Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Favorite Match #1

1. The Royal Rumble Match at the 1992 Royal Rumble; January 19, 1992 at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York
At the Royal Rumble in Albany, NY, a 42 year old Flair won the Rumble Match to claim the vacant WWF Championship (only Royal Rumble match ever to have the WWF title on the line) in an "Iron Man" like performance. Slic' Ric drew number three in the Rumble match, and lasted a then-record 59 minutes and 26 seconds (once again proving his 60 minute man moniker), last eliminating Sid Justice with help from (of all people) Hulk Hogan, who had been eliminated by Justice seconds earlier. In addition to Justice, Flair eliminated 3 other competitors- British Bulldog, Texas Tornado, and the Big Boss Man. In so doing, Flair joined Buddy Rogers as the only men to win the WWF and NWA World Championships in their careers. He also became the fifteenth man to hold the WWF Championship. Many wrestling historians say that the '92 Royal Rumble wasn’t just the greatest Rumble of all-time but it also included the greatest collection of wrestling talent ever assembled in one ring at one time. Basically, this means Flair went through the best of the best- Hogan, Savage, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Piper, etc.- and kept going. Every time it looked like Ric was about to be eliminated he always managed to escape by the skin of his teeth. Flair's performance was off the charts. It really allowed him to showcase his abilities with pretty much every major star in the WWF at the time. The match and its entrants also gave Flair the ability to rekindle some great past feuds in his career, i.e. Piper, Kerry Von Erich. Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan commentating was classic, as always, and added so much to this match. I'll never forget the line, "that's not fair to Flair" as Heenan kept yelling that (he was a staunch Flair supporter) at Monsoon when Flair was in trouble. It was truly a remarkable accomplishment that will go down as one of the greatest ever in professional wrestling. It is definitely a must see. It's 60 minutes of Flair- what more could you want in a match?


Clip from Ric Flair DVD where he talks about that period and the '92 Rumble...

Ric Flair Pre-Rumble Interview...

Royal Rumble 1992 part 1...

Part 2...

Part 3...

Part 4...

Part 5...

Part 6...

Part 7...

Clip from Flair's DVD that includes a couple of WWF spots as well as his unforgettable post Rumble interview.


Posted by Slic Ric at 7:36 PM 3 comments

Monday, April 28, 2008

Favorite Match #2

2. Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV in a Career Threatening Match; March 30th, 2008 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida
This match may be a little higher up on my list than other people's and that could be because it's still fresh in my mind almost a month later where as the other matches on this list took place over 15 years ago. That might be part of it but a very small part. I put this match at #2 because it literally was history in the making. It was seriously the first match I've seen live where I said "I just got to witness something special, a truly once in a lifetime event that I'll be talking about 50 years from now." It had that kind of impact on me and sure the same can be said for many other wrestling fans. In a career threatening match, the night after a very emotional induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, the Nature Boy Ric Flair "walked that aisle" one last time and turned back the clock at least 10 years. Flair hit all of his old spots (with the exception of his turnbuckle flip) and fought Shawn Michaels blow for blow before falling victim to a second rendition of HBK's "Sweet Chin Music." Naitch did everything in his power to pick up the victory, including a few illegal tactics, proving why he's known as the dirtiest player in the game. However, on this night it just wasn't meant to be and the 35 year career of the greatest wrestler to ever live came to a sad and tearful end. Earlier I talked about the emotions and intensity of the Flair-Vader match from Starrcade, but even that great match doesn't come close to the level of emotions on this night. From Flair's long walk down the aisle to a deafening ovation of "WOOOOOOOs," to the climatic sequence of events that ended the match, to Flair breaking down in the ring afterwards and sharing in the moment with his family at ringside, everything just seemed so real in a sport that everyone knows is fake (yes it is a sport). The cameras panned the crowd as Ric walked back up the aisle towards the back and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Even grown men wept. It was a storybook ending, a high profile match on the "Grandest Stage of Them All" against a close friend and future Hall of Famer in Shawn Michaels (who has idolized Flair since he was a young kid), and both men stole the show. So every year, on March 30th, I'll stop whatever I'm doing and reflect back to that night in 2008 at WreslteMania XXIV in the Citrus Bowl, when I had the privilege and honor of watching Ric Flair, the man, the myth, and the legend, hang up his wrestling boots for good. It's a moment that will go down in wrestling history and certainly never be forgotten. I'm just glad I was fortunate enough to see the Nature Boy wrestle, whereas future generations will have to grow with the crap we have now.


