World Wrestling Federation
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After a contract dispute with WCW head Jim Herd, while still WCW/NWA champion, Flair left WCW (a group run by Ted Turner which had just seperated from the NWA alliance) in July 1991. Flair was offered a 50% pay cut and no longer got the option of booking power. Herd wanted to make Lex Luger their top star and wanted to make Ric Flair a midcard star despite the fact that he was still a huge draw. Flair disagreed and a week before the 1991 Great American Bash, Herd fired him. According to Flair, Herd also wanted him to change his appearance (i.e. by cutting his hair and wearing a diamond earring) in order to "change with the times." During Ric Flair's first run in the WWF, he took the WCW/NWA World title belt with him. This is because Herd refused to give Flair the $25,000 deposit he put down on the belt itself, plus interest. Back in the NWA days, the NWA World Champion required to place a $25,000 deposit on the belt to ensure that the champion wouldn't leave the NWA with the belt. Since Flair never lost the belt to anyone, nor did he receive the money that he placed for it, he felt it was still his property. WCW tried to sue the WWF to regain it, but the case was dropped, because the belt itself was still the property of the NWA. Eventually, Flair returned it to WCW when the company finally paid him back the $25,000 deposit, plus $11,000 interest. In the meantime, Flair wore an old WWF World Tag Team belt that was blurred out on television and he was billed as the "Real World Heavyweight Champion." In January of 1992, Flair began his first run in the WWF, winning the WWF Title in a 30-man Royal Rumble. Flair also won another WWF Title before leaving the company. At the end of his run, Vince McMahon and Flair himself simply felt that Flair was no longer needed in the WWF. McMahon thought Flair did everything he could in the WWF and Flair was ready to go back to WCW. McMahon and Flair amicably ended Flair's contract with Flair ultimately losing a "loser leaves town match" to Mr. Perfect on Monday Night Raw. Ric Flair World Wrestling Federation |
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