Hardtime: The Nature Of The Man
On November 24, 1983, the normally outspoken, eccentric wrestler who was known the world over for his thrilling matches and over the top interviews, was fatigued and exhausted as he painfully stood up within the four walls of a steel cage. With his face covered with a crimson mask and his bleached blond hair soaked in blood, he stood in the ring with yet another NWA World Title around his waist. On that night, the battered but not beaten athlete, who had at that point built himself the reputation of being the star we all think of when he hear his name today, began his second reign as an NWA World Champion after he defeated the legendary Harley Race. It was the main event of the very first Starcade, and it produced a very memorable moment for fans of the National Wrestling Alliance, especially the Greensboro residents in attendance that evening.
From there, fourteen more coveted World Titles from the NWA, WCW, and WWE would find their way to being worn around his waist, and professional wrestling would become synonymous with this icon. His face would be associated with many celebrated images in wrestling, such as countering a body slam by Ricky Steamboat with an inside cradle, giving some patented knife edge chops to Sting and Lex Luger, and telling people “whether they like it or not, learn to live with it, because it’s the best thing going today”. He etched himself a place in history as being one of the high level performers whose outstanding success could only be matched by his exceptional abilities. Abilities that, if mastered, separate the very good from the great, and the great from the very elite.
Ric Flair is by far one of the greatest legends of the sports entertainment industry. On many occasions in the eighties, people liked to wake up early on Saturday mornings with a bowl of Lucky Charms on their lap, their feet up on the coffee table, and you guessed it, their eyes glued to the TV screen, watching with anticipation to discover what was going to happen next between The Four Horsemen and Dusty Rhodes. At the upcoming Wrestlemania 24 in Orlando, Flair will most likely compete in what will go down as the last match of his truly historic thirty-four year career. For this emotional night, the tried and true ring veteran Shawn Michaels, a legend in his own right, has been given the go ahead to be the person who takes on Flair for this match. By all means, this should be one of the biggest, most momentous occasions we as wrestling fans have seen.
When a knife edge chop is delivered in a match, or when the figure four leg lock is applied, fans will pay respect to Flair, the man who made these moves famous, by yelling his trademark “Wooo.” While Hulk Hogan and The Rock transcend pro wrestling on a main stream level, Naitch is someone who transcends the sport on an emotional level. He is the child hood hero for many people, and, in his retirement match is something that is huge news to them. Front page material, if you will.
Regarding this, many of the internet smarks and keyboard bookers want to go on the internet message boards and say that Michaels is the wrong man for the job, and that that a match of this sheer magnitude should be given to someone with what appears to be more of an upside to their career in years to come. Is this the appropriate manner for how Ric Flair should be retired from the industry?
Many people would like to say that an up and comer like Mr. Kennedy should get the nod of being the one to retire the Nature Boy. It would be, without question, one of the biggest rubs that any sports entertainer could ask for, and forcing Flair to call it quits could potentially take Mr. Kennedy to “the next level.” With said wrestler’s abilities determining whether they will sink or swim in the new pond of big fish, not many people are going to argue the fact that a win over Flair at Mania will at least get them into the pond in the first place. With that being kept in mind, is someone like Shawn Michaels, who has accomplished nearly all there is to do in WWE, and appears to have no higher level of success on his horizon than in his past, someone who would “waste” the opportunity of this retirement match?
You might claim that a person like Montel Vontavious Porter could be better used here so he can get a running start on building the future, and that HBK really is nothing more than a lost cause, a hopeless case if you will. A new star could be born from the departure of another, and in actuality it would be “procreative” booking on WWE’s part, for a lack of a better term. I am here to tell you that while it is absolutely true that Flair’s upcoming retirement could be a huge rub for a somewhat newer wrestler, and that it could automatically make someone a credible main event player, I am here to say that in spite of this, Ric Flair’s last match should still be against someone who does not need a rub from it. That person is, of course, the exact same person currently scheduled to do the honor.
