Ric Flair makes things ugly with lawsuit threat over “The Man” nickname

Things have grown out-of-control and ugly as Ric Flair threatens legal action against the WWE for Becky Lynch’s use of “The Man” moniker.

That’s one way to burn a bridge. Ric Flair has decided to escalate things into a full-on war with WWE over the use of the nickname “The Man” which current Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch has been using since 2018. Flair recently spoke to TMZ Sports where he told his side of the story, claiming he has legal right to “the man” and that the WWE owes him royalties for using it with Lynch.

Flair also feels disrespected by the company even though WWE has been gracious by including him at events like Raw Reunion, WrestleMania and others. It’s interesting to note that current WWE Universal Champion, and one-half of the Raw Tag Team Champions, Seth Rollins, previously used the nickname “The Man” without Flair taking issue.

Lynch started calling herself “The Man” after defeating Flair’s daughter Charlotte during a Last Woman Standing match at WWE Evolution. Fans immediately embraced the idea and since then “The Man,” Lynch, has been white-hot. So the timing of Flair’s lawsuit seems strange. Why now only after Lynch has made “The Man” a successful brand?

According to Flair he spoke to WWE attorneys about the use of the name to which the WWE responded that it’s not a close comparison to what Flair has trademarked. The discrepancy that WWE attorneys could be referencing is the fact that “The Man” was never actually Flair’s gimmick.

During his years as an active competitor, Flair made famous the catchphrase “to be the man you’ve got to beat the man.” However, his gimmick was always “Nature Boy” which he took from “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Lynch has been introduced to the ring as “The Man” Becky Lynch since early 2019. It should also be noted that the term “the man” has been used in alternate circles besides professional wrestling for quite some time. Pop icon Taylor Swift recently released a song titled “The Man” to which Flair also took exception, posting on Twitter about it:

He’s since started a line of merchandise available on his official website touting “The Man” moniker which looks eerily similar to the style WWE uses for Lynch’s official merchandise. Although Flair stated he has no ill will towards Lynch the fact that he’s suing for royalties on the sales of her merchandise is a direct hit to Lynch’s paycheck.

This is one possible reason why Flair’s daughter Charlotte is now at odds with her father for filing. It’s well known that Rebecca Quin (Lynch) and Ashley Fliehr (Charlotte Flair) are very good friends outside the ring even though their characters are at odds. Charlotte Flair is also one of the top stars of WWE and having her father embroiled in a lawsuit with the company she works for can be extremely awkward.

The WWE has yet to comment on the situation but “The Man” herself, Lynch took to her official Twitter page to simply state: “I am the Man.” She also appeared on an episode of Raw recently where during a promo she stated: “I already showed the Flairs why I am the man.”

Hopefully, clearer heads prevail and this mess can be sorted. For what it’s worth, Lynch is over without needing to be called “The Man,” but since she put in the groundwork to make the moniker what it is today seems like Flair is trying to tap that success, not vice versa.