"There'd be no Ric Flair" - Former World Champion's son reveals the impact his father had on WWE legend (Exclusive)

WWE has made many stars during its existence, but only a few have come close to Ric Flair. The Nature Boy was one of the most over and successful wrestlers during his time and won numerous titles during his wrestling days. He had the most number of World Title runs in WWE till he was surpassed by John Cena, only earlier this year.

8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race, proved to be a huge figure in Flair's life. The two have had a storied rivalry during their time together in the NWA, and Harley Race's son, Justin Race, recently revealed the impact his father had on Flair.

Justin was talking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, where the host, Dr. Chris Featherstone, asked about Flair's relationship with Harley Race. Justin revealed that Flair looked up to his father a lot and made a bold claim at Harley's funeral, stating that there would be no Ric Flair without Harley Race.

"Oh, it was great! Ric looked up to my father a lot. At dad's funeral, he said if it wasn't for Harley Race, there'd be no Ric Flair. They had tremendous respect for each other. Dad just wasn't gonna pass the baton to just anybody, and he picked Ric. And, Ric has always been wonderful; he's been a wonderful friend to the family, he's just a great guy. He loves to tell Harley stories," Justin said.

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Harley Race was seen as the face of NWA, while Ric Flair was the newcomer who would challenge Race to be the face of the company. The two have one of the most famous rivalries in the company, one that would be talked about even decades later, as it helped elevate the careers of both men.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed