What’s the story?
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently took to Instagram to post a picture of himself with The Rock. The two-frame photo shows The Rock as a young boy with Flair in his prime on one side and a current picture of both of them on the other. The post can be seen below:
In case you didn’t know...
The Rock, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson, is a third generation professional wrestler. His father Rocky Johnson was a pro wrestler and his grandfather (maternal) High Chief Pete Maivia, too, was a wrestler. The Rock has therefore been in and around the wrestling business ever since he was a child.
Ric Flair, on the other hand, is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. In his 40-year career, The Natureboy won just about every title that there was.
The heart of the matter
Ric Flair posted a “Then and Now” throwback picture of himself and The Rock. On the left frame of the picture, a prime Flair can be seen with a teenaged Rock in a monochrome picture. The picture was likely taken sometime in the 80s when Flair was at the peak of his popularity and The Rock was still in school.
The Rock is seen pointing his right index finger to the sky and his left index finger towards Flair, signalling that Flair is #1.
Also read: Ric Flair statue unveiled at WrestleMania 33 Axxess event
The second frame, however, is a more recent picture that shows The Rock and Ric Flair posing together.
Both Flair and The Rock have aged significantly since the first picture, with the Rock now looking a lot taller and stronger. This picture was taken backstage on 14th January 2013 at Monday Night Raw’s 20th Anniversary show.
Flair captioned the post with the words “My man The Rock!!”, noting their continued association and friendship over the years.
What’s next?
Ric Flair used to host his own podcast until it was brought to a halt a few months ago. He also makes sporadic appearances in the WWE to work storylines surrounding his daughter Charlotte Flair.
As far as The Rock is concerned, he has been gunning for a Presidential bid in 2020 as a Democrat.
Author’s take
It’s really nice to see throwback imagery like this. It really puts a lot of things into perspective. The two images that Flair posted show each man at the pinnacle of their success during different times.
In the first picture, Flair was the hottest commodity in the world of professional wrestling and The Rock was just a teenager, unknown to the world of professional wrestling. In the second frame, The Rock has turned out to be one of the most popular movie stars and professional wrestlers in the world while Flair has aged and is now a senior.
It’s good to see that the two legends of the business have still maintained harmonious relations with each other throughout the years!
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