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Breaking Down Ric Flair's Value to the WWE Moving Forward

Breaking Down Ric Flair's Value to the WWE Moving Forward

Posted: Dec 19th 2012 By: mikeiles

When Ric Flair?s music hit on Monday Night Raw, the long-awaited and highly anticipated return of the Nature Boy to the WWE scene was complete.

While the two-time Hall of Famer and in-ring legend received an enormous pop and will every time he makes his way through the curtain, it is imperative that the WWE uses the veteran to his fullest during his latest stint with the company.

According to F4WOnline via Wrestling Inc., while the future of Flair in the WWE is unclear, the 16-time world champion returned to the ring and could be part of the build to WrestleMania 29:

As seen on last night's RAW, it appears that Ric Flair is back with WWE for the time being. Flair had reportedly been in talks to be the spokesman for more lotteries. WWE likely wouldn't want one of their contracted performers doing something like that so it's possible that those lottery talks are over. We should have more on Flair's status with WWE in the next few days.

There are bound to be serious concerns within the company about Flair?s age (63 years old), especially with the recent heart attack to fellow legend Jerry ?The King? Lawler.

While Flair?s in-ring career may be over for the most part, it was obvious Monday that he is still ready to wrestle and ready to work.

Whether Flair returns to the WWE to participate in a match, to become a manager of a superstar or to become general manager of Raw, the programming will be better with the Nature Boy involved.

How This Helps WWE

While the possibility of seeing Flair in the ring is a scary notion because of the legend?s advanced age, there is no denying just how good he is on the microphone and for furthering storylines.

Ric Flair knows wrestling.

With a need for more faces on a heel-heavy roster, putting Flair with a younger star in a long-term storyline?an angle that could culminate in Flair screwing the young talent and losing a match?that would get the fresh face over.

That?s a tried and true way to handle the return of a veteran, but Flair may be a different story.

There is a serious chance that WWE wouldn?t trust Flair in the ring for a full match at his age, so if the Hall of Famer is involved in the long-term booking for the company, it will likely be as an on-camera mentor to a blossoming young star.

No matter which future main-event star they put Flair with, the rub of working with a legend like the Nature Boy instantly will help them elevate to the upper-echelon of wrestling?s hierarchy.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Who will Flair work with?

The possibilities are endless for who the WWE legend could work with, but there is no way Flair will be working with any sort of heel faction or stars.

As seen by the Chris Jericho heel turn, returning superstars should return as faces.

While working a program with Triple H leading to a WrestleMania match against the likes of Shawn Michaels or Brock Lesnar would make sense, there is an even better option for the wrestling legend.

Dolph Ziggler.

With a serious group of fans that love everything that Ziggler does?and the rest just failing to realize his greatness yet?the time for an eventual face turn is almost upon us, and Flair will be at the center of it all.

Ziggler will likely be world heavyweight champion soon enough, and what better way to build a potential main-event face than by giving him the belt and the man that made the title famous?

Flair will get the crowd on his side and will be viewed as a face for the rest of his career. Instead of trying to force him as a heel, the WWE should allow him to get a star like Ziggler over as one of the company?s top good guys.

This could either culminate in a match between the two at WrestleMania 29 or with Flair helping Ziggler beat one of the company?s top heels.

A heel Randy Orton, with his ties to Flair, would be a very intriguing possibility as Ziggler?s WrestleMania opponent.

Final Word

While there were concerns about how Flair would be used when brought back by the WWE, the company has become masterful with the addition of veteran stars back onto the card.

With a heavy infusion of new talent over the last several months, the returning wrestlers on the road to WrestleMania 29 will be complementing the already blossoming fresh faces.

Adding the likes of Flair to a potentially monumental few months is a no-brainer for Vince McMahon and company.

The WWE as a business is programmed around WrestleMania, and while many fans question the return of legends and their inclusion in major storylines, as long as the veterans help get the current talent over as future legends, the company will be self sustaining and successful.

Say what you will about Flair?s off-camera issues (h/t TMZ), but this man knows the business of wrestling in-and-out, and he can get people over with the best of them.

As seen by his short time on television so far, Flair can make an impact and move the needle; the WWE would be foolish not to keep him around as long as he improves the product.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1968 The Spoiler & Gary Hart def. Fritz Von Erich & Grizzly Smith for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 1971 Ramon Torres def. Roger Kirby for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 1978 David Von Erich def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 1979 Oki Shikina & Sugar Bear Harris became the TSW United States Tag Team Champions
  • 2011 Drake Gallows became the BYEW Entertainment Champion
  • 2016 Psycho Sawyer def. Ray Martinez for the SRPW Heavyweight Title
  • 2016 Psycho Sawyer def. Spyder for the SRPW United States Title
  • 2021 Legend Has It (Thrash & Killbane) def. Two Man Sam (Sam Stackhouse & Samuel Savage) for the CPW Tag Team Titles
  • 2022 Team Boner (Drake Gallows & MLP) def. Psychotic Messengers (Maniac Mike & Malachi) for the AIWF Tag Team Titles
  • 2022 MLP def. Duncan Kincaid for the RDW Iron Man Title
  • 2022 Nashoba def. Al Farat for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title

