him, man.

• 10:39Ryan Clark?

  Rick, you can pretty much meet whoever you want.

• 10:41Speaker 03

  No, I know, but I was gonna go out there and let his daughters on. As a, uh, throwing, she's on a track and field team.

• 10:47Ryan Clark?

  Okay.

• 10:48Speaker 03

  Yeah, so um, and my youngest stepdaughter's out there.

• 10:51Ryan Clark?

  Oh, I got you. Yeah, like it's a.

• 10:52Speaker 03

  No, I love Herm Edwards. I thought he was great on broadcast.

• 10:55Ryan Clark?

  Like, it's crazy to hear you, because, you know, you talked about Joe Namath and you spoken about dusty roads and, and like, all of these people that inspired you. You know, you mentioned Joe Namath being a guy that kinda gave you, this is the persona I wanna have. Like, you gotta realize, like, for our culture, you are like that. You know, you mentioned being tight with Snoop. Like, there's a reason. Like, Snoop ain't out here trying to be tight with the ultimate warrior. You know, God rest his soul, you know what I'm saying? Like, like, I'm just, I'm just saying, like, there was a reason. You had a, you had a swag, you had a charisma, you had a confidence that in our communities, it resonated. It was like, you know, because we didn't have a ton of people that looked like us. It was like, nah, Rick is ours. You know what I'm saying? Like, you're the guy, so.

• 11:38Speaker 03

  Yeah, LeBron told me that I, first time I met LeBron, he said, you're the reason I bought my first Rolex watch and you kept me out of a lot of trouble.

• 11:48Ryan Clark?

  Yes, yes. And do you know that? Like, do you, do you, do you recognize that? Like, RC said.

• 11:54Speaker 03

  I know Rolex owes me a commercial.

• 11:57Channing Crowder?

  But you, do you, do you recognize what you did to us being younger guys? Like, do you recognize that you gave swag to people?

• 12:05Speaker 03

  Killer Mike and I've just, you know, even Bad Money, I mean, just, everybody is. You don't think about it when you're growing up, why you're doing it. But actually, I'm probably more, better known now than I was when I was actually wrestling at my height. So, it's just grace of God, being in the right place.

• 12:23Ryan Clark?

  Oh, you're thirty for thirty, and uh, this is, this is what Channing's been wanting to get to. I've been seeing him over there.

• 12:30Channing Crowder?

  Cause he said, he said Namath had a hundred in one year.

• 12:33Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, so.

• 12:33Channing Crowder?

  I heard about your number.

• 12:35Speaker 03

  Yeah, I don't know.

• 12:38Channing Crowder?

  Rick, I heard about your number.

• 12:39Speaker 03

  That was just hypothetical.

• 12:42Channing Crowder?

  But it was, it was, but what, it was, ten thousand was the number I heard. Ten thousand women. That's what we speaking about, right, RC? Ten thousand women. Rick, ten thousand?

• 12:52Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest, or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 13:22Speaker 03

  If I say it to you, you won't believe this.

• 13:25Channing Crowder?

  No, I believe it.

• 13:26Speaker 03

  Okay. Do 365 days a year.

• 13:30Channing Crowder?

  Okay.

• 13:31Speaker 03

  Do that for 20 years.

• 13:35Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 13:36Speaker 03

  Then do 200, then do 300 days for 20 years. That's 40.

• 13:46Channing Crowder?

  I got you.

• 13:48Speaker 03

  I had fun.

• 13:50Channing Crowder?

  Run it up. Run it up, run it up, run it up.

• 13:53Speaker 03

  I just had fun. And believe me, like I said in my 30 for 30, if I'm in Hutchinson, Kansas, wrestling an hour in a used car parking lot, in the rain, people are walking around looking at used cars, which we did as the world champion. And I mean, it's a true story. And I'm gonna find something to do.

• 14:18Speaker 03

  And they all get better looking clothes in time, trust me.

• 14:22Speaker 03

  You are absolutely the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen in my life. How old are you? How much do you weigh?

