Ric Flair

Ric Flair
Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV
Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV
Statistics
Ring name(s) Ric Flair
The Black Scorpion
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Weight 230 lb (100 kg)[1]
Billed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Billed weight 242 lb (110 kg)[2]
Born February 25, 1949 (1949-02-25) (age 60)[3]
Minneapolis, Minnesota[3]
Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
Billed from Charlotte, North Carolina[2]
Trained by Verne Gagne[2][4]
Hiro Matsuda
Debut December 10, 1972
Retired March 30, 2008

Richard Morgan Fliehr[3] (born February 25, 1949)[3] better known by his ring name, Ric Flair, is a retired professional wrestler. Also known as "The Nature Boy," Flair is among the most well known wrestlers in the world, and has been one of wrestling's biggest stars since the late 1970s.

Flair is recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, although his actual tally of world championship reigns varies by source - some totaling as high as 20. In World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he also had two stints as a booker—from 1989–1990 and again in 1994.[5] According to WWE and PWI, Flair is an eight-time National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Champion, six-time WCW Champion and two-time WWF/E Champion. Flair also won the 1992 Royal Rumble and the WWE Intercontinental Championship; he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

Contents

Early life

Flair was born on February 25, 1949. Various places have been given for his birthplace; in his autobiography Flair claims he was born in Memphis, Tennessee. In the opening chapter of his autobiography To Be the Man, titled "Black Market Baby," he notes that his birth name is given on different documents as Fred Phillips, Fred Demaree, and Fred Stewart. The chapter title is a reference to the fact that the Tennessee Children's Home Society, the agency with which he was placed for adoption,[6] was revealed in 1950 to have fraudulently induced thousands of mothers to give up their children for adoption. The future Ric Flair was adopted when he was six weeks old by a physician (father), Richard Reid Fliehr, and a theater writer (mother), Kathleen Virginia Kinsmiller. He states in his autobiography, that as far as he is concerned, his adopted father is his father and his adopted mother is his mother, he also is not interested in finding out who his biological parents are. At the time of his adoption, his father was completing a residency in gynecology in Detroit. Shortly afterwards, the family settled in Edina, Minnesota, where the young Richard Fliehr lived throughout his childhood. He later attended Wayland Academy, a coeducational boarding school in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

As a teen, Fliehr took a job as a lifeguard at a local pool, where he received his first exposure to the wrestling business when he met the legendary Vachon brothers. In both 1966 and 1968, Flair won the state private school wrestling championship and was recruited to the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship, where he played alongside Greg Gagne, the son of Verne Gagne. Flair dropped out of college before receiving his degree, and he then worked as a bouncer at a nearby club, where he met Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera, who was preparing for a ring career at Verne Gagne's wrestling school. Patera introduced Flair to Verne Gagne, who agreed to take him on as a member of his training class.

Professional wrestling career

American Wrestling Association

Under the tutelage of Verne Gagne[4] and Billy Robinson, Fliehr made fast progress; and in 1972, he made his debut, battling George Gadaski to a 10-minute draw while adopting the ring name "Ric Flair."[4] Then weighing nearly 300 pounds with short brown hair, Flair scarcely resembled his future "Nature Boy" image; but he drew attention with his charismatic personality and ring endurance. During his time in the American Wrestling Association, Flair had matches with Dusty Rhodes, André the Giant, Larry Hennig, and Wahoo McDaniel.[7]

National Wrestling Alliance

In 1974, Flair left the AWA for Jim Crockett's Mid-Atlantic region in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA);[7] and he soon captured his first title when, on February 8, 1975, he beat Paul Jones for the Mid-Atlantic TV Championship. On October 4, 1975, however, Flair's career nearly ended when he was in a serious plane crash in Wilmington, North Carolina that took the life of the pilot and paralyzed Johnny Valentine (also on board were "Mr. Wrestling I" Tim Woods, Bob Bruggers, and promoter David Crockett).[8] Flair broke his back in three places; and at age 26, he was told by doctors that he would never wrestle again.[8] Flair conducted a rigorous physical therapy schedule, however, and he returned to the ring just six months later, where he resumed his feud with Wahoo McDaniel in February 1976.[8] The crash did force Flair to change his wrestling technique away from the power brawling style he had used early on, which led him to adopt the "Nature Boy" style he would use throughout his career.

Groomed by Jim Crockett Jr. as his future top star, Flair won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship when he defeated Bobo Brazil on July 29, 1977; and during the next three years, he held five reigns as U.S. Champion while feuding with Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Mr. Wrestling II, Jimmy Snuka, and Greg Valentine (with whom he also formed a championship tag team). Flair, however, reached elite status when he began referring to himself as "The Nature Boy," which incited a 1978 feud with the original "Nature Boy," Buddy Rogers, who put Flair over in one encounter.

NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1981–1986)

Then on September 17, 1981, Flair reached the top of the mountain when he beat Dusty Rhodes for his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In the following years, Flair eventually established himself as the promotion's main franchise in the midst of emerging competition from Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation. With his outlandish wit and entertaining interview style, Flair embodied the role of the World Champion—sporting bleached blond hair, elegant jewelry, designer suits, and elaborate custom robes while dishing out his trademark chops and figure four leglock. All the while, Flair taunted his opponents with his "Wooo!" shout (for which, Flair claims to have drawn inspiration from Jerry Lee Lewis' song "Great Balls of Fire") while boasting that "To be 'The Man,' you gotta beat the man!" and "Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, learn to live with it 'cause it's the best thing going today!"

In 1982, Jack Veneno and Flair had a series of matches. Veneno defeated Flair for the World Title, but the NWA did not recognize this change. Flair also wrestled matches with Ricky Steamboat throughout the year. Harley Race won the title from Flair in 1983, but Flair regained the title at Starrcade in Greensboro, North Carolina in a Steel Cage match; afterward, Race and Flair fought in many different matches in early 1984. Flair won the NWA title, officially, seven more times. As the NWA champion, he defended his belt around the world. Flair lost the title to Race and won it back in the span of three days in New Zealand in March 1984. At the first David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions at Texas Stadium, Flair was pinned by Kerry Von Erich. Flair regained the title eighteen days later in Japan.

He then reigned for two years, two months, and two days, losing his title to Dusty Rhodes on July 26, 1986 at The Great American Bash; Rhodes had been a ever-present foe in Flair's career after Flair helped break Rhodes's leg on September 29, 1985. Flair regained the title two weeks later. Flair defended his titles against opponents like Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Kerry Von Erich, Jay Youngblood, Sting, Ronnie Garvin, Magnum T.A., and Rhodes throughout his career, as well.

The Four Horsemen

Main article: Four Horsemen

In the spring of 1985, the tag team of Ole Anderson and Arn Anderson began aiding Ric Flair (whom they claimed as a "cousin") in attacks against Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., and Sam Houston. A few weeks later, the Andersons interrupted Houston's match against Tully Blanchard, and the three villains combined to rough up the youngster while sending a message to the rest of the NWA. Shortly thereafter, Flair, Blanchard, and the Andersons formalized their alliance, calling themselves the Four Horsemen, with Blanchard's manager J.J. Dillon also coming on board. Upon the group's inception, it was clear that the Horsemen were unlike any villainous alliance that had ever existed. The four rule breakers immediately used their strength in numbers to decimate the NWA's top fan favorites while controlling the majority of the championship titles; and over the years, there would be various incarnations of the group, including Lex Luger, Steve McMichael, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, Brian Pilman and Sting.

World Championship Wrestling (First run, 1986–1990)

By 1986, wrestling promoter Jim Crockett had consolidated the various NWA member promotions he owned into a single entity, running under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance. Controlling much of the traditional NWA territories in the southeast and Midwestern United States, Crockett looked to expand nationally and built his promotion around Flair as champion. During this time, Flair's bookings as champion were tightly controlled by Crockett, and a custom championship belt was created for Flair. In 1987, Flair and Barry Windham had a series of matches for the NWA World Championship. Flair defeated Windham at the Crockett Cup tournament and they fought to a time limit draw in January. Flair lost the NWA World Championship due to his flamboyant ways in Detroit to Ron Garvin on September 25, 1987. Garvin held the title for two months before losing to Flair on November 26, 1987 at WCW's first pay-per-view event, Starrcade, in Chicago, Illinois.

In early 1988, rising star Sting had challenged Flair to a match at the first ever Clash of Champions. Flair accepted and fought Sting to a 45 minute time-limit draw. In late 1988, booker Dusty Rhodes proposed that Flair lose the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rick Steiner in a short match at Starrcade when no agreement could be met regarding the finish to the scheduled main event between him and Lex Luger. Rhodes was fired for various issues within the company, and former JCP booker George Scott was given his role as a booker. Scott immediately negotiated to bring in Ricky Steamboat for a series of matches. On February 20, 1989, at Chi-Town Rumble in Chicago, Steamboat pinned Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This prompted a series of rematches, where Steamboat was presented as a "family man" (often accompanied by his wife and young son), while Flair opposed him as an immoral, fast-living "ladies man". Following a best-of-three falls match with Steamboat that lasted just short of the sixty-minute time limit (and ended with a disputed finish where Steamboat retained the title) at Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun on April 2, Flair regained the title from Steamboat on May 7, 1989 at WrestleWar. This match was voted 1989's "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Flair was attacked by Terry Funk (serving as a judge for the match, as per its stipulations) after the match when Flair refused to grant Funk a title match, telling Funk that he had spent too much time in Hollywood and out of wrestling, and was not a listed title contender. The attack reached its conclusion when Funk gave Flair a piledriver onto the judges' table.

