Richard Morgan Fliehr
[1] (born February 25, 1949) better known by his ring name, Ric Flair
, is a retired American professional wrestler. Also known as "The Nature Boy," Flair is one of the most well known professional wrestlers in the world. [2]
Flair is recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion (8-time NWA Champion, 6-time WCW Champion, and 2-time WWE Champion) although his actual tally of World Championship reigns varies by source. In World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he also had two stints as a booker—from 1989 to 1990 and again in 1994. [3] Flair also won the 1992 Royal Rumble and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008. Flair ended his 36-year in-ring career in 2008 at WrestleMania XXIV.
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RIC FLAIR TICKETS
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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. At the time of his adoption, his father was completing a residency in
gynecology in
Detroit. Shortly afterward, 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 taking five years to graduate.
As a teen, Flair took a summer job as a lifeguard at a local pool in Minnesota, 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, Flair attended Gagne's first Wrestling camp with Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell, Iron Sheik, etc at Gagne's barn outside of Minneapolis in the winter of 1971. Flair met Ken Patera when he was working as a bouncer after dropping out of school at the U of M after completing his freshmen year there is 68-69. They lived together for a while in South Minneapolis. Flair made fast progress; and in December of 1972, he made his debut in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, battling George "Scrap Iron" Gadaski to a 10-minute draw while adopting the ring name "Ric Flair."
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.
[5]
National Wrestling Alliance
In 1974, Flair left the AWA for
Jim Crockett's Mid-Atlantic region in the
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA);
and he soon captured his first singles 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).
[6] Flair broke his back in three places; and at age 26, he was told by doctors that he would never wrestle again.
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.
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" in order to incite 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 ya don't like it, learn to love 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, eight 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 an 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
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. Over the years, there would be various incarnations of the group, with Flair and Arn Anderson as the two permanent members, while a number of different wrestlers, including
Lex Luger,
Barry Windham,
Sting,
Sid Vicious,
Paul Roma,
Brian Pillman,
Chris Benoit,
Steve McMichael,
Curt Hennig, and
Dean Malenko, have held the other two spots in the Horsemen.
World Championship Wrestling (1986–1991)
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.
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
nine time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, breaking Harley Race's record of eight 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 spring 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".
[7] Flair disagreed with the proposals, and two weeks before the
The Great American Bash, Herd fired him and vacated the WCW Championship. 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 NWA World Champion until September 8, when the title was officially vacated.
World Wrestling Federation (1991–1993)
Flair signed with the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in August 1991 and began appearing on television as one of the most hated heels 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.
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 nearly 60 minutes, last eliminating
Sid Justice with help from Hulk Hogan, who had been eliminated by Justice seconds earlier.
[8] 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.
In July 1992, as Savage prepared to defend the title against
The Ultimate Warrior at
SummerSlam,
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, an injury that Flair exploited to regain the title in a match with Savage on September 1. His second reign was 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.
[9] After losing a
Loser Leaves the WWF match to Mr. Perfect on an episode of
Monday Night Raw
,
[10] 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.
[11] 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 (1993–2001)
thumb.
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 was still subject to 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 for the second time.
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. The Nature Boy 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). During Flair's time away from the ring, he came in second on People Online's 50 Most Beautiful People. Flair feuded with Bischoff for several months afterward and eventually turned heel in the process. This 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 unconscious, 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, the company'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
on March 26, 2001, he gave an emotional speech regarding the company's greatness. Later in the night, Flair lost the final match in
Nitro
history to Sting. Nevertheless, Flair has repeatedly stated in various interviews how happy he was when WCW finally closed down; although, at the same time, the fact that many people would lose their jobs saddened him.
[12]
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2001–2008)
After a hiatus from professional wrestling, Flair returned to the WWF in November 2001 as the on-camera co-owner of the company.
[13] 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.
[14] 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.
[15] 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.
