He has been around a long time...from something I previously posted...
The Nature Boy” Ric Flair stated wrestling in the mid 70’s under his real name Richard Flheir in Minnesota in the AWA. He then wrestled for several different territories one of them being what then was called Georgia Championship wrestling (one of the biggest). In 1976ish he was in a plane crash that broke his back and thought he would never walk again let alone wrestle…But a few years later he was back and everyone was amazed that a guy who broke his back could go out and do 60 minute matches 5 times a week. That is when he started getting respect from everyone in the biz and his interview skills made him a star. In the early 80’s he was making about $350,000, which then was unheard of, because he was literally wrestling 320 days per year and never home. Keep in mind he was married with a child. In the mid 80’s Jim Crockett bought WWF’s TBS contract (WWF was on TBS for a short time but was also on USA Network. TBS forced WWF to sell because they did not like them being on a competing station. When Vince signed over the contract to Jim Crockett for $1 million dollars, he actually told Jim C to his face that he (Jim C) would choke on that million and WWF would dominate…which actually was true…4 years later (1988) Jim C, nearly broke would sell the national NWA to Ted Turner who owned TBS and then officially changed the name to WCW in 1991) and started a national NWA wrestling co (NWA had been around since 1905 but was always broken up into smaller territories) and made Ric Flair the champ because of his work ethic, interview skills and drawing power. In the 80’s the two biggest drawers were Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Flair would be the second highest paid wrestler in the 80’s behind Hulk Hogan. Vince McMahon tried to get Flair several times but failed until 1991 when Flair was pissed at the forever changing WCW management. Flair went to WWF and was pretty successful. The put the world title on him, but business then was very slow and didn’t make a great deal of money. When his two-year deal ended he decided to go back to WCW (Bischoff just took over but he actually signed his contract when Bill Watts was running it) for about $475,000 per year. Within two years Hogan would start with WCW and business started to pick up…By 1995 he was making $1 million per year. In the late 90’s however he had a falling out with Eric Bischoff, who at that time could do not anything wrong in Ted Turner’s eyes and left the co for a short period of time…But was still getting paid because like all WCW contracts, his money was guaranteed. He returned, to be in front of a crowd (can be an addiction) wasn’t happy with Biscoff, but did it anyway. In 2001 when WWE bought WCW, Flair sat out and continued to get paid until in 2002 when his contract ran out he signed with WWE for $475,000 per year. That was supposed to be a limited talent contract where he would only have to take a few bumps here and there and mostly be on the mic as a manager or their “fake” president (or GM) .….Didn’t turn out that way, he is actually is wrestling more now than he was in his final WCW days and getting paid a lot less. A few weeks ago he was slightly injured and probably will not be in the ring that much longer (the guy is in his mid 50’s). WWE will still keep him around to be a teacher to the younger guys and also because he really is one of the few wrestlers that everyone respects because of his talent. His contract expires later this year. I will now electrocute myself….Thank you…