• 14:31Speaker 03

  You've been in the realm. Why was the weight important?

• 14:37Speaker 03

  I didn't think that's just me.

• 14:41Speaker 03

  I'm just entertaining you guys.

• 14:42Channing Crowder?

  So a dime at 9:00 PM is different than a dime at 2:00 AM?

• 14:47Speaker 03

  Oh, a lot different.

• 14:50Speaker 03

  Come, wayly different. Especially after 20 vodkas.

• 14:56Channing Crowder?

  I love it. And even like that lifestyle, like maintaining that through life, like did it start getting to you? Because I, bro, we know that you did your thing. Like, we don't know what 10,000 might be, but we know you had a good time.

• 15:09Speaker 03

  I did.

• 15:09Channing Crowder?

  But like, did it start like after so long? Did it start weighing on you, or you just, you embraced nature?

• 15:17Speaker 03

  I almost died four years ago, right?

• 15:19Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 15:21Speaker 03

  And I had a stomal for years. I mean, I would, it took me two years, really two years to get healed from that. And then the stomal came off and I started, you know, just my testosterone level went down to 23. That alone can kill you, right? I mean, that's how sick I was. So then I went into business myself, you know, looking for the, what do we call them? The age rejuvenation clinic. Two shots a week now.

• 15:53Speaker 03

  He's ready to go. I'm back up and running, dog.

• 15:59Speaker 03

  I'm making a commercial for this.

• 16:02Ryan Clark?

  Rick, you, you, you mentioned, you know, almost, almost dying. And for someone that's larger than life to, to many people, what was that experience like? You know, facing your mortality?

• 16:16Speaker 03

  Well, I'll tell you, it's a damn thing. I was actually with, with the guy that I'm working with today. Chris Randolph at a bar in Atlanta.

• 16:26Speaker 03

  And he'd come into town, we were doing an alligator boot deal. And we drank two straight days and five o'clock, he took off for the airport to Atlanta to come back here. And I, 31 days later, I woke up in ICU and I don't even remember. 13 days on life support. So, I mean, then I had no memory for six months. I couldn't, I could remember going forward, but I had no memory of the past. And it was like, and they wrote me off. I mean, they, they made a package.

• 17:00Speaker 03

  I was in the operative Monday morning and the WWE made a package because it was like 5% chance that I'd make it through it. So, yeah, it makes you, it makes you reevaluate, answer a question, it makes you reevaluate everything. But at the end of the day, I still think that. If you're not hurting anybody and you're certainly not being malicious, I don't think it's wrong to have fun. And I, I'm not gonna stop. You know, I spent a year, which is really hard to deal with. I spent another year worrying that I was gonna die every day. Does that make sense?

• 17:36Fred Taylor?

  Right.

• 17:36Speaker 03

  Once you've been that sick, I mean, it's all you do. And then it's kinda like getting over that anxiety. Then you start feeling more comfortable. And then I had, you know, one beer and then one champagne and then two beers. And then a couple, now I'm drinking vodka once in a while. So I, I'm just, I'm comfortable. And I'm, and I guess the best thing, the best way to put it is, I, I, there's nothing else for me to do. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna have fun. And my, my family's all in a good place. Successful in both. My daughters are doing well. My son's doing well. I lost a son, you know, and it was his anniversary the other day. But I'm just lucky. I mean, how am I here today with you guys?

• 18:22Speaker 03

  I'm seventy-three. And you're over here telling me that I'm something special. I'll, I'll like your mind.

• 18:28Fred Taylor?

  So you're, we're coming up on the ten-year anniversary of your son's passing.

• 18:35Speaker 03

  Yeah, was it thirteen?

• 18:36Fred Taylor?

  Thirteen, right. Do you do anything special in remembrance? Or would you do anything different, you know, next year?

• 18:44Speaker 03

  I cry a lot.

• 18:54Speaker 03

  I sure.

