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The Case For Ric Flair

Posted: Jan 10th 2010 By: CMBurnham

It was mere coincidence, of course, that the next phase of Ric Flair?s seemingly unending wrestling career should take place in the city where he ?officially? retired on March 31, 2008.

The same town, a different promotion and a new outlook on a career that started, believe it or not, the same year President Richard Nixon opened talks with Communist China, 11 Israeli athletes were slain by Arab gunmen at the Munich Olympics, and Nike running shoes first hit the market. That year, 1972, saw 13-year-old Michael Jackson record his first solo hit, the original ?Godfather? become a box-office blockbuster, and ?Sanford and Son? make its television debut.

?One door closes and another one opens,? Flair said after making a ?debut? of his own ? with TNA ? last Monday night.

Nearly 1,000 miles away, in Dayton, Ohio, Flair?s former employer, World Wrestling Entertainment, was presenting a special edition of Raw that featured the return of Bret Hart after a 12-year absence.

The Hitman in a WWE ring. Naitch in a TNA ring. The lure to come back was too strong for both.

The 52-year-old Hart hasn?t wrestled in nine years, and suffered a stroke in 2002. He supposedly has some old business to clear up with Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels. He?s looking at a major payday at Wrestlemania 26.

Flair, whose career began 37 years ago, turns 61 next month. WWE gave him the biggest send-off in pro wrestling history 21 months ago after inducting him into its Hall of Fame. It?s unlikely the company would ever be able to match a farewell of that magnitude again.

Not for Shawn Michaels. Not for The Undertaker. Not even for Triple H.

Flair has been basically on his own since then, enjoying the many personal appearances and speaking engagements he?s been able to make, along with corporate sponsorships and affiliations with the likes of Coca-Cola, NASCAR, Wal-Mart and Krogers. He?s the face of the North Carolina State Education Lottery, and the popularity is spreading to neighboring states.

But, as he has said many times in the past, ?There?s nothing like wrestling.?

So it wasn?t much of a surprise when he put the tights back on in November for a series of matches with Hulk Hogan in Australia. He had Vince McMahon?s approval, since an independent tour in Australia didn?t appear to pose any direct threat to the WWE empire, although McMahon later reportedly attempted to kill some of the buildings on the Hogan-led tour.

This time, though, Flair?s working for the competition, and WWE is none too happy.

Flair says he loves WWE and always will, but that he needed this opportunity for himself.

Forget the notion that Flair is in it merely to pick up a paycheck. It?s a matter of pride, of belonging, of feeling that old familiar adrenaline rush.

Flair says he is excited and energized by the positive vibes coming reverberating throughout the company.

?It?s been great. It couldn?t be better. I?m loving it here.?

The entire operation, he says, has been very professional.

?I never heard that it wasn?t, but until you see it, you don?t know what to expect. I couldn?t be more impressed.?

Wrestling fans love heroes. And there?s never too many Rocky stories out there.

Flair remembers being overcome by emotion when his favorite pro athlete, Bret Favre, tearfully retired from the Green Bay Packers.

?When the Vikings came around, I couldn?t have been more thrilled for him,? says Flair. ?And look how he?s played. My God ... how dare they attack Bret Favre (in the press)? And he did it again last week.?

Flair admires the grit and toughness that hearken back to another era. It?s a greatness measured partly by skill and talent, partly by drive and guts.

?He had a couple of bad games, but a bad game for him is a good game for most,? he says of the golden-armed gunslinger. ?Look at his stats. Thirty-three touchdowns, four thousand yards for the sixth time in his career. These talk show hosts kill me when they say he?s going to fall apart at the end of the season. He hasn?t fallen apart yet. He was getting killed the last couple of games until last week. But he got right back up and demanded to be in the game.?

That?s what Flair is doing.

Like Favre, Flair is not looking to end his Hall of Fame career going gently into the night. Not that he has anything left to prove, but the Nature Boy feels like he just might have a little more gas left in the tank, and is willing to give something extra to an organization that needs a little more swagger, a little extra confidence.

He possesses commodities ? his star power and his talent ? that still retain immense value in the wrestling business.

