Ric Flair has worked with some of the biggest names professional wrestling has ever produced, but when it comes to understanding the politics behind the curtain, The Nature Boy says Triple H was on another level.
During a conversation with Roman Sharf, Flair was discussing the wrestlers he considered among the best when he realized he had left a few major names off his list. That included Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The Undertaker.
“I left off Shawn Michaels and Hunter, two of them. They’re great. Um, an Undertaker. Um, he’s still around. Good. Thank God.”
The conversation then shifted away from who could deliver inside the ring. Flair was asked which person he had worked with understood the actual wrestling business better than everyone else, prompting him to make sure they were talking about what happens politically behind the scenes.
“You mean the political side of it?”
Once that was confirmed, Flair didn’t need a long speech or a list of candidates. His answer was immediate.
“Triple H.”
That’s a pretty telling endorsement coming from Flair. He spent decades working across the territories, Jim Crockett Promotions, WCW and WWE, dealing with promoters, executives and some of wrestling’s biggest personalities along the way. Out of all those people, Triple H was the name that came to mind when the subject turned specifically to understanding wrestling politics.
Triple H eventually went from being one of WWE’s biggest stars to becoming one of the most powerful figures behind the scenes, but Flair’s comment suggests that ability to navigate the business was something he recognized long before Hunter’s executive role became such a major part of his wrestling legacy.
Flair has seen just about every kind of power player wrestling can produce, so picking Triple H that quickly says plenty. The Nature Boy may have shared the ring and locker room with generations of legends, but when it came to knowing how the political game worked, Hunter apparently knew exactly how to play it.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
Do you agree with Ric Flair that Triple H understood the political side of professional wrestling better than anyone else? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