• 19:00Speaker 03

  The sad thing is that

• 19:05Speaker 03

  he was on my watch. Does that make sense? His mother, I just flew him back from Japan because he wanted to go to WrestleMania. And he was wrestling in Japan. I finally thought I found a place where he couldn't get into trouble, right? I told him when I left, I said, they put Paul McCartney in jail here. Hey, buddy. You can't school around in Japan, and you can't. Their laws are much stricter than here.

• 19:34Speaker 03

  But somehow he came home and he was staying with his mom and he kept calling me, Dad, please come, please come get me, I can't take it over here. So I went and got him. Right with me. Took him a couple of new pairs of Nike tennis shoes. Had a lot of on my site for about an hour and a half.

• 19:55Speaker 03

  And then we're up at Del Frisco's in Piedmont Road. And I'm with friends. Watching, actually watching what's going on right now, NCAA tournament. And he wasn't drinking, he was drinking water, he wasn't doing anything. And went back to my place. I got there and there he was on the floor.

• 20:19Speaker 03

  You know, and I've seen him like that a hundred times. I basically told this story in my thirty for thirty, but I just ADO, I called up. Nine one one again, because that's ambulance and it's the police. It's not just ambulance, so. And every time the police, I had such a good rapport with the police and that, that they they didn't report him. They didn't make the news every time he went in. So that was them being nice to me. But I decided I'm just not gonna do it again. I'll just put him back to bed, which I have on both ways. And in the morning I went to get him, because we were going to WrestleMania.

• 21:03Speaker 03

  And I went to wake him up and he was purple again, which I've seen. And

• 21:10Speaker 03

  the Narcon didn't work this time. And the guy walked out in the hall, you know, they always ask you to leave the room for a second. Walked back in the hall and the guy said, he said Ricky didn't make it. I'm like, I just.

• 21:27Speaker 03

  No, I just, I was in shock.

• 21:33Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra because it's not just a superior light beer. It's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 22:06Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, that's.

• 22:07Speaker 03

  No, I'm not trying to bring the mood down, guys.

• 22:09Channing Crowder?

  No, no, like, I mean, we all, we all have, we all have children.

• 22:12Speaker 03

  Yeah, it's a worse, and you learn that for time. That damn heroin is not an addiction, it's a disease. You know, we've all had addictions or, and I'm not all of us, but I mean, we've all had issues. You know, like when I was in rehab, when I put me in rehab, I started smoking. Took me three months after I got out of rehab to quit smoking. And yet, you know, nicotine is, nicotine is the one that kills me. I dipped for 30 years. Finally, I just said, you've got to quit this. I mean, you know, you're gonna lose the lip, you're gonna, something's gonna happen. And, uh, but it's so strong, you know.

• 22:50Channing Crowder?

  Rick, what's that healing process? Now, you, yeah, I'm tearing up.

• 22:54Speaker 03

  Ask me.

• 22:54Channing Crowder?

  It's fine, but what's that healing process? Because like you said, we all got kids, multiple kids. Because, yeah, I can make babies, Rick.

• 23:01Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 23:01Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm good at it.

• 23:03Speaker 03

  I'm good. I'm two times snipped.

• 23:06Channing Crowder?

  But what's, what's that, like, that healing process?

• 23:08Speaker 03

  Secretary of the pasture.

• 23:11Speaker 03

  He said he's two times snipped.

• 23:17Channing Crowder?

  Like, with that thing, man, like, how do you, like, tough? Day one, day two, day three, and now, you know what I'm saying? Like, you say 13 years later, like, are you here?

• 23:26Speaker 03

  Well, for five years, I drank from 10:00 in the morning until.

• 23:31Speaker 03

  Two AM.

• 23:31Ryan Clark?

  Because of that?

• 23:33Speaker 03

  Yep. I quit working out, everything. Something I've done every day of my life. I worked out every day of my life. Five hundred free squats. An hour on the Stairmaster, on revolving Stairmaster. PT four thousand, I mean, I mastered them all. I was, one of the reasons I was successful, I think, in business. I was in better shape than most of the guys I wrestled. I mean, I don't, I think it was four years, but I just, I couldn't, I couldn't shake it. I just couldn't shake it. I just couldn't, I couldn't live with myself. I just kept wondering every day, wake up, and it's still right in front of you, what happened? Because he and I were so close.

