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'Greatest Of All Time' Calling It A Day

Posted: Mar 3rd 2008 By: mikeiles

There?s not much to say about Ric Flair that hasn?t already been said.

The Nature Boy. The dirtiest player in the game. The Man.

The greatest of all time.

The respect for Flair, who turned 59 last week, is boundless, and his legend grows every time he enters an arena.

Jeff Hardy, who grew up in North Carolina watching the Nature Boy, says it?s been an amazing experience wrestling in the same company alongside the 16-time world champion.

?I got to work him at a Raw awhile back and actually had the honor of beating The Man. Beating Ric Flair was just too good to be true It was crazy. It?s been such an honor.?

?He?s led the way for everybody in the wrestling business,? adds the 30-year-old Hardy. ?He?s impressed me so much by still doing it today. It?d kind of be cool to see him wrestle Triple H in his last match, but I think whomever he wrestles, it?ll be one of those moments that will last through time. You can never forget that guy. He?ll leave a mark that will never be replaced.?

The late Johnny Weaver, who was the top babyface in the Carolinas during the ?60s and early ?70s, was in the area when Flair first came on board in 1974 and helped turn that territory into one of the hottest in the country.

?He was the man. Like I had been earlier, he became the main man around here,? Weaver related just days before his passing on Feb. 15 at the age of 72.

?He was the only one who was able to take my place after I had enjoyed such a long span of success,? said Weaver, who by that time had wound down his active career and had begun taking care of towns with longtime promoter Henry Marcus.

?But Ric sure had a pretty long run himself,? he added.

More than 30 years to be exact.

?He made such a big impact on this business,? said Weaver. ?I know it?ll be hard to give up. I should have quit five years before I did. But you couldn?t have told me that. It?s hard to give up. He was the man in his era. We all had our eras, but he was really something special.?

Fast forward to now, and the reaction is much the same.

?He?s my favorite pro wrestler ever in the history of the business,? says ?Stone Cold? Steve Austin. ?He was the greatest traveling world champion of all time ... Ric Flair was the man. He still is.?

Dwayne ?The Rock? Johnson patterned his image after that of the Nature Boy. His meteoric rise to fame began shortly after going to WWE boss Vince McMahon and telling him that he saw the character of The Rock as ?the ?90s going into the new millennium version of Ric Flair.?

?He?s an icon in this business,? says Johnson. ?Nowadays the word icon is thrown around like an egg-white omelet is thrown around. But he definitely is an icon.?

?When you?re comparing someone to the best, you?re comparing him to Ric Flair. Ric Flair is the best,? agrees TNA champion Kurt Angle. ?A lot of people say Kurt Angle is comparable to Ric Flair, but you can?t compare yourself to Ric Flair. He?s amazing.?

Flair?s 2004 autobiography, ?To Be The Man,? afforded other stars from this generation an opportunity to give props to a performer they had idolized for years.

?In my life, I bow down to only one person, and that?s Jesus Christ. But in my professional life, I wanted Ric to know, he is the man,? wrote Shawn Michaels, who will be Flair?s opponent in what is expected to be his last match at Wrestlemania 24 in Orlando.

?Even as a kid, I could tell there was a quality about Ric Flair that made the people around him look special. He?d get in the ring with somebody and when the match was over, his opponent had become a star. Ric had greatness, and those who came close to him took some of it with them,? wrote Triple H (Paul Levesque).

Buddy Landell, who parlayed the ?Nature Boy? gimmick into a lucrative run with Flair in the mid-?80s, says there?s no argument that Flair was the best.

?I love Ric, and I pray for the best for him. He was my idol, and the greatest thing that ever happened in my career and in wrestling.?

Landell was only 23 when he wrestled Flair for the NWA world title.

?A lot of people don?t realize that we had a close relationship also,? says Landell, now 46. ?There was a strong admiration on his part for me and, of course, me for him. That?s what really blew me away. I?ll never forget one night driving to Chicago. I was driving, he was sitting in the front seat, and Mike Graham and Bobby Eaton were passed out. I?ll never forget that conversation we had.?

Landell agrees it will be extremely difficult for Flair to leave the ring for good, perhaps even harder since he?s worked at such a high level for so many years.

?It?s tough out there after wrestling to find your niche. The day the roars from the crowd and all that adulation stops is very hard.?

Blackjack Mulligan (Bob Windham), who watched Flair mature into a top player in the business during the mid-?70s, says ?there?s never been anybody like Ric Flair.?

?I can?t put it into words. I can?t put it into a sentence. It needs to be in a book,? says Mulligan. ?The business is going to miss him. It?ll never be the same. An era has passed.?

Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross has enjoyed a front-row seat for much of Flair?s career and calls him ?the greatest wrestler of all time.?

