Diamonds Are Forever: Favorite Match #4

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

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.