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RIC FLAIR
Ric Flair is the most
decorated world champion in history. The 16-time
world champ (depending on what is counted as a
title win) is known as the dirtiest player in
the game. With his jet-flying, limousine-riding
"Nature Boy" persona, he has headlined the sport
for over a quarter of a century. His trademarked
"Whooo!" can be heard by the fans whenever any
wrestler chops another wrestler.
The Start:
Ric Flair was born in 1949. Unfortunately, his
birth name is not known due to a scandal at the
Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis.
His adopted parents named him Richard Fliehr. In
1971, he was trained by Verne Gagne and debuted
in the AWA in 1972. He went to wrestle for the
Mid-Atlantic (NC) territory in 1974. In 1975, he
was involved in a plane crash and broke his back
in three places.
The Late '70s:
Ric Flair returned to the ring a few years
later. He was a frequent U.S. title holder. That
belt was the number one belt of the region. In
those days, the regional belt was the most
important belt in the area. Occasionally, the
NWA World Champ would come to town and fight
someone in the region. In addition, he won the
NWA World Tag Team Championship on a few
occasions with both Blackjack Mulligan and Greg
Valentine as his partners.
The '80s - NWA World
Champion and the Four Horsemen:
In 1981, Ric Flair beat Dusty Rhodes to
become the NWA World Champion. As champion, Ric
traveled to all the other territories to fight
their best opponents. Ric would lose the belt on
several occasions, but he would regain the belt
back rather quickly. During this time, he formed
the Four Horsemen. As the '80s continued, most
of the territories were killed off due to the
WWF expansion. By the end of the decade, Ted
Turner bought the most powerful member of the
NWA and later renamed it WCW.
Ric Flair joins the WWF:
The first few years of the Turner led
company were marred by bad decisions. The worst
one involved Ric Flair leaving WCW with the
title belt. The belt appeared on WWF television
until legal actions forced them to stop. Ric
claimed to be the real world champion and his
claim was proven true when he won the WWF title.
Ric left a few years later when a new man took
over WCW.
The Feud With Eric
Bischoff:
Eric Bischoff was the new head of WCW and
his relationship with Flair was fine for a
while. Things soured after a few years and Flair
wound up off TV for along time and was embroiled
in legal action due to seeing his son Reid fight
in an Amateur Wrestling Tournament instead of
appearing at a show. For several years, those in
charge of WCW went out of their way to destroy
the legacy of Flair.
Return to the WWF:
When the WCW was sold to the WWF, Flair
wasn't the same man anymore. According to his
autobiography, he had lost confidence in his
abilities due to the constant problems he faced
in WCW. He credits Vince McMahon and Triple H
with helping him to regain his confidence.
Evolution:
Triple H has made no secret in saying that
Ric Flair was his favorite wrestler. In late
2002, the stable of Evolution was formed with
Triple H as the leader. The concept was that
Flair was the greatest of the last generation,
Triple H was the greatest wrestler at the moment
and the future of wrestling was Batista & Randy
Orton. Even though Evolution has broken up,
there is no doubt that Ric Flair will still be a
main player in WWE.
The 16 World Title Wins:
NWA
9/17/81 St Louis, MO - Dusty Rhodes
11/24/83 Starrcade - Harley Race in a steel cage
match
5/24/84 Japan - Kerry Von Erich
9/7/86 St. Louis, MO - Dusty Rhodes
11/26/87 Starrcade - Ron Garvin in a steel cage
match
5/4/89 Wrestle War - Ricky Steamboat
1/11/91 East Rutherford, NJ - Sting
7/18/93 Clash of Champions 24 - Barry Windham
WWF
1/19/92 Royal Rumble - won the Rumble to win the
vacant title
9/1/92 Hershey, PA - Randy Savage
(Sources: Pro Wrestling
Illustrated Almanac, Obsessed with Wrestling, &
To Be the Man by Ric Flair)
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