“Forever Thankful”: Ric Flair Pays Tribute to Ole Anderson Following the Death of Legendary Former Horseman

Ric Flair has had a career in pro wrestling that has spanned over 50 years. Over time, The Nature Boy has befriended and lost a number of important people in his life. Among these people, Ole Anderson was by far the most important one.

Flair and Anderson’s history goes back to the early days of their careers. With his tragic passing, Flair took to social media to post a heartwarming message about Anderson’s importance in his career.

Ric Flair thanks Ole Anderson for starting his career in pro wrestling

Alan Robert Rogowski, better known in pro wrestling as Ole Anderson, was a wrestler, promoter, and manager. Starting his career in 1967, he would significantly impact the business while founding The Four Horsemen. He would retire in 1996 and pass away on February 26, 2024. During his time, he worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Flair.

Taking to X, Flair posted a picture of him with the Anderson brothers. He said, “I Am Forever Thankful To Ole And Gene For Bringing Me In To Crockett Promotions As A Cousin.” While not biological cousins, they were billed as such in various promotions throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Flair had been close with the brothers in Crockett Promotions from 1974 to 1981. He continued, “But The Honest To God Truth Is You & Gene Started Me. Rest In Peace My Friend!” Despite having fame while working with The Andersons, Flair has always claimed his matches with them made his career in pro wrestling.

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Despite all these beautiful words by Flair, Anderson and him never really saw eye-to-eye on every occasion. Post his retirement, Anderson released a book titled Inside Out. This recounted his time in professional wrestling and hinted at issues with Flair.

Ole Anderson and Ric Flair had issues with each other despite their friendship

Something to note in Flair’s post is the line, “We Didn’t Always Agree With Each Other.” This directly refers to what Anderson mentioned in his book. Anderson had an issue where he disliked Flair for wrestling the same kind of match for years.

When Flair returned to WCW in 1993, Anderson was the head-booker. During an encounter, he asked Flair what good he was to WCW after losing a match to Mr. Perfect on national TV. The stipulation for the match was that the loser would leave town. Flair took this as a personal attack and ended their friendship. However, Flair decided to bury the hatchet and remember his once close friend after his passing. What do you think about Flair’s post? Tell us your thoughts on Anderson in the comments.

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