WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair signed with AEW last year, primarily to promote his Wooooo! Energy drink. It's no secret he was on the outs with WWE for a while before that, of course, becoming increasingly critical of the company after a legal battle regarding their use of "The Man" moniker for Becky Lynch.
The Nature Boy recently appeared on the OutKick podcast and was asked to share his thoughts on the current state of WWE. Despite his old friend Triple H being in charge (how friendly they still are is uncertain), Flair didn't have anything overly positive to say.
"I like the fact that the kids make a lot of money. That's the most important thing," he said. "Unlike myself, they are more conscious because of the people around them and the culture being different of taking care of their money, paying taxes on time, stuff like that. It's really corporate now, and I dressed the part, but I could never think like that."
"I don't have the patience. AEW, very professional, it's an easier pace. There are politics everywhere in the world, but the WWE right now is very political."
As for why he believes WWE is too political, Flair added, "I don't know. The fight for control. Everybody wants to run WWE. I liked the way Vince ran it. For better or worse, everybody knew where they stood more than they do now. Social media is out of control with stories. You don't even know what's real anymore."
WWE's issues with Flair seem to stem from his last WWE Hall of Fame appearance (where he went off-script) and the controversy surrounding his past actions after they were highlighted on an episode of Dark Side of the Ring.
That's freed him up to say whatever he likes, including criticising WWE's decision to not have his daughter, Charlotte Flair, headline last year's WrestleMania.
"She and Rhea Ripley should've main evented last year because now that The Bloodline thing is done, I love Sami and Kevin, but what is Sami Zayn even doing right now?" he told The Wrestling Classic. "Putting that tag match on [in the main event], really, really pissed me off."
"If Sasha [Banks] comes back, I mean they gotta have their trilogy," Flair continued. "She's gotta have the trilogy with Rhea. Her and Asuka, literally I forget what year that was, they had the best match of WrestleMania when she beat Asuka."
What are your thoughts on Flair's assessment of both WWE and how Charlotte has been booked?