Wrestling legend Jim Ross went public with a cancer battle earlier this week. And amidst an outpouring of support came a shocking message from another legendary figure in”Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
Ross and Flair worked together in multiple promotions, most prominently in the NWA and WCW during the 1980s and WWE in the early 2000s. Both have also made appearances recently for AEW. However, in later years the two have not always seen eye to eye.
In spite of each person sharing niceties in the past, Flair ripped Ross after an appearance on the Vice Dark Side of the Ring series. In the episode chronicling the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell” in 2021 Flair was featured as he was accused of sexual misconduct on the flight.
After Jim Ross made an appearance on the episode critical of the wrestlers on the flight, Flair took aim at the announcer on his podcast, saying, “Jim Ross lost every bit of credibility with me in life. In spite of calling me the greatest wrestler of all time or whatever in his induction and all the bulls***, when he jumped on the Dark Side of Wrestling. Because all he is starving for and leaning on in life is to be relevant because he ain’t,” Flair said.
On Saturday, Flair posted a similar message on his X account. Although it has since been deleted, screenshots were saved of Flair saying, “Jim Ross Will Always Be Jim Ross, Seeking Attention. Focus On Your Recovery. @JRsBBQ!”
Ric Flair fires off on Jim Ross: pic.twitter.com/e77jMRzgi7
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) May 31, 2025
After receiving immediate and overwhelming backlash over the tweet regarding Ross sharing his cancer diagnosis, Flair deleted it and then posted a follow-up later in the day saying that it was a joke.
If You Can’t Take A Joke From A 76 Year Old Man, Then You Are Living Life Too Seriously. It Was All Harmless, Lighthearted Fun! Just Trying To Make People Laugh & Smile!
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) May 31, 2025
Who doesn’t love a little “harmless, lighthearted fun” calling out a man who just shared with the world that he has cancer? That’s a worse idea than Ric Flair wrestling at 74 years old.
A second follow-up only added to the confusion. In a lengthier post referencing comments given to Justin Barrasso of Sports Ilustrated, Ric Flair was very complimentary of Jim Ross as an announcer. However, he also referenced a “difference of opinion” that apparently exists between the two. That would imply that the original message may not have been all that lighthearted after all.
I Just Made It Clear To The World In An Article Coming Out On Sports Illustrated By Justin Barasso, That Jim Ross @JRsBBQ Was On My Mount Rushmore Along With Gordon Solie, Gene Okerlund & Jerry Lawler. That’s High Praise Because It Was Very Difficult For Me To Leave Out Tony… pic.twitter.com/lgol748k7s
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) June 1, 2025
To this point, Jim Ross has yet to respond to Ric Flair. Hopefully Ross can recover from his cancer journey and make one more triumphant appearance in the broadcast booth for a wrestling show. As for Ric Flair, we’ve probably seen and heard enough.
