Ric Flair’s new documentary Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair recently premiered on Peacock, in which he discussed the subject of his real name. His legal name is Richard Fliehr, which he would eventually use to transform into his iconic wrestling persona name. However, Flair was adopted as an infant in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1949 and there’s been some debate about what his name was when he was born — either Fred Phillips, Fred Demaree or Fred Stewart, depending on which documents you look at.
“The Nature Boy” set the record straight, stating his birth name was indeed Fred Phillips — “Fred Phillips. I just found that out three years ago.” He also revealed that he was recently contacted by a half-brother who shares the same birth mother, but declined on meeting him.
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“I don’t have any curiosity,” Flair said. “I’ve got enough to be curious about, without someone I’ve never met in my life and meet him now at 73. What are we going to talk about? Ruin our life? He probably only wants to meet me because I’m what I am, whoever I am… If that makes sense.”
Flair gave his thoughts on the documentary during the latest episode of his To Be The Man (h/t 411Mania) — “I thought it was very fair, very good. I thought, once again with the exception of Bischoff, I was thrilled at what some of the people had to say. I just want to start it off by saying that the only mistake that Bruce said, and Bruce and I are very close friend, is I didn’t anticipate being the biggest star up there. That’s the only thing Bruce said wrong because I was never a big star up there. I was a bigger star probably the second time I went back, at 52 years of age, than I was even then because people didn’t know who I was. I just wasn’t on their TV. So I thought Bruce was spot-on, thought he was great. I’m just overwhelmed with what Austin said, ‘Taker. Those are my friends, you know. To have that many celebrities, I’m close with Stephen A, I guess I just look at it and say, ‘These are all my friends. How lucky am I?’ I’ll see Bruce in a couple days. I think the world of Bruce. The only thing he said is wrong is I didn’t go up there thinking I’d be the biggest star. I just was glad to get out of WCW. I just wanted to get the hell out of town, and I certainly didn’t think I was going to win the Royal Rumble. That was never even talked about.”