• 24:17Speaker 03

  You know, as a, as a guy that, he won fourteen state, between Georgia and North Carolina State AAU Wrestling Championships. He won four Nationals, the Tulsa Nationals, Tournament of Champions, the AAU Nationals twice. And, you know, maybe I pushed him too hard. Then he went to, you know, Blair Academy, is Ryan, right? Up in New Jersey?

• 24:41Ryan Clark?

  Yep.

• 24:42Speaker 03

  He got into Blair, uh, Blair, or Blair Academy, which is like, they were twenty-one national champions, prep, prep school national champions, which is really a tough. Usually when you think prep school, you think it's not as tough, but that Blair Academy and St. Edge and stuff like that is big time. And, uh, sometimes I wonder if I pushed him too hard, you know? It's like Ashley, when I saw Ashley had these gifts, I just went, as, as every father that just played sports, you know, now you gotta get the jump out of it. They got the gift.

• 25:16Ryan Clark?

  Support.

• 25:17Speaker 03

  Yeah, you can't just start in the ninth grade anymore. You can. But if they have that gift, and you don't give them the, you know, and, and by the way, as you know, being a traveling AAU parent, it's a lot, it's a big responsibility for the parents, but it's your kids, man. They're good at it. You want them to have everything they have, so. But somewhere along the line, I, I must have pushed them too hard.

• 25:42Ryan Clark?

  Is, is that something that you blame yourself?

• 25:46Speaker 03

  I, I think it's possible, yes. I don't blame myself for it, but I mean, I, you know, I mean, I think about him every day. I keep especially because he would have been so good at his business. Yeah, I mean, he was quick talk. I mean, he had it bingo. He would have loved you guys. He remember, he was like sixteen years old. I went down to his room one night and he had a trophy case in the middle of it. He had a empty bottle of Louis the Thirteenth. And I said, where'd you get this? He said, I got it from the cabinet upstairs. I said, Reed, you're sixteen years old, man. You've got to get a grip. Dad, you and Blackjack aren't booking the territory anymore.

• 26:34Speaker 03

  Who says that to their dad? You're not booking the territory anymore.

• 26:40Ryan Clark?

  He was a flair.

• 26:43Speaker 03

  Remember Blackjack Mulligan, right? Yeah, you and Blackjack are not booking the territory anymore. Okay. I walk, but I used to walk. We had three level halls. I used to go, I must have got an elevator. Because I go upstairs, make sure she was leaving, back down to keep him. It was brutal, but

• 27:03Speaker 03

  they're just two beautiful kids and they and they just, you know, it's like, I'm sure you have it in your family too. They competed with each other. Boy, for my attention, it was a Dad, mom's not going to the wrestling tournament. You're going. I got a little volleyball this weekend.

• 27:17Ryan Clark?

  Right.

• 27:17Speaker 03

  Can't leave me with mom. She didn't even know what, she didn't even know the switch is there.

• 27:22Ryan Clark?

  What was, obviously, being Ric Flair, being a nature boy is, is all encompassing. You know, you had to be able to turn that on. Like you said, you worked so many days for so many years. Was it hard to be the dad you wanted to be and also be the nature boy at the same time?

• 27:42Speaker 03

  Well, in fact, my first two kids, I never saw them all guys. They were, their mom aced me, man. I gave her the house and everything, but then she moved back to Minneapolis. And the N W A did not encompass Minneapolis then. So I just saw them in the summertime and then at Christmas and holidays, but I had to work. So they basically traveled and that wasn't like just going to the beach for two weeks off of them, you know? And now my schedule changed a lot when my kids were growing up, the younger ones. So I got to spend more weekends and then I got where I was involved in the office where I could take days off on weekends. You know, we'd work five days and then go to a wrestling tournament for the weekend, get back in, be at Raw on Monday night.

