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Ric Flair recently recalled how he rejected the opportunity to replace Edge and The Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania 24.
Flair retired from in-ring competition in 2008 after losing an emotional match against Shawn Michaels. The 20-minute contest was the fifth bout on the nine-match card, with Edge and The Undertaker’s World Heavyweight Championship encounter going on last.
Speaking on his To Be The Man podcast, the 16-time world champion revealed that he and Michaels were offered the chance to main-event that night.
“They actually asked me if I wanted to go on last in Orlando and I said, ‘God, absolutely not,’” Flair said. “I loved the attention I was getting but I wasn’t gonna ask the World Champion, whoever it was at that time, to go over and say, ‘Hey, thank you for this [main-event spot].’” [34:11-34:33]
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Edge held the World Heavyweight Championship heading into the event. The Rated-R Superstar lost the title to The Undertaker, who extended his WrestleMania undefeated streak to 16-0.
Ric Flair’s opinion on his WrestleMania farewell
WWE paid tribute to Flair’s career throughout WrestleMania 24 weekend, starting with his Hall of Fame induction one night before his final match. The company also held a celebration for the 73-year-old on the post-WrestleMania episode of RAW.
In hindsight, Flair still believes he made the right call by refusing to go on last with Shawn Michaels.
“I’d rather know that it’s one of the greatest moments, I think, in the history of the business, because it was very real… number one,” Flair continued. “Number two, I was working with the best worker in the history of the business. And number three, it was my life.” [34:35-34:49]
While Flair would not change anything about his final WWE in-ring performance, he still has regrets about wrestling for TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in 2010 and 2011. The Nature Boy added that he only returned to the ring for financial reasons after a divorce.
Suggested: Edge is included in the list of 5 superstars who refused to break The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. Watch to find out who the other wrestlers are:
Please credit To Be The Man and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
