'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ric Flair recently recalled how he was “petrified” that Brock Lesnar might injure him when they faced each other in WWE in 2002.
Lesnar, a rookie at the time, competed against Flair on television and at live events after he joined the main roster. Their most notable match came on the July 1, 2002, episode of RAW when The Next Big Thing defeated his experienced opponent in seven minutes.
Flair said on the latest episode of his Wooooo Nation Uncensored podcast that he wishes he could have faced Lesnar in his prime. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer added that he did not feel confident heading into their matches in 2002:
“I wouldn’t have been afraid of him back then [in his prime]. When I had to wrestle him in WWE, I was petrified because you worry about getting hurt when you get older. The minute you worry about getting hurt, you gotta go home. You just do,” stated Flair. [57:24-57:43]
Two weeks on from his victory over Flair, Lesnar joined forces with The Undertaker to beat The Nature Boy and Rob Van Dam on RAW. Shortly thereafter, Paul Heyman’s former client recorded a high-profile win against Hulk Hogan before defeating The Rock at SummerSlam 2002.
Ric Flair compares Brock Lesnar’s style to other WWE legends
Ric Flair worked alongside Batista, Randy Orton, and Triple H as part of the Evolution faction between 2003 and 2005. He also shared the ring with Shawn Michaels in the latter stages of his career, including in his WWE retirement match.
While the 16-time world champion did not fear getting physical with Evolution and Michaels, he had a different mindset before facing Brock Lesnar:
“If you’re worried about getting hurt, I didn’t worry about that with Shawn, I didn’t worry about that with Hunter [Triple H] or Randy or Dave [Batista], but when you get a guy like Brock that can throw you around, he wouldn’t mean to, but you never know where you’re gonna land,” said Flair. [57:43-58:02]
Lesnar is currently one of the most prominent superstars on WWE television. On February 19, he is set to challenge for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship in a six-man Elimination Chamber match in Saudi Arabia.
Please credit Wooooo Nation Uncensored and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
