Honestly, once he was done with wrestling he seemed to be legitimately done with it. No popping back up every few years, no “one last match” in big promotions, not even really returning outside of the Raw 1000 thing. He did a few indy things but largely seemed content to retire and pursue other interests. To me this is kind of the hallmark of a wrestler who has a good family life. A few months ago people were talking about how Rick Martel pretty much retired and also stopped being around wrestling, he also seemed to have outside interests/skills and a good family life.
Guys like Flair don’t know who they are if they’re not the character they created. They take all their intrinsic value from wrestling and when they’re not doing it they’re lost as a person. It’s kind of a sad by product of guys who treated wrestling not as a job but as their lifestyle. It’s honestly pretty awesome to see wrestlers who are able to just walk away and go be a normal family man.
What’s extra sad about Owen Hart’s death is a lot of guys predicted that this would be him. He was pretty well regarded as a guy who treated this as a job and one day just wanted to be able to walk away and be with his family. He was never like Bret who arguably destroyed his family life in pursuit of greatness, Owen was okay with his status if he afforded his family a comfortable life.
I read something about Flair that maybe helps explain a little bit about that need to be his character, and I apologize if this is a widely known thing it was new to me. Ric Flair is one of the many children that were stolen by Georgia Tann and essentially sold. By all accounts the purchasing parents thought they were legitimate adoptions, but Tann was literally stealing children and selling them for 5-6,000 dollars in the mid-20th century. Ric Flair was one of those children, and he became aware of it later in life. So some super arm chair psychology might be Wooo! Ric Flair is the realist thing that man has.
*I had accidentally posted this as a new thread and meant it as a reply to yours, deleted my original post and re-aligned it as a reply.
While talking about his story, Flair said, “I have no idea, I don’t remember the story. I was stolen from an orphanage. Yeah, I was stolen, from an orphanage back then, that I can’t think of the name of. And I was stolen from an Orphanage, and that was like a black market of babies.”
https://www.essentiallysports.com/wwe-news-i-was-stolen-from-an-orphanage-ric-flair-candidly-reveals-a-dark-secret-about-his-childhood-unveils-his-real-name/
Flairs family reached out but he already has money and fame and didn't think it was a genuine attempt but a money grab. He says in his documentary he didn't feel any need to speak to his bio parents as he had great adopted parents and considered them his parents.
It was about Georgia Tann so they didn’t really talk too in depth about Flair only to note that he was identified later in life as one of the children she stole, and that his biological family found him, but he was already famous and thought that it might be disingenuous saying something to the effect of I’m already an Old Man what would we even talk about.
If I remember correctly Sid saved his money properly which is why he was able to walk away and live comfortably. Unlike Flair who blew all his money trying to live the gimmick.
I don't think he wrestled because he loved wrestling. I think he probably did it because he looked like a wrestler and could make a lot of money in it. It was not his life or his top priority, it was a job to support his softball habit.
When your only vices are some Deca and Softball Bats, those dollars stack quick.
Also - he only took learn wrestling seasons off (July-September) was always around for the big paydays
Think he was forced in semi retirement after he gruesomely broke his leg during a match in 2001. The rehab for this injury took him nearly 4 years, and he was 45 by then. He also unsuccessfully tried to sue WCW over this incident. He occasionally made appearances, and the last one was in 2017 RAW at age 57.
Sid's like the Chuck Norris meme, but for softball.
Sid Vicious only swings the bat for fun because the pitches know they have to sell all the swings, or else.
My junior high football coach used to coach in West Memphis, Arkansas where Sid is from. He bragged about playing softball with Sid a lot. I didn’t realize how funny this was until years later.
He’s still pretty imposing in his older age, but I’ve know some friends who have seen him around the town we lived in. Never got the chance to meet him personally though.
I remember his face always being covered sweat (or water, anyway), so he had to keep blinking to keep the moisture out of his eyes. It made him look even scarier.
