Ric Flair
| Ric Flair | |
|---|---|
| File:Ricflair-promo.jpg | |
| Born | February 25 1949 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rick Flair Ric Flair Black Scorpion "Nature Boy" Rick Flair |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Billed weight | 234 lb (109 kg) |
| Billed from | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Trained by | Verne Gagne |
| Debut | December 10 1972 |
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee), better known by his ring name "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler currently with WWE on its RAW brand. He has been one of the leading personalities in professional wrestling since the mid 1970s and is considered to be among the elite names in the history of the industry. For almost the entire run of World Championship Wrestling he was considered their flagship wrestler. His total number of world title reigns is often debated. His official number of titles won can either be considered as 21, 23 or 25 separate world title reigns. This depends on the legitimacy of the WCW International Heavyweight Championship and title matches for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Jack Veneno, The Midnight Rider, and Carlos Colon. The WWE recognizes only 16 title reigns. (WCW recognized only the 14 non-WWE title reigns)
Professional wrestling
NWA/WCW
After three years with the AWA, Flair joined the NWA affiliated Jim Crockett Promotions based in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. On the rise, he suffered a severe back injury in a October 4 1975 plane crash in Wilmington, North Carolina. Doctors told Flair that he would never wrestle again, but Flair proved them wrong by returning to active wrestling the next year.
Ric Flair won the United States Heavyweight Championship 4 times, then won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time by defeating Dusty Rhodes on September 17 1981. Harley Race won the title from Flair in 1983. Flair regained the title at StarrCade 1983 in Greensboro, North Carolina in a steel cage match. Flair would go on to win the NWA title six more times. As the NWA champion, he defended his belt around the world, including frequent stops in the Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. 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 in front of over 43,000 fans. Flair regained the title 18 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 card in Greensboro, North Carolina. Flair regained the title two weeks later. His loss to Ron Garvin on September 25, 1987, marked a low point in NWA history as nobody was willing to lose to Garvin since word was that Flair would win the title back at Starrcade 87. Garvin thus held the title for over two months and lost his only title defense to Flair in Chicago on November 26, 1987.
Throughout the 1980s, Flair became affiliated with The Four Horsemen stable. Flair's main rivals for the NWA title were Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, Lex Luger, and Sting. Flair also feuded with Magnum T.A., Nikita Koloff, Ricky Morton of the Rock 'N Roll Express, and Kerry von Erich, among countless others. He was constantly seen with various valets such as Woman, Miss Elizabeth, Fifi, Sherri Martel and Baby Doll.
World Wrestling Federation
After a contract dispute with WCW head Jim Herd while still NWA/WCW champion, Flair left WCW, a group run by Ted Turner which had just separated from the NWA, in July 1991. Flair was offered a fifty percent pay cut and no longer got the option of booking power. Herd wanted to make Lex Luger the top star and wanted to make Ric Flair a midcard star despite the fact that he was still a huge draw. Flair disagreed, and a week before the 1991 Great American Bash, Herd fired him. According to Flair, Herd also wanted him to change his appearance (i.e. by cutting his hair and wearing a diamond earring) in order to "change with the times".
During Ric Flair's first run in the WWF, he took the "Big Gold Belt" with him and was billed as the "Real World's Heavyweight Champion." This is because Herd refused to return the $25,000 deposit that Flair had put down on the belt itself, plus interest. The NWA required the NWA World Champion to place a $25,000 deposit on the belt to ensure that the champion wouldn't leave the Alliance with the belt. Since Flair did not receive his deposit, he felt that it was still his property. WCW tried to sue the WWF to regain it, but the case was thrown out of court. Eventually, Flair returned it to WCW in exchange for the original $25,000 deposit, plus $11,000 interest. In the meantime, Flair wore an old WWF World Tag Team title belt that was blurred out on television.
In January 1992, Flair began his first run in the WWF, winning the WWF Title in a thirty-man "Royal Rumble." Feuding with Randy Savage, Flair also won another WWF Title before leaving the company. At the end of his run, Vince McMahon and Flair himself simply felt that Flair was no longer needed in the WWF. McMahon thought that Flair did everything he could in the WWF, and Flair was ready to go back to WCW. McMahon and Flair amicably ended Flair's contract with Flair ultimately losing a "loser leaves town match" to Mr. Perfect on Monday Night Raw. Flair has often referred to the eighteen-month stint as a highlight of his career.
