• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

It's Win Or Retire For Wrestling Legend

Posted: Mar 27th 2008 By: CMBurnham

The career of one wrestling great may end while another's will be forever altered during this weekend's "WrestleMania XXIV" spectacle, airing live Sunday on pay-per-view from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Ric Flair, the silver-haired wrestling legend who has held the World Heavyweight Title a record 16 times throughout his 36-year career, will face another legend, "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, in a "win or retire" match sanctioned by WWE head Vince McMahon.

Flair will be forced to retire when he loses his next match, a possibility that doesn't sit well with Michaels, a close friend of Flair's and himself a veteran of big-time matches with career-altering ramifications.

"What's going on is causing a real, bittersweet conflict inside of me. What I would love to do is honor Ric Flair the man and the superstar he's been by giving him the greatest match of his career, which he deserves," Michaels recently told the Daily News. "From a competitor's standpoint, I unfortunately have to try to do my best, and me doing my best means ending [Flair's] career.

"Being the guy that can end it all is very tough."

There are wrestling matches that transcend commonly held beliefs about the industry - that the ending's already decided - and this is one. Wrestling has forged many a true friendship, and the circumstances of the coming bout must be tough for Michaels, who recalled being a 16-year-old watching Flair wrestle on television.

"Being a 16-year-old kid, watching Ric on TV and saying that's what I wanted to be, and then you fast forward some 20 years later to being close personal friends and to be the guy that he arguably has his last match with, is surreal," Michaels said.

"He's the closest friend I ever had . . . I don't know if [these stipulations] are Ric's will, but I'm put in a situation by Ric and the WWE where he wants my best, and they want my best, but my best will result in the end of something historical, a legacy we may never see again."

The card for this year's version of the sports-entertainment bonanza is replete with high-stakes matches. Brawlers Fit Finlay and JBL will have a no-holds-barred "Belfast Brawl," and Batista battles Umaga in a "SmackDown vs. Raw" match.

And then there's the seven-man "Money in the Bank" ladder match, featuring John Morrison, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Chris Jericho, Mr. Kennedy and Carlito, with the winner receiving a title shot at a time of his choosing.

Then there's the cross-sports matchup of Big Show vs. boxing champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather, a 24-man battle royal, and a battle between Edge and The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Title.

A "Triple Threat" match for the WWE championship, pitting HHH, John Cena and Randy Orton, and the WWE Diva-powered "BunnyMania Lumberjack Match" fill out the card.

And while all the matches have some sort of history - especially The Undertaker's, as he's undefeated (15-0) at "WrestleMania" - none may have the impact of the Michaels-Flair bout, which should garner many "matches of the year" nominations.

"The fans should once again expect another 'WrestleMania' moment they thought they would never see," Michaels said. "Expect the unexpected, and for us to create something that will go down forever and ever in wrestling history.

"So for the millions and millions of people watching, keep your eyes peeled, because it's only going to happen once." *

Tags: Ric Flair