Flair-Michaels WrestleMania XXIV part 1...

Part 2...

Part 3...

Posted by Slic Ric at 6:30 PM 0 comments

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Favorite Match #3

3. Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at NWA's Wrestle War '89; May 7th, 1989 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee
This was the final match (and in my opinion the best) of Flair and Steamboat's historical run that took place back in 1989. It was the materialistic Nature Boy and Ricky "the family man" Steamboat for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The powers to be in WCW at the time added an extra stipulation, stating that this would be Flair's last shot at the World Title. If he lost, Ric Flair would never again wrestle for the title. Like the champion he was, Slic' Ric never panicked. He continued his flamboyant lifestyle, shoving his $1,000 suits, hordes of women, and $20,000 Rolex down Steamboat's throat. In turn, the Dragon continued to promote wholesome family values. Like I documented in my rivalry piece on these two great athletes, Steamboat had beaten Flair for the title in their first big match of '89 and the outcome of their second match was highly controversial. Everything had been building to this moment and at Wrestle War '89 in Nashville, Tennessee Ric Flair made the best of his "last chance," beating the Dragon for the belt in an epic encounter still talked about and highly regarded to this day. The match definitely lived up to all the hype in terms of both wrestling and intensity. Many wrestling fans and historians cite this match as one of the greatest professional wrestling matches of all-time. In fact, it was even voted as 1989's "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.


Recap of Flair and Steamboat's controversial match at the Clash of Champions plus some promos for Wrestle War...

Ric Flair-Ricky Steamboat confrontations part 1...

Confrontation part 2...

Piece from Ultimate Ric Flair collection on the Wrestle War match...

Wrestle War match part 1...

Part 2...

Part 3...

Conclusion...

Posted by Slic Ric at 6:33 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Favorite Match #4

4. Ric Flair vs. Big Van Vader for the WCW Heavyweight Championship at WCW Starrcade 1993; December 27th 1993 at Independence Arena in Charlotte, North CarolinaMany Flair fans may not think of this match as one of Ric's greatest but it's one of my personal favorites so I've decided to include it. WCW planned to have Sid Vicious win the WCW Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 1993 but Sid was fired after a violent real life altercation with Arn Anderson in London. As usual, when WCW got themselves into a bind, they turned to the Nature Boy to save the company. This time was no exception and Flair was booked in the match in place of Sid. In an emotional storyline, Flair would challenge the seemingly unstoppable champion Big Van Vader in exchange for putting his career on the line. In a brutal brawl in front of Ric Flair's hometown crowd in Charlotte, Flair clipped Vader's legs and rolled him up to win the championship. There was definitely a huge big match feel to this one and the psychology was certainly there. Flair attempted to outsmart and wear Vader down, while Vader tried to overpower and destroy a much smaller Flair. The match goes into detail in regard to small vs. big man and both played their roles perfectly. The match was a huge success. The emotion this match brought out was absolutely incredible, especially when Flair came back out after the match to thank the fans there in Charlotte. This victory is also significant because it was the 10th anniversary of Starrcade, 10 years after Flair beat Harley Race for the NWA World Title in the very first Starrcade.


Starrcade 1993 press conference...

Starrcade predictions (even one from Charles Barkley)...

Ric Flair vs. Big Van Vader at Starrcade '93 part 1...

Starrcade '93 match part 2...

Post match interview with Flair (Vader flips out)...

Posted by Slic Ric at 9:36 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Favorite Match #5

5. Ric Flair vs. Sting at Clash of Champions I; March 27, 1988; Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina

Sting Clash of Champions '88- In a rivalry that includes many classic encounters, this match between the Nature Boy and the man they call Sting at the very first Clash of Champions may have been the best. On March 27, 1988– the same night as WrestleMania IV – Ric Flair and Sting headlined the inaugural Clash of Champions. In a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title filled with suspense and excitement, the two legends wrestled to a 45 minute draw. Slic' Ric escaped by the skin of his teeth, bearing the Scorpion Deathlock just long enough to allow time to run out. As a result, Flair retained his title. Many people believe it was this match that made Sting a star and a main eventer, propelling him to even greater heights later on down the line.



Flair vs Sting Clash of Champions part 1...

