Ric Flair 'Sick' Over Triple H's Retirement, Was Hoping For One More Match

WWE legend Ric Flair is heartbroken over Triple H's retirement from wrestling ... saying he was hoping his good friend and mentor had one more match left in him.

Flair got emotional when discussing the end of Triple H's wrestling career on 105.3 THE FAN in Dallas ... reflecting on how HHH played a huge role in rebooting his "Nature Boy" persona.

"I'm sick that he's not going to have that last match, to be honest with you," Flair said. "But his legacy is in place, and he will be highly thought of and highly remembered forever."

"But I do wish he had one more match," Flair added. "I just want him to make an appearance. I think the wrestling fans need a live appearance from him, to hear it in his own words, just in front of 80,000 people, one time."

Flair has a particularly soft spot for Triple H ... because he said after Vince McMahon called and gave him an opportunity following the closure of WCW, Triple H took him under his wing and helped him rebuild his self-confidence.

"It's no secret Triple H saved me," Flair said. "When WCW closed guys, I was at an all-time low. When I think about it I get emotional."

Triple H, whose real name is Paul Levesque, announced last week he'd never wrestle again because of a heart condition that almost killed him.

The news rocked sports fans -- as wrestlers of HHH's caliber usually get a farewell match, something Flair says he desperately wishes Paul received.

"Two years ago, I said, 'God, you've got to have another match, man,'" Flair said. "And he just was so involved in the corporate, in the business end of the WWE."

Flair said Paul's unselfishness and commitment to developing new talent paved the way for wrestlers like Randy Orton, Batista, Sasha Banks, and his daughter, Charlotte Flair, to become stars.

Wrestling fans remember Flair and Triple H were members of one of the greatest factions in WWE history -- a group called "Evolution" -- alongside Orton and Batista.

At one point, all four men held major WWE titles at the same time. Triple H (The Game) World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton (The Legend Killer) Intercontinental Champion, and Flair (The Nature Boy) and Batista (The Animal) were Tag Team champions.