When it comes to the world of pro wrestling – and sometimes college football – you never really know what’s real sometimes and, well, what’s not. The line of reality is sometimes blurred.
Don’t forget what happened back on the classic episode of “Late Night with David Letterman,” between Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman (*uncensored* (1982) Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler on Letterman Full).
That’s what’s happening today between SEC Network host Paul Finebaum, who’s probably forgotten more about college football, particularly in the Southeastern Conference, and its history than most of us even know, and legendary pro wrestler “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who has challenged Finebaum to meet at a taping of All-Elite Wrestling in Charlotte in January.
Finebaum and Flair seem to be feuding – emphasis on “seem” to be.
And Michigan football and coach Jim Harbaugh is in the middle.
Finebaum has never made it a secret that he is not a fan. And it’s been long known that Flair and Harbaugh have a friendship that goes back to the 1980s. Flair is friends with many professional athletes, as his “To be the man, you have to beat the man” philosophy has always been popular. He co-authored a book by the same name, detailing his own life and escapades several years ago.
He was the subject of an ESPN “30 For 30” series, and is a pop culture icon.
Flair – arguably the most over-the-top villainous personality in a business full of them – was always promoted as the very best world champion in history, and there’s a good argument to be made that he was. He traveled for decades to the ends of the earth, normally gone from home at least 300 of the 365 days a year, one of the most recognizable faces among sports fans, and known not only for his flowing bleach-blonde hair, but also for throwing his head back and his trademark, “Woooooo!” shout.
Flair took issue with comments Finebaum has made about Michigan football in recent weeks, and after Michigan’s 30-24 win over Ohio State last Saturday, writing this on X / Twitter.
“The Michigan Wolverines, Denied Your Coach, The Great @CoachJim4UM, You Still Prevailed! HaHa, Big 10, NCAA, And Especially You @finebaum!” Flair wrote. “Quit Being A Hater And Start Being A Believer! Quit Snubbing The Big 10! WOOOOO! @UMichFootball”
Finebaum was not impressed.
“Ric Flair, let’s be honest, is done. The guy used to be at the epicenter of his sport and now he’s in his 70s and washed up and basically scraping for dollars,” Finebaum told ESPN’s Matt Barrie, on the ESPN College Football YouTube page. “Ric Flair is trying to make a name for himself off of this. He’s trying to stay relevant. He’s trying to stay in that 15 minutes of relevancy and it’s sad. We all watch our heroes get older and fade away and show up at pro-ams and do things that they normally wouldn’t do — appear on Social Security advertisements at 3 a.m. in the morning. Unfortunately, that’s Ric Flair right now.”
Flair came right back at Finebaum with another response on X / Twitter, inviting Finebaum to the appearance on AEW on January 6 – two days before the CFP national championship game in Houston on Jan. 8.
“Hey @finebaum, I Spent More Money On Spilt Liquor From One Side Of The World To Another Than You Made Last Year,” Flair wrote. “Stop Kissing Georgia’s A**! I’ll See You On January 6th In Charlotte- FLAIR COUNTRY (Which You’re Lucky To Live In) For Collision & I’ll Reserve You 2 Front Row Tickets Because God Knows You Can’t Afford To Buy Them! When You Had Me On Your Show, I Was ‘The Great Ric Flair.’ I Still Am & I’m Bigger And Better Than Ever At 74! Let’s Compare W2s Sir! And Also, Your 800k Followers Is Nothing Compared To My 10 Million! FYI- Don’t Ever Joust With The Dirtiest Player In The Game! WOOOOO!”
I feel like I need to throw it back to Gordon Solie or Jim Ross. “Back to you, Mr. Solie.”
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair isn’t winning world titles anymore, and no longer sports his big gold belt, but he’s still stylin’ and profilin’ at age 74. (Photo courtesy of BROBIBLE.COM)