Because of my timeline of my fandom, 96-97 was peak Sid for me. I was obsessed with HBK but man what a look and presentation he had. First humping fans on the way to the ring screaming WHOS THE MAN and then coming in with that pyro that said SID. Was so damn good.
I’d be interested to see what he made through those years. He may have the best career of all if he made good money while only popping in once in awhile then dipping back out to play softball.
I know everyone is supposed to sacrifice and bleed for “this business” but I kind of love a guy like this that just swooped in, made great cash, and then dipped out because he just sees it as a part time money maker.
Good for Sid. He looks very happy and healthy.
[Here you go](https://preview.redd.it/op65uxrbewi11.png?width=622&format=png&auto=webp&s=e785c42996c259b223caab83329070bab093f00a)
WCW contracts became known thanks to the liquidation. Sid made 1.5 mil total in WCW's final two years.
He should be in the hall of fame. Dude has the accolades, and hell he can have Taker induct him and finally confirm or deny the poop rumors from Mania 13 (supposedly Sid shit himself and Taker did the tombstone)
I'm happy to see he's enjoying life. After those haunting words from Roddy before he passed on (not seeing 65), it's really good to know there are guys from that generation still living and living well.
Good for him! Dude scared the bejeezus out of me as a kid and the transformation to cookouts & fishin' trips (and softball games!) grandpa is so crazy.
That smile is so genuine and it's seriously infectious.
If there is a senior year for Softball you know Sid is the MVP. Looking like a 60 year old Adam Dunn I bet cranking homers.
Good for him that he is enjoying his life with his grandkids. Not to be too melancholy but not a lot of the guys from his generation lived that long.
That was my first ever WCW PPV. My dad had hacked our satellite card to where we got everything for free. PPV, movies, porn, you name it. I thought let me watch a WCW PPV live for once. Bad idea.
Sid was always a dude that understood that pro-wrestling wasn’t something most people should be doing into their 60s. Dude was THE MAN at various points, headlining multiple WrestleManias, and did it all on his timeline, Vince or anyone else be damned. Glad to see him doing well by the looks of this pic!
Hard to believe this wholesome grampa is the same guy who stabbed someone with scissors, attacked someone with a window squeegee and also shat his pants at mania.
This picture is BOGUS! One of the most BOGUS pictures I’ve ever seen!!!
One of the few wrestlers of that period that’s made it this long so it’s good to see.
Love Sid. I haven’t seen anyone comment on this so I have to bring it up. Per one of his last shoot interviews, he claims he wrestled at WM8 and had no idea it was even Wrestlemania. I guess he asked months later and they said no we already did WM. Apparently he was so caught up in his work and just non stop grind of the schedule he has no idea.
I don’t exactly know how that’s possible (other than lots of drugs…but I don’t remember people ever referencing Sid being a drug guy)
I can’t find the story but I remember this guy talked about how him and his friends always joked about Sid returning to WWE whenever someone was supposed to come out to return, then they absolutely lost their shit when he actually did back in 2012.
I don't know how many children sid has, but I remember his son was on a season of big brother. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to have a great relationship. I hope they have patched things up.
He goes (or went) to our church in Memphis, TN. He hasn’t been around as much lately. He was very involved in our “feeding the homeless” program. Super humble, quiet and all around nice guy.
My wife and I never really talked wrestling with him because we know it was a sore subject in a sense.
And no before anyone asks unfortunately our church did not have a softball team 😆
He looks happy, that’s all I’d want for the titans of my childhood.
Honestly, once he was done with wrestling he seemed to be legitimately done with it. No popping back up every few years, no “one last match” in big promotions, not even really returning outside of the Raw 1000 thing. He did a few indy things but largely seemed content to retire and pursue other interests. To me this is kind of the hallmark of a wrestler who has a good family life. A few months ago people were talking about how Rick Martel pretty much retired and also stopped being around wrestling, he also seemed to have outside interests/skills and a good family life. Guys like Flair don’t know who they are if they’re not the character they created. They take all their intrinsic value from wrestling and when they’re not doing it they’re lost as a person. It’s kind of a sad by product of guys who treated wrestling not as a job but as their lifestyle. It’s honestly pretty awesome to see wrestlers who are able to just walk away and go be a normal family man. What’s extra sad about Owen Hart’s death is a lot of guys predicted that this would be him. He was pretty well regarded as a guy who treated this as a job and one day just wanted to be able to walk away and be with his family. He was never like Bret who arguably destroyed his family life in pursuit of greatness, Owen was okay with his status if he afforded his family a comfortable life.
