Ric Flair’s Week One commentary moved from the wrestling ring to the college football debate stage with a shot aimed directly at Paul Finebaum.
The wrestling legend took to X to call out the longtime ESPN analyst after Florida State took down Alabama, a game Finebaum had confidently predicted in the Crimson Tide’s favor.
“Well, Mr. Finebaum, I guess you lose again,” Flair wrote. “Florida State beat Alabama. Another bad prediction on your part. Do you know how hurtful it is to call people like Lincoln Riley, Jim Harbaugh, and Ryan Day out by name when you are so far off the mark? Smarten up! You’re 0-2 so far! I am actually embarrassed for you and the comments you make about people’s personal lives. So sad!”
This is not the first time Flair has gone after Finebaum, and based on the tone of his latest posts, it probably will not be the last. He previously blasted Finebaum for his failed prediction that Texas would dominate Ohio State. After that game went sideways, Flair accused Finebaum of being the worst analyst in the business and demanded his removal from ESPN. He even pointed to his own social media following, boasting that more fans listen to his take than anything Finebaum says on air.
The back-and-forth has become a strange but strangely fitting collision of two worlds. Flair, a college football diehard and pop culture figure, is not afraid to speak publicly when media personalities get it wrong. Finebaum, who built his career on bold opinions and louder debates, is no stranger to criticism. But having someone with Flair’s star power call him out on a national stage adds a new layer to the dynamic.
For Big 12 fans watching this unfold, it is another reminder of how college football has become as much about media narratives as it is about on-field performance. And for Finebaum, the spotlight is not going away anytime soon.