?Ric Flair is to pro wrestling as Michael Jordan was to the NBA ... simply the greatest player of all time,? says Ross. ?MJ?s influence to young athletes that have followed him in the NBA is obvious, which mirrors Ric?s influence to wrestlers for the past several decades. There is no doubt in my mind that many of wrestling?s greatest superstars of past generations made their decision to make pro wrestling their life?s work after watching, as young men, the exploits of Ric Flair.?

?I said many years ago that while many wrestlers were ?artists? inside the squared circle, that they were painting with water colors while ?Naitch? was creating art night after night painting with oils,? added Ross.

Flair?s impending retirement also has evoked strong emotions from a loyal legion of fans that have followed the Nature Boy?s illustrious career.

?The world is going to lose a wonderful man when he retires,? says Lola Corneal of North Charleston.

Her sentiment is echoed by fans throughout the Lowcountry.

Growing up in Charleston, Jack Hunter says his favorite memories of the Nature Boy had mostly to do with his parents.

?My folks have always enjoyed painting the town red, and made a point of telling me as a child when they would see Ric Flair out in the local bars (he usually was accompanied by Blackjack Mulligan back then) with the Sheraton hotel on Rivers Avenue being a popular nightspot in those days,? says Hunter.

?When Flair would talk about ?partying all night long? on television ? sometimes even the very next day after I just received the update from my folks, and sometimes Flair even mentioned Charleston during his promos ? I knew there was nothing phony about the Nature Boy. He walked the walk, talked the talk and truly lived the life he boastfully advertised. To me, Ric Flair was not only every bit the ?jet flying, limousine riding, son of a gun? he said he was ? but my own parents were constant eyewitnesses. At no point in my life was pro wrestling more ?real? than in the late 1970?s and early 1980?s when South Carolina was not only being established as ?Flair country,? but the Charleston nightlife scene was the Nature Boy?s personal playground.?

Here are some more samplings of Flair memories from fans near and far.

John Williams, Hanahan

It was back in the County Hall days. The hot ticket for Crockett Promotions was a feud between Ric and Gene Anderson. I believe this was Ric?s first run as a ?face? and everyone was eating it up. On this particular Friday night, there were two or three times as many people as normally found at the matches. The scenario was Ric vs. Gene, with the stakes being Ric?s hair against one of Ric?s ring robes (stolen by Gene, probably one of Olivia Walker?s creations). Paul Capo (owner, Paul?s Hair Styling on James Island) was brought to the ring with his clipper set and introduced. I think he drew more heat than Gene! Referee Tommy Young was already in the ring and was looking real nervous. Paul was escorted to some safe corner, and it got down to business.

The crowd was treated to about 40 minutes (if I remember correctly) of classic wrestling. I think Ric and Gene truly brought out the best in one another, from the opening bell to the figure four finisher. It was that Old School at its finest.

And my special memory of that night? When Ric walked back to the dressing rooms after the match, he was looking around at the crowd with a huge smile. The crowd loved him, and he was loving every minute of it.

Robert Ellington, Charleston

It?s hard to narrow it down. My fondest memory would probably be going to County Hall and watching Ric Flair and Wahoo McDaniel beat each other to a pulp. Every time I saw those two guys it was pandemonium. I saw them in an Indian strap match and was really amused by how Flair sold that beating, and I?m sure during that feud is where he learned how to chop the stars out of his opponents. Flair was the first bad guy that I ever saw who had a vocal fan base. Bad guys were supposed to be hated, but he seemed to transcend that. Charisma pulls people in.

Casey A. Strange , Greenville, S.C.

Several years ago I was sitting at a bar in Greenville with several friends, and Ric Flair walked in. He sat down next to me with his wife. Everyone was going crazy buying him drinks. He and his wife were so nice, because they had so many drinks he started giving them to me and my friends. When people started asking him for pictures, he was easy to agree. Someone had a Polaroid (imagine that), and he said he had to have the picture taken with our group first and then whoever else. After all of the ruckus died down, we spent the next few hours talking to Ric. He was going to the Jimmy Buffet concert the next week and so were we. He gave us his personal cell phone number so we could tailgate before the concert. When we got to Charlotte we called Ric and he invited us over to his tailgating. I couldn?t believe that someone we just met, who is famous in our area, was so friendly.

Larry Stoy, Sumter, S.C.

My first encounter with Ric Flair came shortly after his debut in professional wrestling. It was April of 1973, and I was living in the Omaha area. Flair had just debuted the previous December, after being trained by AWA legend Verne Gagne. On this night, Flair was wrestling in the opening match against Khosrow Vaziri (who would later gain wrestling fame as The Iron Sheik). Flair?s look back then was very different that the bleached-blond, long-hair, stylin? and profilin? wrestler of the 80?s. He was pudgy, had short brown hair and a moustache! Plus, the program listed his name as ?Rick? Flair. Flair was the heel, and got DQ?ed for failing to listen to the ref as he beat on Vaziri. It wasn?t the best of matches, but for an opening event being held in Omaha, Neb., in April of 1973, it was fairly decent.