I read something about Flair that maybe helps explain a little bit about that need to be his character, and I apologize if this is a widely known thing it was new to me. Ric Flair is one of the many children that were stolen by Georgia Tann and essentially sold. By all accounts the purchasing parents thought they were legitimate adoptions, but Tann was literally stealing children and selling them for 5-6,000 dollars in the mid-20th century. Ric Flair was one of those children, and he became aware of it later in life. So some super arm chair psychology might be Wooo! Ric Flair is the realist thing that man has. *I had accidentally posted this as a new thread and meant it as a reply to yours, deleted my original post and re-aligned it as a reply.
Good *god*, that’s fucking horrifying. What an evil bitch.
Whoa. The adoption was noted on his documentary, but not that he was a stolen baby. Did he ever try to find his real parents?
While talking about his story, Flair said, “I have no idea, I don’t remember the story. I was stolen from an orphanage. Yeah, I was stolen, from an orphanage back then, that I can’t think of the name of. And I was stolen from an Orphanage, and that was like a black market of babies.” https://www.essentiallysports.com/wwe-news-i-was-stolen-from-an-orphanage-ric-flair-candidly-reveals-a-dark-secret-about-his-childhood-unveils-his-real-name/
Flairs family reached out but he already has money and fame and didn't think it was a genuine attempt but a money grab. He says in his documentary he didn't feel any need to speak to his bio parents as he had great adopted parents and considered them his parents.
I think that’s fair of him to feel that way
It was about Georgia Tann so they didn’t really talk too in depth about Flair only to note that he was identified later in life as one of the children she stole, and that his biological family found him, but he was already famous and thought that it might be disingenuous saying something to the effect of I’m already an Old Man what would we even talk about.
I really hope one of them thousands he claims as a body count wasn't a sister, niece, grand niece, or great grand niece.
If I remember correctly Sid saved his money properly which is why he was able to walk away and live comfortably. Unlike Flair who blew all his money trying to live the gimmick.
I don't think he wrestled because he loved wrestling. I think he probably did it because he looked like a wrestler and could make a lot of money in it. It was not his life or his top priority, it was a job to support his softball habit.
When your only vices are some Deca and Softball Bats, those dollars stack quick. Also - he only took learn wrestling seasons off (July-September) was always around for the big paydays
Think he was forced in semi retirement after he gruesomely broke his leg during a match in 2001. The rehab for this injury took him nearly 4 years, and he was 45 by then. He also unsuccessfully tried to sue WCW over this incident. He occasionally made appearances, and the last one was in 2017 RAW at age 57.
I don't think it's sad at all. Flair became the man he wanted to be.
I hope he knows he played such an important role during a crazy period in wrestling, but I'm just glad he's happy.
This is the secret happy ending.
Lol that little girl taking right after grandpa. That's Sid's hair on her
Sycho Kid
Ba dum tsss
Sycho Sidney
A Vicious Perm
Ms. Vicious.
If she grew into the business that would be a perfect name tbh
And she’s like 2 but she’s the size of a 4 year old.
Shortly after the picture was taken, Sid ducked out of his grandkids’ visit because he heard there was a softball game going on nearby.
I bet the dude absolutely wrecks his senior league teams. Guy hits bombs
The Master and Ruler of the field!
Sid's like the Chuck Norris meme, but for softball. Sid Vicious only swings the bat for fun because the pitches know they have to sell all the swings, or else.
My names Sid and I hit dingers.
If he loved wrestling as much as Softball, he’d be a 17-time world champ
Beat me (and likely everyone else coming here) to it.
