10 Things We Learned From Ric Flair On Stone Cold’s Broken Skull Sessions Podcast

3. HBK Told Him To Shut Up At 'Mania XXIV

Ric Flair Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania 24
WWE.com

Six years later, Ric was working his final match in WWE, and he knew it'd be a good 'un against super-worker Shawn Michaels. Even so, when the pair met at the curtain shortly before the bout, HBK stunned Flair by saying, "Don't say a word out there - just follow me".

Nobody had ever spoken to Ric like that before.

When they locked up to start the action, Flair went to say something and Michaels reminded him, "I told you to shut up". It was a jarring experience, and it took Ric a good 15 minutes to get comfortable with the thought of ceding control to somebody else. Eventually, he was able to settle in and enjoy the story that Shawn was weaving (Ric told Austin that Michaels "wrestled himself").

Throughout the match, the only thing Flair could think was just how great a performer Shawn was. At the same time, mental torment danced a painful waltz through his mind as he wondered how good Flair vs. HBK could've been if he was in better shape.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.