10 Weird Periods WWE Icons Would Like You To Forget
9. Ric Flair (2001/02)
By 2001, Ric Flair was a shadow of his former self. It would have been very hard for The Nature Boy to maintain all those years of jet-flyin' and limousine-ridin', but he seemed to be a ghost upon arriving in a post-WCW WWE. He was uninspiring as a co-owner of the company in 2001, and the highlight of his in-ring performances was an Arn Anderson spinebuster at WrestleMania X8. That tells you all that you need to know.
Flair's relative unimportance during that first year or so back in WWE is well-documented. Triple H has gone on record as saying how worried he was about his idol. Where was the Ric Flair of yesteryear, the conveyor belt of charisma that almost single-handedly revolutionised the idea of a heel world champion? Naitch seemed to be running on fumes. Sure, Ric Flair running on fumes is more engaging than 99% of all pro wrestlers, but the difference between full Flair and diet Flair was jarring, to say the least.
Ric Flair isn't usually associated with a crisis of confidence, but that is exactly what he faced in 2001 and 2002. Flair was a parody of himself, sleepwalking through TV with all the conviction of the lost.