Months later, a "recovered" Flair returned to competition in an emotional match against Funk at The Great American Bash. The two continued feuding through the summer and eventually Flair reformed the Four Horsemen, with the surprise addition of longtime rival Sting, to combat Funk's J-Tex Corporation. This led to an "I Quit" match at Clash of the Champions IX: New York Knockout. Before the match, Funk stated that he would shake Flair's hand if he lost, a promise he kept when he shouted, "Yes, I quit!" after being in Flair's figure four leglock. Flair then kicked Sting out of the Horsemen upon his challenge for the NWA Championship, resulting in a revived feud between the two which had to be delayed due to Sting injuring his knee, forcing WCW to slot Lex Luger as Flair's main challenger until Sting returned. On July 7, 1990, Flair dropped the title to Sting at The Great American Bash. After being unmasked as the Black Scorpion at Starrcade in 1990, Flair regained the title from Sting on January 11, 1991, in front of a near empty house due to the blizzard conditions in the New York City area. Prior to this reign, WCW split their recognition of a World Heavyweight Champion from the NWA, and Flair was subsequently recognized as the first WCW World Heavyweight Champion, while still being recognized as NWA World Champion. At the Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite on January 30, he wrestled Scott Steiner to a draw. On March 21, 1991, Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Flair in a controversial match in Tokyo at the WCW/New Japan Supershow. While the NWA recognized Fujinami as their new champion, WCW did not because Fujinami had backdropped Flair over the top rope in a violation of WCW rules. On May 19, 1991, Flair defeated Fujinami at SuperBrawl in St. Petersburg, Florida to reclaim the NWA title and retain the WCW Title. In doing so, he became an eight time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, breaking Harley Race's record of 7 reigns. On June 14, at the Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville USA, he defeated Bobby Eaton in a two out of three falls match.

In the summer of 1991, Flair had a contract dispute with WCW president Jim Herd, who wanted him to take a substantial pay cut. Herd had removed Flair as head booker in February 1990 and wanted to reduce Flair's role in the promotion even further, despite the fact that Flair was still a top draw. According to Flair, Herd also proposed changes in his appearance (i.e. by shaving his hair, wearing a diamond earring and going by the name "Spartacus") as well as his in-ring name in order to "change with the times".[9] Flair disagreed with the proposals, and two weeks before the The Great American Bash, Herd fired him. Flair's popularity in WCW was proven during his absence, as broadcasts were often punctuated by chants of "We want Flair!" While Flair had left for the WWF he was still recognized as the WCW World Champion until July 1, 1991, when the title was officially vacated.

World Wrestling Federation (First run, 1991–1993)

Flair signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in August 1991 and began appearing on television the next month. Initially, he appeared on WWF shows with the "Big Gold Belt," calling himself "The Real World Heavyweight Champion." WCW sued Flair in an attempt to reclaim the belt, but Flair claimed that he owned the belt in lieu of the $25,000 deposit paid by NWA champions upon winning the title, which had not been returned to him when he was fired from WCW. The matter was settled later that year, with Flair's deposit being returned to him along with interest. Led by his "financial advisor" Bobby Heenan and his "executive consultant" Mr. Perfect, Flair repeatedly issued challenges to WWF wrestlers like Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan, wrestling a team led by Piper at Survivor Series in 1991 and helping The Undertaker defeat Hogan for the WWF Championship that same night.[10]

At the Royal Rumble in 1992, he won the Rumble match to claim the vacant WWF Championship. Flair drew number three in the Rumble match and lasted a then-record 59 minutes, last eliminating Sid Justice with help from Hulk Hogan, who had been eliminated by Justice seconds earlier.[10] In so doing, Flair joined Buddy Rogers as the only men to win the WWF and NWA World Championships in their careers.

After a planned program with Hogan was scrapped due to Hogan's hiatus following the WWF's steroid scandal, Randy Savage challenged Flair for the WWF title at WrestleMania VIII. In storyline, Flair taunted Savage by claiming that he had a prior relationship with Savage's wife, Elizabeth, and that he had the pictures to prove it (which were later revealed to be doctored photos). Savage defeated Flair for the title at WrestleMania.[10] In July 1992, as Savage prepared to defend the title against The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam,[10] Flair and Mr. Perfect sowed distrust between the two by suggesting that they would back one or the other during their match. They actually attacked both Savage and Warrior and injured Savage's knee sufficiently, an injury that Flair exploited to regain the title in a match with Savage on September 1. His second reign was be short-lived, however, as he lost the title to Bret Hart on October 12, 1992. Flair teamed with Razor Ramon to take on Savage and Perfect at the Survivor Series 1992.[11] After losing a Loser Leaves the WWF match to Mr. Perfect on an episode of Monday Night Raw,[12] Flair appeared in the Royal Rumble in 1993 (although the match with Perfect had been taped six days prior, it did not air until the following night) and then fulfilled his remaining house show commitments, making his last appearance on February 10, 1993, before returning to WCW.[13] On The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection DVD, Flair described his first stint with the WWF as "the greatest year and a half of my career, outside the time I spent with Arn Anderson and The Four Horsemen."

