Ric Flair has revealed why he left WWE in 1993, admitting regret over the move in an interview on ESPN's MMA Show. The Nature Boy first signed on with the company in 1991 after a 17-year stint with Jim Crockett Productions and WCW but returned to WCW less than two years later.

Flair admitted having no idea as to whether he’d have been able to join WWE in 2001 had he not joined in 1991, noting that leaving was the worst mistake he ever made in his life.

Related: Bret Hart Confirms Friendship With Ric Flair Despite Past Comments

Ric Flair WCW 1994

“Once I got [to WWE], I was fine, I just had to get away from that,” he explained in quotes transcribed by Wrestling Inc. “I had a bunch of friends there, I had another year and a half, greatest time of my life, and the worst mistake I ever made [was leaving].

"If they hadn’t asked me back in 2001, I don’t even know if I’d been on this show today. They brought me back and [Triple H] would take nothing less, ‘You’re the only one who doesn’t know who you are Ric.’ When you’ve lost it [in your head], it is really hard to get it back. You can only be broken so many times.”

So Why Did Ric Flair Leave WWE?

ric flair

Flair explained why he left WWE after just a year and a half with the brand. The veteran recalled Vince McMahon telling him he could return to WCW as WWE wanted to focus on younger talent.

“Vince [McMahon] said to me ‘We’re going to go younger,’ and he said ‘if you want to go back, they’ve been calling me every day so I’m sure they’ve been calling you, go in and go’,” he said. “I went back, between the time I left there and got there, management had changed and Ole Anderson was now in charge, he looked at me and said ‘You just got beat last night on T.V. in a loser leaves town match with Curt Hennig, what good are you to me?’

“I thought to myself, I’ve been with WWE? WrestleMania? Royal Rumble? This place is in shambles. I looked at him and said I can compete every Monday Night and be a bigger star than anybody you got right now. All I did was work hard and a thousand guys that could say ‘Thank you Ric for making me who I am.’ That was my job and I didn’t look at it as a job.”

Next: 10 Best Quotes Of Ric Flair's Career