How Ric Flair was plagued by depression by WCW which led to Triple H forming The Evolution

After The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin left WWE, Triple H reigned supreme. He used to gather a huge crowd and he was clearly the Ric Flair of 2001. However, 2001 was not going well for 'Nature Boy'. He had returned to WWE but was not able to produce incredible matches. Triple H believed that Ric Flair had lost his charisma and was in dire need of help.

In the Ruthless Aggression documentary series, Ric Flair revealed that he was lost after WCW shut down. He said he was devastated and was not able to perform to his fullest. He continued by saying that he was old and used to perform against young superstars, but that never bothered him. He said he just got depressed as the time went on. Because of anxiety, there were some matches where he was not able to feel his hands or skin. He also revealed that he used to pinch his hand to make his body more responsive.

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Ric Flair depression episode: How Triple H saved Ric Flair

According to the documentary, Triple H wanted to help Ric Flair because the new Ric Flair was not the legend who inspired him. Triple H said that he started talking to Ric Flair and he found out that the old Ric Flair was not lost. He said he started hanging out with Ric Flair and the former WCW Champion taught him a lot of things. After spending some time with Ric Flair, Triple H told himself that he has to do something for Flair.

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A few days later, Triple H asked Ric Flair to walk with him in the ring and become his manager or partner. After a couple of weeks, Triple H remembered a faction Ric Flair used to be a part off, ‘The Four Horseman’. Triple H said that he wanted to make a new faction which was just like The Four Horseman. Ric Flair was happy with the idea and the two started looking for more superstars.

Ric Flair Depression episode: The old Ric Flair returns

After enlisting Randy Orton and Batista in their team, the four superstars appeared together on an episode of WWE RAW in 2002. They named the faction as 'The Evolution', which went on to do incredible things for the company. After the success of The Evolution, Triple H saw a change in Ric Flair’s attitude. He said he saw the old Ric Flair back in the WWE ring.

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