I hope Booker T is wrong about Ric Flair’s future plans

Last week, WWE released Ric Flair.

Most of the news and discussion surrounding Nature Boy’s exit from the company that’s twice put him in their Hall of Fame was about why. That’ll happen when reports claimed he was let go after complaining to Vince McMahon about his daughter Charlotte’s booking.

There was some talk about what’s next for Flair, and on his The Hall of Fame podcast/radio/streaming show, Booker T weighed in on what he thinks Ric’s plans are:

“Ric Flair is not the managerial type of guy. It’s just not his role. As well as, Ric Flair is not one of your guys that want to be in the office, coming to work every day, wearing a suit and going into the office. That’s not Ric Flair. Ric Flair’s a party guy. That’s just in his nature. You saw him on Triller, he’s all about having some fun. Now my thing is this, I talk to Ric Flair on a — usually on a regular occasion, I don’t know how often I’m gonna see him now, but Ric Flair told me, he said, ‘Book, I’m never going to retire.’ He said, ‘If I could be in that ring right now, that’s where I’d be.’ So I think Ric Flair may be looking for one last run.”

Book goes on to question whether this is a good idea, or even possible. But based on his experience with Naitch, he believes it’s what Flair wants.

All I can say is, I hope not. I’m certainly not against aging stars performing on more than just the microphone. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express have been proving for years it can be a lot of fun to see 60+ year old guys tearing it up. With the right story and the right dance partner, it can work. Look at Undertaker’s Boneyard Match.

But Flair isn’t Robert Gibson or Mark Callaway. He’s a 72 year old man four years removed from a major health scare that required the removal of a section of his bowel (and two years removed from another surgical procedure running into “complications”).

This isn’t the first we’ve heard about Ric lacing up the boots one more time either. He was openly talking about it earlier this year.

If there’s something we don’t know about, and he’s been given a clean bill of health from medical professionals, maybe that would change my mind. But even then I’m not sure I need to see another Flair match. The risk seems to far outweigh the reward... no matter how great Ric thinks that reward would be, emotionally or financially.

But that’s just me. What do y’all think? Ready for a few more chops, woos, flops, and doomed maneuvers from the top rope?