[ Flair also wrestled The Undertaker at WrestleMania X8 in 2002 where Flair lost after a hard fought battle and interference by Arn Anderson. [16] From then, the "co-owner" angle culminated in early 2002, when McMahon controlled SmackDown!, and Flair controlled Raw. [17] 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. [18]
]
Flair later became a villain by joining Triple H's "Evolution" stable. [19] Flair won the World Tag Team Championship with Batista twice in 2003 and 2004. [20] [21] After Triple H took time off after Vengeance and for the rest of the summer, Flair would become a fan favorite again by beginning a short feud with Kurt Angle. Later, at Unforgiven in 2005, Flair defeated Carlito for the Intercontinental Championship. [22] He defended the title in a feud with Triple H before losing it to Shelton Benjamin. [23] 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 real-life rivalry Mick Foley that played off their legitimate past animosity. [24] Flair defeated Foley at SummerSlam in an "I Quit" match.
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. [25] On the November 13 edition of Raw
, Flair and Piper lost the Tag Titles to Rated-RKO, [26] 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. 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. [27]
Flair then began teaming with Carlito after Flair said that Carlito had no heart. [28] Flair defeated Carlito in a match after which Carlito realized that Flair was right. [29] 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, [30] [31] the team split up when Carlito attacked Flair during a match. [32] At Judgment Day, Flair defeated Carlito with the figure four leglock. [33] His career was put at risk following a match with Randy Orton on June 4, 2007. [34]
On the June 11 edition of Raw
, Flair was drafted from Raw
to SmackDown!
as part of the 2007 WWE Draft. [35] He briefly feuded against Montel Vontavious Porter [36] [37] 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. [38] [39]
After a three month absence, Flair returned to WWE programming on the November 26 edition of Raw
to announce that he would "never retire". [40] [41] Vince McMahon retaliated by announcing that the next match Flair lost would result in a forced retirement. Later in the night, Flair defeated Orton after a distraction by Chris Jericho. 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, Mr. Kennedy, and Vince McMahon himself among others. [42] [43] [44] On March 29, 2008, Flair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2008 by Triple H. Flair became the first active wrestler to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. The day after, Flair wrestled his final match at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando, Florida, losing to Shawn Michaels. [45] This match was voted the 2008 PWI Match of the Year. Flair's fight to keep his career going garnered him the 2008 PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year award.
"Retirement" and part–time appearances
On the March 31, 2008 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 Chris Jericho, followed by The Undertaker and then Vince McMahon. Along with the wrestlers, the fans gave Ric a standing ovation. This event represented a rare moment in WWE as both the heels and the faces 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, more in the case of the Undertaker as it involved him hugging Ric Flair and then raising his arm in victory, but were included in Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection DVD
as extras.
Flair made his first post-retirement appearance on the June 16, 2008 edition of Raw
to confront Chris Jericho about his actions from the previous week, when Jericho brutalized Shawn Michaels. Flair did not want to come out of retirement and have an official match, but challenged Jericho to a fight in the parking lot, until he was ejected from the building by Vince McMahon. [46]
On the February 9, 2009 episode of Raw
, Flair made an appearance to once again confront Chris Jericho, telling him to respect the WWE Legends and the fans. The segment ended with Flair punching Jericho. [47] Exactly one month later, on the March 9, 2009 episode of Raw
, Flair appeared during a Money in the Bank qualifier match between Jericho and Kofi Kingston, distracting Jericho which cost him the match. Flair distracted Jericho as revenge for Jericho's attacks on Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat. Jericho subsequently suggested Flair come out of retirement and challenged him to a match on the March 16, 2009 Raw
. [48]
thumb at WrestleMania XXV.
That week, Flair declined Jericho's challenge to come out of retirement. Instead he, along with Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka attacked Jericho. [49] Flair made another appearance the next week, to accept Jericho's challenge on behalf of Steamboat, Piper and Snuka for a 3-on-1 handicap match at WrestleMania XXV. Jericho then proceeded to brutally attack Flair, causing him to bleed and even destroying the watch that was given to Flair from Michaels after Wrestlemania. [50]
At the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Flair inducted Ricky Steamboat whom Flair called the hardest competition he ever fought. The next day at Wrestlemania XXV, Flair was in the corner of Piper, Snuka, and Steamboat for the match against Jericho. Jericho went on to win the match, and then went after Flair. While Flair was knocked down, Mickey Rourke came into the ring and nailed Jericho with an upper left hook, at which time Flair came in and held up Rourke's hand in victory.