Part 2...

Part 3...

Part 4

COTC I part 5...

Posted by Slic Ric at 7:30 PM 0 comments

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.




Promos and build-up to the match...

"I Quit" part 1...

Part 2...

Part 3...

Bonus:

Great promo from Flair on Funk on Nitro in early 2000...

Part 2...

Posted by Slic Ric at 7:19 PM 0 comments

Friday, April 18, 2008

More Flair and Sting

In the Ric Flair-Sting bonus section, I've decided to include a match-up from WCW's Clash of the Champions XXVII. The event was held back on June 23, 1994 in the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina (right in the heart of Flair country). In the main event that evening, Ric Flair, the WCW Heavyweight Champion (top belt), battled Sting, the WCW International Champion (bottom belt), in a title unification bout. As for a backstory, Sensational Sherrie was playing mind games with Sting and Flair, saying she would be in the corner of one of the two men for support but she wouldn't reveal who until that evening. Who would the Sensational one pick? Better yet, how would it affect the outcome of such an important match? Watch and see how everything played out...


Ric Flair vs Sting Title Unification Bout part 1...

Unification bout part 2...

Unification bout part 3...

Posted by Slic Ric at 8:24 PM 0 comments

Great Feud #1

1: Sting

The Ric Flair-Sting feud took place on and off throughout the late '80s and early '90s. At the inaugural Clash of Champions, Sting challenged Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The two wrestled to a 45 minute draw in an instant classic. Flair and Sting were given the chance to shine in the TBS telecast that ran head to head against WrestleMania IV. That Clash of the Champions telecast beat Vince McMahon's WrestleMania in the ratings battle that evening. Sting lost to Flair in several non-televised rematches following the Clash and later that year continued to battle against other members of the Four Horsemen. The two kicked off 1989, wrestling to a one hour draw on New Year's Day in Atlanta's Omni.

At several times during their history together, Ric and Sting ended up as allies. On July 23 at the Great American Bash, Ric Flair faced Terry Funk in the main event. After Flair got the victory, he was attacked by the Great Muta (who faced Sting earlier in the evening), who like Funk was also managed by Gary Hart, only to have Sting come to his rescue. Sting and Flair feuded with Muta and Funk for the rest summer and fall, culminating in a Thunderdome Cage Match between the two sides at Halloween Havoc '89, which Flair and Sting won. The alliance with Flair resulted in Sting joining the Four Horsemen along with Ole and Arn Anderson. Sting finished out the year winning the four-man round robin Ironman tournament at Starrcade 1989. The night ended when he defeated Flair in the final match to accumulate the necessary amount of points needed to win. It also made Sting the number one contender for Flair's NWA World Title, which was the catalyst for the events that immediately followed.


Sting was summarily dismissed from the Horsemen on February 6, 1990 at Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shootout, after refusing to relinquish an upcoming title shot at Flair, thus restarting their rivalry. Later that evening, Sting suffered a legitimate knee injury while interfering in a steel cage match featuring the Four Horsemen. Sting's injury allowed Lex Luger to get a title shot at the forthcoming Wrestle War pay-per-view. Sting played a part in the finish of the match at WrestleWar, as Luger relinquished his chance to win the title in favor of helping Sting at ringside, who was in great peril at the hands of the other Horsemen.

Upon his return, Sting and his allies, the Dudes With Attitudes, continued to feud with the Four Horsemen, and Sting finally defeated Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on July 7, 1990 at the Great American Bash. His reign ended on January 11, 1991 when he was defeated by Flair. Flair took off to the WWF for a couple of years but the two met again in 1994. Flair had defeated Big Van Vader to win the WCW Championship and Sting received the vacated NWA World Title from Rick Rude. Soon afterwards, Flair turned heel and defeated Sting in a title unification match at Clash of the Champions XXVII. In October 1995, Flair convinced Sting to team with him in a tag match against Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman at Halloween Havoc, as Anderson and Pillman had attacked Flair earlier in the night. Flair was unable to come out for the first part of the match and Sting fended off both Anderson and Pillman alone. Finally, Flair came out, but eventually turned on Sting and reformed the Four Horsemen with Anderson, Pillman, and later Chris Benoit. Sting closed out 1995 by feuding with the Horsemen. After this they met a few more times in various matches.