Now, the more interesting part of this story comes later in the night. During the intermission, I wandered down to the lower levels of the Omaha Civic Auditorium and saw the area they had fenced off that led to the wrestlers dressing rooms. Apparently, the side that I came down on was for the heels. I saw a figure standing there, sipping on a drink. I approached him and said hello. He turned around, and it was ?Rick? Flair. I asked him about how he enjoyed being a wrestler, and he said he was just learning the business, but so far he was having a blast! We chatted briefly about where he had been, and where he was going next, before someone came out from the dressing room and called him back inside. I thanked ?Rick? for his time and wished him good luck in the future with his new career.

I left the Omaha area in June of 1973 and returned to South Carolina. I didn?t think much more of that encounter until a year later when a new face showed up in the Mid-Atlantic territory. I turned on the TV one day, and saw a wrestler with shorter blond hair, huge Elton John-like sunglasses, and going by the name ?Ric? Flair! I remembered that chance meeting I had with Flair the year before, and was glad to see him here in MACW!

I have always been a fan of Ric Flair, and have followed his career basically from the start. I will be very saddened to see him retire, but he has given us wrestling fans over 35 years of entertainment. He will always be, in my opinion, the greatest wrestling entertainer of my lifetime! Thank you, Ric...

Tommy McClellan, Columbia, S.C.

I would always want to spend the week with my grandparents in the summertime when I was a kid. They lived in Greenville, S.C., and I knew that if I was ever there on a Monday night, my grandfather would go buy tickets and I would get to go to wrestling. He always spared no expense, so we always sat on the first few rows in old Greenville Memorial Auditorium. I think about him every time I watch wrestling these days. One of the guys that we both always loved was Ric Flair. He was always the showman and was always the man everybody came to see. The one match I always will remember was a match against Harley Race back in ?81 or ?82.

Flair was beaten from pillar to post, as usual, but came out the winner. Flair had retained his championship that night, but Race stole the belt from him after the match. This was before Flair became the dirtiest player in the game, so he was a babyface. Flair got on the mic and demanded Harley bring his belt back to him. Of course, that didn?t happen and Flair ran back into the dressing room to get it back. The whole place was so fired up, that if Harley Race had shown his face in or outside of the arena, he would have risked bodily harm. That night I knew that Ric Flair would always be my favorite wrestler, and would one day become the best there ever was.

Brian Yandel, Raleigh, N.C.

I used to live in Charleston back in the days of WCW, and me and my buddies used to be regulars at the Wild Wing Cafe down on Market Street. We convened there every Thursday for trivia, beer, women and those delicious Colorado Coppers. At any rate, one of the radio stations kept hyping a wing-eating contest with an unnamed special guest judge. Me and a buddy of mine thought it would be fun to enter this contest, but I was torn. This was on a Monday night, and I wanted to go to the North Charleston Coliseum to see Monday Nitro, but I also wanted to win the wing-eating contest and whatever the prize was going to be.

Fast forward to the contest. As we all sat around like a bunch of barbarians waiting to tackle the wings, a large crowd gathered around the front door, and flash bulbs began popping without any signs of stopping. I knew the guest judge had arrived. Could it be Mayor Joe Riley? Perhaps the RiverDog? Certainly it wouldn?t be Darius Rucker?

Then I heard one roar from the crowd that sent chills up and down my spine. ?WOOOOOOOOO!?

That could only mean one person. I could?ve cared less about wings at that point. There he stood over my table with sunshades on, golden locks and what looked to be Crown Royal in his glass. He had that evil smile and an energy that just permeated throughout the bar. He didn?t have to even say anything. People just gravitated to him. I thought he was supposed to be at the Coliseum, but he had another three hours until show time.

I felt like such an imbecile downing hot wings in front of The Man. He had accomplished so much in his life, and here I was fattening my face. I just couldn?t believe I was sitting two feet from him. After the contest, I didn?t want to gawk at him or bother him as I was sure he was used to. I didn?t want to be just another beer-swilling wing-eater who didn?t know his legacy.

I wanted to stand back and admire the man, the man who beat Wahoo McDaniel, the man who teamed with Greg Valentine, the man who was imitated by Buddy Landell, the man who beat the toughest SOB I had ever seen ? Harley Race. I owed it to Mr. Flair to stand by quietly and give him some space.

And, as if by some miracle, Mr. Flair walked straight over to me and extended his hand. ?You tried, brother. You tried.? Such a gentleman in person.