Second WCW run
Flair returned "home" to WCW in February 1993, hosting a short-lived talk show in WCW called "A Flair For the Gold" as a compromise to work around a no-compete clause in his previous WWF contract. He could appear on TV but not wrestle. Arn Anderson would sit at the bar, and Flair's maid Fifi, would always be cleaning or bearing gifts. Flair would briefly hold the NWA World title once again before WCW finally left the NWA in September 1993.
Later in 1993, WCW planned to have Sid Vicious win the WCW World title at StarrCade 1993, but following Sid's firing for his part in a violent altercation with Arn Anderson, Flair was inserted into the role and defeated Big Van Vader for the title.
Flair later feuded with Hulk Hogan upon Hogan's arrival in WCW in June 1994 and lost a retirement match to Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1994. Flair took a few months off before returning as a wrestler and part-time manager in 1995. Flair would have several more title reigns in the subsequent years, beating Hollywood Hogan at Uncensored 1999, and winning the title two times in 2000 and the United States Championship in 1996, defeating Konnan. Flair would continue to be a key player in the dying days of WCW until its demise in March 2001.
When WCW was purchased by the WWF, Flair was the leader of the heel group called the Magnificent Seven with Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Road Warrior Animal, Rick Steiner, Lex Luger, and Buff Bagwell. Flair lost WCW's final match on the March 26, 2001 edition of Nitro to his longtime rival Sting in a very emotional match.
World Wrestling Entertainment
After a brief hiatus from pro wrestling, Flair returned to the WWF in November 2001 as the on-camera co-owner of the company. He turned face by joining forces with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Flair reappeared on the Monday Night RAW following the end of the "WCW/ECW Invasion" that culminated in a "Winner Take All" match at Survivor Series 2001 that the WWF won. Flair's new on-screen role was that of the co-owner of the WWF, after Shane and Stephanie McMahon had sold him their stocks prior to purchasing WCW and ECW. On his RAW debut, Vince McMahon had been playing the role of the face, but, when Flair made his surprise appearance at the end of the show, McMahon turned heel and Flair became the dominant face. As co-owner of the WWF, he sought to make right all the wrongs that the evil Mr. McMahon was up to. Culminating with Flair being responsible for McMahon kissing The Rock's rear end on an episode of SmackDown!, Mr. McMahon apparently snapped and refused to share the WWF with Flair anymore. He proposed to "kill the WWF" and his planned to do it with the help of the nWo. However, the nWo storyline failed to really captivate audiences and Flair was soon thrust into a feud with The Undertaker, culminating in a match at WrestleMania X8. The WWF board of directors refused to sanction the match and gave full control of the WWF back to Vince McMahon. . .or so it seemed. In actuality, it was a prelude to the WWF Brand Extension; which split the WWF into two separate entities, with Vince McMahon in control of all things SmackDown! and Flair in control of all things Monday Night RAW. Eventually, McMahon challenged Flair to a match for exclusive ownership of, now re-named, WWE. Flair lost the match when Brock Lesnar charged the ring, knocking him "unconscious" and allowing McMahon to make the cover. Flair remained on RAW as an occasional wrestler and eventually turned heel by betraying Rob Van Dam and joining forces with World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, with whom he later formed the stable Evolution.
During 2003, Flair had a short-lived feud with Shawn Michaels which began when Michaels took Kevin Nash's side against Triple H, his archrival. The two would go at it whenever they were accompanying their friends to the ring, and this led to a legendary confrontation at Bad Blood 2003, which led to Flair winning thanks to Randy Orton's interference. In 2004, Flair lost to Shelton Benjamin at Backlash 2004, in an effort to avenge several losses by Triple H to Benjamin. Later that year, Flair lost to Randy Orton, who had been violently kicked out of Evolution, in a steel cage match at the first Taboo Tuesday [[1]]
2005
Several months after Batista left Evolution, Flair returned to RAW on August 22 2005. He was interviewed on "Carlito's Cabana" and turned face by attacking the host Carlito. Flair would align himself with Shawn Michaels in a feud with Carlito and Michaels's new rival Chris Masters. After Flair was brutally attacked by Carlito backstage, the two had a match at the 2005 WWE Unforgiven event for Carlito’s Intercontinental Championship, a belt Flair had never won. Ric Flair made Carlito tap out to the figure four and won his first Intercontinental Championship.
Things between the two didn't end at Unforgiven though as Carlito continued to come at Flair with the help of his friend Chris Masters. The feud culminated at WWE Homecoming where Ric Flair teamed with his returning best friend Triple H to take on Carlito and The Masterpiece. Flair and Triple H won the match but the real fireworks took place following when Triple H attacked his best friend and idol.