Sting was "injured" byScott Steiner in 2000, leaving WCW TV for good. However, he returned for the last episode of WCW Monday Nitro, on March 26, 2001 and defeated his long time rival Flair, embracing in a sportsmanlike fashion at the end of the contest. Fittingly, this was the last WCW match ever. (The two also wrestled each other on the very first Monday Night Nitro back in September of '95).


Here are some highlights from the Flair-Sting rivalry...


Ric Flair and Sting at the first WCW Nitro back on September 4th, 1995...

Flair and Sting vs. Funk and Muta in the Thunderdome part 1...

Thunderdome part 2...

Thunderdome part 3...

Thunderdome part 4...


Great Ric Flair promo on Sting...

Sting and Luger want Flair to retire on Nitro part 1...

Sting/Luger/Flair part 2...

Flair's 7th World Title win...

Sting sticks his nose in the Horsemen's business...

Sting and Ric Flair vs. the State Patrol...

Flair and Sting at the Bash in 1990...

Flair and Sting at the Bash part 2...

Posted by Slic Ric at 4:52 PM 0 comments

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Flair-Steamboat Bonus

Here are two of the three matches from that classic series Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat had back in 1989. The first one is from the Chi-Town Rumble where Steamboat beat Flair for the title. The second is their match from the Clash of the Champions that ended in controversey, setting up the third match in the trilogy. I won't include their third match from WrestleWar '89 because I'm saving that for another post but you can enjoy these now.







Posted by Slic Ric at 6:56 PM 0 comments

Great Feud #2

Feud #2: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat One of the most amazing things about Flair and Steamboat’s feud is that it spanned three decades. Flair and Steamboat headlined shows in the Carolinas throughout the late 1970s. Flair and Steamboat headlined pay-per-views in 1989. Flair and Steamboat wrestled a series of matches underneath some forgotten shows in 1994.


Out of thirty years of matches, one stands out as coup de grace of the series. Flair vs. Steamboat from 1989 may be the greatest series of matches in pro wrestling history. The two had several unforgettable confrontations both in and out of the ring. On February 20,1989 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, 1989, Flair regained the title from Steamboat on May 7 at Wrestle War '89. This match has been cited by many as one of the greatest wrestling matches in history and was voted 1989's "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

While this run seemed to be the feud’s pinnacle, the rivalry’s roots go back much further. The Nature Boy and the Dragon also feuded over the NWA US and Tag Team Championships in the late '70s.When Steamboat was brought into Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling he became a spectacular performer who showed Bruce Lee-like fire, and quickly became one of the territory's most popular performers. Matching him with his brash young counterpart, Ric Flair, was a natural fit. Steamboat stepped up to the plate during an interview on the syndicated Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling when Flair, the then-Mid-Atlantic television champion, began goading the youngster. Steamboat knocked Flair out with a backhand chop to set up a match between the two. Steamboat's star making performance came when he pinned Flair after a double thrust off the top rope to win the Mid-Atlantic TV title at WRAL studios in Raleigh, North Carolina. Flair and Steamboat would face each other in many matches in the years 1978, 1984, and 1989. There were a couple of memorable out of the ring confrontations between the two that Mid-Atlantic and NWA fans still talk about to this day: 1) The day Flair dragged Steamboat's face around the television studio, causing facial scarring; 2) Steamboat retaliating the following week by ripping Flair's expensive suit to shreds.
Steamboat rips Flair apart at the Clash of Champions...
Fastforwarding a bit to the ‘90s, the rivalry would resume. The two legendary warriors battled it out over the world title, resulting in a match Spring Stampede ’94 where the title was briefly held up due to both men's shoulders being pinned at the same time. They had a rem
atch shortly afterwards on WCW Saturday Night where Flair would defeat Steamboat to reclaim possession of the title. Their final singles match was on WCW Main Event in July 1994 which ended on a disqualification when Steve Austin interfered. Steamboat and Flair's last encounter was in a tag team match on WCW Saturday Night where Steamboat teamed with Sting against Ric Flair and Steve Austin.
The great thing that I like most about this feud is that it didn’t rely a lot on flashy angles, just good, pure wrestling and the spirit of competition. Both men simply wanted to prove they were the best and they were clearly two of the best of all time. Flair has mentioned many times, including in his best-selling book and his DVD, that Steamboat was “the best he ever wrestled.” “Honestly, I never had a bad match with Rick Steamboat, and we probably wrestled each other two thousand times. In fact, some of our battles in 1978 may have been than the ones in 1989. But there weren’t cameras around for a lot of those early matches, so the memories are confined to the people who happened to be in the arena,” said Ric Flair in his book on his series with Steamboat.
Here are some oldies but goodies as well as the Flair-Steamboat match from WCW Spring Stampede 1994...