• 28:25Speaker 03

  And then, um, so I had a lot more time with them. So it's, you know, it was really unfair to my older kids, that, them I totally understand. But they're doing well now, they understand and I, actually they all moved down to Charlotte where I was at the time. So that was, which then I must have done something right in their case, but I did everything financially possible, but I just wasn't there.

• 28:49Channing Crowder?

  But isn't that the sacrifice of being nature boy? Like, would that, would that be the biggest sacrifice you had to make in life? Being who you were, being, you know, a worldwide star, but your family had, your family.

• 29:01Speaker 03

  That, it is the biggest sacrifice, but it wasn't me, it wasn't just me being nature boy, it's just being a wrestler. You know, I really, I, I, I am probably one of the only guys that ever stayed in one city basically his whole career. And usually the guys, you move from territory to territory to territory, like, like, like Dwayne instead, Rocky Johnson. Like, Dwayne, I talk about it. You know, it is to have a, be a six months in Florida, then maybe a year in North Carolina, then a year out in the Dallas area. That's when the territory is originally existed. How old are you, Ronnie? What, thirty-eight?

• 29:36Ryan Clark?

  I'm forty-two.

• 29:37Speaker 03

  Forty-two.

• 29:37Ryan Clark?

  Yep.

• 29:38Speaker 03

  Who, who were some of the big stars when you were watching?

• 29:40Ryan Clark?

  Uh, when I, when I started, it was, uh, yeah, Jew, Kamala.

• 29:45Speaker 03

  Kamala, yeah.

• 29:46Ryan Clark?

  Jimmy Fly Snuka.

• 29:47Speaker 03

  Yeah, so, yeah, the guys in New York.

• 29:49Channing Crowder?

  Jake the Snake, Jake the Snake.

• 29:51Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 29:51Channing Crowder?

  He was a monster.

• 29:52Speaker 03

  Jaxton down here too.

• 29:53Channing Crowder?

  Big Andre the Giant.

• 29:54Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 29:55Channing Crowder?

  That was, that was, yeah, that was, when we were kids, I'm gonna, when we were right there close.

• 29:58Speaker 03

  Andre United States Major.

• 30:00Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 30:00Speaker 03

  I, I drove when Andre first started. I drove him around. He broke into Minneapolis with me and Vern had me driving Andre around. They just call him John Ferrer then. That was a trip. Taking him down to Rush Street in Chicago. Hello ladies. Meet Andre the Giant.

• 30:17Ryan Clark?

  With this dude. It was easy to get a one with Andre the Giant.

• 30:22Speaker 03

  It was easy.

• 30:29Ryan Clark?

  That's a big ass lure. You throw Andre the Giant out and he'll rip it back.

• 30:35Speaker 03

  Yes, he wears a 24 ring since he got over here.

• 30:39Ryan Clark?

  It had to be, it had to be crazy, you know, at that time. Like you said, it wasn't social media, you know, like we have. So you could at least get out. But it had to be, it had to be nuts when, when y'all walked into a place. Like you couldn't walk in anywhere and not be known as the Nature Boy.

• 30:54Speaker 03

  It was insanity. It was the greatest, though. Now, now you'd be killed for it. But, yeah, the club is in Rush Street. We loved going to Chicago or Urban now. You remember when the Helmsley Palace was the Helmsley Palace? Now it's just the Palace Hotel in Manhattan. It was Leona Helmsley, remember? She went to jail? Yeah. There was a bar in there called Harry's Bar. Jesus. And then on my 40th birthday, I went down, um, the Hawk, the Road Warriors. Hawk said, let's take Flair down to the Lone Star Cafe and Chuck Berry was playing. And I was sitting with Liza Minnelli, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.

• 31:36Speaker 03

  And I gave, I gave these college kids that were sitting there 500 bucks apiece. And Chuck had me up on stage with them and just incredible stuff. I was opening a Studio 54. I mean, you're just in the club as it were, just so famous back then.

