When Ric Flair returned to WWE in 2001, no one it the audience had any idea beforehand. It was one of the best spontaneous pops in history when his music hit, interrupting a Vince McMahon / Kurt Angle main event segment on the November 19 Raw. Best of all, it was in Flair's home turf of Charlotte, North Carolina. This was the night after Survivor Series, and the Invasion storyline had just wrapped up. Few people expected to see a WCW wrestler coming out the night after. But out Flair came, revealing that Shane and Stephanie had sold their stock to him, and he was now Vince's WWF co-owner. It was a typically spirited Flair promo and it started a feud with Vince, in addition to a successful seven year run for the Nature Boy in WWE. Flair had originally left the WWE in 1993, and it wasn't certain if McMahon would be interested in signing such an older talent in 2001. There was genuine happiness and elation to see him that night, and it ranks as one of the most heartfelt returns in Raw history.