Another stripping incident but this one is from the late '70s...

A Flair-Steamboat promo from the Mid-Atlantic days...

A recap of the Flair-Steamboat feud over the US title back in '78 part 1...

Part 2 of their '78 feud...

Posted by Slic Ric at 3:56 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Extra Flair-Rhodes Stuff

These rivalries are just too good to cram into one post so like with the Flair-Savage feud, I'm including a few extras. If you're wondering why I didn't post any extra stuff for Flair-Hogan it's because Hogan is a piece of shit who refuse to do anything to make Flair look good (as if he needed any help) even though Flair carried Hogan's ass through every match they ever had. Anyways, here's a small clip from Dusty Rhodes' DVD about the rivalry as well as the incredible War Games match from the Great American Bash Tour in '87 held at the Orange Bowl (I talked about it a little bit at the end of the last post).

Clip from Dusty's DVD...

War Games Promo...

War Games '87 Part 1...

Part 2...

Part 3...

Part 4...

Part 5...

Posted by Slic Ric at 7:38 PM 0 comments

Great Feud #3

Feud #3: Dusty Rhodes

This was a rivalry between two of the greatest entertainers of all time. These guys were also arguably the two greatest on the mic. Kansas City was the site where Flair reached the pinnacle of his sport by defeating "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes for his first NWA World Heavyweight Title on September 17, 1981. This was just the beginning of the memorable Flair/Rhodes feud. Dusty was suspended from the NWA in late1982 or early 1983. Then a masked man, known as the Midnight Rider, came onto the scene (who everyone knew was Rhodes). The Midnight Rider won the title from Flair on February 9, 1983. When the President of the NWA told the Midnight Rider to remove the mask, the title was returned to Ric Flair.

One of the key moments in the formation of the Horsemen was a cage match between Ric Flair and Nikita Koloff. After the match ended, Ivan and Nikita double-teamed Flair, beating him senseless. Fans rejoiced when Dusty Rhodes came to Flair's aid. When Ole and Arn Anderson entered the cage, the fans were astonished to see Flair repay Rhodes by attacking him! Flair and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew then locked the cage and annihilated Rhodes, breaking his ankle. Flair and the Andersons fought off an army of babyfaces from within the cage until they had taken their fill.

After Flair regained his title from Kerry Von Erich in the spring of 1984, he held the title for two years, two months, and two days. During this time Flair and Rhodes met in several high profile matches. Starrcade 1984: The Million Dollar Challenge saw Flair defeat Dusty to retain the NWA Heavyweight Title and win $1 million when referee Joe Frazier stopped the match due to excessive bleeding. At Starrcade the following year, it was Rhodes that beat Flair by disqualification when referee Tommy Young DQ'd Flair for outside interference from Ole and Arn Anderson. It was also around this time that Dusty's valet, the perfect 10 Baby Doll, turned on Rhodes and joined Flair and the Horsemen. Flair did eventually lose the title to Rhodes on July 26 at The Great American Bash '86, but he regained the title two weeks later.
At the Bash in '87, Dusty's team of the Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff, and Paul Ellering defeated the Four Horsemen and J.J. Dillon in the first ever War Games match at the Omni in Atlanta and then again later that month in the Orange Bowl. The feud between the Nature Boy and the American Dream really extended to all of the Four Horsemen as Dusty went onto to have many matches with Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. There is even a spot (included in video below) where the Horsemen attacked Rhodes in a parking lot and "broke" his arm. At the time, this angle was considered to be very controversial and many people thought the Horsemen crossed the line.

Just like the other feuds, here are some Ric Flair-Dusty Rhodes videos to do the rivalry justice...


Horsemen break Dusty's arm...

Dusty interrupts the Horsemen...

Slic' Ric talking about Baby Doll turning on Dusty...

Baby Doll turns on Dusty...

Short piece on the Flair-Rhodes feud...



Combo of promos by Flair and Rhodes after Starrcade '85...

Another promo combo...

Posted by Slic Ric at 6:43 PM 0 comments
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