Second Nature

by Ric Flair

  My dad also enjoyed spending time with the guys in the locker room. He’d have everyone rolling with laughter, and he’d tell stories and give advice. He was right there at every show, watching every match on the monitor. On the European tour, he treated almost the entire roster to a night out. He was always the life of the party!

  Working with him every week was the opportunity of a lifetime.7

  I loved seeing my dad in his element. I thought because today’s product moved faster that he wouldn’t be in sync with the performance. Boy, was I wrong! He always said, “You’ll know when you hear the crowd.” That aggravated me because he always called it out there. His level of confidence and work standards were different from mine. Plus, we were father and daughter, so we butted heads now and then. But he was right!

  We had so many questions heading into the final Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania. We found out the truth about a rumor that had been circulating for months.

  Backstage, Stephanie McMahon and Hunter told us that at WrestleMania, the Divas Championship was going to be retired. I was going to be history’s final Divas Champion.

  Then they showed us the beautiful white, red, and gold championship that was going to be known as the WWE Women’s Championship. To close the Divas chapter, Stephanie told us that women would no longer be called Divas. We were now going to be called Superstars.8

  The fact that the company changed the way women were described was a huge statement. I didn’t have a problem with the term Diva, but to know that we were going to be called Superstars, just like the men, was monumental.

  I didn’t want our matches to be known as women’s matches. I understood that the term was a way to identify the participants, but the audience needed to know that the match they were going to see was part of a deep story line, and the match was going to be as physical, as intense, and as compelling as a men’s match!

  Our course was set for Arlington, Texas. The greatest of all time was walking his daughter to the ring in front of an expected crowd of more than one hundred thousand people. I didn’t even know how I got there.

  The question that hung over me was, “Who would leave the largest WrestleMania in history as the new WWE Women’s Champion?”

  18

  DEFINING A GENERATION

  I didn’t dream of success. I earned it.

  April 3, 2016

  I woke up earlier than usual the morning of WrestleMania. I wanted to have a few minutes to myself before the day began. My family got into town on Thursday. I wanted to see everyone and spend time with them every night. I couldn’t wait! I knew my dad was taking them out to great restaurants. I chose sleep.

  WrestleMania week was filled with media commitments and promotional appearances. I had to prepare for my match. It was difficult just to find the time to get to the gym.

  I also had a special robe made, and I had to try it on one last time before it was complete. I had gone to wrestling shows my whole life. WrestleMania was always special. I’d buy a new dress and get my hair and nails done. Today, I was part of the show and in a hotel ballroom. I was awed by the brilliant artistry of seamstress Terry Anderson. I couldn’t wait for my dad to see this robe. I couldn’t wait to walk into AT&T Stadium adorned in it.

  When I thought about the fact that I was hours away from performing in a match at my first WrestleMania and that it would take place in front of more than one hundred thousand people, I asked myself again, How did I get here?

  When I think of WrestleMania, I think of Reider, Megan, David, and me sitting in the front row for my dad’s last match at WrestleMania XXIV.

  It was just four years ago when I went to his WWE Hall of Fame induction for the Four Horsemen. That night in Miami, I was a month away from being in the hospital. I hated my life. I was lost. The only thing I looked forward to was working with my personal training clients. I was in perpetual pain. I didn’t think I could live much longer.

  When I thought about the path of a professional wrestler and what it takes, I realized that this is something that you’re born to do. I could make every excuse to refute that: I was afraid to be a performer; I was petrified of public speaking; I wasn’t pretty enough; I wasn’t a Diva; when I was a kid watching anyone other than my dad wrestle, I was bored; I just wanted to be a wife and a personal trainer. But no. This was my destiny. Nothing has ever felt as natural to me as wrestling. Reider was the door; he put me on the path to realizing my life’s work.

  I arrived in Dallas for WrestleMania week on the third anniversary of Reider’s passing. My brother left this world too soon, and that’s because he was in pain. He couldn’t fight anymore. But Reider was brave. From day one, he knew what he wanted to do with his life. He was proud to say that he wanted to become a professional wrestler. Reider was determined to make that happen. My brother lived life. Reider was outgoing, charismatic, charming … he was never afraid of who he was. I always played it safe. I always played by the rules.

  For so many years, I thought I needed to be my brother’s teacher. I thought I needed to save him. I looked out the window to my hotel room, and I was reminded that he saved me. It was Reider who taught me to be proud of who I was. My brother was the person who saved my life.

  I looked at a message Reider sent me while he was in Japan. I saved it and read it all the time. He talked about doing conditioning drills in the mountains during his training. How he admired me, how he didn’t give up running because of how hard I worked, and how he wanted to be just like me.

  When I’m tired, when my body aches from performance after performance, and when I want to quit, I read that. I think of my brother. I can’t fail. He didn’t fail me, and I’m not going to fail him.

  There’s a part of me that hasn’t accepted that Reider’s gone. Sometimes I think that he’s just on vacation and that when he comes back, I’m going to tell him everything that’s been happening in my life; it’s because of him that I’m here. Reider gave me my wings to fly to WWE.