I couldn?t speak. I shook his hand and before I knew it, one of the waitresses took our photo. I was so proud; it was as if my father was there to encourage my competitiveness ? no matter how mundane. I could only smile ear to ear as Mr. Flair put his hand on my shoulder and we posed for the camera. With no words, I could only show my respect by holding up four fingers. For 10 seconds in my life, I was a Horseman. Mr. Flair was so easy to talk to. I told him of the time I met Barry Windham in the Bahamas, and you could see how excited Mr. Flair was just at the mention of one of his fraternity (and closest friends). Mr. Flair made me feel apart of that elite fraternity for the few fleeting moments that we talked. We talked wrestling, true wrestling, and he knew that I was a lifelong fan.

Your articles have hinted at the end of Ric Flair?s career in March. I, for one, am going to feel so lost without his presence. I know that sounds maniacal, but Ric Flair is to wrestling what no other person in history is to his sport or profession. He has no equal.

Tim Williford, Melbourne, Fla.

I remember watching Ric Flair wrestling in the Mid South when I was about 10 years old. I remember the first time he won the world heavyweight belt. I was always in awe of him, whether as a heel or a babyface, because of his ability to completely run a show or card. For years, he has been one of my favorite wrestlers. He gives an interview like no other.

I lived in Atlanta in my 30?s and had a friend who could get us in early and have great seats at the WCW tapings if we would stay after and help take down the ring. Because of that, I often saw some of the wrestlers as they were leaving the building. Some of the jobbers would just walk right by. However, one day, I noticed Ric Flair standing over to one side. A little nervous because of some of my previous experiences, I didn?t know whether I should approach him or not. I finally did and found him to be nothing but the nicest man, completely respectful of the fact a fan just came over to say hello. Through the ups and downs of his career, Ric Flair has never failed to make me want to root for him whenever he stepped into the ring. He will be missed.

Vincent Hill, Nashville, Tenn.

I was a student of the late and definitely great Lillian Ellison (The Fabulous Moolah) at her school in Columbia the very first time I met Richard Fliehr. I remember it like yesterday. It was the night that Marte Lunde (Arn Anderson) made his retirement speech on Nitro. The entire day leading up to that event I was back stage begging and pleading with anyone and everyone I could to get a dark match even if I had to job for Paul Wight. About halfway through the day, in walk the Horsemen and every one of the boys in the back showed their respect for those guys and you could tell it was sincere, everyone but Hogan, who was at a table by himself and Paul Wight. Hogan did not even look up from what he was reading but for a split second and went back to his magazine like it was me he was looking at, not four guys that have help make this business what it is today.

Anyway, I built up enough courage after about 30 minutes to approach the table. I went to Richard and said, ?I am Vincent, a student of Moolah?s here in Columbia, you are the reason I ever wanted to get in this business, it is truly an honor.? He looked at me as if he had known me for years and said, ??No, Vincent, the honor is all mine.? If you remember the show from that night and the tears that he was holding back when Arn gave his speech ... that is how I felt when he told me those words. Here is the greatest that this sport has ever and probably will ever produce, and he made me feel like one of the boys. I will truly miss him come this March. Anybody in the world of wrestling, sports entertainment or whatever you want to call it that does not learn something from him before he leaves is a fool. I love him and will always have the highest respect for the Nature Boy. Wooooo!!!!

Roy Bowers, Augusta, Ga.

Say it ain?t so ... the Nature Boy has always been my favorite wrestler since I first watched pro wrestling with George Becker and Johnny Weaver with Big Bill (Ward) in Charlotte, N.C., when I was 10 years old. As a kid, I went to my first live match and saw Pampero Firpo with his shrunken head, and I thought it was real! I got hooked on Saturdays watching Johnny Valentine and Jack Brisco. It was real wrestling and these guys really bled. One match I saw on TV with Eddie Graham against Bobby Shane convinced me that Graham had bled to death.

A couple years later a brash, young, chubby wrestler came along called Ric Flair. I spent many a countless Monday nights in Greenville, S.C., watching Ric build his persona. I was at the match where he opened Wahoo McDaniel up with a chair leg. I saw him and Blackjack Mulligan feud in the late 70?s. I watched Ric battle Sting countless times. I envied Ric for his lifestyle of wheeling, dealing and chasing the ladies. He was the man. Every chance to see him at arenas, read about him in wrestling magazines, or watch him on TV, I?d be there. Once in Greenville, I shook his hand, I remember how amazed I was at how charismatic he was in person, even one on one. Then and now I have followed his career through the 90?s. McMahon missed a lot of dollars downplaying Ric against Hogan. No comparison. Ric could beat Hogan in a shoot anytime. I hated WCW for how they abused him.

I thank ?The MAN? for many years of entertaining me, my kids, and making me realize that ?to be the man, you have to beat the man? means in life you can do whatever you want to do, just work at it. Ric Flair will live on in my memory for many years, and he will always be the standard that I judge any other wrestlers against. Whooooooooo.......!