On May 17, 2009, Flair returned to WWE during the Judgment Day pay-per-view, coming to the aid of Batista, who was being attacked by The Legacy faction (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase). He also appeared the following night on Raw
, in a verbal confrontation with Orton. He then went on to compete in a Backstage Brawl with Orton on the June 1st Edition of Raw, after an interference from the rest of The Legacy, the fight ended with Flair trapped inside a steel cage as he was punted by Orton.
Ring of Honor
Flair then signed with Ring of Honor (ROH) and appeared at the aptly titled ''Stylin' And Profilin event in March, clearing the ring after an ROH World Championship match ended with a run-in. [51] He soon served as the company's ambassador, in an on-screen authority role and appeared on the television show
Ring of Honor Wrestling in May to cement his role. [52] After a #1 Contender match ended in a time-limit draw, and the following week a double count out, Flair announced
Ring of Honor Wrestling's'' first ROH World Title match as a four way contest. [53]He later quit as ROH ambassador,but still makes minor appearances
Legacy
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, but still remained one of the most entertaining parts of the show. The "Woooooo!"
yell has since become a tribute to Flair, and is often shouted by the crowd whenever a wrestler performs a knife-edge chop, one of Flair's signature moves. [54] From the late 1970s, Flair wore ornate fur-lined robes of many colors with sequins during in-ring appearances, 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. 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. 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. [55]
Flair released his autobiography, To Be the Man
, in July 2004. [56] 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 first, and, as of 2008, only, person to be inducted while still an active competitor. [57] 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. [58] 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. He received the key to the city of Greensboro, North Carolina on December 5, 2008, to commemorate Flair's victory in a cage match against Harley Race at the inaugural Starrcade event. [59]
On September 29, 2008, it was 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 National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. thanks to Gillespie Talent, his booking agency.
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. [60] 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. Whenever Chris Paul scores at Hornets home games, A clip of Ric Flair holding a basketball and wearing his signature robe plays with Flair saying his trademark "Woooo!". The crowd usually repeats the "Wooo!"
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. His "Wooooo!" is played at Carolina Stadium after a Gamecock pitcher records a strikeout.
In September 2007, Flair opened a financial business called Ric Flair Finance
. [61] In July 2008, Ric Flair Finance filed for bankruptcy. [62]
Family
Flair's son David is a semi-retired professional wrestler. Flair's youngest son Reid, who signed a developmental contract with WWE near the end of 2007, [63] is an accomplished high school wrestler and made several appearances on WCW television along with his sister Ashley and half-sister Megan. [64]
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.[ [65]
]
On May 27, 2006, Ric married his third wife, fitness competitor Tiffany VanDemark. [66] On August 7, 2008, Tiffany announced that she had filed for divorce from Flair. [67]
Flair's daughter Ashley was arrested on September 5, 2008 for assaulting a police officer. [68] The incident occurred after police were called to a fight involving Flair, Ashley, and her boyfriend.
Real-life feuds
In 2004, Flair engaged in an off-screen rivalry with Bret Hart. In Flair's autobiography, Flair criticizes Hart for over-exploiting the death of his brother, Owen Hart, and the controversy surrounding the Montreal Screwjob. [69] Flair also claimed in his autobiography that, despite Hart's popularity throughout Canada and Europe, he was not a formidable money-making draw in the United States, a claim which Hart dismissed in a column written for the Calgary Sun
. [70] Hart claimed that he drew greater revenue than Flair, citing his headlining performances on consistently sold out tours throughout the United States during his career. He also criticized Flair on what he perceived as insults to fellow wrestlers Mick Foley and Randy Savage, both personal friends of Hart's. Hart did acknowledge a decline in the WWF's popularity during the mid 1990s, but he - and others - felt that this was largely attributed to the WWF's well publicised sex and steroid scandals, as well as WCW's acquisition of former top WWF stars. [71] [72]
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. [73] 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."
[74] 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."
[75] They have since buried the hatchet and are now friends.
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. McMahon scolded Flair, telling him that his actions were unprofessional and that it couldn't happen again.
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 January 17, 1999, in Charleston, WV. [76] 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.
