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ESPN to air 30 for 30 on Ric Flair, ?cleaning up? quotes, more

Posted: May 23rd 2016 By: Richard Dietsch

One of the best promos ever cut by professional wrestler Ric Flair came in 1985 when Flair was the signature star of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). With his flowing head of bleach-blond hair, oversized sunglasses and a suit straight out of the prop department from the movie Scarface, Flair explained to the audience just who they were watching.

?You are talking to the Rolex-wearing, diamond ring-wearing, kiss stealing ? Woooooo! ? wheelin dealin, limousine riding, jet flying son of a gun ? and I?m having a hard time holding these alligators down! Woooooo!?

What is always interesting about professional wrestlers?and particularly the stars of the 1980s and 1990s?is to decipher where the distinction lies (if any) between the in-ring character and the real man. The terrific journalist David Shoemaker examined this duality in his sensational piece on Randy (Macho Man) Savage, and if ever someone?s on-screen ?Nature Boy? persona blended into his real life, from self-destructive behavior to high living to repeated bouts with legal authorities, it would be Ric Flair, born Richard Morgan Fliehr in 1949.

Recklessness is often the stuff of an excellent sports documentary and sometime in the next 12 months, possibly as early as the fall, ESPN?s critically-acclaimed 30 for 30 series will air ?Nature Boy,? a documentary on the life and times of Flair directed by Rory Karpf, who has directed multiple 30 for 30 documentaries including ?I Hate Christian Laettner? and ?The Book Of Manning.?

?In the wrestling world, the viewer isn?t sure what?s real or what isn?t, but 'Nature Boy'?Ric Flair wasn?t just a character,? said Karpf in an interview this week. ?He was real. The wrestler he portrayed in the ring was also the man he was outside the ring. I found that to be fascinating. He?s led a crazy life that?s a natural for a 30 for 30. Plus I just love pro wrestling.?

​Karpf said the documentary, which will run at either 90 or 120 minutes, is currently in the editing stages with some interviews left to shoot and a few archive materials still to procure. The interview subjects for the film include Flair, all three of Flair?s living children including daughter Ashley, who wrestles in the WWE under the name of Charlotte and is the current WWE women?s champion, and a host of retired wrestlers including Sting, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley and Ricky Steamboat, along with Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, the pair who with Flair and Ole Anderson formed The Four Horseman. Other interviews include Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, former WCW head Eric Bischoff, as well as Flair?s first wife, Leslie.

On the issue of how much wrestling footage will air, ESPN Films vice president and executive producer John Dahl said ESPN has a great relationship with WWE and that Karpf pursued footage agreement before they started shooting. Karpf said the WWE has been very supportive with his requests.

There?s a lot to digest on Flair?s life, and much of the underbelly was covered in this Grantland feature by Shane Ryan in 2011 under the header of ?Ric Flair?s long, steady decline.? On the subject of Flair?s openness in answering questions, Karpf said Flair answered all his inquires and that he found his lead subject ?very open, for the good, the bad and the ugly. I?ve seen a lot of Ric Flair interviews. And in my opinion, I've never seen a better one than the one he did for our film.?

Karpf said the 1980?s will be the main era of the doc to coincide with the prime of Flair?s career, as well as the explosion of pro wrestling into the pop culture. ?Hulk Hogan and Wrestlemania had become household names and meanwhile, Ric was in a rival organization,? Karpf said. ?I wanted to explore what specifically made Ric so great and what specifically makes for a great pro wrestler. Why is he considered the greatest of all time? How is that determination made? Unlike the NFL or NBA there really aren?t stats and metrics we can use like touchdowns, points scored or championships to determine greatness. Wrestling is pre-determined. But it is very athletic and the performers are definitely athletes. I wanted to give wrestling its just due in comparison of other sports.?

​Karpf said one of his filmmaker dreams was to do a wrestling-based 30 for 30 for ESPN, and Karpf said one of the reasons it happened was that Flair?s interview for his Laettner doc really resonated on social media, according to ESPN?s research. That helped convince Dahl to give the standalone Flair project the greenlit.

What does Karpf want viewers to come away with from the film?

?Hopefully they?ll have an emotional, visceral reaction,? he said. ?I think this is a film where the viewer can laugh, cry and hopefully ?Woooooo!? I try to make my films accessible for everyone, so my ultimate goal is to make a film enjoyable for wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.?