Randall, Steadman, Savannah, Ga.

I have fond memories of going to Charleston County Hall on Friday nights with my uncle and cousin, many of which include ?The Nature Boy? Ric Flair. He would live up to his self-proclaimed title ?The Sixty-Minute Man ... All Night Long? because he would more often than not give us the full one-hour time limit in his main-event matches. Which you rarely see any more even with pay per views. Some memories of Ric are seeing through the side door at County Hall (that was usually open for the breeze) about four of the wrestlers that were fighting that night all riding in a car together even if they were opponents. That was back in the day before jets and limos in wrestling when they would fight seven nights a week and another Saturday afternoon show when it was just Mid-Atlantic.

Another fond memory was us kids hanging around the dressing room entrance doors to see the wrestlers as they would stand there to watch the matches (or they would peek through the stage curtain). Once Ric was standing there between us and the Charleston city policemen. He saw that I had a wrestling magazine in my hand (Pro Wrestling Illustrated or something) and asked if he could hold it. He looked at it for a little bit and stepped back in the back before his match. When he came out for his match, he looked at me and turned right back around into the door and came out with my magazine, handed it to me and said, ?Thanks.? I wouldn?t have cared, but he did. That was back in the day when Johnny Valentine was his mentor. I saw some great feuds with Ric in Charleston. Wahoo McDaniel, Paul Jones, Rufus Jones, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and others. Even after seeing Andre The Giant wrestle in person in Charleston, I still think Ric Flair is the biggest legend I?ve had the pleasure of seeing.

Adam Hunt, Orlando, Fla.

It must have been about 10 years ago when Flair was at the Big Boys Big Toys car show in Orlando. I was there with a friend and his brothers just to meet the Nature Boy and get his autograph. I stood in line for 30 minutes waiting my turn. I had my picture taken and got the autograph I had desired. I proceeded to walk around the car show and came up with a crazy idea. You see, I have an artificial foot, and decided it would be cool to say Ric Flair signed my foot. I went back and stood in line again. I walked up to him and said, ?I know this might sound weird, but would you autograph my artificial foot?? To my surprise, he said sure. I went to school the next week and was showing it to anyone who would listen. I still to this day have the foot put away. It is deteriorating and the autograph is fading, but I will always have the memory of one of the greatest wrestlers to this day actually signing my foot.

Jon May, Indiana

My own personal favorite Flair moment was about 20 years ago while I was living in Charleston. I was working part-time in a fitness center (while in college) when in walked Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Terry Taylor and Kevin Sullivan. They all came to work out and to use the tanning beds before the show that night. I was excited not only to meet these guys in person, but to offer my services in locating the tanning beds, and providing a tour of the place. As these guys were leaving after about two hours of working out, I was able to gather the necessary autographs and told them I would be at the wrestling event that night and wished them all the best.

That evening as I walked from the parking lot to the event center for the wrestling show, a black Cadillac comes driving by and stops right in front of me. At that moment, Ric Flair jumps out of the passenger side of the car onto the sidewalk, shakes my hand and wants to thank me for my hospitality that day at the gym. As he got back in the car, I thought to myself, what wrestler would not only remember my name, but take the time to pull the car over and shake my hand. I will never forget that moment as I knew I was in the presence of a true greatness and class.

George Conley, Charlotte, N.C.

We live full-time in Charlotte. Shortly after moving to the city about 12 years ago, my wife and I and our two sons ? they were about 13 and 9 at the time ? were at dinner at a local Japanese steak house, when in walks Ric Flair with a bunch of people. My sons spot him right away (they had seen him on TV) and were very excited. But, they eventually calmed down and went back to concentrating on their dinners, although I noticed that our oldest son (Chris) continued to keep an eye on Flair across the room. Eventually, Chris excused himself and said he had to visit the men?s room. He returns about five minutes later . . . with a big smile on his face. He then proceeds to tell us that he can?t wait to get to school the next day and get with his buddies . . . because he?s going to proudly announce to them that he ?. . . went into a restroom and took a pee with Ric Flair!?

Flair actually is a very nice fellow . . . as I?m certain you know. Our youngest son Alex played Little League baseball against Flair?s son, and Flair came to a lot of the games, sat in the stands with everybody else, and was just as friendly and down to earth as he could be.

His daughter went to high school (Providence High School) with our son Chris. Once the Providence football team was scheduled to play the Myers Park High team. And Providence held a big pep rally for the team and the students in the school gym. Just when the rally was building to a peak moment, a door swings open and some students roll out a giant paper mache statue of a mustang to the center of the gym. The students start booing, because they realize the statue is the opposing school?s mascot. Just as the boos became overwhelming, another gym door suddenly bursts open, and out runs a raging Rick Flair, lugging a large sword and with the pep band blaring and the students screaming encouragement. The growling Flair, in a wild, trance-like emotional state, proceeds to hack the mustang statue to bits! Then, just as quickly as he had run into the gym and massacred the poor mustang statue, Flair was gone! But the students ? and particularly the football team members ? were in a frenzy, and the team later that evening easily trounced the Myers Park team! I?ll never forget the excitement in Chris? face and voice when he came home that evening and told us about the pep rally and Flair?s wild show! To this day, he says it?s one of the most amazing things he?s ever seen!

