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The Marty Smith Podcast: WWE Legend Ric Flair Talks Iconic Career, Chats About His Upcoming Final Match in the Ring

The Marty Smith Podcast is back after a week off, and we’ve got a “stylin’, profilin’, limousine ridin’, jet flyin’, kiss-stealin’, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun” joining the show. That’s right, we’ve got “The Nature Boy” himself on the podcast this week as Ric Flair opens up about his legendary wrestling career and much more.

Per usual, co-hosts Marty Smith and Wes Blankenship revisit some of the biggest recent storylines in sports. This week, the guys are talking about the crazy weekend in NASCAR. Race officials disqualified both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, and the guys react to the rare ruling. They also jump into a random but amusing conversation about Beer Pong and discuss how they think the drinking game should technically be played.

The guys then welcome in the man, the myth, the legend that is Ric Flair. The 73-year-old has been a professional wrestler since 1972 and he’s bringing his 50-year career to a close very soon. On Sunday, the 16-time world champion (21-time champ, according to Flair) is bringing an end to his long, illustrious career in the ring.

Ric Flair’s Last Match will air live from Nashville Municipal Auditorium on FITE TV as a pay-per-view event. As part of his swan song, he’ll also take the hot seat in The Roast of Ric Flair. Some of his closest friends and comedians will come together to celebrate Flair while throwing some good-natured verbal jabs his way. Flair opens up about his final match and the roast, which are only days away now. He also shares his emotions over his five-decade career coming to an end as he’s sent off with one last hurrah.

As he retires from the ring, news recently broke that WWE CEO Vince McMahon is also retiring from his lead position with the company. Flair reacts to that huge wrestling news, and speaks much more about his iconic career on this week’s episode of The Marty Smith Podcast.

Ric Flair Talks Last Match on ‘The Marty Smith Podcast’

Right out of the gate, host Marty Smith shared his appreciation for Ric Flair coming on the show. Smith called it a pleasure to have him on the podcast, and shared that Flair has been one of his heroes his whole life. However, Marty wanted to know why Flair is wrestling one last time, and how the event came together.

At first, Flair and his team only had the roast planned for this weekend. However, his son-in-law threw out the idea for one final match as well. The Nature Boy has had some pretty serious health issues in recent years, including four heart operations in seven weeks to deal with a pacemaker issue. But he saw 76-year-old Vince McMahon go toe-to-toe with Stoned Cold Steve Austin at the most recent WrestleMania and that made him seriously consider one last fight.

“Anytime I see something like that it makes me want to get back in there,” Flair admitted.

That’s when he took the idea to his heart doctor to ask if he could perform in one last match. The doctor said that the wrestler had built up enough scar tissue around the pacemaker to do basically anything he wanted to do. So, Flair got back in the ring and started practicing.

“I went over there and took a slam first, then a suplex. Then, I started wrestling and running , and it just worked out,” Flair explained on The Marty Smith Podcast. “I’m not going to be nearly as good as I was, but I’ll be better than I was when I wrestled Sting in my last match [in 2011].”

Ric Flair Shares His Emotions Going Into Final Match of Storied Career

As their conversation continued on The Marty Smith Podcast, Ric Flair opened up more about his storied career finally coming to an end. For many, Flair is the greatest wrestler and entertainer the business has ever seen. His legacy has long been cemented as one of the sport’s most important and iconic figures.

Considering Flair has been wrestling since high school, it’s the only thing he’s ever known. While he hasn’t fought in the ring since 2011, his upcoming bout this weekend brings an official end to a career that’s lasted half a century. As the day quickly approaches, Flair reflected on what will surely be an emotional send off. In fact, “The Nature Boy” admits that his final match has led to some sleepless nights in recent history.

“Believe it or not, it’s keeping me awake at night. I’m nervous,” Ric Flair shared on the podcast. “[People] don’t understand. Everybody goes, ‘All you gotta do is get in the ring and strut and go ‘Wooo!’ and chop a couple guys.’ It’s gotta be more than that. I won’t be able to do it at the speed I did, but I’ve got to be able to do all the stuff that I did. And I can, I’ve practiced it.”

Flair has been practicing in the ring for three months now in preparation for his upcoming last match. He says the physical tools are there for him to perform. But he admits the mental side of things has been a bit of a struggle. With his whole family and numerous friends in attendance cheering him on, it’s going to be an emotional day indeed for the wrestling legend.

“So now it’s just getting myself here,” Flair said pointing to his head referencing the mental side of things. “And I’ll walk out there, my whole family will be there again. I mean it’ll be a night to be remembered.”

“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair talks about that and much more on the newest episode of The Marty Smith Podcast. Make sure to check out his entire interview in the video above, or listen to his full conversation on Spotify, Apple, or wherever else you listen to your favorite podcasts.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/69Pg3u5ELSjUFQkxoJOuCy?si=48tZm7_2Riq4Bv9-wnxQUw