Ric Flair

Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee), better known by his stage name "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler currently with WWE on its RAW brand, and is currently its Intercontinental Champion for his first ever reign. He has been one of the leading personalities in professional wrestling since the mid 1970s, is a 16-time world champion, and is considered to be among the elite names in the history of the industry.

Professional wrestling

NWA/WCW

After three years with 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. Flair went as far as suing the estate of the pilot who caused his 1975 plane crash and actually won.

Related Topics:
NWA - Jim Crockett Promotions - North Carolina - South Carolina - Virginia - October 4 - 1975 - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Ric Flair won the United States Heavyweight Championship five times, then won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time by defeating Dusty Rhodes in 1981. Harley Race won the title from Flair in 1983. Flair regained the title at StarrCade '83 in Greensboro, North Carolina in a steel cage match. Flair would go on to win the NWA title 8 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.

Related Topics:
NWA World Heavyweight Championship - Dusty Rhodes - 1981 - Harley Race - 1983 - StarrCade - Greensboro, North Carolina - Georgia - Texas - Florida - Louisiana - Puerto Rico - Japan - Singapore - Australia - New Zealand

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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.

Related Topics:
1980s - The Four Horsemen - Stable - Ricky Steamboat - Lex Luger - Sting - Feuded - Magnum T.A. - Nikita Koloff - Ricky Morton - Rock 'N Roll Express - Kerry von Erich - Woman - Miss Elizabeth - Sherri Martel - Baby Doll

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World Wrestling Federation

After a contract dispute with WCW head Jim Herd, while still WCW/NWA champion, Flair left WCW (a group run by Ted Turner which had just abdicated from the NWA alliance) in July 1991. Flair was offered a 50% pay cut and no longer got the option of booking power. WCW officials wanted to make Lex Luger their top star and wanted to make Ric Flair a midcard star. Flair disagreed and a week before 1991 Great American Bash he either quit or was fired by WCW. According to Flair, Jim Herd wanted Flair to change his appearance (i.e. by cutting his hair and wearing a diamond earring) in order to "change with the times."

Related Topics:
Jim Herd - WCW - Ted Turner - July 1991 - Booking power - Great American Bash

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During Ric Flair's first run in the WWF, he took the WCW/NWA World title belt with him. This is because Herd refused to give Flair the $25,000 deposit he put down on the belt itself, plus interest. Back in the NWA days, the NWA World Champion required to place a $25,000 deposit on the belt to ensure that the champion wouldn't leave the NWA with the belt; he dropped the belt, the $25,000 would be returned to him, plus any interest that had accumulated over time. Eventually, WCW tried to sue the WWF to regain the belt, but the case was dropped, because the belt itself was still the property of the NWA. Eventually, when Flair returned to WCW, the company finally paid Flair $36,000 for the belt (the $25,000 deposit, plus $11,000 interest). In the meantime, Flair wore an old WWF World Tag Team belt that was blurred out on television, and he was billed as the "Real World Heavyweight Champion."

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In January of 1992, Flair began his first run in the WWF including winning the WWF Title in a 30-man Royal Rumble. Flair also won another WWF Title before leaving the company. Vince McMahon and Flair himself simply felt that Flair was no longer needed in the WWF. McMahon thought 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.

Related Topics:
WWF - WWF Title - Royal Rumble - Mr. Perfect - Monday Night Raw

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Second WCW run

Flair returned 'home' to WCW in February 1993, feuding with the likes of Vader, Sting, Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and Eric Bischoff, gaining the WCW Title 8 more times before the company was bought out by Vince McMahon's WWF.

Related Topics:
February 1993 - Vader - Hulk Hogan - "Macho Man" Randy Savage - Eric Bischoff

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Ric Flair was also sued by WCW in 1998 for failure to show for a wrestling event. Flair had been working without a contract since February 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 he decided to not show up at a particular WCW Thunder taping. He was instead watching his son Reid's amateur wrestling tournament.

Related Topics:
1998 - Failure to show for a wrestling event - February - WCW Thunder

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WCW's booking committee decided out of nowhere to reform the Four Horsemen that particular night and announcers said he would be on the show over and over with a "big surprise." When Flair failed to show up, WCW got upset and filed a $2 million dollar 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.

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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.

Related Topics:
Heel - Magnificent Seven - Jeff Jarrett - Scott Steiner - Road Warrior Animal - Rick Steiner - Lex Luger - Buff Bagwell - March 26 - 2001 - Nitro

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Ric Flair was also the very first WCW Champion.

