10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2002 Facts
8. Ric Flair Didn't Feel He Was Worthy Of Winning With The Figure Four
Somewhat unceremoniously, 53-year-old Ric Flair was working as a mostly-midcard babyface on the Raw brand in the summer of 2002. There's nothing wrong with an elder statesman taking that role, but after a go-nowhere heel turn that Steve Austin's walkout inadvertently killed dead, Flair was treading water, with little to no direction.
Jericho recalls that Flair wasn't in the best place mentally at the time, after a rough stretch in his career had eroded his confidence. When going over the match for SummerSlam, McMahon told the two that he wanted Flair to win with an inside cradle. Jericho asked about losing to the figure-four, since Flair so rarely won with it.
According to Jericho, Flair disagreed with the suggestion, telling Y2J that he didn't deserve it because he wasn't himself. This led to Jericho giving him a fiery pep talk, making him realize that he was Ric Effing Flair, and that he deserved the best for himself. Sure enough, Flair took the words to heart. Jericho added that he was merely returning the favor for when Flair reached out to him when he struggled as Undisputed Champion.