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WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is currently embroiled in a battle against WWE as he feels he deserves royalties from the company due to Becky Lynch's use of the phrase "The Man".
Lynch has become arguably the hottest star in WWE since donning "The Man" moniker, as just this week she starred in two new ESPN SportsCenter commercials, and this fall she will grace the cover of the new WWE 2K20 video game alongside Roman Reigns.
The battle between Flair and WWE has taken some interesting turns this week after Flair released a tell-all interview via TMZ, so let's take a look at everything you need to know about the current state of The Nature Boy vs WWE.
#5 Flair feels WWE should be paying him royalties due to the company's use of "The Man"
The heart of the issue lies with WWE using the phrase "The Man" for Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch.
During an interview with TMZ, Flair says that he is the rightful creator of the phrase, "to be the man, you have to beat the man", and the title of his own book is "to be the man." While Flair maintains that he has no problem with WWE using the phrase where it pertains to Becky Lynch, he feels that WWE should, in a sense, be licensing the phrase from Flair and paying him royalties as the name is certainly generating money via not only the popularity of Becky Lynch, but through merchandise sales as well.
The Nature Boy is obviously taking this situation both seriously and personally, telling TMZ, "When I almost died two years ago, one person stayed by me [Wendy]. The whole time -- 31 days in the ICU, 12 days while I was dying on a respirator -- and I'm gonna take care of her, and her family, and my family that has taken care of me no matter what.
"I don't care what the WWE thinks of me personally, I know they love me, but obviously they've lost respect for me," added Flair.
#4 Ric Flair has filed to trademark the name "The Man"
Ric Flair has officially filed a trademark application with the USPTO to trademark the phrase "The Man", however, a decision on the trademark has yet to be rendered. Should Flair be successful in his bid to trademark the phrase "The Man", or will WWE will be required to work out some type of licensing deal with Flair in order to continue making money off the Becky Lynch nickname?
In an interview with TMZ, Flair said that he has a family to protect, which is why he is seeking royalty payments from WWE overuse of the name "The Man," which he hopes to trademark.
Flair has added that if WWE is unwilling to work out some type of deal with him, then he might need to explore all of his legal options as it pertains to the use of "The Man."
#3 Charlotte Flair is upset with her father over the ordeal
WWE SmackDown Live star Charlotte Flair, who is gearing up to challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women's title at the upcoming Clash of Champions PPV, is the daughter of Hall of Famer Ric Flair, and it appears as if she is involved in the Flair vs WWE situation as well.
Charlotte is one of WWE's top female Superstars, and no doubt is caught in the middle of the drama between her father and the company for which she works.
Ric Flair maintains that he has no beef with Becky Lynch, and he has no problem with her using the nickname "The Man", but he feels that WWE should be paying him some kind of fee for using the phrase which he made popular in wrestling.
"I love Becky Lynch, and no one has supported the women's division more than me," said Flair. "It's funny, my daughter is so mad at me, because I filed [the trademark application] not even understanding, it's not with Becky. I have no beef with Becky."
#2 Seth Rollins and Triple H react?
WWE has yet to comment on the Ric Flair situation publicly, and it's likely we will not hear from WWE until the matter comes to some kind of a close.
However, it's worth pointing out that former Evolution stablemate Triple H seems to have indirectly reacted to the situation when he quietly unfollowed Ric Flair on Twitter after news of Flair's trademark filing became public.
Flair noted in the interview with TMZ that he did reach out to Triple H to let him know that Flair would be filing the trademark application, so The Game is fully aware of the situation.
Additionally, Seth Rollins, who is the real-life fiancee of Becky Lynch, has also unfollowed Ric Flair on social media, thickening the plot in this developing story. It's also worth noting that while no one in WWE has directly referenced the situation on Twitter, immediately following the release of the Ric Flair TMZ video, Becky Lynch reminded fans on Twitter that, "I am The Man".
#1 Ric Flair has signed a new deal with Adidas
The decision to file an application to trademark the name "The Man" is not the only bombshell Ric Flair dropped on fans this week, as he also told TMZ during an interview outside of the LAX airport that he has signed a new deal with Adidas.
"Ready for the good news?" asked Flair. "Adidas thinks I'm 'The Man.' I signed a deal with them, and we're fixin' to make Nike the 2nd brand. It's not gonna be Air Jordan anymore, it's gonna be Air Flair, and I can't jump.
"It's gonna be Adidas, Woooooooo!!!," Flair added.
Flair would not reveal details regarding the new deal with Adidas, which appears to be some type of endorsement deal, but Flair did note that the deal involves NBA stars James Harden and Damian Lillard, and Flair is certainly fired up about the new deal.
How do you feel about Ric Flair looking to trademark "The Man"? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow SK on Twitter and Facebook!