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World Wrestling Entertainment

After a brief hiatus from pro wrestling Flair returned to the WWF in late 2001 as the on-camera "co-owner" of the company. He turned face by joining forces with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Flair later turned heel again by turning on Austin. When Austin walked out on the company, Flair turned face once again after an altercation with (then heel) Vince McMahon. McMahon, who purportedly only had control of SmackDown! at the time, challenged Flair (the onscreen owner of Raw) to a match. If Flair lost, he would surrender his ownership of to McMahon, giving him exclusive control of the WWE once more, whereas the opposite would apply if Flair was victorious. Flair lost the match when Brock Lesnar charged the ring, knocking him unconcious and allowing McMahon to make the cover.

Related Topics:
2001 - Turned - Face - Stone Cold Steve Austin - SmackDown! - Raw - Brock Lesnar - Charged the ring

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Flair remained on RAW as an occasional wrestler, and eventually turned heel once more by betraying Rob Van Dam and joining forces with multi-time WWE Champion Triple H, with whom he later formed the stable Evolution, which contained future main event stars Randy Orton and Batista as members.

Related Topics:
Rob Van Dam - Triple H - Evolution - Randy Orton - Batista

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During 2003, Flair had a short-lived fued 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 Orton's interference, hitting the Heartbreak Kid with a steel chair after he was superkicked outside the ring trying to help his mentor.

Related Topics:
Shawn Michaels - Kevin Nash - Triple H - Bad Blood 2003

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At house shows and live events, the fued is picked up upon as the fans are treated to a "Legend vs. Legend" match.

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During the early months of the year, Shelton Benjamin, on his first night being drafted to RAW, defeated Triple H in a singles match, and went on to pick up more wins over Triple H on more than one occasion. Flair went on to face Benjamin at Backlash 2004, but lost after Benjamin delivered a top rope clothesline and administered a cover to the Nature Boy.

Related Topics:
Shelton Benjamin - Backlash 2004

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The night after Orton won the World Heavyweight Championship in a match against Chris Benoit. Flair, and Evolution turned their backs on Orton, and physically brutalized him. Flair went on to face Orton in a steel cage match at Taboo Tuesday in October 2004, and was defeated after an RKO in a bloody, competitive confrontation.

Related Topics:
Chris Benoit - Taboo Tuesday - October 2004

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Evolution disbanded in 2005 following weeks of in-fighting between Triple H and Batista. After several months' absence, Flair returned to RAW on August 22, 2005. He was interviewed on Carlito's Cabana, and eventually attacked the host, Carlito. As a result, Ric Flair turned face.

Related Topics:
2005 - Batista - August 22 - Carlito

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On August 29, 2005, Ric Flair was assigned to a tag team match with Shawn Michaels against Carlito and Chris Masters. During the broadcast, Flair was brutally beaten and busted open by an unknown assailant in a backstage area, and thus the match was changed to a handicap match with Shawn Michaels against Carlito and Masters. Ric Flair (bandaged, with a bloodied face and shirt) did join Michaels as a much-needed tag partner near the end of the match, but was eventually rendered unable to continue by Chris Masters's finishing move, the Master Lock.

Related Topics:
August 29 - 2005 - Shawn Michaels - Chris Masters

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On the 5th of September edition of RAW, while hosting Carlito?s Cabana, Carlito announced that he was responsible for brutally assaulting Flair backstage last week. Ric Flair and Carlito Caribbean Cool subsequently settled their differences with a match at WWE Unforgiven 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. Flair is now only the second wrestler to ever hold all six major titles from WCW and WWF at the age of 56. Second only to the legendary Bret Hart who did it by the age of 42.

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The following Monday a rematch was assigned between Ric Flair and Carlito Caribbean Cool. Flair won the rematch with another figure 4 leg lock. However, he was holding onto the ropes to apply more pain while the referee had his back turned to Carlito.

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On October 3, 2005 the fans thought Flair's best friend Triple H would turn face once more when he made his return to team up with him and go against Masters and Carlito. Triple H and Flair won, but it turned out that Triple H remained as a heel by beating Flair to a bloody pulp first with the sledge hammer and then with his own fists and asked him, "What were you thinking!" This reportedly should be a very long standing feud and Triple H may be the final piece of the puzzle that will define Flair's outstanding career.

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