Flair and wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino have a real-life disagreement over what reports call "the infamous backstage “snub” where Flair claims that Sammartino refused to shake his hand at a live event." [77]. The event took place on July 26, 2004 at Mellon Arena in Sammartino's hometown of Pittsburgh. While Flair claims Sammartino ignored him due to comments made in his book stating Sammartino was "a Northeast star who couldn’t draw fans outside New York," [77] Sammartino disagrees. Sammartino referred to Flair as a "liar," stating, "No, I don’t respect Ric Flair. I don’t respect him at all." [79]. Sammartino contends that Flair avoided him, and not vice versa.
Politics
Flair has long supported Republican political candidates in North Carolina politics. [80] In 2000, Flair explored the possibility of running for governor of North Carolina, but he never filed the papers. [81]
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." [82]
In wrestling
thumb delivering Knife edge chops to Mikey
- Finishing moves
- *Diving knee drop [83] – early career
- *Figure four leglock
- Signature moves
- *Atomic drop
- *Crossbody
- *Chop block, usually as a setup for the figure four leglock
- *Elbow drop
- *Eye rake
- *Inside cradle
- *Inverted atomic drop
- *Knife–edged chop, usually with Flair shouting "Wooooooooo!"
- *Low blow
- *Multiple suplex variations
- **Belly to back
- **Delayed vertical
- **Double arm
- *Roll–up while holding the opponent's tights or placing his feet on the ropes for extra leverage
- *Running jumping knee drop
- *Shin breaker, usually as a setup for the figure four leglock
- *Snapmare
- *Testicular claw
- Nicknames
- *"(The) Nature Boy"
- *"Naitch (Short for "Nature Boy")"
- *"The Dirtiest (Damn) Player in the Game"
- *"The Man"
- *"The Limousine Ridin', Jet Flying, Kiss Stealin', Wheelin' Dealin', Son of a Gun"
- *"Space Mountain"
- *"The Sixty-Minute Man"
- *"Slick Ric"
- Managers and valets
- *Arn Anderson
- *Ole Anderson
- *Babydoll
- *Debra
- *James J. Dillon
- *Double D
- *Miss Elizabeth
- *Fifi
- *Jimmy Hart
- *Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
- *Curt Hennig
- *Sherri Martel
- *Hiro Matsuda
- *Woman
- Wrestlers managed
- *Stone Cold Steve Austin
- *The Big Show
- *Carlito
- *David Flair
- *Reid Flair
- Entrance Music
- *"Dawn" section of the tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss
Championships and accomplishments
thumb
- All Star Pro Wrestling
- *NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [84]
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- *NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [85]
- Central States Wrestling
- *NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling
- *NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (4 times) [86]
- *NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Rip Hawk (1), Greg Valentine (1) and Big John Studd (1) [87]
- *NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship (1 time) [88]
- *NWA Television Championship (1 time)
- *NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
(5 times)1 [89]
- *NWA World Heavyweight Championship (7 times)2
- *NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
(3 times) – with Greg Valentine (2) and Blackjack Mulligan (1) [90]
- *WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)3 [91]
- *WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- *WCW World Heavyweight Championship (8 times) [92]
- National Wrestling Alliance
- *NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)
- '''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- *PWI ranked him #2
of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003 [93]
- *PWI ranked him #3
of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991, 1992, and 1994 [94] [95] [96]
- *Feud of the Year (1987) Four Horsemen vs. Super Powers and Road Warriors [97]
- *Feud of the Year (1988, 1990) vs. Lex Luger
- *Feud of the Year (1989) vs. Terry Funk
- *Match of the Year (1983) vs. Harley Race (June 10)
- *Match of the Year (1984) vs. Kerry Von Erich at Parade of Champions 1 [98]
- *Match of the Year (1986) vs. Dusty Rhodes at The Great American Bash in a steel cage match
- *Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar
- *Match of the Year (2008) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV
- *Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1978, 1987) [99]
- *Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2008)
- *Rookie of the Year (1975) [100]
- *Stanley Weston Award (2008)
- *Wrestler of the Year (1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1992) [101]
