10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Sep 1)

4. JR Left Ric Flair Hanging For Almost A Year Post-WCW

Ric Flair Jim Ross
WWE

The day after facing Sting (for what could have been the final time) on the last ever WCW Monday Nitro, Ric Flair received a call from then-chief of WWE Talent Relations Jim Ross. The announcer wanted to know Flair's availability, and if he'd be interested in a WWE run.

Flair was, and he enthusiastically told JR he wanted to come in. That was the last Ric heard from Ross for almost one year.

The pair joked about this story on Jim's Ross Report podcast, and both said they've been able to share a laugh about it since 2001; although Flair eventually came into the company that November, entering into a storyline which presented him as 50/50 owner of the promotion with Vince McMahon, he was supposed to show up much sooner.

The problem was that Ross never called him back until November, meaning he kept the 'Nature Boy' hanging for almost an entire year and forced him to miss the 'Invasion' storyline as a result. Oh well: at least Ric had a guaranteed contract with AOL/Time Warner to collect on.

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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.