It's not uncommon in today's wrestling world for part-time "attraction" performers to walk through portions of their matches ahead of time. Shane McMahon, for example, was said to rehearse the high-risk spots he became famous for. Similarly, Logan Paul has a reputationforchoreographinghis bouts though Paul himself has downplayed it. But practice is one thing "Nature Boy" Ric Flair claims he never did.
"I never practiced," Flair declared on"The Five Star Podcast." "Why would I practice? ...That's the only thing in the business I can't stand right now."
Flair took pride in coming up in an era when it was commonplace to call the action on the fly, and the two-time WWE Hall of Famer suggested thattoo much practice was hurting the wrestling business. He argued that doing so could potentially create a disconnect with crowds that are reacting differently to what the performers expected.
"They're going out there, 'Do this, do this, do that,'" Flair griped. "You can never guarantee how a crowd is going to react. You can have a match all set up to go this way, and you walk out the door, and the crowds are going, 'I don't think so. Idon't like you today; I like him.'"
Though he's widely regarded as one of the all-time greats, not everyone has been a fan of Flair's work, either. Ted DiBiase once said Flair basically wrestled the "same match every night." Legendary technician and ring psychologist Bret Hart has also taken shots at Flair in the past, suggesting he "didn't know what he was doing" when they wrestled each other in the '90s. But after years of bad blood, Hart and Flair would eventually make amends.
