Ric Flair's Forgotten Match Against Vince McMahon On WWE Raw, Explained
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Ric Flair's second run in WWE may not resemble his in-ring career when he was in his prime, but it was still memorable for fans who grew up watching WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era. As Ric Flair wrestled almost that entire generation of WWE, he got involved in many strange matches when returning to the company in late 2001. One of those matches is a bout that some might forget despite the level of star power getting featured in it, which was Ric Flair vs. Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match on a January 2002 episode of Monday Night Raw.
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Ric Flair's Successful Second Run In WWE
Ric Flair's name value in professional wrestling helped him continue his in-ring career for over a decade after the new millennium. Even though criticism towardFlair's in-ring career has existed going back to the 1990s, it didn't stop him from working with the new generation of talent when he returned to WWE in late 2001.
Upon his return, Ric Flair was already in his 50s, and there was only so much he could do physically in the ring. Especially with WWE launching the Ruthless Aggression Era in mid-2002, as younger superstars were getting showcased in the main-event scene, Flair wasn't going to wrestle at the same level as wrestlers like Brock Lesnar and John Cena.
However, to his credit, Flair garnered an impressive WWE career during his second run. Despite not winning a World Championship like his previous WWE run during the early 1990s, Ric Flair's WWE run during the Ruthless Aggression Era was arguably his best run in the company. From his time as a member of the legendary Evolution faction to winning multiple championships throughout his run, Flair would've had the perfect ending to his in-ring career following his final WWE match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24.
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Ric Flair Returns To WWE In 2001 & Has A Power Struggle With Vince McMahon
Although Ric Flair was active throughout most of his second WWE run, he only wrestled a few matches during the first six months of his return. For instance, from the time he first appeared on a November 2001 episode of Monday Night Raw to wrestling The Undertaker WrestleMania 18, Flair only wrestled two matches.
When Ric Flair returned to WWE, he was automatically inserted into an authority storyline when he revealed he and Vince McMahon had the same percentage of ownership in the company. This turn of events resulted in a rivalry between Flair and McMahon that lasted for many months. The power struggle between Flair and McMahon eventually tied into WWE launching the brand extension following WrestleMania 18, with Ric Flair controlling Raw and Vince McMahon controlling SmackDown.
Ric Flair Vs. Vince McMahon On Raw 2002 Was A Winner Take All
On a June 2002 episode of Monday Night Raw, the Ric Flair vs. Vince McMahon rivalry culminated in a Winner Take All match for full ownership of the WWE. A match that some might argue should've been saved for a PPV event considering the many months of build, Flair vs. McMahon for all the marbles on free TV seems like the match got pushed quickly out of nowhere.
Ric Flair vs. Vince McMahon was contested under No Holds Barred rules, another reason why the match should've gotten saved for PPV. However, considering this match happened right after Steve Austin departed from WWE in mid-2002, it's understandable why the match would take place on Monday Night Raw.
RELATED: What The Meaning Of "Brass Rings" Are To Vince McMahon & Pro Wrestling, ExplainedFast forward to the final moments of the No Holds Barred match between Ric Flair and Vince McMahon, Flair was about to defeat McMahon by locking in the Figure Four Leg Lock while Arn Anderson was present to make sure Flair didn't get screwed out of the match. However, hopes of Ric Flair defeating Vince McMahon and taking full ownership of WWE went up in flames when Brock Lesnar interfered with Flair's submission maneuver, as Brock Lesnar also delivered his F5 maneuver onto Flair to add insult to injury.
Upon this, a beaten-down Vince McMahon crawled over to get the pinfall victory, taking back full ownership of his company. From that point, Ric Flair became an active member of the Raw roster moving forward.
