The Upcoming Ric Flair Documentary Can Go One Of Two Ways

An old adage says that history is written by the victors. In the world of professional wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment emerged from the territory system and the Monday Night Wars as the last major promotion standing (until All Elite Wrestling emerged as true opposition in 2019). With that victory, the company once owned and operated by Vince McMahon dictated the history of the sport as it saw fit.

However, with the rise of the true crime genre over the past decade, others have stepped up to tell the story of pro wrestling. Right now, there are various podcasts or documentaries like "Dark Side of the Ring" or the upcoming Von Erich family biopic "The Iron Claw" that tackle various stories from squared circle lore. But at the same time, WWE is still telling its story through docs and shows with help from NBCUniversal.

Now, it looks like Peacock is releasing a documentary about "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, a highly regarded pro wrestler and pop culture icon thanks to various uses of his signature "WOO!" catchphrase or the music videos for songs like "Ric Flair Drip" or Bad Bunny's "Chambea." But will it only feature the squeaky clean version of the multiple-time World Heavyweight Champion's illustrious career that the WWE deems "appropriate"? Or will it also tackle the darker side of Flair's story as well? A few details from the first teaser for the project make it seem like things could go either way.

"The Dirtiest Player In The Game" himself shared on Twitter that a documentary titled "WOOOOOO! Becoming Ric Flair" would premiere on Peacock on December 26, 2022. In addition to the involvement of the master of the Figure Four Leg Lock, he revealed that fellow WWE Hall of Famers" Hulk Hogan and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin would be part of the two-hour special that is set to cover "Ric Flair's rise to fame in the WWE." But will it cover the infamous "Plane Ride From Hell" incident that took place while he was with the company in the early 2000s?

On this infamous flight, a number of WWE personnel flew from Great Britain to the United States following the 2002 pay-per-view event "WWF Insurrection." Names like Brock Lesnar, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, legendary announcer Jim Ross, Michael P.S. Hayes, Goldust, and current WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque were among those making the trans-Atlantic flight. The journey was filled with pranks and drunken brawls, but Flair took things too far when he stripped down to nothing but his trademark ring robe, allegedly exposed himself to flight attendants Taralyn Cappellano and Heidi Doyle, and allegedly grabbed their hands to place them on his genitals.

While WWE had previously covered the story in a more comedic light on a now-deleted episode of "WWE Story Time," the third season of Vice's "Dark Side of the Ring" covered the sexual misconduct more seriously. With Peacock now specifically spotlighting his WWE career, the question remains whether the streamer will tackle the whole truth.

However, based on the fact that Flair was careful to note the Peacock branding on the doc, that is one thing that may indicate a more complete look at the celebrated and problematic elements of the wrestler's life. The service recently debuted a doc in partnership with WWE called "Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats." The three-part series chronicles the life of controversial wrestler and cat breeder Teddy Hart, a member of the legendary Hart wrestling family accused of misconduct in association with the disappearance of his protege and ex-girlfriend Samantha Fiddler. 

Unlike the other original programming created for the platform and housed in the WWE section of the app, this project that pulls no punches touts the "Peacock Original" tag that will presumably accompany "WOOOOOO! Becoming Ric Flair" as well. Considering that the new documentary drops the day after Christmas this year, we won't have to wait very long to find out how "The Nature Boy" is presented this time around.