World Championship Wrestling (Second run, 1993–2001)

Flair returned to WCW as a face in February 1993 and hosted a short-lived talk show in WCW called A Flair for the Gold. This was done to keep Flair busy as he at the time, had a no compete clause from the WWF. Arn Anderson usually appeared at the bar on the show's set, and Flair's maid, Fifi (portrayed by Wendy Barlow), cleaned or bore gifts. Once he returned to action, Flair briefly held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for a tenth time after defeating Barry Windham at Beach Blast before WCW finally left the NWA in September 1993. WCW planned to have Sid Vicious face Vader for the WCW World title at Starrcade in 1993 but Sid was fired after a violent real-life altercation with Arn Anderson in London. Flair was placed in the match, which was held in his adopted hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. The match was billed that if Flair lost, he would retire from wrestling. The match ended with Flair using a chop block and roll-up on the gigantic Vader to win the title.

In June 1994, Flair defeated Sting in a unification match, merging the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship with the WCW World Championship. This concluded a slow heel turn for Flair that started when he defeated Ricky Steamboat in a controversial manner some months earlier.Flair later feuded with Hulk Hogan upon Hogan's arrival in WCW in June 1994, losing the WCW World Championship to him in July at Bash at the Beach. Flair lost a retirement match to Hogan at Halloween Havoc and took a few months off before returning as a wrestler and part-time manager in 1995 (explained on-air by having Flair nag Hogan for months until Hogan agreed to let Flair come back). He and Randy Savage renewed hostilities when Savage arrived in WCW late in 1994, and their feud continued off-and-on for almost two years with each wrestler winning the WCW World Championship from each other at different times. Flair defeated Savage in a steel cage at SuperBrawl VI to win the WCW World title, which saw Savage betrayed by Elizabeth in favor of Flair. Flair also defeated Konnan on July 7 at Bash at the Beach to win the United States Championship. He vacated it in November of that year due to an arm injury.

Flair played a major role in the New World Order storyline in late 1996 and throughout 1997. He and the Horsemen often took the lead in the war against Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan. Flair feuded with Roddy Piper, Syxx, and his old nemesis, Curt Hennig, in 1997 after Hennig was offered a spot in the Four Horsemen only to turn on Flair and the Horsemen at Fall Brawl in 1997. Hennig punctuated the act by slamming the cage door onto Flair's head.

In April 1998, Flair became embroiled in a dispute with WCW president Eric Bischoff when he failed to appear at a televised event. Bischoff had placed Flair on the show only three days prior, and Flair had earlier requested time off on the same night to see his son, Reid, wrestle in a Greco-Roman wrestling tournament. He made a surprise return on September 14, 1998 to ceremoniously reform the Four Horsemen (along with Steve McMichael, Dean Malenko, and Chris Benoit). Flair feuded with Bischoff for several months afterward, culminating in a First Blood cage match at Uncensored against Hulk Hogan where both Bischoff's presidency and Hogan's WCW World Heavyweight Championship were on the line. Despite being the first to bleed, Flair won the match by submission thanks to biased referee Charles Robinson, who counted Hogan out. Robinson would be nicknamed "Lil' Naitch," idolizing Flair and officiating all of Flair's matches in his favor. As on-air "president," Flair began abusing his power much like Bischoff had, favoring villains over fan favorites and even awarding the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship to his son David and resorting to whatever means necessary to keep David U.S. Champion. Flair eventually formed a stable of followers which included Roddy Piper, Arn Anderson, and the Jersey Triad to keep things in order. Flair's reign as president came to an end on the July 19 episode of Nitro, facing Sting for the WCW presidency. During the course of the match, Sting had Flair in his Scorpion Death Lock, but with the referee knocked out no decision could be reached. A returning Eric Bischoff came to the ring and began ordering the timekeeper to ring the bell, which he eventually did, awarding the match and the presidency to Sting (who promptly gave it up upon receiving it).

Flair won the WCW World Championship twice during 2000, WCW's last full year of operation. When WCW was purchased by the WWF in March 2001, Flair was the leader of the villainous group called the Magnificent Seven. During the final episode of Nitro, he gave a speech regarding the company's greatness. Later in the night, Flair lost the final match in Nitro history to Sting on March 26, 2001. Nevertheless, Flair has repeatedly stated in various interviews how happy he was when WCW finally closed down, although at the same time he was sad that a lot of people were going to lose their jobs.[14]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (Second run, 2001–2008)

A bloody Flair at WrestleMania X8.

After a hiatus from professional wrestling, Flair returned to the WWF in November 2001 as the on-camera co-owner of the company.[15] Flair reappeared on Raw following the end of the "WCW/ECW Invasion" that culminated in a "Winner Take All" match at Survivor Series won by the WWF.[16] Flair's new on-screen role was that of the co-owner of the WWF, with the explanation that Shane and Stephanie McMahon had sold him their stock in the company to a consortium (namely Flair) prior to purchasing World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling.[17] Flair's feud with Vince McMahon led them to a match at the Royal Rumble in 2002 in a Street Fight, where Flair defeated McMahon.[16] Flair also wrestled The Undertaker at WrestleMania X8 in 2002 where Flair lost.[18] From then, the "co-owner" angle culminated in early 2002, when McMahon controlled SmackDown!, and Flair controlled Raw.[19] After Steve Austin abruptly left WWE while in a program with Flair, a match was hotshotted between Flair and Vince for sole ownership of WWE, which McMahon won, thanks to interference by Brock Lesnar.[20]

Flair later became a villain by joining Triple H's "Evolution" stable.[21] Flair won the World Tag Team Championship with Batista twice in 2003 and 2004.[22][23] Later, at Unforgiven in 2005, Flair defeated Carlito for the Intercontinental Championship.[24] He defended the title in a feud with Triple H before losing it to Shelton Benjamin.[25] Flair then took some time off in mid-2006 to rest and marry for the third time; he returned in June to work a program with Mick Foley that played off their legitimate past animosity.[26] Flair defeated Foley at SummerSlam in an "I Quit" match.[27]

Flair became a mentor for Carlito in 2007.

