WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is at odds with the WWE over their use of "The Man" nickname for Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch. According to reports, Flair filed to trademark "The Man" on August 26, claiming that saying has been his since 1981.
During a recent run-in with TMZ, Flair explained (H/T Wrestling Inc):
"I'm glad that I'm having this opportunity to clear the air. When I first saw this ['The Man' Becky Lynch] thing go down in August 2018, I thought, 'Cool, 'The Man' - my gimmick - versus my daughter, Charlotte.' Okay, that's the day it started, right after SummerSlam. I thought, cool. I said, 'I'm going to make some money; it's my trademark and they have it to use.' I've been saying it's [been mine] since 1981."
Flair added that WWE's lawyers have blown off the messages from his legal team. He made it clear that he has no beef with Becky Lynch, and doesn't have any issue with her using "The Man" nickname, just as long as he gets paid by the WWE for using the slogan.
"It's funny, my daughter is so mad at me because I filed, not even understanding that it's not Becky. I have no beef with Becky. But here's the deal: when I almost died two years ago, one person stayed by me the whole time for 31 days in ICU, 12 days while I was dying on a respirator, and I'm going to take care of her and her family, and my family that has taken care of me, no matter what. I don't care what the WWE thinks of me personally; I know they love me, but obviously they have lost respect for me," says Flair.
Days after Flair filed for the trademark, Lynch simply tweeted, "I am The Man," to which The Nature Boy replied, "To Be The Man, You Gotta Beat THE MAN! #alreadytrademarked."
Check out Flair's full comments about his issues with WWE in the video embedded below.
