WWE SummerSlam 2020: Hopefully Ric Flair doesn’t get his wish to be a manager

Ric Flair has been playing a minor role on Raw this summer, but he wants to manage a top star at WWE SummerSlam 2020.

Most wrestling fans don’t feel great about Ric Flair, who is 71 years old and needed kidney dialysis in 2017, working WWE shows during a pandemic. He’s been playing a role in Randy Orton’s heel run, even helping Andrade, Angel Garza, and manager Zelina Vega during their time helping Orton in the mini-feud with the Big Show.

Orton has a bigger role ahead of him at WWE SummerSlam 2020, as we learned on the July 27 episode of Raw that he will be Drew McIntyre’s WWE Title challenger at the Biggest Party of the Summer.

Clearly, a match of the magnitude of McIntyre vs. Orton, which already has a lot of people buzzing and will likely main event the show, doesn’t need anything extra to spice it up.

However, in a recent interview with TV Insider’s Scott Fishman, Ric Flair said that he wants to manage Randy Orton at the Biggest Party of the Summer in that mouth-watering WWE Title matchup between two of the biggest male stars in the company right now.

"“The thing with Orton is it’s a real life story. His dad and I have been friends since the ’70s. We probably started around the same time. I watched Randy grow up. I was there the day he came up with Dave [Bautista] in Evolution. I don’t know if I would have that same impact on a lot of people. I certainly would love the opportunity, but I think it would have to be one of those scenarios. I’m trying to get me to manage Randy against [Drew] McIntyre [at SummerSlam]. I don’t know. I haven’t heard back, but it’s not because I’m not trying.”"

Ric Flair and Randy Orton absolutely have a special connection, and their work together in Evolution is legendary. But while it’s awesome to see Flair and Orton working together on the screen just from a fan’s perspective, none of us want to see anything happen to Flair during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s interesting to note that Flair is the one who wants to take the risk and be involved in this storyline, though that isn’t surprising with what we know about Flair and his love for wrestling. And I’m sure he wants to help Orton tell the best story possible.

But hopefully WWE don’t take up his offer. Ric Flair needs to be safe and healthy first and foremost, and even from a business perspective for the company, it’s a liability issue to keep putting him in harm’s way.

Orton vs. McIntyre can tell a great story without him, and there should still be a way for Flair to help further things along on social media and in interviews without being at the show. It’s not that we don’t love Flair, but Orton and McIntyre have this. And above all else, we want Flair to be safe.