Flair on the Edge

Look Who's Coming: Ric Flair, wrestler

He has been at it, he's still at it, and Ric Flair has no plans to stop wrestling anytime soon.

Flair is the WWE Intercontinental Champion, and the proud grandpa is on the road about 200 nights a year. Recently he has been feuding with Edge, the WWE Champion.

Last week during an episode of "WWE RAW," Flair helped break up what was promoted as a "live sex" celebration. The storyline called for Edge and female wrestler Lita to have sex in a bed set up inside the ring. But in time-honored wrestling tradition, Flair appeared from backstage and helped interrupt the proceedings.

He has received a fair amount of attention outside the ring as well. Flair was charged in November in a road rage incident, after a motorist accused him of grabbing him by the neck and kicking the door of his car. Flair denies the charges.

"I wouldn't in Charlotte, North Carolina -- or anywhere else -- grab anybody because I'm me. What am I going to gain by grabbing somebody?" he said, disappointed in the amount of media coverage the incident received. "It just tells me how big a star I am in Charlotte and how starved they are for excitement."

Flair and "WWE RAW" will appear tonight in Raleigh for a show that will be broadcast live on USA Network. He spoke from his car in Charlotte, where he lives.

Q - What's up with you and Edge?

A - I don't have much to tell you. He beat my brains out two days in a row. [Laughs.] I don't have much to say. I haven't been able to establish much offense in our two encounters so I'm kind of under the weather right now. He hit me with a chair Monday night.

Q - This was a big night, last Monday, with the "live sex." Tell me about that. That seems to be taking it to the next level.

A - It's hard to say what "taking it to the next level" is likely to be today. I watch very little television, but whatever I seem to watch, with the exception of "SportsCenter," everything is going to the next level. And I think at the WWE, the people who put together our program are probably just a little more clever than anybody else. We don't cover any more territory or go any further than anybody else. I just think the stuff we do is just a little catchier.

Q - Did you ever think that at 56 you'd still be wrestling?

A - I didn't until last year.

Q - What happened?

A - For a while I didn't have it. Well, I did, but I didn't. I mean, I liked what I was doing, but I wasn't on the edge like I used to be. No pun intended -- you have to be on the edge to want to be good at this. It's a hard, physical business. It's very mentally demanding.

I kind of, in the last 10 years, got so wrapped up in the growth and development of my two youngest kids, that not only did I get lost in the storylines of WCW, I just kind of gave up on it. I didn't think there was anything left for me to do or accomplish. It's just been in the last four years with these guys that I've really gotten myself back in the groove.

And clearly, it's taken two years to get back in the groove. Now I feel like I'm -- well, I've always felt like I was 25 years old -- that's one of my problems. I feel great. I'm really enjoying it and I think I've got a lot left in me, which I wouldn't have told you a year ago. ... I'm in a very good place in my life right now.

Q - You're going through a divorce.

A - I was going to say, except financially.

Q - Does your impending divorce have anything to do with you still working?

A - No. As a matter of fact, my impending divorce is making me better at what I do. I have someone now who encourages me and motivates me. It's hard to explain. I have different support systems in place than I have had in the past.

Do I have to work for money? Yes. I mean, I don't have to work if I want to live like a guy who's done half of what I've done. But if I want to enjoy the life that I have led, I need to work because I'm giving half of what I have to my ex-wife. Which is fine. She's entitled to it and I have no problem with it.

Q - Are you still interested in running for governor?

A - Yeah, I'm very interested in it now. ... Not lieutenant governor. But governor.