The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on Monday reportedly removed footage of the legendary wrestler Rick Flair from their opening video package after allegations of sexual assault. 

In the recent episode of the TV series “Dark Side of the Ring,” namely “Plane Ride From Hell,” a flight attendant Heidi Doyle accused that an intoxicated Flair forced himself upon her in 2002.

Although Flair was released from WWE back in August, his trademark “Woo!” was still a part of the show’s opening signature video package.

The “Woo!” has been deleted from this week’s Raw, and the little footage of Flair that typically runs on the screen has been replaced with that of the deceased Ultimate Warrior.  

Who is Ric Flair?

WWE describes Ric Flair as an animated performer who cannot be encapsulated in words. The company recognises him as a 16-time world champion – eight-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and two-time WWF Champion. Flair’s career spanned 40 years. He was the first holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship. Flair, after winning the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Championship, became the first person to complete WCW’s Triple Crown. He also completed WWE’s Triple Crown after winning the Intercontinental Championship, WWF Championship and the World Tag Team Championship.

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He is called ‘The Nature Boy’. Ric Flair was adopted and grew up in Minnesota. He studied at a boarding school in Wisconsin, before winning the state private school wrestling championship in 1966 and 1968 and being recruited into the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship. However, Flair dropped out. 

Ric Flair worked as a bouncer at a nightclub. He was introduced to trainer Verne Gagne by Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera. He then came up the ranks in the American Wrestling Association.

Ric Flair broke his back in a plane crash and at 26 he was told that he cannot continue as a wrestler. He then scripted a comeback after therapy. A dispute with then-WCW president Jim Herd in 1991 led to Flair’s initial stint in WWE. 

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Once the WWE bought the WCW in 2001, Flair spent the winter of his career in the sports entertainment giant and partnered up with Triple H. The pair of them would create Evolution which spawned two of WWE’s perennial main eventers for a decade in Batista and Orton.

Flair was in a storyline with his daughter, Charlotte Flair, and Lacey Evans, earlier this year, but it was dropped when Evans became pregnant in real life. He was unhappy with his role. He has been periodically involved with the company and played a significant role in Randy Orton’s red-hot heel run in 2020.