Some of us parents participated in the PTA while our children were in school. Others helped drive students to school events. Still others assisted with various fund-raising projects. Celebrity parent Ric Flair, on the other hand, made a surprise appearance at a football pep rally, and left the students with an indelible memory they?ll NEVER forget! Decades from now, whenever those students see each other, they?ll always talk about the day Ric Flair showed up and sliced up that mustang!

Mark Crockett, Charlotte, N.C.

I guess I was lucky to grow up around the NWA when Ric was in his prime. He and my dad were in the same plane crash in Wilmington in 1975 and were roommates in the hospital. As I got older I got to travel with my dad to matches, and my job was to carry robes to the back and hold the belts during the matches. Whenever Ric came to the ring he would wink at me and tell me not to let it hit the ground and put it in his locker. Then I would head back to my seat by the ring and hold the belt. I was just in awe of how good he is and also made everyone look good. He would come out bloody and get his belt and say thank you. He is a very generous man and is the tops in my book.

Another time my dad, Ric, Tully and I were riding in a limo to Greensboro. They were talking business and living life as it should be done. There were a couple of ladies that I sat between, and they made the ride interesting. If you have heard one story, you have heard him all. He is the limo ridin?, jet flyin? son of a gun.

After my grandmother died several years, ago one of the biggest flowers on the altar were from Ric and Beth Flair. He did not have to do that, but it just shows you what a generous person he really is. There were also the times my sister and I would go to their house and swim in their pool with David and Meghan. His door was always open, which you don?t find very often. The best one I have occurred in Asheville. I was attending Appalachian State and WCW was doing a show in Asheville, so I went to see my dad for the night. I ended up going out with some of the guys, and it turned into one of those nights you don?t remember in the morning. The only thing I remember is the distinctive ?Whoo? in the background, so it must have been a good party. That means Ric was strutting his stuff and putting on a show regardless of whether it is in the ring or elsewhere. My dad was messing with me because I was hung over and said, ?Don?t you know you can?t hang with Ric?? Obviously not, but it was one of my greatest nights in my life.

I hope Ric knows how important he was to JCP. Without him, we would not have been as big as they were. Ric is a loyal guy, which is why he didn?t bail on us for bigger money when he could have. Ric has had some personal troubles in the past, but those don?t change my feelings about him. He is still the best wrestler alive who gives his time to people who are not as fortunate. To be the man, you have to beat the man and there has not been one wrestler recently who could hold Ric?s jock. Ric will forever be the champ whether he is wrestling or not.

Rick Bauer, Mount Ephraim, N.J.

Back in the early ?80s, NWA Mid-Atlantic started coming north, and they did shows at the Philadelphia Civic Center. A friend of mine wrote for a neighborhood newspaper in Philadelphia, and was able to book several wrestlers for a morning TV show called ?AM Philadelphia.? The host was the station?s weatherman, Dave Roberts (his son is actor David Boreanaz). They had Larry Zbyszko, referee Dick Woerhle, a couple of other guys and Flair. Flair came off as the most professional of the bunch. I watched this show with my mom, who wasn?t a wrestling fan, and she stated how impressed she was with how well he spoke, how intelligent he was and how nice he seemed to be. She felt he sounded a lot like Sylvester Stallone, too.

Lance Morrison, Charleston, S.C.

It all happened some time back around 1990 or ?91. I was a sailor in the U.S. Navy at the time stationed on a submarine here in Charleston. My buddy Shelby and I are were huge wrestling fans and we went to the matches at the North Charleston Coliseum as often as we could. As you know Ric was famous at the time for talking up his matches in Charleston, and this was one of his favorite places to wrestle and party. After the match, Shelby and I headed over to the Jukebox on Vendue Range in hopes that Ric would show up. We had heard that he loved the place. We stationed ourselves at one end of the bar and waited. After about an hour and a half waiting, there was no sign of Ric. We were getting ready to call it a night when we heard someone say that Ric was over at the main bar. Shelby and I made our way over there and sure enough, there was Ric having a beer with Arn Anderson. The next thing I knew, Shelby and I were bellied up to the bar next the Nature Boy, Arn Anderson and The Juicer. We told them we were sailors and they welcomed us to have some drinks with them.

