TNA star Ric Flair recently spoke to Minnesota's Duluth News Tribune to promote an upcoming TNA live event in the region. Here are some highlights of what the Nature Boy said about:

Retiring At WrestleMania 24: "I don’t know what I thought at the time. Remember that it was WWE that decided to retire Ric Flair. Obviously it was very emotional for myself, Shawn, and my fans. It is not easy to do this for as long as I have and then all of a sudden quit because the company you work for tells you to. I’m not bashing WWE as I have great respect for the group. I believe that the whole set up was beautiful and they did a great job with the hall of fame ceremony and the goodbye on Raw afterward. But I am not ready to sit at home and build a garden. I feel great, I work hard, and I am ready to keep going."

Coming Out Of Retirement: "The athlete in question is the only person that truly knows if they are ready to retire. No one else .. The only one that truly will know the right time to stop is myself .. I was provided a unique opportunity and had a blast going to Australia. I feel I have a lot more to offer and that is what I am doing. I love TNA and feel that they have the right tools to be something huge. I am having just as much fun now as I did in the ’80s and that is saying something."

Shawn Michaels' Retirement: "I think Shawn definitely wants to be a family man and be home with his wife. I do, however, feel that he will have a return match at a pay per view sometime down the line."

How Much He Is Like His On-Air Character: "Enough to give my attorney a few sleepless nights."

On His Legacy: I want them to remember me as someone who appreciates the love and respect they give me every week when I head out in front of the camera. I am an entertainer and I feel when people pay to see me they feel they got their money's worth.

Ric Flair recently spoke on many subjects while promoting the TNA UK tour, here are the highlights…

On Retiring: "I don't even think like that. I have already had one retirement. I'll never retire again. I'll just walk away. Or fall off the top rope and turn to ash or dust! I'll just crumble and they will sweep me into a waste basket and I'll be gone!"

On Missing Working For WWE: "I have friends I miss but I have made new friends here. I don't dwell on the past ever. I'll always have those guys for friends and we'll always respect each other, but it's like anything else, when you go home you go home. I don't watch myself on TV. I go home and relax and enjoy my wife, my kids, and I have some grandchildren I love playing with. I'm in a good place and I do what I love doing."

On The Internet: "I can't even turn a computer on and if I could I wouldn't pay any attention to it anyway! It's not that I don't respect the fans, but it's just what can a wrestling fan tell me about wrestling? One of the problems with the young guys is they are more concerned with what the fans think about them than what they are achieving as individuals and what their boss thinks of them. But that's normal with young guys and I get it but it's nothing that will ever affect my role or thought process about myself. I know when I am in the ring when I am good and on, and when I leave the building if I was good and on. And 99 percent of the time I was on or I wouldn't be here today!"

On Working For TNA: "I love it, it's fantastic. The fact they are working so hard to enhance their brand and become competitive with other sports entertainment companies is huge. They have the money behind them and they have a tremendous boss in Dixie Carter. She is awesome to work for and - unlike most promoters - she is sympathetic in a very unsympathetic business!"

On What Crowds Stand Out To Him: "Manchester, of course, is just a flagship place for us to perform. All my years of WWE, Manchester was the first place we went to make TV and it's huge. London is equally as big. I've had three phenomenal tours in Glasgow so I can't wait to get there again. Basically the whole UK is so strong and so supportive of professional wrestling, and the fact TNA ratings are off the hook over here, is an indication of how successful it is."

The Sun has an audio interview with Ric Flair to promote the TNA UK tour in 2011. He talks about why he returned to the ring, mentioning that when the Australian tour with Hulk Hogan came up, he called Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels to ask if they were okay with him wrestling again, but when the opportunity with TNA came up, he only called Michaels.

Flair also mentions that Beer Money have a lot of talent, and that they are unselfish and could go out and lose every night, but be good enough that no one would remember. He adds that AJ Styles and Kurt Angle are the flagship players of TNA and that they will start the build to Flair vs Angle in two weeks on Impact. He also talks about John Cena being the only person who could rival him outside the ring, but he knows when to draw the line.

When asked about Bret Hart’s return, he said if he was happy with himself, than it’s good. He called his WrestleMania match with Vince McMahon “smoke and mirrors”, and was he was unaware that he won the US Championship a couple of weeks ago, and was under the impression he was a full time wrestler again. The hosts mentioned he was the new RAW GM now, but didnt mention that he vacated the belt.

Flair also mentioned that Reid Flair has signed with TNA, and that Arn Anderson will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year in Atlanta. Plus he also called the X-Division, “X-Factor”.