WWE Releases Ric Flair

The Nature Boy becomes the latest name to be released by WWE.

by Andrew Pollard
Ric Flair
WWE

Following rumblings earlier today that a big-name WWE talent had requested (and been granted) their WWE release, Ric Flair has reportedly left Vince McMahon's sports entertainment juggernaut.

As per Wrestling Inc and Fightful, Flair is no longer with WWE as of today after asking for his release.

The two-time WWE Hall of Famer's most recent WWE contract was signed early last year, with him becoming a semi-regular part of Raw programming for a few months throughout 2020 as he was often seen at Randy Orton's side. Of course, that was until Orton attacked Flair as part of the Viper's ongoing feud with Drew McIntyre.

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The Nature Boy would appear at the 2020 Survivor Series PPV to pay tribute to the Undertaker, before then resurfacing this January in a ridiculous storyline involving Lacey Evans. Thankfully, that whole thing was soon dropped after Evans became pregnant in real life.

This latest Ric Flair release isn't the first time the 16-time World Champion has departed the company, with his initial run with the then-WWF coming to an end in 1993 after 18 months, and then his 2001 return ultimately culminating in his in-ring retirement at WrestleMania 25; a retirement that didn't last, as Flair soon found himself wrestling for TNA.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.