At the time Shelby did a killer Elvis impression and those guys loved it, so we were locked in. I ended up standing between Ric and The Juicer, and Ric bought us a drink. We were one of the guys. Shelby and I are fairly big guys, so I?ve always thought that the people around us just figured we were part of the wrestling group. Ric ended up dancing with about half of the girls in the place. It was amazing. At one point I found myself in a conversation with Ric when suddenly he looked at me and said ?What the h_ _ _ am I talking to you for?? I thought that was very funny. I ended up standing between Ric and The Juicer the rest of the night and as I recall had a great conversation with The Juicer. Shelby and I ended up closing the place with those guys that night. As I walked out I heard The Juicer call out to me. ?I want you.? I yelled back saying, ?You don?t want any of me. I?ve seen all of your moves and you couldn?t take me.? With that, we locked up in the middle of the street. In hindsight, that probably wasn?t the wisest thing because he definitely could have put me on the pavement. Instead we broke the hold, shook hands and everyone went home. What a night it was partying with the Nature Boy. I?ll never forget it.

Robert Wagner, Irmo, S.C.

I have been a wrestling fan/mark virtually all of my life. Currently I live in the Columbia area and work as a schoolteacher. I moved to South Carolina in 1989 and began working at rock radio station WROQ in Greenville. Every four or five months or so, NWA/Crockett Promotions would host a card in the old Greenville Memorial Auditorium and WROQ always advertise the matches. I was fortunate to always be available to work these dates as a live radio remote, because I was such a big wrestling fan.

I first met Ric Flair as I brought contest winners backstage to meet the Nature Boy and get an autograph. Of course I used this opportunity to small talk and ?get to know? as much as I could in the hour or so I would get to spend with him. I was amazed at the fact that I would only get to see him each time for only a few minutes, every four to five months, yet he would actually remember me and call me by the name the next time we met. Being Ric Flair is probably something like being Elvis; everyone wants to shake your hand, say hello or get an autograph, and he probably meets literally hundreds of folks every week as he travels. The fact that he would remember my name and recall who I was and what we had previously talked about is simply amazing to me.

Since this time period, I have seen Mr. Flair at various times at various events (not necessarily a wrestling event), and he still recalls who I am. As recently as The Fabulous Moolah?s funeral, which we both attended, I just happened to be parked beside Ric Flair and his wife. As he walked to his SUV after the service, he said hello to everyone waiting in line to leave as he passed and waved to me (whether he really realized it was me or not, I can?t absolutely say with confidence) and was so approachable to all who went up and spoke to him in the parking lot, when he wasn?t really being Ric Flair we normally see on TV, just someone who wanted to pay his respect to Ms. Ellison.

Ric Flair has always been generous with his fans and would do, sign or say anything he was asked to do. I have seen him leave messages on cell phones, kiss the girls and their mothers (no lie!) and write or sign anything at anytime he was asked to, whether it was convenient for him or not. Ric Flair is a gentleman, champion and perhaps the greatest wrestler who has ever laced up a pair of boots. I have seen lesser celebrities treat their fans like crap, but I have NEVER seen Ric Flair be nothing but one of the classiest individuals I have ever met. Because of this, I understand, perhaps more so than others, why he has enjoyed the success he has had during his career.

I have always referred to Mr. Flair as ?Champ? when I have addressed him in person and this is the way I will remember the wrestler Ric Flair; sure he is the ?Nature Boy? and actually lived out the ?Horseman? lifestyle, but he is truly a champion. I still feel as if VKM is NOT giving Flair his due as this storyline makes its way to Wrestlemania. While I understand that Flair is past his prime and now there must be younger wrestlers carrying the strap, I still wish that ?Naitch? could ?walk that aisle? one more time as the world?s heavyweight wrestling champion, showing Edge, Batista, Orton and others how a champion carries himself inside the ring and out of it.

Dennis Ray Braddom, Sparta, Tenn.

I have wrestled for the last 12 years and owe it in part to Ric Flair. When I was 18 years old, I traveled to the Omni in Atlanta to see the first War Games in the cage. I was hooked. I was right next to the heels dressing room. During the matches I was within throwing distance of Ric Flair. He came out to watch some of the matches. During the show he came over and asked us how we were enjoying the show. This mega-superstar was concerned about if we liked the show! We talked for a couple minutes and he had to go back in to get ready. Then in the main event when his music played, he came out and actually slapped my hand. It was that moment that I wanted to wrestle. I never got famous, but boy I have had a great ride. I owe it to those few seconds of talking to the one and only Ric Flair.

