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Two Views On Ric Flair

Posted: Apr 2nd 2008 By: CMBurnham

I think it's only appropriate that I write a blog this week about one the the greatest (if not the greatest) performers of all time, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

On Sunday, March 30, 2008 "Nature Boy" Ric Flair wrestled his final match at WrestleMania XXIV. Who would have ever believed that the 59 year old Flair would be having his final match in 2008 in a WWE ring? After 36 legendary years Space Mountain has officially closed its doors.

I was born on July 8, 1977. So by the time I was born Flair had already been wrestling for 5 years. Unfortunately Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (my hometown) was a AWA town and then, once Vince went national, we became a WWE town. I didn't get many chances to see Flair on television but once in a while he would appear on an AWA houseshow or NWA wrestling Sundays at 5pm. I religiously read the Apter magazines so I always knew who Ric Flair was but I can't really remember seeing too much of him on television. So a lot of my thoughts will be circa 1989 and on because that is what I remember.

Ric Flair singlehandedly kept the NWA's head above water while Vince steamrolled everyone in the 80's . He truly was a world champion and defended the title everywhere and went up and down those long winding roads. He wasn't just a TV champion. Sometime around the late 80's to early 90's Winnipeg got our cable package upgraded to include TSN and TBS. I could now see Ric Flair stylin' and profilin' weekly! Once I began to watch Flair "work" I really appreciated his showmanship and his dedication to his in-ring craft. However, because Flair was still in the NWA (and later WCW) he never had that national exposure that Vince and his WWE product had.

In 1991 the braintrust at WCW thought Flair was getting stale. They wanted him to cut his hair (remember the ridiculous bowl cut he had?) and get an earring to appeal to the newer fans. How did Flair react? Not well and he jumped to Vince's WWE in 1991 with the WCW Title.

In September 1991 the "Real World's Champion" debuted on WWE Superstars. He attacked "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and was immediately thrust into the spotlight. All of a sudden Ric Flair was a main event player in the WWE.

Since he had his dispute with WCW management Flair brought the WCW Championship with him to WWE. After some legal battles WCW got their title back but it didn't matter because Ric Flair was now the WWE Champion after he won the 1992 Royal Rumble in Albany, NY (WWE's backyard). In fact, I believe he was the first wrestler that held both the WCW and WWE championships.

It was around this time that I fully appreciated the value that Flair brought to WWE. I was at a houseshow on November 28, 1991 (the day after Survivor Series) and saw Flair and Piper battle to a no-contest. They had a rematch on January 29, 1992 for the WWE Title and then Flair faced "Macho Man" Randy Savage on March 26, 1992. These were all houseshows at the Winnipeg Arena and Ric Flair never once "called it in". Once that bell rang and he walked through that curtain it was go-time.

The Flair experiment had run its course in WWE and he headed back to WCW. Flair made his return at SuperBrawl III in Asheville, NC on February 21, 1993. The WCW crowds immediately embraced Flair and he had many memorable bouts with Barry Windham, "Ravishing" Rick Rude and even won the WCW Title in Charlotte from Big Van Vader at Starrcade 1993.

In 1994 Hulk Hogan came to WCW and I kind of felt bad for Flair. Like I said, Flair kept the NWA/WCW's head above water and they were known for their quality wrestling shows. Hogan represented everything WCW wasn't; smoke and mirrors and not a lot of substance. But WCW gladly opened their legs up like a cheap whore and pushed Flair aside. In fact, Flair lost a retirement match in Detroit to Hogan on October 23 at WCW Halloween Havoc in 1994. Hogan was WCW Champion, the Naitch was gone and WCW wasn't the same.

Hogan brought all his buddies over to WCW. Guys like Hacksaw, Randy Savage, Brutus Beefcake and Earthquake arrived. It was starting to look like a WWE alumni company and the fans that watched WCW hated this type of product. So the decision was made to bring Ric Flair back at WCW Uncensored 1995.

Flair returned but continued to be WCW's whipping boy. He did jobs to Savage, Renegade and Hogan. But Flair was a professional and did what he was asked.

The crowds didn't forget about Ric Flair. Many of WCW's television segments were carried by Flair and he was always a ratings draw. Despite the fact that WCW didn't push Flair he was one of the most over guys there. They could try to kill Flair off (the desert angle anyone?) but the crowd would not let it happen.

In September 1998 the Four Horsemen reunited on WCW Monday Nitro. At this point WWE had eclipsed WCW after being trounced by them for 83 weeks straight but this Flair segment beat Raw's quarter hour. Ric Flair was not dead!

However, in late 1998 WCW was starting to go down the tubes and Flair's confidence was shot. He wasn't appreciated over the last few years by management and he lacked confidence. Proof of that was on the very last WCW Monday Nitro on March 26, 2001 where he wrestled Sting for the last time and he wore a t-shirt. It was embarrassing.

Flair resurfaced in WWE in November 2001 and I was happy to see him there. He started out as more of a manager-type role but was soon put in the ring. At his age, he was still outworking many of WWE's younger performers. He was doing a lot of the houseshows and was still not "calling it in". After a match with Triple H on Raw in May 2003 the boys saluted him in the ring. Flair was quite moved and after this he had his confidence back.

