Despite having many championship matches in his career, Andrade says the most important match he’s ever been in was Ric Flair’s final bout.
On July 31st Ric Flair brought down the curtain on a glittering career than spanned five decades. While the Nature Boy might leave behind a complicated legacy outside the ring, he stepped into the squared circle one last time with his legend as one of the greatest of all-time assured.
As soon as the match was announced, speculation abounded as to who would be involved across the squared circle from Flair, with some rumors suggesting that his longtime friend and rival Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat might be his final opponent. FTR were also rumored for the bout.
However, in the end, Flair teamed with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo against the team of Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, the latter of whom had been training with Flair in preparation for the legend’s return to the ring at the age of 73.
Speaking to Marc Raimondi of ESPN after the bout, Andrade called the match the most important of his career and praised his father-in-law for his in-ring acumen.
“This match is the most important of my career… This is unbelievable. I don’t even have words for this. [Flair] feels better than guys 20 years old. He’s an inspiration to me.”
Andrade married Flair’s daughter Charlotte back in May.
By the end of the match that saw Flair’s team pick up the victory, the 16 time World Champion appeared a little worse for wear, admitting that he couldn’t remember parts of the match, despite it only just ending. He was also bleeding profusely. However, it has since been reported that the two-time WWE Hall of Famer is fine.