Despite his assertion that the storyline with his daughter had nothing to do with his decision to leave the WWE, a recent interview Flair did with ESPN's Ariel Helwani suggests otherwise. Helwani asked about his rivalry with his daughter, a kayfabe in which animosity arose between Ric and Charlotte after his character hooked up with her rival Lacey Evans. Ric said that the storyline, which obviously involved Charlotte saying some things a father doesn't necessarily like to hear from his own progeny, did make him uncomfortable. And he assured Helwani that Charlotte "most definitely didn't like it."
According to Bleacher Report, the storyline was set to come to a climax at WrestleMania, but it was dropped in early 2021 after Lacey Evans broke kayfabe and got pregnant (with her real husband, obviously). "She's a really nice girl and all that, but it didn't fit this time," Flair told Helwani. "We made the best of it but ultimately, she's pregnant with her husband now. It was never anything personal, I barely know her and her whole life is her husband and her daughter. I didn't like that one."
Wrestling fans need not worry about never seeing the Nature Boy in the ring again. He hasn't announced his official retirement from the sport, and now rumors are circulating that he may be the next big name to sign with the up-and-coming promotion All Elite Wrestling.