?I?m going to give them everything I have,? says Flair.

Like Farve, who turned 40 in October and has enjoyed a career rebirth in his 19th season, it?s time to let Flair step back into the pocket.

Flair has been loyal. But a Ric Flair deserves better than to be left on the bench.

He hasn?t heard from WWE since a June appearance on Raw with Randy Orton that drew impressive numbers. He waited and waited, but the call never came. That?s now in the past, and he?s looking forward to the rest of his career.

Flair says he believes TNA will only get better.

I?m really excited about this company. I?m very happy with the way they?re doing things. They?re doing it the right way. I can see them getting better and better.?

And, he adds, it?s nice to be wanted. A happy Flair is a productive Flair.

Flair?s not promising to bring his vintage form to the ring. Deep down inside he know it?s a race against Father Time to hold on for as long as possible. It?s a feeling of unfinished business, a fire in the belly that has not quite extinguished, a yearning to prove he can still make a difference.

Yesterday?s dreams sometimes die hard, but Flair isn?t about reliving past glories. But what he brings to the locker room and on camera is priceless. He makes people around him better by his mere presence.

?I think I certainly can add something to the show. And the nice thing is ... they want me.?

Perhaps nothing made Flair feel more at home than when Sting, whose career Flair helped jump-start in 1988, walked over to him in a locker room full of TNA talent, hugged him, and told the 16-time world champion: ?You?re the reason I?m staying.?

?It?s that kind of respect that Flair thrives on, that makes him want to hang on just a little longer before that final walk into the sunset.

And he?s feeling great ? mentally and physically. Too good, he says, to not be doing what he does best on Monday nights.

?What am I going to do? Sit around and watch two shows at home??

If Ric Flair is guilty of anything, it?s loving a sport that he?s grown old in, while never losing the passion for it. He?s remained the one constant in a world of change.

One door closes. Another one opens.

Monday Night wrap-up

For a three-hour period last week, with Monday Night Raw flexing its muscle against a TNA Impact show that boasted a new mission and star power to back it up, the professional wrestling world took us back to the days of the Monday Night Wars.

While WWE boasted the return of Bret Hart, TNA countered with one surprise after another, including Ric Flair?s surprise debut, the pairing of Scott Hall and Sean Waltman, and the TNA return of the popular Jeff Hardy.

Pending legal issues (Hardy was officially indicted Monday by a grand jury in North Carolina on various drug charges stemming from a search of his home in September), it was assumed, at least by WWE officials, that Hardy would be returning to the company after his current situation was resolved. WWE brass even contacted Hardy the day of the show expressing a renewed interest, although it was the first contact the two sides had since he left the company late last year.

Naysayers may rightfully claim that lightning doesn?t strike twice, and that the stars of yesteryear need to move over and make way for a new generation of talent.

But there?s little doubt that Monday night?s head-to-head battle created a buzz that hasn?t been heard in a long time.

Competition is good for everyone. Just check out the heyday of the WCW-WWE war.

Feedback from last week?s Monday night battle was mixed, of course, but it proved that fans were watching and fans were talking.

Some reaction was harsher than others.

?In five years, people will be looking back at Jan. 4, 2010, as the night that the wrestling business finally fell in the toilet and led the way to change that will be meaningful,? proclaimed the outspoken Jim Cornette. ?Because if anybody wants to buy a ticket to anything that TNA or WWE does ever again after seeing five hours of a bunch of old, gray-haired guys yelling at each other about (stuff) that took place 15 years ago ... I am gobsmacked.?

WWE announcer Jim Ross was more diplomatic in his blog without ever mentioning the letters ?TNA.?

?My loyalty is clearly still with WWE, but I am sure that Monday night proved to be an exciting one for more objective fans,? said Ross.

TNA creative team leader Vince Russo admitted the show had some pluses and minuses, but obviously liked Impact more than the heavily hyped Raw.

?We learned a lot, on Monday night as a company, a lot,? Russo posted on a blog. ?We hit some home runs, but also struck out once, or twice ? but that?s OK. What really mattered is that we took risks. We gave you everything we had ? and didn?t play it safe.