After WrestleMania 23 Steve Austin suggested a "Flair Farewell" tour that would culminate at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando (the very site he lost the WCW Title to Hulk Hogan in 1994). Austin's idea was excellent but because many of the writers in creative were too young to fully appreciate Flair and his accomplishments all we got was a watered down version of an angle that could have drawn major money. Flair would face Shawn Michaels in a "career threatening" match at WrestleMania.

The night before WrestleMania Ric Flair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Triple H said it best when he mentioned that Flair deserved his own wing in the hallowed Hall of Fame. It was a touching moment that brought tears to my eyes. The whole induction lasted about 90 minutes but USA Network condensed it down to about 20 minutes. Hopefully they include the all of the full induction speeches on the WrestleMania XXIV DVD when it comes out.

Even though it's a work I wanted Flair to beat Michaels at WrestleMania and then retire on his terms on top. It would be different if Flair lost to a young guy to give that person the rub as HBK didn't need the victory. In retrospect, perhaps the right decision was made. Before Michaels hit Flair with the superkick Flair had tears in his eyes. So did I.

A three count later Flair's career was over. We have all heard of wrestling retirements before but I think this one is for real. I am sure that we'll see Ric Flair back in WWE in some capacity but not in an in-ring role. Even though Flair can still "go" his time has come and gone. Vince didn't create the legend of Ric Flair so the angle never got the full attention it deserved. It wasn't a perfect farewell but it was pretty damn special.

After that match I had a lot of feelings. Shawn Michaels grew up watching Ric Flair on television and paid money to watch him wrestle. Now, many years later, HBK was getting paid money to wrestle Ric Flair and end his career. I wondered what C. M. Punk, Elijah Burke, Randy Orton and the Edgeheads all thought. These guys had a chance to work with a legend who they watched growing up. In the case of Orton, Flair worked with his father! Flair truly has transcended generations.

Was Flair the best of all time? It depends how you measure "the best". He had a helluva run and one that will never be duplicated. Maybe Hogan drew more money longer. Maybe Austin drew more money quicker. Maybe Rock was a bigger mainstream star. Maybe Bret Hart was a better technician. But there is only one Ric Flair.

How will I remember Ric Flair? I will remember the passion that he had for the business. I'll remember the desire and willingness to give back to the business. I'll remember those entertaining promos he delivered. I'll remember the extravagant jewellery, robes and clothing that he always wore. I'll remember guys like Eric Bischoff trying to kill his character off only to have Flair become more over than ever. I'll remember him as a company guy who did what was asked of him. I'll remember him for doing what is good for business and stepping aside for guys like Hogan in 1994 so Hogan could takes WCW to the promised land. I'll remember all the sacrifices (personal and professional) he made to become the man he is today. I'll remember all the countless hours of footage that he provided me. I'll remember meeting him in person and how professional he was. And I'll always remember all the blood, sweat and tears Flair painted on canvases across the world.

We will miss the jet flyin', limousine ridin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin' son of a gun. But remember, diamonds are forever and so is Ric Flair. Whooooooooooooo!


Shane Madison
www.meccaholic.blogspot.com

Dave,

Unlike a lot of people, I am here to burst the bubble when it comes to Ric Flair. This will be a very unpopular opinion, but I found all the carry-on about Flair was over-the-top. I respect what Flair did in his early days, when he was in WCW, and in his first stint with WWE. However, except for some moments, Flair has often embarrassed himself in the ring in his current WWE tenure, showing that the magic is gone, and that his best days have passed him by. His sagging body and limited moveset bores me at times. For a man who was "the best" , why did he have to resort to being thrown off the turnbuckle in most matches?

Flair, this time in WWE, has been made to look good by Triple H, Shawn Michaels and all of the other sycophants who back-pat him. No-one could tell Flair that he should retire, because he is "Ric Flair". He is "untouchable". Even the fans continue to cheer him, out of respect, forgetting the fact that he is flushing his legacy down the toilet every time he wrestled since 2002. It's the same mentality that cheers Hulk Hogan, even though his decent matches you can count on one hand, and the fact that Hogan has held down more careers than anyone. No-one will say that Flair should ever retire, because they see what they want to see.

I respected Flair when he won the 1992 Royal Rumble, and his numerous great matches, especially in his early days in WCW, when it was known as NWA. I respected Flair on the last night of WCW Monday Nitro. I thought that, after that night, Flair has nothing left to prove, and his legacy would remain intact, but like many faded sports-stars, he couldn't walk away. He continued to come back, and ruined his legacy every time he wrestled since then.

Besides, news flash, Flair won't be gone forever. Everyone crying and saying that they miss him, but I don't buy his retirement. He has money problems, and loves the spotlight too much (which is why he wrestled, rather than just came back as a manager, which would have suited him better). He will be back, and wrestle until the day he dies. What's he going to do in retirement, spend time with his family, a family he has neglected for years while he spent more time in the ring while they grew up? He could have retired years ago, made up for lost time with them, and still had enough money (if he managed it properly), to never need to wrestle again. Besides, he has "retired" and "un-retired" too many times before. Remember "Halloween Havoc 1994"?

Flair isn't retired, he will come back a few months after having surgery. He will miss it, and Vince will offer him too much money to refuse. He will then continue to wrestle, making this whole current "farewell" a sham.

Dave Henderson

Tags: Ric Flair, WWE, NWA, WCW, Roddy Piper, Rick Rude, Big Van Vader, WWF, Sting,