“He Slept With a Hundred Girls in the Freshman Year”: Ric Flair Is Forever Indebted to Unsung NFL Hero

The WWE Hall of Famer, Ric Flair, solidified his character when he was a part of professional wrestling. During his prime years in pro wrestling, Ric Flair used to entertain wrestling fans with his incredible promos. The persona of Ric Flair was larger than life, which is infamously known as The Nature Boy.

Many wrestling fans know him because he is a 16-time World Champion over his prolonged wrestling career. However, with his boastful behavior, in-ring antics, and lavishing personality, Ric Flair created ‘The Nature Boy’ he is today.

But recently, Ric Flair opened up about his inspiration, who created and helped him push his larger-than-life persona.

Who does Ric Flair credit for his ‘Nature Boy’ in-ring character?

Ric Flair was invited to The Pivot Podcast with former NFL football players Ryan Clark and Fred Taylor. The Nature Boy shared that NFL unsung legend, Joe Namath, inspired his decorated persona. Pro Football Hall of Famer Namath became a media icon when he was on the Sports Illustrated cover in 1965. This is where Namath earned his ‘Broadway Joe’ moniker.

Ric Flair mentioned, “It all (Nature Boy persona) started when I saw Joe Namath at Alabama. He was maybe three or four years older than me, but I was in high school, obviously. And when I heard that he slept with a hundred girls in his freshman year, I said, that’s my kind of man.”

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Joe Namath’s persona influenced WWE Hall of Famer. This eventually led Flair to become The Nature Boy throughout his career. However, the glamorous side of Broadway Joe blew away the WWE legend. Hence, Flair incorporated Namath’s lifestyle into his in-ring persona.

The Nature Boy designated Joe Namath over Tom Brady

‘The Nature Boy’ believes that Joe Namath was one of the greatest football players. But Namath did not get the credit he deserved. Flair cheekily took a dig at other NFL players for undermining Joe Namath’s contribution. Flair imagined quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Joe Namath in the same room and asked the co-host who they would look up to?

“If you put Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers in the room and Joe Namath was sitting in the room with them, who’s the first guy you’d walk to? Nobody ever liked him in terms of turning the league around; he’s responsible for making the AFL. He doesn’t get enough credit because he had so many injuries. He just brought so much charisma to the football in the sports,” Flair added.

According to Ric Flair, not many people liked Broadway Joe because of his injuries and antics. However, the Nature Boy asserted Joe Namath has more than equal contribution in making American football to the apex. In fact, Flair noted that Joe Namath was the guy who made the Australian Football League (AFL) a massive success.

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However, Namath’s contribution to the sport is underrated. But, The Nature Boy left no stones unturned for the unsung NFL hero as he chose Namath over Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Peyton Manning.