Ric Flair is revered in the wrestling community for his legacy as arguably the greatest wrestler of all-time. His superb matches and memorable promos made him a wrestling icon in the 80s. WCW and WWE would find more success with Flair as a top name at different points in the 90s, to help usher in more success during the growth of the industry.
Fans today still adore Flair's work, with his classics all on the WWE Network available to watch. His current wrestling friendships are a bit surprising for those that followed his career. Flair had issues with quite a few names in the industry during his career, after all. The beefs in question have been squashed for the most part, however, and there are also some younger performers Flair has gravitated towards. Here are some of the more surprising stories.
10 Mick Foley
Ric Flair and Mick Foley had a strong level of animosity for many years, due to their differences of opinion in wrestling. WWE utilized this to create a feud between the two using their real issues in 2006.
Flair and Foley eventually made peace and have become friends since then. They have worked together in various WWE talk show projects and even had some more matches during their respective TNA runs.
9 Shawn Michaels
Not many wrestling fans would have expected Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels to become close friends in the 90s. Flair was known as a WCW guy and Michaels was representing the WWE. The end of WCW would see Flair make the move to WWE.
Michaels and Flair became close friends during the 2000s. Flair was the wrestling idol of Michaels and the two were able to work together. WWE allowed Flair to pick Michaels as his retirement match at WrestleMania XXIV. They are considered the two best workers in wrestling history by many fans, which makes it neat that they became close friends.
8 Jeff Hardy
The wrestling style and character of Jeff Hardy is as far away from Ric Flair as possible, but they became buddies when working together. Hardy was known for his high-risk moves, the opposite of Flair’s technical wrestling style.
They worked together in WWE and TNA for many years and became friends along the way. Hardy was one of the handpicked wrestlers selected to attend Flair’s recent 70th birthday party. Flair and Hardy would never be compared to each other in the ring, but there is a respect and bond there.
7 Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff was one of Ric Flair's most hated people in the wrestling industry during their time together in WCW. Flair was often criticized by Bischoff and used poorly once bigger names like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage joined the company.
Personal issues between Bischoff and Flair would see arguments, suspensions and lawsuits. Flair wanted to fight Bischoff backstage at WWE when Bischoff joined the company. The two ended up talking it out and became friends. Bischoff even brought Flair in when he gained power in TNA.
6 Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman may not technically be considered a wrestler, but he did have a wrestling run, with a handful of matches in WCW. The basketball legend appeared in WCW as part of the New World Order, with the desire to wrestle. Ric Flair was not one of the talents to work with Rodman during that time.
The two did become friends at some point throughout the years. Rodman was one of the few non-wrestler celebrities to appear at Flair’s 70th birthday party. Both men have spoken out positively about the other, making for one of the most flamboyant and charismatic friendships in sports history.
5 Steve Austin
The legendary run of Steve Austin made him one of the biggest stars in wrestling history. Ric Flair was among Austin's most admired wrestlers, and there is a huge respect between the two. Austin and Flair worked together for certain moments during their runs in both WWE and WCW.
Austin has interviewed Flair quite a few times on his podcast as they are close friends. They always love appearing together at WWE events, when they can catch up and have fun together.
4 Jay Lethal
One of the few younger wrestlers on the list to form a friendship with Ric Flair is Jay Lethal. The younger man's hilariously entertaining impersonation of Flair earned him a feud with the legend on TNA television. Flair’s first match on television to break retirement took place against Lethal.
The two became friends, with Flair loving the impression so much that he insisted the youngster show it off to his buddies. When asked about wrestling talents who should join WWE, Lethal is often at the top of Flair's list.
3 Lex Luger
Ric Flair was the biggest reason for Lex Luger’s early success in WCW. The company put them together in a main event feud, knowing Flair was good enough to help Luger progress to the next level. They worked together for many years in WCW, with quite a few feuds.
Flair and Luger did not always get along, due to Luger’s perceived arrogance backstage. The two WCW icons would make peace as time went on, however. Luger appeared on Flair’s short-lived podcast and thanked him for all he contributed to his career.
2 Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair clashed for many years during their time in WWE and WCW. Flair often took shots at Hogan for his backstage politics and always went out of his way to state that Steve Austin was a bigger star. The two icons would become close friends later in life, however.
They became close when Hogan booked Flair for his Australian tour, ending Ric’s retirement with WWE. Hogan calls Flair the best wrestler of all-time and Flair puts over Hogan, as they’re quite close today.
1 Bret Hart
The friendship between Ric Flair and Bret Hart is one of the most surprising in wrestling history. Both men had harsh words for each other throughout the years, each disliking the other's wrestling style.
The two legends finally made peace when working together in NXT, of all places. Ric was in his daughter Charlotte’s corner and Bret was in his niece Natalya’s corner as they had a classic match. Hart and Flair became friends shortly after that, with nothing but kind words to say about each other today.