Watch: Ric Flair Demands WWE Pay Him for Becky Lynch Using The Man Nickname

Ric Flair left fans utterly baffled in late August when he filed a trademark for the nickname, [...]

Ric Flair left fans utterly baffled in late August when he filed a trademark for the nickname, "The Man." "The Nature Boy" already owns the trademark on his famous catchphrase "To be The Man, you've got to beat The Man," but the nickname by itself has been a staple of Becky Lynch's persona on WWE television for nearly a full year.

In a new interview with TMZ Sports this week, Flair explained that he reached out to WWE's legal team as soon as Lynch started using the nickname, feeling that they owed him money.

"When I first saw this go down in August of 2018, I thought, 'cool, The Man. My gimmick vs. my daughter, Charlotte,'" Flair said. "That's the day it started, right after SummerSlam. I thought 'Cool.' I said, 'I'm going to make some money, it's my trademark, they have it.' I've been saying it since 1981."

Flair said WWE's lawyer has "no respect" for him, and ignored both Flair and his own lawyer when they approached the company about coming together on a deal where Lynch could continue to use the nickname while Flair was paid for using the nickname.

"The reason they don't have it [a trademark on The Man], my understanding, is because it's too close to mine," Flair said.

The two-time WWE Hall of Famer said multiple times he has no issues with Lynch, and that his recent filing outraged Charlotte.

"Here's the deal, I love Becky Lynch," Flair said. "And no one has supported the women's division more than me as an outsider. As a matter of fact I told the guys, I would've text Becky last night and Sasha [Banks]. But I'm sure Becky, I don't know what the WWE spin has been to her, they stole it [Raw] last night."

Flair said the reason he is fighting so hard for this trademark is because he wants to make sure his wife, Wendy Barlow, is financially secure once he dies. The TMZ article added "Ric says he's willing to explore his legal options to force WWE's hand."

"I have no beef with Becky," Flair said. "But here's the deal, when I almost died two years ago, one person, one person stayed by me the whole time. 31 days in the ICU, 12 days while I was dying on a respirator. And I'm going to take care of her and her family and my family that has taken care of me. No matter what. I don't care what the WWE thinks of me personally, I know they love me, but obviously they've lost respect for me.

"Even if I won, Becky can have it all day long," he continued. "I'm glad, but I want the company to pay me for it, because I'm going to take care of my family. I am going to be The Man. And if I don't get it, you know what my tombstone will say? 'He died trying to be The Man."

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