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- *Class of 2006
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- *NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [102]
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- *Class of 2007
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
- *World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Batista (2) and Roddy Piper (1)
- *WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
- *WWF Championship (2 times) [103]
- *Royal Rumble (1992)
- *WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)
- *Thirteenth Triple Crown Champion
- *Slammy Award for Match of the Year (2008) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- *5 Star Match (1987) vs. Barry Windham at the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup
- *5 Star Match (1989) vs. Ricky Steamboat at Chi-Town Rumble
- *5 Star Match (1989) vs. Ricky Steamboat in a two out of three falls match at Clash of the Champions VI
- *5 Star Match (1989) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar
- *5 Star Match (1989) vs. Terry Funk in an "I Quit" match at Clash of the Champions IX
- *5 Star Match (1991) with Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham and Sid Vicious vs. Sting, Brian Pillman, Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner in a WarGames match at WrestleWar
- * Best Heel (1990)
- *Best Interviews (1991, 1992, 1994)
- *Feud of the Year (1989) vs. Terry Funk
- *Match of the Year (1983) vs. Harley Race in a steel cage match at Starrcade
- *Match of the Year (1986) vs. Barry Windham at Battle of the Belts II on February 14
- *Match of the Year (1988) vs. Sting at Clash of the Champions I
- *Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar
- *Most Charismatic (1980, 1982–1984, 1993)
- *Most Outstanding (1986, 1987, 1989)
- *Readers' Favorite Wrestler (1984–1993, 1996)
- *Worst Feud of the Year (1990) vs. The Junkyard Dog
- *Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Lex Luger, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta and The Ultimate Solution vs. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored
- *Wrestler of the Year (1982–1986, 1989, 1990, 1992)
- *Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
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
- Power Slam
- http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/flair.html
- Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.160)
- Ric Flair
- Ric Flair
- The plane crash that changed wrestling
- slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/06/27/516827.html
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- RAW 1993 Results
- http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/93.htm
- WWE: The Monday Night Wars DVD
- Raw - November 19, 2001 Results
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- RAW - November 19, 2001 Results
- WrestleMania X-8 Results
- RAW - March 25, 2002 Results
- RAW - June 10, 2002 Results
- RAW - January 24, 2003 Results
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- RAW - March 22, 2004 Results
- 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts
- RAW - February 20, 2006 Results
- RAW - June 12, 2006 Results
- 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts
- RAW - November 13, 2006 Results
- RAW - December 11, 2006 Results
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated, May 2007
- RAW - February 12, 2007 Results
- Italian Intercontinental surprise
- A sign of things to come?
- Khali's claim
- Schooled
- Crazy like a fox?
- One wild night
- A taste of vengeance
- MVP puts on legendary show with win over Flair
- Handing notice
- Answer to the challenge?
- Win or go home - for good
- Legend of the Fall
- Life Goes On
- A Flair for greatness
- Never Say Die
- WrestleMania XXIV results: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/06162008/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/02092009/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/03092009/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/03162009/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/03232009/
- ROH Past Results
- Ring of Honor HDNet Program 05/02/2009 Part 1/6
- Ring of Honor HDNet Program 05/16/2009 part 4/7
- Ric Flair Bio
- RAW -May 19, 2003 Results
- Ric Flair, author
- Hall Monitor
- Key to City
- Flair given key to the city in Greensboro
- RAW - December 5, 2005 Results
- The Finance Company That Makes You Want To Go "Wooo!"
- Ring Posts: Ric Flair’s departure from WWE - Ring Posts is a Baltimore Sun blog about wrestling - baltimoresun.com
- 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.
- Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling
- Going toe to toe with Ric Flair
- Ric Flair Wedding Pics
- PWMania.com - Ric Flair Breaks Up With Third Wife Tiffany
- Wrestler's daughter arrested after tussle with police
- www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=887C21B7-3048-52EA-1E34C39B8C6042BE
- Bret Hart On Flair
- Wwf Aims Low, Shoots High Wrestling Comes To The Garden On A Roll
- World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. - Company History
- The Franchise on Flair & Russo
- Foley, Mick. ''Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks'' (p.2)
- Ric Flair: to Be the Man
- "Goldberg beat himself"
- http://combat-hooligans.com/2008/02/11/bruno-sammartino-shoots-hard-on-ric-flair-and-explains-why-he
- http://combat-hooligans.com/2008/02/11/bruno-sammartino-shoots-hard-on-ric-flair-and-explains-why-he
- http://combat-hooligans.com/2008/02/17/bruno-sammartino-reveals-how-wwe-asked-him-to-join-the-hall-o
- Flair aims to be N.C governor
- Flair doesn't file to be N.C. governor - yet
- Huckabee tailgates and welcomes wrestler support
- OWOW profile
- NWA World Heavyweight Title history[1] At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/WCW) history At wrestling-titles.com
- WCW International World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- WCW World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1991
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1992
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1994
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Feud of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Match of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Most Hated Wrestler of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Rookie of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Wrestler of the Year
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- Title history: Ric Flair
References
- Power Slam
- http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/flair.html
- Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.160)
- Ric Flair
- Ric Flair
- The plane crash that changed wrestling
- slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/06/27/516827.html
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- RAW 1993 Results
- http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/93.htm
- WWE: The Monday Night Wars DVD
- Raw - November 19, 2001 Results
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- RAW - November 19, 2001 Results
- WrestleMania X-8 Results
- RAW - March 25, 2002 Results
- RAW - June 10, 2002 Results
- RAW - January 24, 2003 Results
- 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts
- RAW - March 22, 2004 Results
- 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts
- RAW - February 20, 2006 Results
- RAW - June 12, 2006 Results
- 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts
- RAW - November 13, 2006 Results
- RAW - December 11, 2006 Results
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated, May 2007
- RAW - February 12, 2007 Results
- Italian Intercontinental surprise
- A sign of things to come?
- Khali's claim
- Schooled
- Crazy like a fox?
- One wild night
- A taste of vengeance
- MVP puts on legendary show with win over Flair
- Handing notice
- Answer to the challenge?
- Win or go home - for good
- Legend of the Fall
- Life Goes On
- A Flair for greatness
- Never Say Die
- WrestleMania XXIV results: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/06162008/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/02092009/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/03092009/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/03162009/
- http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/03232009/
- ROH Past Results
- Ring of Honor HDNet Program 05/02/2009 Part 1/6
- Ring of Honor HDNet Program 05/16/2009 part 4/7
- Ric Flair Bio
- RAW -May 19, 2003 Results
- Ric Flair, author
- Hall Monitor
- Key to City
- Flair given key to the city in Greensboro
- RAW - December 5, 2005 Results
- The Finance Company That Makes You Want To Go "Wooo!"
- Ring Posts: Ric Flair’s departure from WWE - Ring Posts is a Baltimore Sun blog about wrestling - baltimoresun.com
- 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.
- Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling
- Going toe to toe with Ric Flair
- Ric Flair Wedding Pics
- PWMania.com - Ric Flair Breaks Up With Third Wife Tiffany
- Wrestler's daughter arrested after tussle with police
- www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=887C21B7-3048-52EA-1E34C39B8C6042BE
- Bret Hart On Flair
- Wwf Aims Low, Shoots High Wrestling Comes To The Garden On A Roll
- World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. - Company History
- The Franchise on Flair & Russo
- Foley, Mick. ''Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks'' (p.2)
- Ric Flair: to Be the Man
- "Goldberg beat himself"
- http://combat-hooligans.com/2008/02/11/bruno-sammartino-shoots-hard-on-ric-flair-and-explains-why-he
- http://combat-hooligans.com/2008/02/11/bruno-sammartino-shoots-hard-on-ric-flair-and-explains-why-he
- http://combat-hooligans.com/2008/02/17/bruno-sammartino-reveals-how-wwe-asked-him-to-join-the-hall-o
- Flair aims to be N.C governor
- Flair doesn't file to be N.C. governor - yet
- Huckabee tailgates and welcomes wrestler support
- OWOW profile
- NWA World Heavyweight Title history[1] At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/WCW) history At wrestling-titles.com
- WCW International World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- WCW World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1991
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1992
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1994
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Feud of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Match of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Most Hated Wrestler of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Rookie of the Year
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Wrestler of the Year
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- Title history: Ric Flair