• 31:52Ryan Clark?

  Like you are history. You know, like we're, we're sitting here listening to you and, and, and some of the names that, that you're mentioning, you were at a, you were in a different stratosphere as, as a wrestler. Like you were a, a mega star. You know, like almost a, you were almost out of body in the fact that you became a character that everybody wanted a piece of. Did it ever get, what was it hard for you or how hard was it for you to remember that, you know, you're still Ric Flair? Cause the, the, the Nature Boy persona at some point had to take over when.

• 32:31Speaker 03

  Back then? I was, I never stopped being Ric Flair. Richard Flair was non-existent.

• 32:39Speaker 03

  Are you Richard Flair? Who's that?

• 32:43Speaker 03

  When I put down my date of birth at the age of Dr. Asia Clinic, now I go 22569.

• 32:48Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, that's where it started. That's where it started.

• 32:51Speaker 03

  49.

• 32:53Channing Crowder?

  I'm gonna be the first one to do it.

• 32:57Channing Crowder?

  Where did that come from, man?

• 33:02Channing Crowder?

  I was waiting for y'all boys to do it.

• 33:04Ryan Clark?

  How did that, how did that come to?

• 33:06Speaker 03

  Jerry Lee Lewis, riding down the road at night, driving, we used to drive 3,000 miles a week, you know? Reckon as the gracious great balls of fire, woo, Jerry Lee. That's where I got it. 1974.

• 33:19Ryan Clark?

  Did you ever have to, because obviously, you know, like you said, now you're more, you're more popular than even when, you know, you were, you were wrestling. Was there ever a time that you had to look at it and say, you know what? I'm no longer the star I used to be. Or for you, has it continued to be spotlight and, and people, you know, wanting a piece of you and, and, and fans wanting to take pictures? Or did you ever have some of those moments where you were by yourself and you were like, you know what? I really haven't gotten to, to live a life outside of the caricature that I had to become in order to be so famous.

• 33:59Speaker 03

  You know, people ask me all the time, like, my answer is I think I'll be sad today that, I mean, I'll be, I, I won't want that day when I walk in someplace and people won't know who I am.

• 34:12Speaker 03

  And that's not ego talk, and it's just, you get there and then, like, moments like this, this, this is a big deal. I'm on your show, I'm 73 years old. And I, and I'm, you guys are all, all pro, I don't know if you guys are all pro, and I know, I know your career very well. And you guys are, I'm, I'm entertaining you. How much better in life is to get than that?

• 34:34Ryan Clark?

  I think, you know, that was one of those moments, you know, for us. And we've done this, and this is only, it's been three months, you know, that we've been doing this. And, you know, we've had, you know, the Floyd Mayweather's and the Alex Rodriguez's and all of these guys who are stars. But the feeling we got when we heard we had an opportunity to sit across from you was different. You know, it was one of those where, you know, you call your boys, and I was on group texts, "Hey, y'all, we about to do Ric Flair." You know what I mean? And then, when I send it over, I'm getting all of these, I'm getting videos of you and gifs of you and all of these different things because everybody sees you the same way. So I don't think you're ever going to be in danger of walking into somewhere and people

• 35:19Ryan Clark?

  not being excited about that. But when you do get your moments alone, you know, your opportunities to reflect on all the things that you've done, what are some of your greatest memories of being the Nature Board?

• 35:36Speaker 03

  You know, right, I just can't pick out just a couple. It's just been that I've been doing it so long with so many great, I mean, wrestling Hogan, wrestling Piper, wrestling Sting, Steamboat, Bret Hart. I mean, I've wrestled everybody except the current guys. I have wrestled Randy when he was with Evolution, and I wrestled Hunter, and I mean, I just didn't miss any of Shawn Michaels. I mean, all the great ones. And then, becoming friends, I mean, like having Barclay walking, the Spectrum was the old building in Philadelphia. We were in the convention center. Guess who was sitting in front row in the convention center? Charles Barclay. That's where I met Charles.

