To Be The Man, You Have To KNOW THE MAN

Those that know me well know that I’m a fan of professional wrestling.  Some may wonder why I like watching grown men and women pretend fighting, essentially in their underwear, in front of thousands of people.  My answer to that is it’s like any other TV show or movie I watch-even though it’s “fake,” it’s still entertaining. The larger than life personalities of the wrestlers.  The extravagant entrances to the ring.  The athleticism displayed in the squared circle.  The storylines that lead to the “good guy” getting the victory.  I’m a sucker for it all!

A lot of the times in interviews, wrestlers will say that the character they portray on TV is just themselves with the volume turned way up.  Basically, it’s who they’d be if there wasn’t any real-life rules or consequences.  But some wrestlers can get so caught up in their character that the lines between the person they are on TV and the person they are in real life become blurred.  The two become one and it can lead to some wrestlers no longer knowing who they really are.  

This brings me to Ric Flair.  For those unfamiliar with Ric, he’s considered a legend in the pro wrestling business.  He’s the record holding 16-time World Champion known for his trademark “Wooo!!” catchphrase, elaborate robes he wore to the ring, cheat-to-win tactics and amazing stamina that would be displayed by wrestling multiple hour-long matches in one day.  In his words, he’s the “limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss stealing, wheelin’ dealin’, son-of-a-gun!” Ric’s on-screen personality flaunted his life of wealth, fame and sex and he wasn’t shy in reminding the audience that “all the women want to be with me-all the men want to be like me.” 

Recently, my wife and I watched the “Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair” documentary on Peacock.  As someone who’s watched a lot of wrestling documentaries throughout his life, multiple ones on Ric Flair alone, I was excited at the hype of Ric saying that this documentary was “the most accurate depiction of me.” Being a therapist, I love hearing people talk about and reflect on their life-how the things they’ve been through in life made them who they are today.  Usually, I come away from this type of content feeling happy for the person due to their ability to persevere life’s challenges and come to a greater understanding of who they are.  But by the time this documentary was over, I just felt…sad.  

The first thing that made me sad was the final question the interviewer asked Ric-“There is a Richard and Ric.  Who are you?” The camera then went to black and I was left wanting to know what the answer was! Because throughout the documentary, Ric openly talked about the blurred lines of his TV and real-life personas.  That extravagant lifestyle he bragged about on TV wasn’t an act-it was how he was actually living!  He’d buy 4 different suits a week because he never wanted to wear the same thing twice on TV.  He never had to pay for drinks at a bar because fans would pay for him.  He rode in limousines and private jets everywhere he went.  And, in a prior documentary, he claims to have slept with 10,000 women throughout his life.  

As a result of that lifestyle (mostly the drinking), Ric was hospitalized in 2017 with a ruptured intestine, kidney failure, respiratory failure, pneumonia and sepsis.  He went into a coma and had surgery-being given a 15% chance to survive.  His family came to say their goodbyes but Ric miraculously survived the surgery and spent the next 32 days in the ICU, followed by another 30 days at a rehab center.  18 months later, Ric went back to drinking.  “Why?” he was asked by the interviewer.  “Because I enjoy it” answered Ric.  This was the second thing that made me sad.  A man that was given a miracle and another chance to live is so lost in addiction that he continues to do thing that almost killed him.  

But what made me most sad is Ric’s answer to the interviewer’s question of “why do you think you survived?” This was in reference to his hospitalization, but I took it to also include a plane crash in 1975 that left him with a broken back but could have been deadly, as well as getting struck by lightning in 1983-yes, Ric really survived being stuck by lightning! Ric stated he wasn’t sure why he survived and doesn’t know why he’s still here.  

So what I got out of this documentary is that Ric doesn’t know who he is or what his purpose is.

That grieves me.

That grieves me because I know that Ric was on the Father’s heart since the beginning of time (Jeremiah 1:5).  That grieves me because I know that Ric was intricately woven with such pristine detail and attention in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).  That grieves me because I know Ric was created with a purpose, hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11).  That grieves me because Jesus loves Ric so much that He was willing to take the punishment for Ric’s sins and die on a cross for him (John 3:16).  That grieves me because Jesus is able to do so much more than anything Ric could ever ask for or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  

That grieves me because Ric either doesn’t know any of this, or, the enemy has such a stronghold over his life that he can’t see it.  I’m not sure what the answer is-I’ve never met Ric or talked to him, and I certainly can’t judge him or his heart.  But I pray that, in whatever time God borrows to him yet, Ric would come to understand and accept his true identity and purpose in Jesus Christ.  That he would know that the reason he’s survived everything he’s been through is to testify of the saving grace of Jesus Christ in his life.  And that by sharing his testimony, that others would come to faith in Christ as well.  Ric, that is why you are here!

What's really interesting is that after Ric was born, he was placed in an orphanage. Born Fred Phillips, he was part of an orphanage where Georgia Tann and her coconspirators stole 5000 babies and sold them to wealthy adoptive parents.  Ric was eventually adopted by Richard & Kathleen Fliehr and given a good upbringing, but from day 1 of his life, Ric's identity was under attack.  The enemy was already at work to try to disrupt his life, personhood and purpose and, now at 73 years old, Ric seems to still be dealing with that warfare.  Thankfully, we serve a God who is bigger than satan, and I hope Ric takes up the shield of faith to extinguish the enemy's fiery arrows (Ephesians 6). 

One of Ric’s other catchphrases is “To be the man, you’ve gotta beat the man.”  I would counter that to be the man, you’ve gotta KNOW THE MAN.  That to really be the man, you have to know Jesus Christ.  To really be the man, you have to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).  To really be the man, you flee from all sin and pursue righteousness-godliness-faith-love-endurance-gentleness (1Timothy 6:11).  To really be the man, you don’t conform to the ways of the world and instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).  To really be the man, you live in such a way that when you come face-to-face with Jesus, you hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). 

Awards.  Championships.  Hall of Fame’s.  Those are all great earthly rewards.  But at the end of our lives, they’ll mean nothing without Jesus.  I pray that Ric sets his sights on eternal rewards and that, one day, I’ll see him doing his trademark strut on streets of gold.

Even though we may not have personal relationships with famous athletes and celebrities, we can still be praying for them.  Who’s someone that the Lord has been placing on your heart to pray for?