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Flair's Farewell One For The Ages

Posted: Apr 6th 2008 By: CMBurnham

The career of pro wrestling's greatest all-time performer came to a close last weekend in Orlando.

The demarcations of some historical eras are not as well defined as others.

I can state unequivocally, however, that the greatest era in modern pro wrestling history ended at exactly 8:50 p.m. last Sunday when the sport's greatest performer, Ric Flair, had his shoulders pinned to the mat for the final time in front of a record crowd of 74,635 fans at Wrestlemania 24 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

It seemed a fitting finish for the 16-time world champion, in the spotlight of such a grand spectacle, going down in a blaze of glory to one of his most respected and trusted friends in the business. Shawn Michaels, like countless others in the profession, had grown up idolizing Flair, who was his inspiration and the reason he became a wrestler. To have his hero's last match was both bittersweet and the biggest honor of Michaels' own Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Neither legend disappointed. Their 20-minute classic was near flawless, and the atmosphere was electric. Forget that it was "just" pro wrestling or sports entertainment. The biggest "conventional" sports or entertainment attraction would have been hard-pressed to match the sheer spectacle of this mega-event.

At 59 years of age, Flair did what he's been doing best for more than three decades. He stole the show.

In a weekend of intense, unadulterated emotion, perhaps nothing was more poignant than when a teary-eyed HBK mouthed, "I'm sorry ... I love you," moments before delivering his signature "Sweet Chin Music" that felled the greatest performer the industry has ever known.

The best there ever was bid farewell to the fans. And wrestling will never be the same.

Magical ride

It was a little ironic that Ric Flair's final journey had taken him to Orlando -- the home of Disney World -- since his entire career has been a magical one. He had enjoyed some of his greatest times right smack dab in the middle of Florida Championship Wrestling country. Over the years he had headlined at the city's various venues, ranging from the old Eddie Graham Sports Complex to the MGM Studios, to Amway Arena and the Citrus Bowl.

For an entire week the city was the epicenter of the pro wrestling universe. And most were there for one reason: to witness history. Fans from 50 states and more than 20 countries converged on the Citrus Bowl, a proud old stadium that has seen better days, just to say they were there when Ric Flair ended his 35-year career. Not unlike that gracefully aging stadium, Flair had enjoyed his early success in an entirely different generation, decades removed from a business that is now commonly known as "sports entertainment."

There were few similarities between then and now, but for this one night, there was a constant. And that was "the Nature Boy," Ric Flair, styling and profiling in front of thousands of fans, some of whom fell in love with him more than 30 years ago, others learning in later years "what the excitement was all about."

One thing was for certain. The old stadium had certainly never witnessed anything quite like this before.

Emotional weekend

The Wrestlemania 24 match was just part of a weekend of intense emotion that revolved around the end of the most illustrious career in wrestling history.

The night before, Flair had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame before a capacity crowd at Amway Arena that hung on to every word of his heart-wrenching, hour-long address, already regarded as the greatest Hall of Fame acceptance speech on record. If there was a drawback to the ceremony, it was that Flair was literally forced to wrap up his speech before he was finished due to TV time constraints.

Not to be outdone, the farewell ceremony on Raw the night after Mania just may have been the greatest moment in pro wrestling television history.

Then again, there's never been anyone quite like Ric Flair, who could transform any situation from a theater of sometimes absurdity to a feeling that is as real as it gets. When he took a stand 10 years ago against Eric Bischoff at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, proclaiming "It was real, damn it," he meant every word of it.

Until now, that piece of televised wrestling history had been widely regarded as the most emotional in wrestling annals. Monday night's tribute remarkably surpassed that.

It was a moment in television history that no fan who watched is likely to ever forget. Never in the sport's history has one of its own received such a sendoff.

For all the negatives hurled at Vince McMahon, he got this one right, and in a big way. Ric's final week with the company as an active performer couldn't have been scripted much better. It was a storybook ending to a storybook career. Sure, there could have been a more elaborate storyline leading to the finish line, with another world title on the line. But in lieu of that scenario, the company couldn't have paid a more heartfelt tribute than they did to Ric.

And while Triple H may occasionally be criticized by some for being "part of the family," his friendship and loyalty to Ric is genuine and built on mutual respect. Like Shawn, Hunter grew up wanting to be like Flair, and eventually became more than a fan, but an elite-class performer and one of Ric's staunchest advocates.

He also put things in perspective at the Hall of Fame ceremony when he pointed out that it's been said a million times that Ric Flair is "arguably" the greatest of all time. He said he's still waiting to hear the argument.

I've covered the business for more than 40 years, and never have I seen the depth of emotion, reverence and respect for any one individual -- much less pro wrestler -- than was on display all week long. Tears, laughter and long hugs were in abundance, as family, friends, fans and colleagues paid tribute to a man they clearly not only admired -- but loved.

Ric Flair "The Man"

Ric Flair, then sporting brown hair and weighing nearly 300 pounds, officially began his wrestling journey in late 1972 in a small Wisconsin town called Rice Lake. It was shortly after he arrived in the Carolinas a couple years later that I would meet the man who would one day be regarded as the greatest of them all.

He already had begun the transformation to the "Nature Boy," bleaching his hair blond, wearing expensive, sequined robes, and displaying a gift of gab like no other in the business. He was young and cocky, but outside the ring he was polite and respectful. And while the world championship back then was a prize that a select few could ever hope to attain, there was no doubt in my mind that this Flair kid was destined for the gold.

That was more than 30 years ago. And the rest, as they say, is history. I've been honored to follow Ric's career from a unique vantage point and equally proud to call him one of my best friends.

Anyone who knows Ric knows how passionately he feels about the business. There have been times when he's been down on unfavorable circumstances during his career, but I've never, ever heard him express anything but the highest praise for professional wrestling. I can also tell you that in the wrestling business, that is a very, very rare thing. But with Ric, it's the gospel truth.

Another thing about Naitch: everything you've ever heard about him ... is probably true. For longer than one might imagine, he was the kiss-stealing, wheeling-dealing, limo-riding, jet-flying son of a gun. A lot of it got him into trouble, and some of it cost him. He publicly acknowledged as much at the Hall of Fame ceremony, admitting that his first two wives were wonderful mothers to his children, often at times while he was on the road "being Ric Flair."

But there's another part of his life that's very important to him now. He's got a wonderful wife, Tiffany, who's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, who filled a piece of his heart and soul that was missing, along with four children he absolutely cherishes. Reid, at 20 the youngest, checks in with WWE's Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory later this month. The wrestling legacy won't end with Ric.

As for those diamonds ... they'll always be forever.

Tags: WWE, Ric Flair