• 36:21Speaker 03

  We've become lifelong friends. And then, then Dennis Rodman, I used to have a big, I had ten goals gyms, and I had a big Christmas party at the Park Hotel. And then comes Michael Rodman and Scottie Pippen to the Christmas party. I got some great stories, worry about that for another podcast. And taking home my aerobic instructor before the big game.

• 36:50Speaker 03

  Dennis and I had this day, so I thought me and Dennis are very close. I mean, I haven't seen Mike in a couple of years, but these great, great times. I mean.

• 37:01Channing Crowder?

  But is there any downside to it? Like, do you ever, you know what I'm saying? You say seventy plus years old. Like, do you ever look back and like the stress of it? Like, the stress of being there? Because all the good times, there has to be bad times attached to it.

• 37:14Speaker 03

  Well, the stress, the stress was missing my kids.

• 37:16Channing Crowder?

  That was.

• 37:17Speaker 03

  But I've made up for that. And then, of course, we discussed the real stress is trying to figure out.

• 37:25Speaker 03

  I spent maybe two weeks around this time of the year trying to figure out what I could have done differently.

• 37:30Channing Crowder?

  Well, even like, like you're saying, like, I had to do the woo. I did the woo.

• 37:33Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 37:34Channing Crowder?

  You ever walk in a restaurant, they got to hit you with it? Hey, Rick, give it to him. And you, I don't want to woo right now because I want to go eat a chimichanga.

• 37:42Speaker 03

  Yeah, but here's the, here's the problem, you know? You couldn't be as nice as you want everybody all day long. And then if your personality, like any of us right here, and the first person you say no to, oh, what a prick.

• 37:56Channing Crowder?

  Yep.

• 37:58Speaker 03

  Right or wrong, right?

• 37:59Channing Crowder?

  No, you're absolutely right.

• 38:00Speaker 03

  What a prick, he wouldn't stop. You can have your kids, they can walk up and, my favorite line is, they walk up, you go, sorry to bother you, but I said, don't bother me then.

• 38:08Channing Crowder?

  Right, if you're sorry.

• 38:10Speaker 03

  And ask your own question. Right. Then I start laughing because they go, you know, go all silent, come here.

• 38:18Fred Taylor?

  Before we got started, you know, you mentioned it's been a crazy offseason in the NFL.

• 38:22Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 38:23Fred Taylor?

  You know, you know, you're a huge fan. Any predictions for us?

• 38:27Speaker 03

  Well, my favorite movie is if Brady came back, which I think is going to be great. And I, I just think no matter how old he gets, I mean, he just, you know, here's, here's my problem. I can, Ryan Clark can crack on these guys all day long because Ryan did it. Here's my take on sports comedy. But people that have never done it, never put on a jock, never sweat, never their dick like in the dirt. I mean, and Ryan lived on, I hate it when they throw in their two cents. Because unless you paid that price, unless you paid that price to be who you are and to be like, how many guys are over all pro? Fourteen year career, great, but to have that all pro, I mean, you know what I'm saying, right?

• 39:10Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 39:10Speaker 03

  It was, it was special for you?

• 39:11Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 39:12Speaker 03

  Yeah, huge, right?

• 39:13Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 39:13Speaker 03

  So then all these guys in our business, right, that are. Just go along like this and they never get there, you know. And so to be in that position and be in it for so long is just, it's the greatest thing in the world for me. And I, I've learned how to be, obviously, I have, I've had to really reel in my behavior. Not that anything wrong, but it just, you have to be so careful and it's just, you're micromanaging. You can't say, you have to be very politically correct in the way you conduct yourself and handle yourself. And that, so my days of jumping on the bar and all that stuff and buying a hundred kamikazes are behind me. I may buy two now.

• 39:58Fred Taylor?

  I think Tom Brady, you know, certainly for us, it was a shock.

• 40:03Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 40:03Fred Taylor?

  You know, for a lot, a lot of people, it's a shock. But he just does so much. He's a well-ordered machine.