Subsequently, he was involved in a rivalry with the Spirit Squad on Raw. On November 5, 2006 at Cyber Sunday, he captured the World Tag Team Championship from the Squad with Roddy Piper.[27] On the November 13 edition of Raw, Flair and Piper lost the Tag Titles to Rated-RKO,[28] due to a disc problem with Piper and had to be flown immediately back to the USA as soon as Raw was off the air. On November 26, 2006 at Survivor Series, Flair was the sole survivor of a match that featured himself, Ron Simmons (replacing an injured Piper), Dusty Rhodes and Sgt. Slaughter versus the Spirit Squad.[27] Flair then left television due to his divorce hearings. On the December 11, 2006 edition of Raw, Flair returned to team up with DX again. They defeated Rated-RKO and Kenny Dykstra.[29]

Flair then began teaming with Carlito after Flair said that Carlito had no heart.[30] Flair defeated Carlito in a match after which Carlito realized that Flair was right.[31] Flair and Carlito faced off against Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch in a number one contender's match for the World Tag Team Championship but were defeated. After weeks of conflict between Flair and Carlito,[32][33] the team split up when Carlito attacked Flair during a match.[34] At Judgment Day, Flair defeated Carlito with the figure four leglock.[35] His career was put at risk following a match with Randy Orton on June 4, 2007.[36]

On the June 11 edition of Raw, Flair was drafted from Raw to SmackDown! as part of the 2007 WWE Draft.[37] He briefly feuded against Montel Vontavious Porter[38][39] and rejoined forces with Batista to feud with The Great Khali; the alliance was shortlived, however, as Flair was "injured" during a match with Khali.[40][41]

After a three month absence, Flair returned to WWE programming on the November 26 edition of Raw to announce that he would "never retire".[42][43] Vince McMahon retaliated by announcing that the next match Flair lost would result in a forced retirement.[42] Later in the night, Flair defeated Orton after a distraction by Chris Jericho.[42][43] It was revealed on the 15th anniversary of Raw that the win or retire ultimatum only applied in singles matches. Flair won several "career threatening" matches against the opponents such as Triple H, Umaga, William Regal, Ken Kennedy, and Vince McMahon himself among others.[44][45][46] On March 29, 2008, Flair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2008 by Triple H. The day after, Flair wrestled his final match at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando, Florida, losing to Shawn Michaels.[47]

Retirement and beyond

Ric Flair during the final months of his career.

On the March 31 edition of Raw, Flair delivered his farewell address. Afterward, Triple H brought out many current and retired superstars to thank Flair for all he has done, including Shawn Michaels, some of the Four Horsemen and even The Undertaker, followed by Vince McMahon. Along with the wrestlers, the fans gave Ric a standing ovation. This event represented a rare moment in WWE as both the villains and the fan favorites broke character and came out to the ring together. The Undertaker's and McMahon's entrances, however, were not shown on the TV taping of Raw for the week in order to preserve their characters, but were included in Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection DVD as extras. Flair made an appearance on the June 16 edition of Raw to confront Chris Jericho and challenged him to a fight in the parking lot, but was ejected from the building by McMahon. Flair made another appearance the following week on the June 23 edition of Raw helping McMahon give away money during the McMahon's Million Dollar Mania.

On August 3, 2008, Flair's management company, The Gillespie Agency of Columbia, SC confirmed that he has parted ways with WWE under amicable terms. The release enabled Flair to pursue opportunities outside of WWE.[48] Since leaving the WWE, Flair is open to working with other companies, as evident by his decision to accept a booking for an autograph session in Robstown, Texas on October 4, for the NWA Wrestling show, marking the first time in 20 years that Flair worked with the NWA.[49] Flair appeared for UK wrestling company 1 Pro Wrestling on October 18 for their Third Anniversary Show at the Doncaster Dome.[50] He recently sat down with Highspots.com for his first "Shoot" interview. Over 20 hours was filmed and 13 will be included of the 3-4 disc set.

Legacy

Flair doing his trademark shout of "Woooooo"

Flair was often popular with the crowd due to his in-ring antics, including rulebreaking (earning him the distinction of being "the dirtiest player in the game"), strutting and his shouting of "Woooooo!" Flair's moveset became limited in the last ten years of his career due mainly to his age and years of competition taking a toll on his body. The "Woooooo!" yell has since become a tribute to Flair.[2] From the late 1970s, Flair wore ornate fur-lined robes of many colors with sequins during in-ring appearances,[2] and since the early 1980s, his approach to the ring was usually heralded by the playing of the "Dawn" section of Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" (famous for being used in the motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey).

