Jim Ross recently talked about a wide range of topics on his Grilling JR podcast.
During it, Ross recalled Flair’s loss to Rob Van Dam at No Mercy 2002. After wrestling regularly on television for several months before the match, Flair put over the fan-favorite star.
Ross acknowledged that WWE was struggling to get the most out of the 16-time World Champion.
“I don’t know that we had a good handle on how to book Ric. I think that what we should have done in hindsight, which is always pretty viable, is Ric should have been booked as an attraction. Seldom used, but when he was used, used in a positive manner.
In other words, he would go over more often than not. And I don’t know that we knew how to book him. You know, Ric’s own scenario was Ric didn’t really want to ever be a babyface. You know, he likes being a heel. That’s what he grew up on, that’s what attracted him to the original AWA territory..”
H/T to Inside The Ropes for the transcription