It looks like ESPN and WWE are taking their relationship to the next level: Over the weekend, pro wrestler Ric Flair’s talent agency posted a few photos on its Facebook page, noting that they were taken on the set of an upcoming “30 for 30″ documentary about the rise of the now-66-year-old star.

“We named this company Legacy Talent because it’s our mission to help preserve the legacies that our clients have worked a lifetime to build,” the company posted on Facebook. “[On Thursday] we took a huge step in documenting Ric Flair’s legacy by starting to shoot his “30 for 30″ ESPN Film. We are honored to work with such a prestigious group on a project we are so passionate about! ‪#‎Flair30for30‬ ‪#‎ComingSoon‬”

Legacy said the film, which follows in a long line of “30 for 30″ documentaries made by ESPN, does not yet have an air date.

Flair shared the photo on his own Facebook page, though, writing, “This is BIG! So excited. WOOOOO!” referring to his trademark howl.

Flair, who’s often seen cheering on his daughter and current WWE “Divas” champion Charlotte during “Raw,” has wrestled with several promotions besides WWE, but it was likely his status with WWE that landed him the “30 for 30″ film.

ESPN recently began including WWE news on its television programming, including airing regular interviews with the promotion’s stars and near-weekly highlight reels of WWE’s most jaw-dropping moves from its pay-per-view and weekly programming.

In October, ESPN host Jonathan Coachman, who used to work as a ring announcer for WWE, boasted about the two entities’ closer ties.

You have been asking for years and we are about to take another step. So excited. 48 hours. #wwe #joinus #letshavefun.

— Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachESPN) October 12, 2015

Predictably, there has been some backlash from ESPN’s audience, some of which derided pro-wrestling as “fake,” but Coachman doesn’t seem to give that much credit.

Remember we want to serve fans anytime anywhere. Athletes are @WWE fans. Superstars are sports fan. #cometogether https://t.co/np1rb5igIA

— Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachESPN) October 12, 2015

To be fair, while Flair’s victories were all staged, the pain and suffering he put his body through and the dramatic lifestyle that came along with being the Nature Boy were/are all very real. In other words, this should be worth the watch, whether you’re a WWE fan or hater.

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Jerm411 said:

CAN'T...WAIT...

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Loch Doun said:

The most charismatic man in the history of pro wrestling. No one comes close.

Meeeeeeeaaaannnnnnn whooooo, by gawd, Gene!

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Heel said:

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Liquidsnake said:

My prayers have been answered.

The guys is one of the only real living legends on earth. We need to celebrate and appreciate what is basically the wrestling version of a god.

He had the best decade run in the history of the business, he made more money for more promoters than anyone in the history of the business, he wrestled more matches than anyone in the history of the wrestling business.

He is the most important wrestler in the history of the business.

He was the best talker in the history of the business.

And it makes me sick to my stomach that a fraud like Jern Cener is mentioned in the same sentence.

Had more 5 star matches than anyone.

He was and always will be the best. It is not even close.

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Ninja Scooter said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVU0MW-IGrM

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Ninja Scooter said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVU0MW-IGrM

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Liquidsnake said:

He had the best decade run in the history of the business, he made more money for more promoters than anyone in the history of the business, he wrestled more matches than anyone in the history of the wrestling business.

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Sometime in the next 12 months, possibly as early as the fall, ESPN’s critically-acclaimed 30 for 30 series will air “Nature Boy,” a documentary on the life and times of Flair directed by Rory Karpf, who has directed multiple 30 for 30 documentaries including “I Hate Christian Laettner” and “The Book Of Manning.”

“In the wrestling world, the viewer isn’t sure what’s real or what isn’t, but 'Nature Boy'–Ric Flair wasn’t just a character,” said Karpf in an interview this week. “He was real. The wrestler he portrayed in the ring was also the man he was outside the ring. I found that to be fascinating. He’s led a crazy life that’s a natural for a 30 for 30. Plus I just love pro wrestling.”

Karpf said the documentary, which will run at either 90 or 120 minutes, is currently in the editing stages with some interviews left to shoot and a few archive materials still to procure. The interview subjects for the film include Flair, all three of Flair’s living children including daughter Ashley, who wrestles in the WWE under the name of Charlotte and is the current WWE women’s champion, and a host of retired wrestlers including Sting, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley and Ricky Steamboat, along with Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, the pair who with Flair and Ole Anderson formed The Four Horseman. Other interviews include Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, former WCW head Eric Bischoff, as well as Flair’s first wife, Leslie.

On the issue of how much wrestling footage will air, ESPN Films vice president and executive producer John Dahl said ESPN has a great relationship with WWE and that Karpf pursued footage agreement before they started shooting. Karpf said the WWE has been very supportive with his requests.

There’s a lot to digest on Flair’s life, and much of the underbelly was covered in this Grantland feature by Shane Ryan in 2011 under the header of “Ric Flair’s long, steady decline.” On the subject of Flair’s openness in answering questions, Karpf said Flair answered all his inquires and that he found his lead subject “very open, for the good, the bad and the ugly. I’ve seen a lot of Ric Flair interviews. And in my opinion, I've never seen a better one than the one he did for our film.”

Karpf said the 1980’s will be the main era of the doc to coincide with the prime of Flair’s career, as well as the explosion of pro wrestling into the pop culture. “Hulk Hogan and Wrestlemania had become household names and meanwhile, Ric was in a rival organization,” Karpf said. “I wanted to explore what specifically made Ric so great and what specifically makes for a great pro wrestler. Why is he considered the greatest of all time? How is that determination made? Unlike the NFL or NBA there really aren’t stats and metrics we can use like touchdowns, points scored or championships to determine greatness. Wrestling is pre-determined. But it is very athletic and the performers are definitely athletes. I wanted to give wrestling its just due in comparison of other sports.”

Karpf said one of his filmmaker dreams was to do a wrestling-based 30 for 30 for ESPN, and Karpf said one of the reasons it happened was that Flair’s interview for his Laettner doc really resonated on social media, according to ESPN’s research. That helped convince Dahl to give the standalone Flair project the greenly.

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TheWarrior said:

One of the only Wrestling DVD's I own

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RPGCrazied said:

I have that one, they should do another set. A lot of good matches not in it.

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Strangelove77 said:

I've never seen this series, does it go indepth and does it attempt to be "real?"
If it does, shit's gonna get dark real fast.

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RPGCrazied said:

His WCW days were the time wrestling was worth watching.

*ducks*

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bjork said:

If it's in any way truthful, this will be a sad episode.

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IrishNinja said:

the GOAT! so hyped for this

...aw man, i'm not ready for this am i

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bjork said:

Depends entirely on how they play it up. If they get into his personal life and his money managing skills and stuff, it'll be a bummer. If it's tons of Ric talking crap and riding in limos, then good times for all.

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