  Being one of the women who was featured every week in what became the Divas Revolution was a full-time job. I embraced every second of it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dedicate myself to my passion. I wasn’t going to let that pass me by.

  I was honored to be highlighted on every house show, every Raw, SmackDown, pay-per-view, and international tour. I didn’t miss a single show or appearance. I didn’t miss a step. I was damn proud of that. I wanted to prove that I was the right woman for the job because I was ready to do all the work and to work harder every week. I couldn’t control someone criticizing me for how I looked or who my father was. No one could deny my ability to keep up with the schedule. I proved that being a top talent for the company is more than just performing in the ring. It’s showing up in top form, every time, no matter the circumstances.

  This is a profession where you’re always learning.

  I dedicated every moment in front of the camera, each second I was in front of the audience, to improving.

  I was proud to be the WWE Divas Champion. I didn’t want my championship reign to disappear into obscurity because the title was being retired. I didn’t want to feel like I was just a placeholder until it was time to usher in the new era of the Women’s Championship.

  I thought about how little confidence I’d had when I debuted on Raw and felt I needed more direction. My transition to turning my character into a villain was slow and deliberate. It was impactful. I felt that was confirmed the night before at the Hall of Fame ceremony. I walked in wearing a black dress and styled my hair in a long ponytail. Once I appeared on screen making my way into the arena, the fans booed passionately. I smiled on the inside for a job well done. I said, “Let my haters be my motivators.” In what other profession can you say your work is a success when thousands of people are booing at the mere mention of your name or the first sight of you in an arena?

  I was so grateful for my time working with producer Fit Finlay. Fit was a generational wrestler during his career and was instrume
ntal in developing my villainous persona—the vicious, ruthless queen of WWE. Fit also helped me get comfortable performing when I was first called up. One night before I went out on Raw, he said, “It’s okay to be good.”

  I dedicated myself to my work in the ring, adding more layers to my character.

  There was someone else who was crucial to my development. I would not have made it through my time on the main roster without my best friend, Becky.

  For months, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we locked up at live events. I learned so much from listening to her and to the crowd. I began to understand and feel the power we have as performers.

  We bounced ideas off each other, laughed together, cried together (sometimes from laughing), and were angry, but we always had each other’s backs. We wanted the best for each other. Imagine a friend who has something that you have dreamed about your entire life, but you still give her advice and want her to have that position and success. That’s true friendship. Even if I was getting pushed and Becky wasn’t, she was there for me. I can’t wait for the day when I get to repay her.1

  Becky and I had been texting and talking all week. She was my go-to person. My dad talked about the business and how lonely it can get. Thanks to traveling with Becky, I never felt that way. My dad turned to partying and the nightlife to deal with the loneliness of the road. Becky and I had each other. We enjoyed gyms to work out in and mom-and-pop breakfast spots. We had a great list of places!

  I thought of my dad … this was his return to WrestleMania. Since I started on the main roster, I developed a better understanding of his career and a deeper appreciation for his work as the last traveling NWA World Heavyweight Champion and everything he did when he returned to WWE in 2001.

  Now that I found my true calling in being a wrestler, I remembered his final match at WrestleMania XXIV. I had only been in the business for four years. I couldn’t imagine someone telling me that after my match at WrestleMania my career was over. My dad had to come to grips with that after more than thirty-five years of doing what he loved. During the time we worked together, I saw the unwavering passion he had for this business.

  We had a press event at Reunion Tower. I was in a group with Stephanie McMahon, John Cena, Sting, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, and my dad. I walked around the room with the Divas Championship on my shoulder and talked about the women’s wrestling movement. My dad was next to me, and AT&T Stadium was in the background. How did I go from driving to work every morning debating who I was and what I stood for to being center stage?

  I enjoyed doing media appearances with my dad. I loved seeing him command the attention of an entire room. The week before Dallas, we had an appearance at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks game, and we did media in New York City the entire next day. He was truly my “parent in crime.”

  There were times when I felt overshadowed. It didn’t bother me. He’s my dad; he’s the man no matter where he goes. I was proud to stand next to him.

  He is not afraid to give his opinion. He was able to speak honestly and still say the right thing. I wish he didn’t describe me in interviews as the best athlete in WWE. I’d rather prove that through my work, but that’s my dad—always proud of his kids!

  Ultimately, he is who he says he is. He has an incredible energy and lives every day like it’s his last. I’ve never heard him say that he was tired, hurt, or sick. To be on top of this business for so long like he was requires a mental toughness that I’ve only come to appreciate in recent years.

  During this journey as a member of the WWE roster, I constantly repeated his words to me: “Make sure you know who you are.” That was an important reminder as I went into the largest WWE event of the year and what would be the most important performance of my life.

  There were times of trepidation. There were moments of doubt. There were many sleepless nights, tears, aches, and pains leading up to this match.

  Waves of uncertainty surrounded the outcome of the women’s Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania. There was great debate within the company and even wider speculation online about who was going to win.

