Jim Cornette has given his take on which legend of the wrestling ring he says wouldn’t crack into WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s top 50.
Speaking on his Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru podcast, the legendary manager of The Midnight Express was discussing the recent happenings in the wrestling world. In what has been a turbulent time of comings and goings, Ric Flair’s recent departure from his WWE contract caught many people’s eye.
The Nature Boy had reportedly requested his release from the company which was granted, leading to rampant speculation about what the sixteen-time champion of the world could do next.
For Cornette, he doesn’t believe Vince McMahon was ever the biggest fan of Flair’s in-ring style, despite Ric Flair becoming the first two-time WWE Hall Of Famer in 2012.
Jim Cornette explained:
“Vince respects who Ric Flair has been, what he’s done, his longevity, the dedication he has had to the business, the fact that he was ‘The Guy’ for the only opposition that Vince had there for quite a while, etc. Vince never liked Ric Flair’s style of wrestling or style of matches and he wouldn’t be Vince McMahon’s favorite wrestler or even in the top 50. Vince McMahon’s favorite kind of wrestler was Hulk Hogan – the exact antithesis (to Flair).”
Throughout the eighties, as Hulkamania ran wild in the then-WWF, Flair was the perennial NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion for Jim Crockett Promotions and later WCW. Flair headlined Starrcades and Great American Bashes against the likes of Dusty Rhodes and Sting. When Ric Flair made his first sojourn to the WWF in 1991 Flair even referred to himself as ‘The Real World’s Champion.’ Although Flair became WWF Champion twice during his run in the company, he was not long for the WWF as he returned to WCW in 1993.