Update On Ric Flair & WWE's Legal Battle Over 'The Man'

Are WWE and 'The Nature Boy' still at legal loggerheads?

Ric Flair
WWE.com

This week's WWE Raw saw Ric Flair return to the company in a crowd-popping Miz TV segment to set up his and Hulk Hogan's 10-man tag team match for Crown Jewel on 31 October, but this doesn't mean an end to his and the promotion's ongoing legal battle.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, 'The Nature Boy' is still embroiled in a dispute over WWE's continued use of 'The Man' as Becky Lynch's nickname, having previously claimed that the IP belongs to him per his legendary "to be the man, you gotta beat the man" catchphrase.

Meltzer notes that Saudi Arabia wanted Flair to be a part of the 31 October card. This led to FOX pushing for him to show up on this week's Raw season premiere, which paid off, as Flair and Hogan's confrontation drew Raw's biggest segment-by-segment viewership in a long, long time.

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Speculation points to Flair not having a leg to stand on in this battle, however, though WWE want to keep him happy so that he doesn't walk away from the company and go to AEW instead. Thus, it'll be interesting to see how this pans out.

Channel Manager
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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.