On May 19, 2003, Triple H defended the World Heavyweight Championship in a match against Flair.[51] After Raw went off the air, most of the people who were backstage came out to honor Flair, including Vince McMahon, the Undertaker, Shane, and Stephanie McMahon.[51] Triple H then appeared, and after a stare down, he placed the World Heavyweight Championship belt on Flair's shoulder and embraced him. Flair then gave a speech thanking everyone for the tribute.[51]

Flair released his autobiography, To Be the Man, in July 2004.[52] The title is taken from one of his catchphrases, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man!"

On the February 18, 2008 edition of Raw, Shawn Michaels announced Flair as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2008. The induction ceremony took place on March 29, 2008, with Triple H inducting him. This made him the only person to be inducted while still an active competitor as of 2008.[53] On March 24, 2008, Mayor Bob Coble, of Columbia, South Carolina, declared March 24 to be Ric Flair Day in Columbia. Flair also received the key to the city.[54] Flair was later inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, his second straight Hall of Fame induction in four months, but he did not participate in the event.

On September 29, 2008, wrestlinginc.com announced that Flair's signature sequin covered robe that he wore at WrestleMania XXIV, in his last match, would be placed in the pop culture section of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.[55]

Personal life

In December 2005, a magistrate issued arrest warrants for Flair after a road rage incident that took place in Charlotte, in which Flair allegedly got out of his car, grabbed a motorist by the neck, and kicked the door of the motorist's sport utility vehicle. Flair was charged with injury to personal property and simple assault and battery, both misdemeanors. This incident was ridiculed on WWE programming, most notably by the wrestler Edge.[56] The charges were dropped after the witnesses failed to show for a scheduled court appearance.

In the 80s, Flair was an outspoken fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. When the Charlotte Hornets debuted in 1988, however, he then announced that they would be his favorite team. His loyalties lie with them even after they relocated to New Orleans. And a sound clip of his famous "WOOOOOO!" plays every time Hornets Point Guard Chris Paul scores a basket. People go as far to nickname Paul the "Nature Boy" in homage to Flair. Flair is sometimes seen attending the Carolina Hurricanes National Hockey League ice hockey games at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. When the Hurricanes score, one of a couple of videos appears on the scoreboard. One shows Flair in a Hurricanes jersey saying, "That's another Carolina Hurricanes goal! Woooooo!" Flair is also seen in the open segments of every Carolina Panthers home game. He ends his segment with his trademark "Woooooo" in which the crowd usually imitates. Flair is also a big fan of the South Carolina Gamecocks and has appeared in their pregame video.

In September 2007, Flair opened a financial business called Ric Flair Finance.[57] In July 2008, Ric Flair Finance filed for bankruptcy.[58]

Family

Flair's son David is a semi-retired professional wrestler. Flair's younger son Reid, who signed a developmental contract with WWE near the end of 2007,[59] is an accomplished high school wrestler and made several appearances on WCW television along with his sister Ashley and half-sister Megan.[60]

Flair became a grandfather in 2004 when his eldest daughter, Megan Fliehr-Ketzner, gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Morgan Lee Ketzner on May 9.[60][61]

On May 27, 2006, Ric married his third wife, fitness competitor Tiffany VanDemark.[62] On August 7, 2008, Tiffany announced that she had filed for divorce from Flair.[63]

Flair's daughter Ashley was arrested on September 5, 2008 for assaulting a police officer.[64] The incident occurred after police were called to a fight involving Flair, Ashley, and her boyfriend.[64]

Flair now resides with his family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Real-life feuds

In 2004, Flair engaged in an off-screen rivalry with Bret Hart in which both accused each other of performing the same routines in most of their matches. In Flair's autobiography, Flair criticizes Hart for over-exploiting the death of his brother, Owen Hart, and the controversy surrounding the Montreal Screwjob.[65] Flair also claimed in his autobiography that Hart was not a formidable draw in the United States, a claim which Hart dismissed as "plain ridiculous" in a column written for the Calgary Sun.[66] Hart acknowledged the decline in the WWF's popularity during his heyday in the mid 1990s, but he—and others—felt that this was largely attributed to the WWF's well publicised sex and steroid scandals. He also called Flair out on what he perceived as insults to fellow wrestlers Mick Foley and Randy Savage, both personal friends of Hart's.[66][67][68] Hart stated that despite this he was "consistently main eventing in front of, not sold out buildings, but entirely sold out tours" during the decade and also claimed that he drew more money than Flair during his career.[66]

Flair also had a long running feud with Shane Douglas, who would refer to him as "Dick Flair" and accuse him of sabotaging his push in the NWA/WCW after getting a solid push and a rub from his tag team partner Ricky Steamboat.[69] Flair, in turn, responded that Douglas was always the guy that would blame his shortcomings on others. He called Douglas out as well as accused him of steroid abuse during a broadcast of the Internet radio show WCW Live! in which he said that he would meet him anytime and anywhere if he "took the needle out of his ass." They were able to come to a working relationship during Douglas' last stint with WCW.

