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What's the story?
Jay Lethal has certainly made his mark in the wrestling world, being recognized as one of the top athletes in the sport today. The two-time and current Ring of Honor World Champion might not have reached this height had it not been for the legendary Ric Flair promo he had with the Nature Boy in TNA.
In case you didn't know...
Ric Flair has been incredibly high on Lethal since he was able to work with him during his run in TNA. Lethal and Flair had a great rivalry, with Lethal facing the entire Fortune faction led by Flair. On one episode of Impact, Flair brought his faction out to the Impact Zone in order to gloat, only to be interrupted by Black Machismo himself. However, Lethal dropped his great Macho Man Randy Savage impression to mock the 16-time world champion.
Many considered this a launching pad for Lethal, and though he had already had some incredible feuds with some of Impact and ROH's greatest stars, his back and forth with Flair proved just how great he could be on the mic.
So it was interesting to hear what Jay Lethal said about the preparation, or lack thereof before the segment took place.
The heart of the matter
During an interview with the Unsanctioned Podcast, Lethal revealed that there was absolutely no prep work involved in the segment. According to Lethal, Vince Russo told him that he wasn't allowed to work on Flair's promos, as nobody "writes anything for him." When Lethal tried to meet with the WWE Hall of Famer, the Nature Boy made it very clear how things were going to play out.
I don't go over promos. I'll see you out there.
Confused and thinking he was joking, Lethal ran after Flair as he left the locker room. When he caught up with Flair, he assured Lethal that he was serious.
I ran up to him and I go, 'Uh, Ric...but I don't know how long we're gonna have out there.' He goes, 'What did I just tell you? I don't go over promos. We're gonna do it out there. Nobody tells me what to say. You're gonna go out there with me, and we'll do it out there. Don't worry.'
It seems that Flair was right. There was no need to worry, as the two of them killed it, and the segment got a lot more eyes on the man who would become the face of Ring of Honor.
What's next?
Jay Lethal is set to defend his Ring of Honor World Championship against Cody at this year's Final Battle event, taking place on December 14th. Lethan and Cody have had some intense matches together, and this should make for an incredible contest between the two.
Will Jay Lethal retain the ROH World Championship at Final Battle? Sound off in the comments below!
