Jim Crockett Promotions Run Was The Prime Of Ric Flair’s Life, Partnership With Mike Tyson Built On Authenticity

Ric Flair and Mike Tyson have Hall Of Fame-worthy careers in their respective sports, and now they look to work together in a new and growing market.

Ric Flair and Tyson 2.0 Chairman Chad Bronstein recently spoke with WrestleZone about the new partnership between Flair and Mike Tyson‘s cannabis brand. Tyson 2.0 acquired a majority stake in Ric Flair Drip, Inc., the 16-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion’s business entity, and they will launch Flair branded products this summer.

Bronstein explained that he hit it off with Ric immediately, but noted there are hurdles when working with celebrities in a limited market.

“When I first met Ric, he says it was easy, but it wasn’t. I had to hard-sell Ric and educate him. We had a great relationship, but it’s not easy to go into the cannabis market and get a big MSO or a cannabis operator to say, ‘I want to work with a celebrity’ and the reason is all of the product around the United States is limited. They’re already dealing with [tax code 280e for marijuana/cannabis], and when it comes to working with a celebrity,” he explained, “you’re paying an additional cost. And so, the celebrity game has been hard to get on a national scale because it’s not easy, and it’s state-by-state.”

Bronstein said that they took a different approach with Tyson 2.0 and launched in 20 states with the help of Columbia Care dispensaries, then pitched bringing Ric on for an endorsement. He said everyone had the same positive reaction when they heard Flair would be involved, noting the nostalgic factor and the branding you could create with him. 

Bronstein noted that Mike and Ric will collaborate on products in the future, one of which will be “Wooooo Chews”, a cannabis gummy similar to Tyson’s “Mike Bites”. It was noted that the official launch of Ric Flair Drip is currently being planned for late July to coincide with Flair’s final match at Starrcast in Nashville.

In regards to his in-ring return, Flair commented on the fact that his match will take place under the Jim Crockett Promotions banner. Flair said working for JCP was a highlight in his life, and he’s lucky now that nostalgia is one reason his popularity has staying power.

“That was the prime of my life. Best times of my life, prime of my life. You know, the Horsemen are getting together again. It’s a huge weekend. I’m lucky that there’s a lot of nostalgia right now in the wrestling business, a lot of nostalgia. There is in a lot of sports, but in our business [too],” Flair explained, “because the guys that were so good for so long but basically are just falling by the wayside, and it’s basically a whole new group of talent that are decades behind us.

“I think the way you get to be great is not only your ability, but it’s the length and timeframe. Like Randy Orton just had done, been on top 20 years. That’s hard to do. My daughter’s been on top for nine consecutive years. It’s really easy to go up and go down, go up and down but to stay on top, kinda like I tell Chad. Chad’s 34 years old, never seen anybody that, he doesn’t go [up and down], and you have to be with him. It’s always aggressive, it’s always real and if he says something, he makes it come true. And that’s why we’ve connected, just like that,” Flair said. “He thinks just like I do. He’s a lot smarter than I am, but I mean he knows I’m real.”

“No, I’m not, Ric’s insulting himself. The reason why I chose, when I met Ric and I approached Ric was, with Tyson 2.0, I grew up watching Ric — I’m not a fan of many, but I say with Ric, he was the best wordsmith, best performer, best entertainer across the board and so for me, when you’re a marketing guy,” Bronstein explained, “you look at Ric, not just by who he is as a person because that’s another thing. You don’t want to work with any talent, Ric would agree with this, you don’t wanna work with people you don’t like.

“So me and Ric connected and the opportunity is, when Ric goes to WrestleMania or anywhere we go, people flock towards him. It’s not just because he’s Ric Flair, it’s because of who he is as a person. And I think for us resonates with what we’re building at Tyson 2.0 is that we want people like Ric and Mike that really treat their fans well and that love what they do,” Bronstein said, “and fans know that’s authentic. Because not everyone gives that authentic approach out to people.”

For more information on Tyson 2.0, visit Tyson20.com. Tyson 2.0-branded merchandise is available for purchase at shoptyson20.com.

Read More: Ric Flair Confident Ahead Of His In-Ring Return: I Didn’t Think Twice, It’s Something I Want To Do