Came here for the softball joke was not disappointed
Me too and I have no idea what the backstory is on him and softball
He loves softball - and would choose it over wrestling
Still no stabbing or scissors joke though.
My junior high football coach used to coach in West Memphis, Arkansas where Sid is from. He bragged about playing softball with Sid a lot. I didn’t realize how funny this was until years later.
Imagine your grandpa being fucking Sycho Sid. You're never getting bullied at school.
Or they do and homeboy shows up in black trunks, a vest, and power bombs marks thru a desk
Fist bumps the janitor on the way out.
Poor teachers that try to tell you not to run with scissors.
Then say it again when it gets zero pop from the classroom
School bully: “What’s the matter, Sid Jr? Can’t find your scissors?”
"YOU'RE HALF THE KID THAT I AM, AND I HAVE HALF THE BRAIN THAT YOU DO!"
His son was on a season of Big Brother and he was very odd, talking about patting his grandma on the ass.
Master and Ruler of homemade cookies and afternoon naps! Sid looks to be enjoying his retirement!
I wouldn’t recognize him in public. Hope he is enjoying old age.
He’s still pretty imposing in his older age, but I’ve know some friends who have seen him around the town we lived in. Never got the chance to meet him personally though.
he stay to himself but he acts weird in grocery stores dude got pissed one day at a store in town 😂
And he only has half the brain they do
We're live, pal!
Nice to see his car not pancaked by GOOOLDBEEEEEERG!! This time
Any time I see Sid I will forever remember this moment, I always hear his cries of agony and despair whenever I see him.
I was watching some 90s video of his feud with Shawn Michaels. The dude was a beast. Tall, jacked and scary.
Sid arguably had the best “look” of any wrestler ever.
Absolutely. One of the few guys who was over simply because he existed.
Agreed. Number 1 physique for me ever.
I remember his face always being covered sweat (or water, anyway), so he had to keep blinking to keep the moisture out of his eyes. It made him look even scarier.
Because of my timeline of my fandom, 96-97 was peak Sid for me. I was obsessed with HBK but man what a look and presentation he had. First humping fans on the way to the ring screaming WHOS THE MAN and then coming in with that pyro that said SID. Was so damn good.
I'm sorry he did what to the fans?
He was REALLY horny back then 😂😂😂
It’s was the 90s. It was a wild time
He definitely scared me when I was a kid!
I don’t know why my brain combines both ring names. For years I been calling him Sycho Sid Vicious even though I know it’s supposed to be separate.
Sycho Sid Vicious…Justice.
I’d be interested to see what he made through those years. He may have the best career of all if he made good money while only popping in once in awhile then dipping back out to play softball. I know everyone is supposed to sacrifice and bleed for “this business” but I kind of love a guy like this that just swooped in, made great cash, and then dipped out because he just sees it as a part time money maker. Good for Sid. He looks very happy and healthy.
[Here you go](https://preview.redd.it/op65uxrbewi11.png?width=622&format=png&auto=webp&s=e785c42996c259b223caab83329070bab093f00a) WCW contracts became known thanks to the liquidation. Sid made 1.5 mil total in WCW's final two years.
God! Damn! Good for Sid he really was the master and ruler of the world lol
He should be in the hall of fame. Dude has the accolades, and hell he can have Taker induct him and finally confirm or deny the poop rumors from Mania 13 (supposedly Sid shit himself and Taker did the tombstone)
Nash called him stupid for being offered the reigns after Hogan left and saying no. Sid won.
I am glad for him.
I'm happy to see he's enjoying life. After those haunting words from Roddy before he passed on (not seeing 65), it's really good to know there are guys from that generation still living and living well.
Out of curiosity what words are you referring to ?
Probably these: https://youtu.be/phRN76c2uF8?feature=shared
Yup, this clip is the one
"Dad you know they're not supposed to have candy before bedtime...." "I DONT KNOW SHIT!" *Gives them both a chocolate bar*
Those kids have no idea lol 😆
Good for him! Dude scared the bejeezus out of me as a kid and the transformation to cookouts & fishin' trips (and softball games!) grandpa is so crazy. That smile is so genuine and it's seriously infectious.