Week of Sun 09-06 to Sat: 09-12

  • 09-06 2008 The New York Express (Thomas Knight & Jeff Knight) def. The Untouchables (J. D. Rebel & The Enforcer) for the SECW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-06 2008 Martin Justice became the SECW Cruiserweight Champion
  • 09-06 2014 Spanish Wolf (Nathan Estrada & Michael Wolf) def. The New York Express (Jeff Knight & Thomas Knight) for the OECW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-06 2025 Butcher def. Riker for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 09-06 2025 Iron Mountain (Duke Blanchard & Jack Davenport) def. Toxic Masculinity (Johnny Lightning & Johnny Dynamite) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 09-06 2025 Phil Shark def. Franco D’Angelo for the TexPro Texas Title
  • 09-07 1979 Mark Lewin def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 09-07 1980 Terry Gibbs became the TSW Tri-State Champion
  • 09-07 1981 Frank Hill & Eric Embry def. Joel Deaton & David Deaton for the TSW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-07 2004 Kenzo Suzuki & Rene Dupree def. Paul London & Billy Kidman for the WWE Smackdown World Tag Team Titles
  • 09-07 2012 Brandon Walker def. Tim Rockwell for the ComPro Heavyweight Title
  • 09-07 2014 Robert Lee def. Striker for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 09-07 2018 Nikki Knight def. Erica for the MSWA Ladies Title
  • 09-07 2019 Brian Dixon def. Tommy Dean for the BPW Oklahoma Title
  • 09-07 2019 Luke Langley def. Brandon Groom for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 09-07 2019 James Southard def. Lake Hefner for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 09-07 2024 The Subject (Cade Fite & Derek James) def. Toxic Masculinity (Johnny Lightning & Johnny Dynamite) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 09-07 2024 Wrangler Rhett def. Alex Royal for the WFC Prime Title
  • 09-08 1947 Leroy McGuirk def. Buddy Rogers for the NWA Midwest World Title
  • 09-08 1958 Danny McShain def. Mad Man Martin for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 09-08 1974 El Gran Markus def. Jose Lothario for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 09-08 1978 Rocky Johnson def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 09-08 2006 The Patriots (Bad Boy & Glen Steel) def. Aaron Neil & Alexander Lucas (Subbing for Se7en) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 09-08 2007 Al Farat became the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
  • 09-08 2013 Robert Lee became the WFC Hometown Heroes Champion
  • 09-08 2017 The Cursed (Blade [2nd] & Kuda) def. The Cub Scouts (Brock Landers & Grizzly Gates) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 09-08 2018 Anarchy [2nd] def. Garrett Murphy for the NAW Lightweight Title
  • 09-08 2018 Garrett Murphy def. Big Smooth for the NAW Heavyweight Title
  • 09-09 1970 Waldo Von Erich def. Jack Curtis for the TSW Mississippi Title
  • 09-09 1980 The Grappler def. Ted DiBiase for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 09-09 2002 Papa Voodoo def. HIMM for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 09-09 2002 HIMM def. Papa Voodoo for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 09-09 2011 Michael Barry def. Dustin Heritage for the MWA MAX-Division Title
  • 09-09 2016 One Man Sam def. Brock Landers for the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Title
  • 09-09 2017 Ray Martinez def. Brandon Groom for the BPPW Oklahoma Title
  • 09-09 2017 Tristan Thorne became the ASP 5-Star Champion
  • 09-09 2017 Michael Wolf def. Aaron Anders for the ComPro Heavyweight Title
  • 09-09 2017 Michael Duplanti def. Garrett Murphy for the NAW Lightweight Title
  • 09-09 2023 Johnny Lightning became the WFC Prime Champion
  • 09-09 2023 Tino Valentino def. Derek James for the UWO Heavyweight Title
  • 09-09 2023 Manico became the NAW Openweight Champion
  • 09-09 2023 Manico def. Ryan Reed for the NAW Heavyweight Title
  • 09-09 2023 Martin Justice def. Thomas Knight for the XDWF New GenX Title
  • 09-09 2023 Thomas Knight def. Martin Justice for the XDWF New GenX Title
  • 09-10 1968 The Spoiler & Gary Hart def. Fritz Von Erich & Grizzly Smith for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 09-10 1971 Ramon Torres def. Roger Kirby for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 09-10 1978 David Von Erich def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 09-10 1979 Oki Shikina & Sugar Bear Harris became the TSW United States Tag Team Champions
  • 09-10 2011 Drake Gallows became the BYEW Entertainment Champion
  • 09-10 2016 Psycho Sawyer def. Ray Martinez for the SRPW Heavyweight Title
  • 09-10 2016 Psycho Sawyer def. Spyder for the SRPW United States Title
