Whether in-ring or not, two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is constantly finding new ways to keep his name in the headlines, albeit not always for the right reasons.
Case in point, ‘The Nature Boy’ wrestled on July 31st of this year, more than a decade after he last did so in IMPACT Wrestling vs. Sting. Teaming with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett, Ric Flair bled buckets during the controversial match, with his health being of significant concern to everyone in the aftermath.
Now seemingly retired once again, the 16-time World Champion has been spotted with 32-year-old rapper and record producer Soulja Boy during an appearance at SneakerCon. Posted to Flair’s Twitter, the two posed in front of a crowd of pleased onlookers, though responses to the picture haven’t been nearly as complimentary, with many referencing the rapper’s Twitter beef with Randy Orton.
Randy Orton’s Twitter Beef With Soulja Boy
Soulja Boy may not be a name that means much to wrestling fans but if you recognise him, it’s likely from his negative online interactions with WWE‘s Randy Orton. In early 2021, ‘The Viper’ engaged in a heated debate with the Grammy-nominated rapper, which stemmed from Soulja Boy branding professional wrestling as “fake”.
Randy Orton fought back against the comments after noticing a tweet from Monday Night Raw colleague T-BAR, who informed Soulja Boy that wrestling can take years off of a performer’s life. The online feud continued for a short while, with Orton once quote-tweeting a picture of Sheamus and Drew McIntyre’s bruised backs to show Soulja Boy how real wrestling can be.
Fake. Right @souljaboy ? Btw, which one of yo baby’s mommas do I send the bill to for making you relevant again? I assume they all own yo ass so whose cuttin those checks. https://t.co/EvZUOcJ3Hx
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) March 9, 2021
Born DeAndre Cortez Way, Soulja Boy first rose to fame in September 2007 with his debut single, Crank That (Soulja Boy). The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a number-one hit for seven consecutive weeks in the United States.
The hit was largely responsible for Soulja Way being recognised on Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2010 list, earning a reported $7 million that year.