Ric Flair recently recalled how he gave Triple H the original World Heavyweight Championship as a gift after Vince McMahon allowed him to keep it.
Flair is recognized by WWE as a 16-time world champion, a joint-record that he holds with John Cena. The 72-year-old became synonymous with the prestigious NWA/WCW World Heavyweight Championship, known as the Big Gold Belt, throughout his career.
Speaking on his Wooooo Nation UNCENSORED podcast, Flair said McMahon wanted him to keep the legendary title. However, he decided to give it to The Game instead, along with a heartfelt message:
“It was phenomenal [World Heavyweight Championship reigns], phenomenal until the end," stated Flair. "That belt right there I gifted to Hunter with a note, because Vince let me keep it, saying, ‘Wish I could have dropped this to you in 1986.’”
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
WWE introduced a new world championship in 2014, meaning the Big Gold Belt design was finally retired. Brock Lesnar was the last person to hold the title before its redesign.
Triple H also gave Ric Flair a special gift
Ric Flair’s son Reid passed away at the age of 25 in 2013 following a drug overdose. Flair, a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, buried his son with one of his Hall of Fame rings.
In an interview with Wrestling Inc’s Nick Hausman, Flair opened up about Triple H gifting him a special Hall of Fame ring containing Reid’s name:
“At NXT one time, Hunter said, ‘I need to talk to you,’ and I maybe thought I had done something wrong. And he called me into his office, and he had a duplicate ring with Reid’s name engraved on it. That’s someone who cares.”
Ric Flair has been a friend and mentor to Triple H for many years. The two men worked in the Evolution faction alongside Batista and Randy Orton between 2003 and 2005.
Please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use the Wooooo Nation UNCENSORED quote from this article.