  • 09-10 2021 Legend Has It (Thrash & Killbane) def. Two Man Sam (Sam Stackhouse & Samuel Savage) for the CPW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-10 2022 Team Boner (Drake Gallows & MLP) def. Psychotic Messengers (Maniac Mike & Malachi) for the AIWF Tag Team Titles
  • 09-10 2022 MLP def. Duncan Kincaid for the RDW Iron Man Title
  • 09-10 2022 Nashoba def. Al Farat for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title
  • 09-11 1957 El Medico def. Duke Keomuka for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 09-11 1958 Angelo Savoldi def. Dory Funk for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 09-11 1963 The Bolos (The Great Bolo [1st] & The Mighty Bolo) def. Bill Watts & Jerry Kozak for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 09-11 1967 The Von Erichs (Fritz Von Erich & Waldo Von Erich) def. Brute Bernard & Mike Paidousis for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 09-11 1967 Danny Hodge & Skandar Akbar def. Chati Yokouchi & Togo Shikuma for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 09-11 1968 Danny Little Bear & Kit Fox def. Jack Dalton [1st] & Frank Dalton for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Titles
  • 09-11 1978 Bruiser Brody def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 09-11 2010 Ryan Reed became the NCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 09-11 2010 The Unknown & Yoshi became the NCW Tag Team Champions
  • 09-11 2010 Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) def. The Future Hall of Famers (Dane Griffin & Shane Rawls) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-11 2010 Team Shake It (Josh Evans & Martin Casaus) def. The D-Stinguished (Elias Castaneda & Arik Angel) for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-11 2021 Warren Powers def. Drake Gallows for the EPW All-American Title
  • 09-11 2021 Drake Gallows def. Warren Powers for the EPW Internet Television Title
  • 09-11 2021 Revan became the RDW Iron Man Champion
  • 09-11 2021 Most Wanted (Dan Webber & Reese & T-Arsenal) def. The Rejecs LM (Dr. Corvus & Elijah Sparks) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 09-12 1982 King Kong Bundy & Bill Irwin def. The Von Erichs (Kerry Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 09-12 1983 Butch Reed & Jim Neidhart def. Magnum T. A. & Jim Duggan for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 09-12 1988 The Samoan SWAT Team (Samu & Fatu) def. John Tatum & Jimmy Jack Funk for the WCCW Texas Tag Team Titles
  • 09-12 2004 Chris Matthews def. Brandon Bishop for the ACW Heavyweight Title
  • 09-12 2009 Bobby Starr def. Kevin James Sanchez for the BYEW Entertainment Title
  • 09-12 2010 Xavior def. Kevin Morgan for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
  • 09-12 2015 Double D def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 09-12 2015 Erica def. Paige Turner for the IZW Queens Title
  • 09-12 2015 Brad Michaels def. Johnny Z for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 09-12 2015 Richie Adams def. Jake O'Brien for the ComPro Heavyweight Title
  • 09-12 2015 Shawn Hernandez became the DI2IW Intercontinenal Champion
  • 09-12 2015 What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) def. Impact, Inc. (Damon Windsor & Johnny Z) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-12 2015 The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 09-12 2025 Floyd Maystorm def. Clover Botello for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
09-10
  • Trevor Murdoch I Sep 10th Today!
  • Mr. Wrestling II Sep 10th Today!
  • Owen Sep 10th Today!
  • Vivian St. John Sep 10th Today!
  • Les Mayne Sep 10th Today!
  • Kool Ade Sep 10th Today!
  • Summer Thunder Sep 11th
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  • Bounty Hunter Sep 12th
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  • Danni Bee Sep 12th
  • Bob Kenaston Sep 12th
  • Montego Seeka Sep 12th
  • Bash Sep 12th
  • Animal Sep 12th
  • American Anarchy Sep 12th
  • Poder Oriental Sep 13th
  • Angelina Love Sep 13th
  • K. P. Moore Sep 13th
  • Bobby Starr Sep 13th
  • Danny Little Bear Sep 13th
  • Eddie LeVaughn Sep 14th
  • Kelsie Mae Sep 14th
  • Lunatic Lennie Sep 14th
  • Waddy Young Sep 14th
  • Bernie D Sep 14th
  • L. C. Green Sep 15th
  • Korvin Sage Sep 15th
  • Spoiler 2000 Sep 15th
  • Daniel King Sep 15th
  • Haru Sonada Sep 16th
  • Colton Kinnamon Sep 17th
  • Jake Swayze Sep 17th
  • Bill Irwin Sep 17th
  • Jim Cornette Sep 17th
  • Dick Brower Sep 17th
  • Rex Mori Sep 17th
  • Mr. Nabors Sep 18th
  • Billy Robinson Sep 18th
  • Titan Yin Sep 18th
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  • Angel Reed Sep 18th
  • Adam Asher Sep 19th
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  • Cole Crittenden Sep 23rd
  • O'Malley Sep 23rd
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