At Taboo Tuesday the fans were given a choice of three matches for Triple H and Ric Flair to do battle in. The cage match was chosen and in a classic bout Ric Flair clawed his way to a succesful title defense.
The innevitable re-match took place at Survivor Series in a Last Man Standing match. Despite another gutsy performance from the Nature Boy, a sledgehammer shot from Triple H was enough to win the match for The Game.
2006
On February 20 2006, Flair lost the Intercontinental Championship to Shelton Benjamin after being hit twice with an oxygen tank and a T-bone suplex.
On February 27 2006, Flair defeated Carlito in a qualifying match for the "Money in the Bank" ladder match at WrestleMania 22. Carlito was the one who suggested the "Money in the Bank" contest, but was pinned by Flair after choking on an apple due to a kick to the face by the Nature Boy. Flair used the ropes and got a secure pin. The other five participants involved in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match were Rob Van Dam and Shelton Benjamin from the RAW brand along with Matt Hardy, Bobby Lashley and Finlay from the SmackDown! brand, however, Rob Van Dam ended up grabbing the briefcase with the guaranteed WWE championship title shot, within the next year. The following night on Raw, Flair was assaulted by a new wrestler named Umaga, who was formerly known as Jamal, and is managed by Armando Alejandro Estrada.
Legacy
Despite his age and his less-than-chiseled physique, Ric Flair can still take on wrestlers half his age, at least in kayfabe. Even though he is long past his prime as a "main-eventer," he is still able to get in the ring and make younger wrestlers look good. Flair became over with the crowd, often due to his in-ring antics, including cheating ways (earning him the distinction of being "the dirtiest player in the game"), his trademark strut and his legendary shouting of "Wooo!"
In a tradition started by the vocal fans of ECW during a time when the WCW management was thought to be unjustly holding Flair down, anytime a wrestler delivers a hard back hand chop to the chest of his opponent, fans yell "Wooo!" in tribute to Flair, whose stiff chops often made his opponent's chest raw or even bloody. This tradition long outlived any controversy it was meant to protest and has carried over to WWE and almost all other North American promotions.
Since the late 70s, he has worn ornate, fur lined robes of many colors with sequins, and since the mid 80s, his approach to the ring was often 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). The look and sound complements his cocky in-ring persona.
Late in 2003, WWE released a three-DVD retrospective of Flair's career (focusing mainly on his career prior to 1993), The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection. It became WWE's fastest-selling video package up to that time.
Flair released his autobiography, To Be the Man, in July 2004. The title is taken from one of his catchphrases, "To be the man, you gotta BEAT the man!" Flair is an icon in the Carolinas on a par with Michael Jordan and Richard Petty, and he has made the Charlotte area his home since the days of the Crockett promotion. His name has been mentioned from time to time as a possible candidate for governor of North Carolina.
WWE promotes Flair as a 16-time world champion, but many records show that he has held 23 times. Though little controversy still surrounds this, Ric Flair still holds the record of the most world titles held by an individual in professional wrestling.
Controversy
In 2004, Flair engaged in an off-screen rivalry with Bret Hart, in which both claimed to be the best wrestler of all time and accused each other of performing the same routines in most of their matches. Hart responded that Flair had spent the majority of his career in the NWA/WCW which he stated "is and always has been second rate to the WWF." Flair spent two years in the WWF prior to 2001, losing the WWF Championship title to Hart in 1992.
Flair has also had issues with Mick Foley, whom he attacked in his autobiography, writing "I don't 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'll always be known as a glorified stuntman."
This was in response to what Foley said about Flair in his autobiography Have a Nice Day!: "Flair was every bit as bad on the booking side of things as he was great on the wrestling side of it."
In 2004, on a tour of the UK to promote the upcoming WWE Backlash pay-per-view, Flair was involved in a radio interview in which he bashed Mick Foley and his abilities. This move was widely criticised by the British wrestling press as Foley had a match with Flair's associate Randy Orton at Backlash and many felt that he should have built up the match and possibly increased the buyrate instead of denigrating Foley.
In 1998, Flair was sued by WCW for no-showing an event. Flair had been working without a contract since February of that year and had refused to sign a new one, citing differences between the document and the terms he had previously agreed to work under. Seeing that he wasn't needed for any WCW television tapings at the time, Flair did not show up at a particular WCW Thunder taping. He instead watched his son Reid's amateur wrestling tournament. That particular night, WCW's booking committee decided out of nowhere to reform the Four Horsemen, and announcers repeatedly stated that he would be on the show with a "big surprise." When Flair failed to show up, WCW management (led by Eric Bischoff) became upset and filed a $2 million lawsuit against him for damages, saying he signed a letter of intent to re-sign with WCW. He later filed a suit of his own in response, but the matter was settled out of court. Ric Flair finally returned to television in September 1998.
