WWE Hall Of Famer Says There Was 'A Price To Pay' For Being Ric Flair's Friend

Ric Flair's departure from WCW to WWF in 1991 caused a seismic shift in the wrestling world. And while you might think Flair would have tipped off his closest confidants that he was making the jump, his former Four Horsemen stablemate Arn Anderson said Flair kept him in the dark.

Recalling the incident on his "ARN" podcast, "The Enforcer" suggested that he was somewhat blindsided by the move. Just a few years earlier, Flair had helped broker Anderson and Tully Blanchard's return to WCW after a three-year stint in the WWF as the Brain Busters. Anderson was grateful to be back, especially for a contract that offered the most money he had earned at that point in his career, along with a smaller number of dates. He settled in and focused on finding ways to become a more valued part of the WCW team. So, it was all the more surprising to see Flair head out the door just two years later.

"If I would have known that he was going to be leaving to come up there pretty soon, I'm not sure we would have made that decision [to rejoin WCW in 1989]," Anderson explained. "I'm sure there a lot of people that were sitting there going, 'Okay, there's a price to pay for being Ric's friend.'" Flair's departure left Anderson and Blanchard without one of their biggest allies in WCW's front office. However, he believes that they were ultimately no worse for the wear. They had long since earned the respect of WCW's higher-ups for being trustworthy and dependable talent.

"So it wasn't going to be a deal that now Ric's gone and the people are going to start taking potshots at me," he said. "I had my own identity and I believe I earned that within the industry."

Flair has explained in prior interviews that his decision to leave WCW came down to a contentious relationship with WCW President Jim Herd, who had alienated a number of wrestlers and staff. In fact, Flair credits Herd's mismanagement for driving Anderson and Blanchard to WWF in the first place.