Diamonds Are Forever: My Favorite Matches

The Nature Boy's Profile

Real Name: Richard Morgan Fliehr
Birth Date: February 25, 1949 in Memphis, TN.
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Height/Weight: 6'1'' 243 lbs.
Trained By: Verne Gagne
Pro Debut: 1972 (AWA)
Nicknames: The Nature Boy, The REAL World's Champion, Slick Ric, The Greatest Wrestler Of All Time, The Dirtiest Player in the Game, Naitch, "Slick" Ric
Finishing Move: Figure Four Leglock
Signature Moves: Flair Chops, Low Blows, Chop Block, Knee Drop, Thumb to the Eye, Shinbreaker, Nosedive, Turnbuckle Flip
Trademarks: Bleach Blonde Hair, Ornate Sequined Robes, Custom Made Suits, Shouts WOOOO!!!!, The Nature Boy "Strut," The Four Horsemen, Also Sprach Zarathustra (his theme song and the theme to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey), Limosuines, Jet Airplanes, Big Houses, Donzis, and Fine Women
Championships: 7 NWA World Heavyweight Titles; 10 WCW Heavyweight Titles; 2 WWF Heavyweight Titles; 6 NWA/WCW US Titles; 3 NWA World Tag Team Titles; 3 Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Titles; 3 Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles; 2 Mid-Atlantic Television Titles; 1 Missisouri State Heavyweight Title; 1 WWE Intercontinental Title; 3 WWE World Tag Team Titles

Monday, April 21, 2008

My Favorite Matches

This week I'll be counting down my favorite Ric Flair matches. Once again, these might not be his best matches but they're my favorites. I'm going to do my top 6 matches so it will probably spill over into next week. Without further adieu, here's #6...

Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk; "I Quit" Clash of the Champions IX: New York Knockout; November 15, 1989 at the Houston Field House in Troy, New York

After the conclusion of Ric Flair's Wrestle War '89 match with Ricky Steamboat in which Flair regained the World Title, Terry Funk (serving as a judge for the match, as per its stipulations) requested a title match from the newly crowned champion. Flair refused to grant Funk a title match, telling him that he had spent too much time in Hollywood and out of wrestling, and was not a listed title contender. Funk didn’t like the Nature Boy’s response so he viciously attacked him and even gave Ric a piledriver through the judges' table, putting Flair out of action for a while.

Months later, a "recovered" Flair returned to competition in an emotional match against Funk at The Great American Bash. Flair won with a small package but their feud continued through the summer. Ric even 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 Champions IX: New York Knockout in Troy, NY. 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 the Nature Boy locked on his famous figure four leglock.