Ric Flair was given an emotional surprise at the National Sports Collectors Convention when luxury watch dealer Roman Sharf presented the WWE Hall of Famer with a specially customized Rolex.

The gift carried particular significance for Flair, as it was designed to resemble the Rolex Shawn Michaels reportedly gave him following their memorable retirement match at WWE WrestleMania 24 in 2008. Flair is said to have later misplaced that original watch.

Footage of Sharf presenting the replacement to the Nature Boy quickly attracted considerable attention online, with the original YouTube video surpassing three million views.

During an appearance on his Dual Time podcast, Sharf explained that the idea was not something he had been planning for months. Instead, it came together after a conversation with Steven Solomon, who works with Flair on appearances and autograph signings.

Sharf said Solomon was visiting to collect a watch when the subject of Flair's missing Rolex came up.

“This wasn’t even planned. The gentleman who manages his events and signings, Steven Solomon, was here picking up a watch. He buys Rolexes from us; he’s a collector. He told me this whole story about how Ric Flair misplaced the watch and the whole to-do. When he told me the story, a lightbulb went off in my head, especially leading up to The National. He said something; he wasn’t insinuating anything, but he said, ‘It’d be nice to replace that watch in the future.’ I was like, ‘Why are we going to wait? I’m going to go, take a payday, have a custom dial made, and I’ll give it to him at The National as a surprise.’ He was like, ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah, I’ll pay for it.’ He was taken aback. I like to do nice things and I thought it was a great idea. I did not know what to expect. His emotional reaction got me emotional. You can’t really see me crying in the video, but I was holding back tears. I felt like I made a legend’s day. You can see him trying to get out a ‘Wooo!’ and it was a ‘woo.’ I wanted to do it at the end, but I couldn’t do it either because I was holding back.”

According to Sharf, Flair's reaction was powerful enough that those around the wrestling legend were mindful of ensuring the moment did not become too overwhelming.

“His team was concerned a little bit because he’s 77 years old and lived the life of a rockstar. He has a legit heart monitor on his wrist. They were concerned not to get too overwhelmed. Overall, I would’ve been just as happy if it wasn’t on camera. It was a great experience.”

Thank You So Much @romansharf! This Made Me Very Emotional! pic.twitter.com/3gNkguOVI5

, Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) July 31, 2026