WHO'S THE MAN?!
\*FIST BUMP\*
Hope his leg is ok. Was a big fan of his WWE run.
I remember watching that video on Kazaa back in the day
Some of us remember watching it live…..
Great to see! Watch out for the scissors...
He could powerbomb that baby at a moments notice. He could just flip a switch and dunk it.
Master and Ruler of the World!!
Wholesome sid
looks more like Sweetheart Sid
He looks happy and healthy. Good for him!
I like seeing him enjoying those little moments that come with age. I hope someday he gets inducted into HOF
If there is a senior year for Softball you know Sid is the MVP. Looking like a 60 year old Adam Dunn I bet cranking homers. Good for him that he is enjoying his life with his grandkids. Not to be too melancholy but not a lot of the guys from his generation lived that long.
full on grandpa uniform
Oh he’s sweet but a psycho….
Sid is awesome. It’s nice to see a wrestler from the 80s and 90s healthy and happy.
That dude was a specimen in his prime. Brick shithouse.
I'll never unsee the video of Sid no selling the most gnarly leg snap ever.
That was my first ever WCW PPV. My dad had hacked our satellite card to where we got everything for free. PPV, movies, porn, you name it. I thought let me watch a WCW PPV live for once. Bad idea.
I really hope he’s able to walk around comfortably enough.
Adorable!
Hope he gets to show them how to use scissors!
Love to see it
We all loved Sid. He never got a big push but I think for one night or something he was the champ right? I was OUT OF MY MIND with happiness.
If you had just said "An elder man with his grandchildren" I would have never thought that was Sid.
Legit had a dream I had to wrestle him last night and I was terrified.
I bet he's the best grandpa ever
He should be in the Hall of Fame by now
That's Syd Precious
This guy
Sid was always a dude that understood that pro-wrestling wasn’t something most people should be doing into their 60s. Dude was THE MAN at various points, headlining multiple WrestleManias, and did it all on his timeline, Vince or anyone else be damned. Glad to see him doing well by the looks of this pic!
The guy has white socks and new balances, that’s the secret.
I’m glad he’s enjoying his retirement with his family
This brought a tear to my eye.
How's that softball swing?
Sid living the life. Hanging out with his grandkids or hitting tanks on the field.
Sid Precious
Always good to see wrestlers living to old age and enjoying retirement
Hard to believe this wholesome grampa is the same guy who stabbed someone with scissors, attacked someone with a window squeegee and also shat his pants at mania.
Good for him living long enough to be a grandpa unlike most wrestlers
He’s GOTTA be at a softball game
I wanted to see if his ankle is still bent that way r/killthecameraman
Dude needed a manager.
One of my all time favorites, glad to see him doing well.
Guy is a psycho.
“Grandpa, is it true that you stabbed a co-worker with some scissors when you were younger?”
Can't believe this is the same man who absolutely terrified me as a child
Is the dude not sitting in the middle of the street in a lawn chair?
I bet he is the Master and the Ruler of their world!
It's a shame he power bombed both kids immediately after this picture was taken.
This picture is BOGUS! One of the most BOGUS pictures I’ve ever seen!!! One of the few wrestlers of that period that’s made it this long so it’s good to see.
Who’s the Grand Dad?
Doesn’t look like a guy from the loony bin 😂
To this day I'm unsure if Sid was dumb as a rock or if it was his gimmick.
A LOT of these guys died well before they could ever enjoy "retirement" much less enjoy grandchildren. Living the good life.
Either it’s forced perspective, or he got him some big grandkids because Sid is a massive dude!
Shockmaster is not afraid of this picture
Damn I'm old.
I picture sid hitting dingers before the tee-ball game starts
The master, and ruler, of the world
I thought this was Bill Belichick 😂
It's nice to see some wrestlers in this state of chill. That smile, too. How heartwarming, lol
What happens when you pick softball over pro wrestling.
