Since Vince McMahon stepped down from his position as WWE CEO in 2022 after he was accused of sex trafficking and abuse by former company employee Janel Grant, some wrestlers have openly voiced their distain for the 80-year-old, while others often share their love for him after the impact he had on their careers. WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is among those who have continued to express their admiration for McMahon, and during a recent appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” he claimed that wrestling fans should appreciate Vince today, and reflected on being lent $800,000 from him when he was in serious debt.
“Everybody in the world that likes wrestling should be thanking Vince McMahon,” Flair stated. “I feel like there’s so much going on that I would be wasting his time. He knows how I feel about him. He lent me $800,000, and unlike what people portray, it was not for the IRS. It was to help me get through three divorces at one time … they hate hearing this, I paid him back every dime when he called me and said; ‘I can write this off,’ I paid him back. Because I didn’t want to let him down. But they use that against me … You know how hard it is to pay taxes on $800,000 in phantom income? It took me five years to get out of that hole—all because I paid him back.”
Flair continued to share that after his final WWE match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24 in 2008, he received a cheque for the event from McMahon, signed it, and gave it directly back to him, despite the former Chairman not wanting anything in return.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Ariel Helwani Show” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