Flair has also had issues with Mick Foley. In his 1999 autobiography Have a Nice Day!, Foley said, "Flair was every bit as bad on the booking side of things as he was great on the wrestling side of it."[70] This was in reference to how poorly Foley thought he was booked during his WCW career when Flair was on the booking committee. Flair responded in his autobiography, writing, "I do not care how many thumbtacks Mick Foley has fallen on, how many ladders he's fallen off, how many continents he's supposedly bled on, he will always be known as a glorified stuntman."[71] They have since buried the hatchet and are now friends.[9]

Flair described in his autobiography how he attacked Eric Bischoff backstage at a WWE house show, saying it was due to hating how Bischoff treated him in WCW. Flair stated that Arn Anderson kept watch while he tried to get Bischoff to fight him, but that the confrontation was interrupted by Sgt. Slaughter, who promptly informed Vince McMahon of the incident.

In his book, Flair also touched on some real-life tension between himself and Hulk Hogan which largely stemmed from an incident that followed the conclusion of a tag match between Flair and his son, David, and the team of Curt Hennig and Barry Windham at WCW's Souled Out pay-per-view on 1/17/99 in Charleston, WV.[72] Flair described Hogan and members of the New World Order coming out to attack them, as well as Hogan whipping an incapacitated David with a leather belt as Flair was forced to look on. "What no one had told me was that Hogan would try to be cute and whip David over and over again....there was Hogan -- with all his experience, and all his celebrity -- trying to be cute. He whipped David like a dog. It was sickening, and I'll never forgive him for it", Flair wrote of the incident.

Politics

Flair has long supported Republican political candidates in North Carolina politics.[73] In 2000, Flair explored the possibility of running for Governor of North Carolina,[73] but he never filed the papers.[74]

In the 2008 presidential race, Ric Flair declared his support for the Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. He said of Huckabee, "[Huckabee] is a quality person, self-made, a great family man and he has a great vision for our country. And I'm here to excite the crowd."[75]

In wrestling

Flair applying the figure four leglock on Mr. Kennedy.
Flair and Shawn Michaels delivering Knife edge chops to Mikey