Jeff Leskiw, Winnipeg, Canada

Back in 2004, a buddy and I worked two shows back to back here in Winnipeg as seat fillers for the first-ever live Raw and Smackdown taping in our city. The Raw episode was one to remember. This was when the show opened with a game of musical chairs as featured on WWE?s Raw 15th Anniversary DVD set. Ric was one of the participants as well as hometown boy Chris Jericho and a handful of others. My first reaction to seeing Ric involved in this was that although this was all in good silly fun, I felt it was ?beneath? Ric to partake in such foolishness. I truly felt sorry for him that they tossed him into this ridiculous act. But as the game went on you could see he was having a real blast in there. He was stylin? and profilin? and chasing after Stacy Keibler. Now, you have to remember, this was also the same time period when Evolution was running strong and that technically made Flair a heel. But during this opening segment, we all forgot about the evil Evolution and Flair?s involvement with them. This gimmick played out to a finish that left the fans rolling in the aisles and hyped about what?s to come next.

Now, let?s fast forward to the end of the night when everyone was leaving the building. Bob Holiday was the contact who got us the gig at these shows, and Rueben was the head security guy for WWE at live events. We were told if we wanted to see if we could meet some of the wrestlers, go to such-and-such hotel by the airport and just hang out in the lounge. The traffic leaving the arena was God-awful as usual, but having been there so many times, I knew a few shortcuts. I managed to get onto one the main drags on the way to this hotel. As I approached a red light I looked to my left. Sitting in the passenger seat of a very nice Lincoln was the Nature Boy himself. We locked eyes and I mouthed a big ?Wooooooo.? He threw his head back and laughed out loud. Then, he pointed down to my car (a rare two-tone emerald green 1983 Lincoln Town Car in mint condition) and gave me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture in awe. I was in such shock that instead of following suit and turning left to go to the hotel, I continued going straight which is nothing but an industrial district of factories and warehouses. After about a good two minutes of driving, my buddy says, ?Uh. ... so like, where the (beep) are we going? The hotel is way back there!?

All it took was this brief encounter for me to become starstruck and completely miss our turn. I?ve met celebrities in my time, but no one left me feeling like a giddy little kid the way Ric Flair did. It may not seem like such a big deal to others, but it?s something I?ll cherish forever and never forget.

Harriet Wall, Ridgeland, S.C.

I use to go Savannah Civic Center a lot when wrestling was there. This was when he use to wrestle for WCW. His bad boy days. You used to be able to stand outside and await the arrival of the wrestlers. They would talk to you, take pictures, etc. On this occasion, when Ric Flair arrived, he naturally ignored all the fans yelling for him. As he was getting ready to walk into the main back door, he noticed a handicapped girl in a wheelchair. He walked over to her hugged and kissed her told her how beautiful she was and that he was glad she was there. I am not even sure anyone was even paying attention to this as new wrestler began to arrive. It just went to show his true nature. This was in the late ?80s, maybe early ?90s, in his prime time. Just wanted fans to know his true side. Will hate to see him retire, but I know all us have to one day. Just glad he has entertained us this long, giving so much of himself professionally and personally.

Jim Ross, Norman, Okla.

Ric?s passion for his profession is something that cannot be measured in dollars and cents, number of titles won, miles traveled, personal sacrifices made or the mere fact that Ric wrestled hundreds of matches injured and fatigued. Of the hundreds of matches that I have been truly privileged to see Ric compete, I never saw him once ?phone it in? or give less than 100 percent of himself. Never.

Ric?s zest for life is infectious. Of the many wrestlers that I have enjoyed being around outside the ring, none approach the fun I have had with Ric. Many of these memorable nights concluded as the sun was rising and produced a lifetime of memories and the camaraderie necessary to sustain a life of one-night stands on the road and away from one?s home and family. No matter the hour that we finally called it a night, Ric was the first guy out of his hotel room and to the gym to prepare for another night of entertaining his legion of fans.

When I first joined Jim Crockett Promotions, I was welcomed to my new company by the majority of the wrestlers and my peers thanks to the friendship I had forged with Ric during his many travels to my former employer Mid South Wrestling. When one is lucky enough to have Ric Flair as a friend, one has a friend for life.

There are many men and women that I have had the privilege of knowing in my 35 years in our business and that I have the utmost respect for but there are no performers of which I have more respect than I have for the incomparable ?Nature Boy? Ric Flair.

Even if I were no longer in the business of sports entertainment, there would be no way that I would miss Saturday night March 29 and the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to see the greatest wrestler I ever saw in person and my dear friend Ric Flair be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This event has elicited many lasting memories for all wrestling fans, especially for me over the years highlighted by my own induction last year, but I predict none will rival the moment when Ric Flair takes the stage for his acceptance speech commemorating Ric?s well-deserved induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

The Wrestlemania 24 weekend has become even more special for generations of fans thanks to the WWE honoring Ric Flair ? the greatest of all time

Tags: Ric Flair, WWE, NWA, TNA, Buddy Landell, Bobby Eaton, Jim Ross, Wahoo McDaniel, Verne Gagne, Greg Valentine, MSW, WCW, Jack Brisco, Sting, Dusty Rhodes, Andre the Giant, Terry Taylor