The legendary Ric Flair recently spoke with Wrestling Inc. to discuss the death of his son Reid, where the Nature Boy reveals how former WCW President Eric Bischoff contacted him after his passing to check in on Flair. He also adds why he no longer is close with fellow Four-Horseman member, Arn Anderson. Highlights are below.
Says Eric Bischoff called him when he found out Reid had passed away:
When my son died… I don’t think we’re ever going to be best friends, but when something like that happens, or when I get sick like I did or something that really upsets your life, those are the people that show up. I can remember driving across town about three days after he died. Eric called on the phone because I was crushed. I was absolutely devastated. I can remember the people that called and the people that didn’t. If they couldn’t come, they called or texted me. Those are the people that count, or likewise, when I was sick, you really find out who your friends are. It took me six months to return them all, but I had over 170 texts on my phone, and Wendy counted each one of them. You wake up and you don’t know where you are. That’s who you know who your friends are because there’s people that I was very close to that did not show up for his (Reid’s) funeral and did not text me. Simple as that but there are people that I spent a lot of time with and put a lot of faith in, and we’re very close. I didn’t hear a word from them, and those are the things that are more hurtful than anything I experienced in wrestling. It’s just a very personal feeling.
Says he never heard from any of the Four-Horseman:
That’s one of the reasons Arn and I aren’t close. How do you not text? We don’t do anything anymore. We don’t talk. When it’s close to his (Reid’s) birthday, I get emotional. Like I said, one of the greatest. It’s got nothing to do with business. You just struggle with the people who you think will be there for you, and the people that you don’t think will be there are. Nothing’s bigger than the love of your children. I wasn’t just saying it about Arn. I didn’t hear a word from Tully, didn’t hear a word from Barry. I didn’t hear anything from Ole. He’s mad at the world. Arn just comes to mind because he was so close to the family. Then when I was sick, not a word. You spend 10 years being so close with these people, and you just wonder what really matters at the end of the day. It means nothing apparently.