Championships and accomplishments

1Flair did win the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA United States Championships five times and the five reigns were recognized even after World Championship Wrestling took control over the championship and renamed it the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship in 1991. After WCW's purchase by WWE, the lineage of the championships were kept and used to give the WWE United States Championship a prestigious history. However, WWE does not recognize some of the reigns of some wrestlers when the title was still the Mid-Atlantic NWA United States Championship. As of now, only four of Flair's five reigns with the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) are officially recognized by WWE.
2His last four reigns with the championship were after Jim Crockett, Jr. sold his promotion to Ted Turner in November 1988, which became World Championship Wrestling. The NWA World Heavyweight Championship was defended exclusively in WCW until WCW's withdrawal from the National Wrestling Alliance in 1993.
3Title reigns aren't recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment.
4He won the title for the third time in Kallang, Singapore. Records are unclear as to which promotion hosted the event.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 ""Office of the Sheriff: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina"". Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Ric Flair Bio". WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Power Slam", This Month in History: February, SW Publishing (January 1999), p. 28. 55. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Ric Flair". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  5. ↑ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.160)
  6. ↑ Flair, Ric (2004), Ric Flair: to Be the Man, pp. 3-4, ISBN 0743491815 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Ric Flair". Acclerator3359.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Molinaro, John (2000-12-28). "The plane crash that changed wrestling". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tim Baines (2004-06-27). "Flair rips Mick Foley". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts", Wrestling's Historical Cards, Kappa Publishing, pp. 89–90. 
  11. ↑ "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts", Wrestling's Historical Cards, Kappa Publishing, pp. 90-91. 
  12. ↑ Online World of Wrestling. "RAW 1993 Results". Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  13. ↑ http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/93.htm
  14. ↑ WWE: The Monday Night Wars DVD
  15. ↑ "Raw - November 19, 2001 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts", Wrestling's Historical Cards, Kappa Publishing, pp. 109–110. 
  17. ↑ "RAW - November 19, 2001 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  18. ↑ "WrestleMania X-8 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  19. ↑ "RAW - March 25, 2002 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  20. ↑ "RAW - June 10, 2002 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  21. ↑ "RAW - January 24, 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  22. ↑ "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts", Wrestling's Historical Cards, Kappa Publishing, pp. 114. 
  23. ↑ "RAW - March 22, 2004 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  24. ↑ "2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts", Wrestling's historical cards, Kappa Publishing, pp. 118. 
  25. ↑ "RAW - February 20, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  26. ↑ "RAW - June 12, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 "2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts", Wrestling's historical cards, Kappa Publishing, pp. 121–122. 
  28. ↑ "RAW - November 13, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  29. ↑ "RAW - December 11, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  30. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated, May 2007", Arena Reports, Kappa Publishing, p. 130. 
  31. ↑ "RAW - February 12, 2007 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  32. ↑ Starr, Noah (2007-04-16). "Italian Intercontinental surprise". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  33. ↑ Starr, Noah (2007-04-23). "A sign of things to come?". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  34. ↑ Starr, Noah (2007-04-30). "Khali's claim". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  35. ↑ Starr, Noah (2007-05-20). "Schooled". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  36. ↑ Clayton, Corey (2007-06-04). "Crazy like a fox?". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  37. ↑ McAvennie, Mike (2008-06-11). "One wild night". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  38. ↑ Rote, Andrew (2007-06-22). "A taste of vengeance". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  39. ↑ Clayton, Corey (2007-06-24). "MVP puts on legendary show with win over Flair". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  40. ↑ Fuhrman, Alissa (2007-08-03). "Handing notice". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  41. ↑ Fuhrman, Alissa (2007-08-10). "Answer to the challenge?". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 Robinson, Bryan (2007-11-26). "Win or go home - for good". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Adkins, Greg (2008-11-26). "Legend of the Fall". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  44. ↑ Adkins, Greg (2007-12-31). "Life Goes On". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  45. ↑ DiFino, Lennie (2008-01-27). "A Flair for greatness". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  46. ↑ Adkins, Greg (2008-02-17). "Never Say Die". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  47. ↑ "WrestleMania XXIV results: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels" (March 30, 2008). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  48. ↑ "Flair and WWE Part Ways" (2008-08-03). Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
  49. ↑ "Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds" (2008-10-03). Retrieved on 2008-10-03.
  50. ↑ "1PW - Third Anniversary - THE BIG ONE". blip.tv. Retrieved on 2008-08-20.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 "RAW -May 19, 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  52. ↑ "Ric Flair, author". CNN. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  53. ↑ Adkins, Greg (2008-02-18). "Hall Monitor". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  54. ↑ Santaella, Tony (2008-03-24). "Key to City". WLTX. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
  55. ↑ Balderson, Keelan (2008-09-29). "Flair Honored by Smithsonian". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
  56. ↑ "RAW - December 5, 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  57. ↑ Carney, John (2007-09-13). "The Finance Company That Makes You Want To Go "Wooo!"". Dealbreaker.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
  58. ↑ http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2008/08/ric_flairs_departure_from_wwe.html
  59. ↑ WWE has signed Reid Fliehr of Charlotte, N.C., 19, the youngest son of Ric Flair, to a developmental contract. He will be starting in Florida Championship Wrestling in January.
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 "Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling", Scripps Howard News Service (2003-03-04). Retrieved on 2007-09-15. "Not only is Flair's daughter Megan set to give birth to her first child on May 9, two of his other children are also excelling in high school athletics. Ashley Fliehr is one of the top volleyball players in North Carolina, while Reid Fliehr posted a 34-10 amateur wrestling record as a freshman." 
  61. ↑ Baines, Tim (2005-04-02). "Going toe to toe with Ric Flair", Ottawa Sun. Retrieved on 2007-09-15. 
  62. ↑ "Ric Flair Wedding Pics". A TRIBUTE TO "NATURE BOY" RIC FLAIR. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
  63. ↑ http://www.pwmania.com/newsarticle.php?page=220130964
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 "Wrestler's daughter arrested after tussle with police". abc11.com (2008-09-09). Retrieved on 2008-09-09.
  65. ↑ Mike Mooneyham (2004-07-04). "Flair Pulls No Punches In Book". Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 "Bret Hart On Flair". Online World of Wrestling.
  67. ↑ Wwf Aims Low, Shoots High Wrestling Comes To The Garden On A Roll
  68. ↑ World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. - Company History
  69. ↑ John F. Molinaro (2000-04-23). "The Franchise on Flair & Russo". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  70. ↑ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.2)
  71. ↑ Flair, Ric (2004), Ric Flair: to Be the Man, pp. 211, ISBN 0743491815 
  72. ↑ ""Goldberg beat himself"".>
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 "Flair aims to be N.C governor". SLAM! Wrestling (2000-02-08). Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  74. ↑ "Flair doesn't file to be N.C. governor - yet". SLAM! Wrestling (2000-02-08). Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  75. ↑ Huckabee tailgates and welcomes wrestler support
  76. ↑ 76.00 76.01 76.02 76.03 76.04 76.05 76.06 76.07 76.08 76.09 76.10 76.11 "OWOW profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
  77. ↑ 77.0 77.1 77.2 77.3 77.4 NWA World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  78. ↑ NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  79. ↑ NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  80. ↑ 80.0 80.1 NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  82. ↑ NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/WCW) history At wrestling-titles.com
  83. ↑ WCW World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  84. ↑ WCW International World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  85. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
  86. ↑ 86.0 86.1 86.2 86.3 "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Feud of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
  87. ↑ 87.0 87.1 87.2 "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Match of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
  88. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Most Hated Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
  89. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Rookie of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
  90. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
  91. ↑ NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 92.2 92.3 "Title history: Ric Flair". WWE.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.

References

External links

Persondata
NAME Flair, Ric
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Professional wrestler
DATE OF BIRTH 1949-2-25
PLACE OF BIRTH Memphis, Tennessee
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH