Editor's note: Wrestling Hall of Famer Jim Ross has joined forces with FOXSports.com to give his theory on just what the heck Ric Flair might be up to with his newfound allegiance to the 49ers.
The controversy involving WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Ric Flair and his beloved Carolina Panthers, which arose after the Nature Boy flew from his hometown, the Queen City, to Green Bay last week to give the San Francisco 49ers a pep talk, has the makings of a great pro wrestling story line.
Perhaps it is.
Flair has been a proud North Carolinian for more than 40 years. So then why would Flair sell out the Panthers during his motivational speech to the 49ers?
In wrestling, the answer would be simple: Flair clearly is turning villain against the unsuspecting West Coast team and will drop an emotional bomb on Jim Harbaugh's guys before kickoff Sunday in Charlotte.
San Francisco "red" will turn to Flair's "green." (In rasslin' parlance, red turns to green means blood equals cash.)
Flair proclaims to be the "Dirtiest Player in the Game," and he could be hellbent to prove that moniker fits come Sunday.
Flair will defy a reported arrest warrant in Charlotte by traveling "home" in the most covert of methods, like when rasslin' fan favorites and their adversaries would travel together back in the day ... the passenger would ride in the backseat of the vehicle and be ready to drop out of sight at the first sign of danger.
Flair then will covertly meet with the 49ers and again pledge his unrelenting support to San Francisco. Ric likely will break down and cry during this performance if you're keeping score at home. Harbaugh may even get a little emotional.
Ric then disappears — after being helped from the room a la James Brown at the end of a sweaty set — not to be seen again until game time. Cam Newton comes to midfield after being introduced last for the Panthers to conveniently "find" a wireless mic. Cam them introduces Nature Boy Ric Flair to thunderous jeers.
Enter Flair via limo.
Naitch then takes the mic, begins crying a la Jimmy Swaggart and tells the fans it's been a ruse all this time and that he has emotionally castrated the "evil" 49ers. Ric then removes his full-length fur coat to reveal a Carolina Panther blue jersey with "WOO" on the name plate.
At the end of the day, Flair gets national pub, swerves the 49ers on FOX (1 p.m. ET), and once again becomes a beloved legend in Charlotte.
Unfortunately for Naitch, the plan backfires, the 49ers win and then there's that small matter of the arrest warrant.
WOO!!
Jim Ross is a WWE Hall of Fame broadcaster, a New York Times Best Selling author & OU Sooner fan. @JRsBBQ on Twitter.