?That?s what Eric Bischoff and Russo/(Ed) Ferrara both did back in the mid-to late ?90s. Nothing was safe ... The programming, whether it was WWF or WCW, was dangerous. Never one time, no matter how hot we got, did Eric or I ever rest on our laurels. Never. I can?t tell you how long Vince has been resting on his ... I honestly can?t.?

Russo said he also watched WWE?s offering Monday night as he sat in the production truck, and wasn?t impressed.

?Does Vince think that little of TNA that he felt that he could just produce ?another show? on Monday night? I mean, you take away that first segment and that last segment, and you had a wrestling show that wasn?t even mediocre at best. Again ? going back to the ?90s ? that never would have happened if Eric or I were in Vince?s shoes ? never. Resting on your laurels is the worst mistake that anyone can ever make ? no matter what type of business you are in.?

?If I had one fault with the show, it would simply be that there were so many big things happening, so quickly, that I?m not sure our television audience had a chance to digest and appreciate all of them,? critiqued TNA?s Mick Foley. ?Hopefully we will find a way to make the most out of all these big surprises in the upcoming weeks; to continue the momentum that Monday afforded us, and to keep that buzz going.?

Former TNA writer Dutch Mantell called it a draw.

?Ratings wise, WWE dominated as most experts thought they would,? Mantell posted on his blog. ?But strategically speaking, TNA got their highest rating ever and was seen by hundreds of thousands of people who, in most probability, had never seen TNA before. Let?s call it a draw, and when an underdog gets a draw, it?s as good as a win.?

The final tally for both shows was a mildly disappointing 3.6 for Raw, one of cable television?s highest-rated shows, and a strong 1.4 for Impact. TNA?s three-hour show drew 2.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched show in the history of the franchise, totaling 222 episodes dating back to October 2005. The previous high had been 1.97 million viewers reached last April.

Still miles apart, but a giant leap for a company that, for the first time, can legitimately claim to be a contender and in the race.

The goal of TNA, of course, is to garner a permanent Monday night spot. TNA and Spike TV officials reportedly were ecstatic over last week?s results, and that live Monday night slot looks more attainable than ever, and there is talk that it could happen sooner rather than later. Some optimistically point to the Monday following the Genesis pay-per-view, Jan. 18, which logistically sounds like a near-impossibility at only one week away.

Other key TNA figures also have hinted at a quick turnaround.

?Had a blast Monday night. Been a long time since I have felt this way about the wrestling business! Thanks to all who watched. More to come,? TNA executive Eric Bischoff posted last week on Twitter.

?I think going head-to-head head every Monday is in the works,? Kevin Nash posted on Twitter. ?Spike was happy with the ratings.?

Could a new war be dawning? Only time will tell.

Booker eyeing HBK

Booker T, who recently left TNA, told the Monday Night Mayhem radio show last week that he?d be interested in working as a TV announcer in WWE.

?Going back to the WWE, I know I would have to work a full schedule pretty much 180 days a year. I don?t think that?s something I want to do at this point. If I were to go back to the WWE, it would probably be from a wrestling announcer standpoint, that?s something I always wanted to do.?

Booker added that he?d like to work with Shawn Michaels if he could have one more match.

?I can?t say Sheamus, or Drew McIntrye, or any of those guys. I don?t think any of those guys have anything to offer at this point in time. The only person I ever wished to wrestle was Shawn Michaels. He?s a guy I would love to tangle with and see how good I am, and he would be the guy to bring it out of me.?

Raw guest hosts

WWE announced that William Shatner will guest-host the Feb. 1 episode of Raw. Shatner most recently appeared at the 2007 Hall of Fame to induct Jerry Lawler.

Boxing great Mike Tyson will guest-host this week?s show, followed by Don Johnson and Jon Heder on Jan. 18, and ?Psych? co-stars James Roday and Dule Hill on Jan. 25.

Tags: Ric Flair, TNA, WWE, Sting, WCW, Jim Cornette, Ed Ferrara, WWF, Dutch Mantell, Jerry Lawler