On May 5, 2002, a number of WWE wrestlers and management members flew from Great Britain to the United States following the end of a European tour, which concluded with the Insurrextion pay-per-view event in the United Kingdom. World Wrestling Entertainment was hit with a sexual harassment suit by Sportjet flight attendants stemming from the alleged actions of Ric Flair, Dustin Runnels, and Scott Hall among others. The lawsuit alleged that Flair, wearing only his robe, flashed everyone and forced an attendant to touch his crotch.
Personal information
Flair does not know his birth name. In a chapter of his autobiography 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, 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) and a theater writer (mother). 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.
The pilot of the private aircraft (a Cessna 310) involved in Flair's 1975 plane crash languished in a coma for a year before dying. It was discovered after the accident that the pilot was flying on a suspended license. Flair later sued the pilot's estate for damages and won.
Flair is sometimes seen attending the Carolina Hurricanes NHL ice hockey games at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. At many home games when the Hurricanes score a goal, a short video appears on the arena's Jumbotron monitors, with Ric Flair saying: "That's a Carolina Hurricanes Goal! Wooo! Wooo Wooo!" The appearance is very popular amongst Hurricanes fans.
Flair has been active in North Carolina Republican politics, most notably supporting Jesse Helms.
Flair has appeared in three motion pictures: The Wrestler (1974), Body Slam (1987), and Sting: Moment of Truth (2004).
Flair's son David Flair is also a professional wrestler. Flair's younger son Reid Fliehr is an accomplished high school wrestler and made several appearances on WCW television along with his sister Ashley and half-sister Megan.
Flair is not related to the Andersons. He was billed as their cousin in the various NWA territories and WCW.
In May 2005, Flair's wife Beth filed for divorce, citing steroid and alcohol abuse, in addition to incidents where he slapped, kicked, choked, and bit her. Flair has been ordered to pay Beth $20,000 a month until the divorce in finalized. The judge overseeing the divorce is considering freezing Flair's assets because he spent $92,000 for a ring for his new girlfriend. Flair contends that he and his wife lived well beyond their means and racked up substantial debt to the IRS and other creditors. Flair owed the government more than $1 million in 1997, and the IRS is now seizing more than $200,000 of his salary in 2005 to cover the owed taxes.
In December 2005, a magistrate issued arrest warrants for Flair after a road rage incident that took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, 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. That left the motorist with bruises and a dent in his Toyota 4Runner. Flair was charged with injury to personal property and simple assault and battery, both misdemeanors. This incident has been ridiculed on WWE programming, most notably by the wrestler Edge.
Flair has recently expressed an interest in running for the position of Governor of North Carolina for the Republican Party, although he previously stated in his autobiography that his sordid past would preclude any involvement in politics.
Trivia
- Flair is the first WCW champion.
- Flair dedicated his book to all of his WWE fans.
- Ric Flair (actually Rick Fliehr) attended Wayland Academy, a coeducational boarding school in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
In wrestling
Quotes
- "Wooooooooooooooo!"
- "The Horsemen will be having a party tonight!"
- "Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because it's the best thing going...today!"
- "I'm the limousine ridin', jet flyin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin', stylin' and profilin' son of a gun!"
- "To be 'The Man', you gotta beat the man."
- "It's the oldest ride in the park, but it's still got the longest line!"
- "I can go 'Wooooo!' all night long!"
- "I made a bet with a winner last night." (Since his redebut in the WWE.)
- "Girls, you can't be the first, but you can be next."
- "Diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair."
- "I've had more championships than you've had pieces of ass!"(To Sean Waltman, who was a midcard wrestler at the time)
- "Come ride space mountain one time, Wooo!"
- "All the women want to be with me, all the men want to be like me!"
- "What's causin' all this?"
Finishing and signature moves
- Figure four leglock
- Backhand chop
- Chop block
- Elbow drop to the knee
- Inverted atomic drop
- Knee drop
- Shin breaker
- Stalling butterfly suplex
Signature illegal moves
Flair's "failing" moves
Flair has gained a measure of notoriety for his (kayfabe) inability to successfully execute certain moves without being thwarted.