  From our rise through NXT to debuting on Raw to me winning the Divas Championship … the dissolution of Team PCB … my matches with Becky … Becky breaking out as a top hero … Sasha’s return at the Royal Rumble … to Sasha breaking away from Team B.A.D.… everything came down to one question: Who was going to win the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania?

  I didn’t know the right way to feel. Becky and Sasha would make excellent champions. Maybe I just should’ve said, “Hey, I had a heck of a run as the Divas Champion. It’s time for someone else to have a championship.”

  Who wouldn’t want to win the championship—and a new championship? And on the most spectacular show of the year? Becky and I were able to speak candidly to each other without judgment. In a time of self-doubt, when I wondered if I would be the right choice, Becky was there for me. She had her own career to tend to. She had her own dreams, but she never stopped being my friend.

  I asked myself a different question. Why isn’t being in the center image on the front of AT&T Stadium enough? Clearly, that meant I had achieved a level of notoriety.

  Then I realized that I wanted to win the Women’s Championship because of the work that had changed the perception of the Divas Championship. It was a collective effort. I felt that my part in that effort showed that I would be just as good a choice as any for the Women’s Championship, especially since my character’s change into a merciless villain was well-received by the audience.

  I think people and especially some of the male Superstars felt that the women were strong athletes and strong in the ring but that we wouldn’t go beyond a certain point in the card.2

  It didn’t matter how many times that week I saw it, I couldn’t believe that Becky, Sasha, and I were in the middle of the picture that was draped across AT&T Stadium. Seeing my picture directly in the center of it reminded me of what I survived to reach that point.

  We knew that after WrestleMania, the term Diva would be left behind. We were ready to seize the moment at WrestleMania and embrace our future as WWE Superstars.3 To have my dad beside me made it perfect. That week, he bought Michael Kors watches for Becky and Sasha, to commemorate the special moment we would share at WrestleMania.

  The first thing my dad and I did when we arrived at AT&T Stadium was go to ESPN’s broadcast area. Jonathan Coachman interviewed us live on SportsCenter.

  I looked down at the field from where we were. The stage was enormous. The ring was in the middle of the giant Texas star in the middle of the field. AT&T Stadium dwarfed anything I’d seen when I was at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

  I rode in a golf cart to the women’s locker room. There were two women’s matches on the card. Before I knew it, the locker room was packed. All the women looked fantastic. Everyone proudly displayed their new ring gear, which was made specifically for WrestleMania, and the ladies were in the best physical shape of the year. You work all year to perform on WrestleMania’s iconic stage.

  This was a special day for the members of the female locker room. The company arranged a group picture of all of us together. It was an important tribute to the women who contributed to the past, present, and future of WWE and the landscape of women’s wrestling.

  I met with Becky and Sasha to go over some final details for our match. We knew the pressure was on to perform. Our contest was between Brock Lesnar versus Dean Ambrose and the Undertaker versus Shane McMahon.

  Hell in a Cell.

  Becky, Sasha, and I had excellent training sessions for our WrestleMania match. I had complete confidence that my work with them would make this match spectacular. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. A year before, we had Triple Threat matches all over Florida, sometimes in front of twenty-five people. Now, I was the villain and they were the heroes. This was a different match and a different story. I knew we were going to tear the house down in front of the largest WWE crowd of all
time.

  When we talked about the match, I went back to thinking about Dusty. He believed in each of us when no one else did. No matter where the road takes us in this business, we’ll always have the bond of the work we did together. That helped put NXT on the map and caused a seismic shift in the way women are presented to the audience. It also paved the way for the establishment of the Women’s Championship as the premier prize for female competitors in this business.

  When you first walk through the curtain, it’s the most defining moment of who you are. I start off with my dad’s music playing. I need to be able to convince the audience that they’re seeing the evil queen.

  I saw someone on my way to the Gorilla Position: Paul Heyman. When I debuted, Paul reached out to me and shared a personal story. He could see what I was feeling about Reider and why I wrestled. Paul’s story was not about losing a brother; it was something different. He talked about letting go of guilt and being able to relate to it. That always meant a lot to me.

  I gave Paul a hug. He stared at me with a stern look and said something I’ll always remember: “Go show the world why you’re at the center of AT&T Stadium.” My heart beat faster. Anxiety and nerves became excitement. I was ready.

  Before the match, I met my dad to take pictures. I put my robe on and walked to him from a distance so he could see its stunning patterns. I felt like I was floating. I’ve never been big on costumes. I never loved the way anything looked on me as much as I loved that robe. My dad began to tear up.4 It signified so many different things: his career; his legacy; my career and transformation into the queen; and bringing back an elegance to villainy as a larger-than-life character.

  I surprised him: my robe had pieces of his robe from his final match with Shawn Michaels stitched into it.

  We were at the Gorilla Position—Becky, Sasha, Snoop Dogg, my dad, and me. I couldn’t imagine what the emotion was like for Becky and Sasha. This was what they had dreamed about since they were little girls. They did so much to get to WWE and live their dream. Becky and Sasha were products of hard work, dedication, resilience, and being true to themselves. I always admired their work ethic and was proud to share this with them.