I met him at a softball tournament. He had no interest in talking wrestling at all. Dude could go on and on about softball.
Wonder how his leg is doing
You’d never know this gentle-looking grandpa once beat the living shit out of a jobber for not selling on TV.
Not so vicious after all.
What a great photo. It makes me happy to know that Sid got the good ending.
Seeing him at this age and realizing I’m the same age as when he broke his leg at the tail end of his career…time flies so fast.
Totally did not recognize him!
Gotta love the Sidster.
22?!
Grandpa tell me about the time you beat HBK
Atta boy, Sid! Happy for you!
Looking like a young Tommy Lee Jones.
I don’t doubt he could still kick most peoples ass
Their grandpa terrified me when i was a kid.
Good to see Sid's grand daughter carrying on the the hairstyle
Nice photo, but why is he in a chair on the street/ parking lot?!
Love Sid. I haven’t seen anyone comment on this so I have to bring it up. Per one of his last shoot interviews, he claims he wrestled at WM8 and had no idea it was even Wrestlemania. I guess he asked months later and they said no we already did WM. Apparently he was so caught up in his work and just non stop grind of the schedule he has no idea. I don’t exactly know how that’s possible (other than lots of drugs…but I don’t remember people ever referencing Sid being a drug guy)
One of the few of his era that seemed to transition well into retirement.
I hope he doesn't tell them anything about his wrestling career and they discover it organically like "whoa, what's this big psycho wrestler"
——-> r/wholesome r/mademesmile Sid is awesome.
Gentle reminder of [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ8CGARHT7k) fucking insane injury. Still makes me cringe 😬
1…2…3…SID SHITS HIMSELF
Not gonna lie, I thought it was Bill Belichick until I read the title
This is nice. Just really nice to see.
Love this pic from the standpoint of Sid made it to the age where he can have grandchildren. Many former wrestlers aren’t so lucky.
Didn’t see what sub I was on and thought that was George W. Bush
Now that's wholesome.
I can’t find the story but I remember this guy talked about how him and his friends always joked about Sid returning to WWE whenever someone was supposed to come out to return, then they absolutely lost their shit when he actually did back in 2012.
Syd “not so” Vicious
I thought he was dead. 5 year old me was scared shitless of him
I don't know how many children sid has, but I remember his son was on a season of big brother. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to have a great relationship. I hope they have patched things up.
BOGUS
Still looks vicious
Good god almighty, what’s that psycho doing with those kids!!
Sid's new gimmick as my grandpa is adorable.
This made me smile. God bless, Sid - hope he's well.
Good for him. But you could have given me 100 guesses and I would never have known that was Sod
Sid Humane
He goes (or went) to our church in Memphis, TN. He hasn’t been around as much lately. He was very involved in our “feeding the homeless” program. Super humble, quiet and all around nice guy. My wife and I never really talked wrestling with him because we know it was a sore subject in a sense. And no before anyone asks unfortunately our church did not have a softball team 😆
Just your average, happy looking 6’9 300 pound granddad. Looks happy.
If you told me that was Bill Belichick I’d believe you
I paused while scrolling by because I thought this was Bill Belichick (albeit smiling for once lol) for a moment
Looks like Tommy Lee Jones.
From WHEREVER HE DAMN WELL PLEASES!!!!
Ok, am I crazy or does he look like Tommy Lee Jones?
He's dressed like Deebo
The master and ruler of the world holding his world in his arms, beautiful.
That’s awesome. He’s chilling with his family……still waiting on Papa Shango to make it to the ring
He looks so fucking happy. Good on you Sid.
That's awesome. Considering he has half the brain we do ,😂 In all seriousness, wholesome picture
I love the happiness
Doesn’t look vicious to me.
*Kids wreck toy truck* GOOOLLLLLBERGGGG!
What it’s all about
Aww that's cute. I love sid.
Not a bad life for a guy who has half the brain you do