- His most notable "failing move" involves his repeated failed attempts to execute a move off the top turnbuckle. Whenever Flair scales the top turnbuckle, he is almost inevitably pushed off the top rope to the floor below, knocked off balance so he crotches himself on the turnbuckle, or, most commonly of all, bodily hurled from the top rope to the mat.
- A variation of this is the "Flair Flip," when he goes over the top rope and lands on his feet on the ring apron. He then invariably attempts to run along the apron to a turnbuckle. Almost invariably, he will either be clotheslined by his opponent before reaching the turnbuckle or will make it to the turnbuckle and climb up it, only to suffer the same "fate" (typically to be pushed off, crotched, or thrown down).
- The "Flair Flop": Flair, after attempting but failing a strenuous move or because he's "tired," will execute a face-first bump, often followed by a "begging-off" routine, followed by a low-blow or eye poke (maintaining his "dirtiest player in the game" reputation).
Nicknames
- "Ramblin'" Ricky Rhodes
- The Nature Boy
- Slick Ric
- Space Mountain
- Naitch
- The Dirtiest Player in the Game
- The "Real" World Heavyweight Champion
- The Nature Boss
- The 16 time World Heavyweight Champion
- Black Scorpion (masked)
- The 60 Minute Man
Championships and accomplishments
- 13-Time NWA World Heavyweight Champion
- 5-Time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion
- 2-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic/World Television Champion
- 3-Time NWA World Tag Team Champion (2-time with Greg Valentine, 1-time with Blackjack Mulligan)
- 4-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champion (1-time with Rip Hawk, 1-time with Greg Valentine, 2-time with Big John Studd)
- 4-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time NWA Missouri Heavyweight Champion
- 2-Time WWE Champion
- 1-Time WWE Intercontinental Champion
- 2-Time WWE World Tag Team Champion (2-time with Batista)
- 1992 Royal Rumble winner
- He was ranked # 2 out of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- 1975 Rookie of the Year
- 1978 and 1987 Most Hated Wrestler
- 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1992 Wrestler of the Year
- 1983 Match of the Year against Harley Race
- 1984 Match of the Year against Kerry Von Erich
- 1986 Match of the Year against Dusty Rhodes
- 1989 Match of the Year against Ricky Steamboat
- 1987 Feud of the Year (Four Horsemen against Super Powers & Road Warriors)
- 1988 Feud of the Year (against Lex Luger)
- 1989 Feud of the Year (against Terry Funk)
- 1990 Feud of the Year (against Lex Luger)
- He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 1996)
- Wrestler of the Year award renamed the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award, partly in his honor
- 1980 Most Charismatic Wrestler
- 1982 Wrestler of the Year
- 1982 Most Charismatic Wrestler (tied with Dusty Rhodes)
- 1983 Wrestler of the Year
- 1983 Most Charismatic Wrestler
- 1983 Match of the Year (vs Harley Race)
- 1984 Worst Wrestler of the Year
- 1984 Most Charismatic Wrestler
- 1985 Wrestler of the Year
- 1986 Wrestler of the Year
- 1986 Most Outstanding Wrestler
- 1986 Match of the Year (vs Barry Windham)
- 1987 Most Outstanding Wrestler
- 1988 Match of the Year (vs Sting)
- 1989 Wrestler of the Year
- 1989 Most Outstanding Wrestler
- 1989 Feud of the Year (vs Terry Funk)
- 1989 Match of the Year (vs Ricky Steamboat)
- 1990 Wrestler of the Year
- 1990 Best Heel
- 1991 Best Interviews
- 1992 Wrestler of the Year
- 1992 Best Interviews
- 1993 Most Charismatic Wrestler
- 1994 Best Interviews
- Others
- The visitors at PWInsider.com voted him the greatest heel of all time in 2005.
- He is a member of the Wrestling Informer Hall of Fame (inducted in 2002).
- Flair, along with Kurt Angle and Bret Hart are the only wrestlers to hold the WWE Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WCW Championship and WCW United States Championship.
Championship succession
References
- Where Flair got the "Nature Boy" name
- Ric Flair at TheSmokingGun.com
- Ric Flair career bio at Wrestleinfo.com
- A record of Flair's title victories
External links
- 1949 births
- Living people
- Adoptees
- American professional wrestlers
- People from Minnesota
- People from North Carolina
- Charlotteans
- Professional wrestling managers and valets
- Anderson wrestling family
- Professional wrestling executives
- The Four Horsemen
- Entertainers who played football
- Minnesota Golden Gophers football players