Ric Flair never had much interest in explaining himself when he got home from a night out. According to the Nature Boy, if one of his wives didn’t like what he was doing, his solution was pretty simple: she was gone.
While speaking on the Dual Time podcast, Flair was asked whether maintaining the larger-than-life Ric Flair persona ever forced him to spend money he didn’t actually want to spend. Flair said that wasn’t the case, although his habit of picking up the bar tab became well known among wrestlers.
“No, I just, um, to be quite honest with you, like, I’m famous for buying drinks. I mean, that’s everybody says, he spent, always buying. I was making more money than the guys I was hanging around with, and I felt like for them to come out with me, the least I could do is pay the tab. Does that make sense?”
There was some logic behind Flair always reaching for the bill. If he was making considerably more money than the wrestlers drinking with him, he didn’t think they should have to spend heavily just to keep up with his lifestyle.
“Because if I’m making 500 grand more than these guys, it’s not fair, you know, for us to go to these places and then, you know, they’re, they’re, they’re having to go home to their wives and explain.”
That brought Flair to one rather important difference between himself and those wrestlers. They might have needed to explain the bill when they got home. Flair says he never bothered.
“I never explain anything to my wives. I just told them what I was doing. If they didn’t like it, they’re gone. So, hence four divorces.”
Flair then remembered one occasion when a wife questioned what he could possibly have in common with John Cena, considering their 30-year age difference. Apparently, that question didn’t get very far.
“Um, one of them actually had the nerve to ask me one time what I had in common with John Cena because he was 30 years younger than me. I said, ‘You know what? Let me think about that and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.’ Bong. Calling the front desk, taking no calls. Yeah. I don’t think so, honey. That has never worked for me.”
Flair has spent decades talking openly about how closely his real life became intertwined with the extravagant character fans saw on television. By his own explanation, that approach extended to his marriages too, and he believes it helps explain why four of them eventually ended in divorce.
What do you make of Ric Flair’s explanation for why his marriages didn’t work out? Let us know in the comments.
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.