• 40:09Speaker 03

  I mean, correct or wrong, he hasn't lost any philosophy in that.

• 40:12Ryan Clark?

  No, he has, he has found the fountain of youth. I'm gonna go take me some TB12 and eat me some avocado ice cream just so I can get in all of these cars that we ride around in for the pivot.

• 40:23Speaker 03

  You gotta get you a Giselle. If, that's Giselle's keeping him, him young. Yeah, Rick, I don't know if you know, yeah, women keep young. I was gonna throw it in there, but somewhere, that has to play some part in it.

• 40:37Speaker 03

  It's not, it's not just the 70 million she brings home.

• 40:40Ryan Clark?

  That would help though. That would help me play carefree.

• 40:44Ryan Clark?

  If the woman I was married to brought home 70 million, I'd be like, hell, throw this thing anywhere.

• 40:51Speaker 03

  I, I met him twice. He is the nicest guy in the world.

• 40:54Ryan Clark?

  He really is.

• 40:55Speaker 03

  For any, if anybody could be a prick, if, I mean, if anybody could just be a prick, it'd be him. I mean, is that how they thought of him? Never any trouble, just perfect role model. But he's just the nicest guy in the world. And I, I didn't wanna, I didn't wanna walk over, I didn't know who I was. I went to Jim Harbaugh's All-Pro Day that one year, remember?

• 41:15Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 41:16Speaker 03

  When he had that thing, they were trying to sign that kid down.

• 41:19Ryan Clark?

  Rashad Gary.

• 41:19Speaker 03

  Rashad, yeah, Gary, that was it. So I went to that deal with him and Derek Jeter and all that, Lou Holtz and, and I said, I, um, my, my wife said, God, let's go over, it's that first rule of fighting, everybody, we don't walk to them. Halfway between him, not walking around like a mark gun.

• 41:38Ryan Clark?

  Right, yeah, right.

• 41:39Speaker 03

  Can I draw an autograph, Tom, please? I'm not doing that. Somebody, we met halfway through and he said, I'm a big fan. I didn't know whether he would be or not, because he grew up in California. And our TBS market wasn't as strong, but he's, yeah, what a great guy. I mean, I thought, oh my God.

• 41:56Ryan Clark?

  I spent my whole career hating Tom Brady in Pittsburgh. And we practiced with him in Washington and we talked for like 45 minutes in the middle of the field. And I ended up calling Troy and I was like, dang it, I freaking like Tom Brady, man. I was like, he's actually a good dude.

• 42:11Speaker 03

  Tom Pelham, what?

• 42:12Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, yeah, I was like, I was like, he's actually a good dude.

• 42:15Speaker 03

  He is, isn't he?

• 42:16Ryan Clark?

  I was like, we now had to take back all of the things we'd say about him Monday through Saturday before we played. But this is what I'm gonna say about you, though. Nobody should be a prick to you. You talked about what Tom Brady could have done and how Tom Brady could have behaved. That's the same thing with you. The things that you accomplished, what you meant to young kids like us who got opportunities to watch you and the things that you actually gave to the culture. So I don't want you to ever believe that somebody is big enough to big time you. And we're just so grateful that you came on the show, man. And thank you so much.

• 42:55Speaker 03

  No, thank you. Are you kidding me? I'm honored. Thank you. Thank you very much.

• 42:59Ryan Clark?

  We appreciate it. You wanna get one more out before we end?

• 43:01Speaker 03

  Woo!

• 43:01Ryan Clark?

  Woo!

• 43:04Speaker 03

  Having a hard time. Keep me the dog eaters down.

• 43:10Speaker 03

  Thanks, man. Man, thank you so much.

• 43:12Ryan Clark?

  He's good, no?

• 43:13Speaker 03

  That was awesome, probably. Thanks, guys. Thank you. Thank you, boss. Thanks, guys.

• 43:18Speaker 01

  Next morning, Rick Floyd right here, enjoying every moment with my men on the pivot. Woo! We're getting home, we're waking up. Woo!

• 44:04Speaker 06

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