The reason for this is very simple. That reason being, Ric Flair is a performer who has become household name that has become of a timeless quality. He was never a flavor of the week, nor is he merely a fad to be fondly remembered, like The New Kids On The Block or the Ninja Turtles. He’s not even simply a fun fact on a daily tear-off calendar. His legacy isn’t relegated to some lower, forgettable level, like Hercules Hernandez and Paul Roma, or even Sgt. Slaughter and the Ultimate Warrior. To quote someone famous, “ …diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair.” A respected wrestling columnist (one that has been professionally published) is paraphrased as saying “Some argue whether or not Ric Flair is bigger than professional wrestling. I believe that Ric Flair is pro wrestling itself.”
While building new stars is important, and a failure to do so can lead to a severe downfall (such as with WCW), the essence of wrestling is the great moments that keep us wanting to watch, and make us think fondly of it as a whole. Today this is looked on by many fans in a rather disturbed view, but at the time, the post main event celebration at Wrestlemania XX between Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero was considered one of the most beloved moments in wrestling. They stood in the ring as the confetti poured down from the ceiling. Two men who by all means never should have made it in sport where size and charisma tend to be defining elements to success, were now standing in the ring with the trophies that signified there was no one else better then they were. From Japan, to ECW, to WCW and then WWE, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero finally climbed the ladder to success.
Do wrestling fans really want to see someone receive something that is virtually the same as the prize for the tough enough tournament, only with the prize being a ticket to the main event scene? I would like to take you back to a day in 2003 that you may or may not have known about. For decades, long time Philadelphia professional sports franchises the Phillies and the Eagles played their home games at Veterans Stadium. Over time it became a figurative Madison Square Garden for Philly. With both teams having their own new stadiums built for them, the old, run down “Vet” was no longer needed. It was decided that they would dispose of this structure. What was to them the home of the first Wrestlemania and their Mecca would be gone. For the last home Phillies home game in 2003, a celebration (or memorial) was held to honor the Phillies players from the past.
Many players from the past came out, such as Darren Daulton, John Kruk, and Mitch Williams, or Bruno Samartino, Savage, and Piper, were honored at the event. The boys of summer were on hand for this once in a lifetime event. At the end, Hall Of Famer Mike Schmidt, widely considered the best hitter in the club’s history, was specially honored by being allowed to step in the batter’s box and hit a phantom homerun, and trot the bases to the applause of the crowd. When he got to home plate, then current first basemen and team leading slugger Jim Thome was there, and Schmidt raised his hand to show everyone that Jim Thome was the new big time homerun hitter in Philadelphia. He gave his approval. Past met the future. But he was not the future. The gesture was classy, but something about it didn’t seem all that right at the time. It was Hulk Hogan putting over Brock Lesnar, only with the same result. Thome’s stay with the team would see an end not much later at seasons went on.
This unique, never-to -be-repeated ceremony was now arguably tarnished by what we found out to be the flavor of the week. To make things worse, Thome had already been in the majors for twelve years before hand, meaning his career may not have had much more longevity at that point, and without being renewed, his contract with the Phillies was only for six years. Schmidt played his whole career in Philly. Thome was a prolific homerun hitter, and was on pace to match Schmidt’s accomplishments. But he had not proven he was a main stay with the team, someone who embodied the spirit of the Phils. Not much long afterwards, Thome was released from the Phils in favor of the an underpaid first baseman named Ryan Howard. The man who shared an emotional moment on last day at the Vet with “Schmidty”, a player who had his own statue outside the stadium, was now gone.
Now we are in the year 2008. To this day, just as Ric Flair is to wrestling fans in North Carolina, Mike Schmidt is a near folk hero to Philadelphia fans. He may have been a complete jerk off the field, but that is another topic for another time. Jim Thome, the man who spent only a few seasons with the Phillies, is now gone from the team. He’s no where to be found wearing a Phil’s uniform. He was productive and well liked when he was there, but he did not last long enough to build a true legacy. I’m not saying that a majority of Philadelphia fans are complaining five years later about Thome taking the spotlight, and putting a damper on a moment meant to be held alone by someone else. But the potential for the sentiment that day just wasn’t achieved.
Ric Flair’s last match in wrestling is something people will look back on years from now. One last stand. Last dance with Mary Jane. The Nature Boy’s “swan song”. One more time to “walk that aisle”. It will be significantly looked back on, for better or for worse. If the plans change, and an unproven up and comer gets that nod instead, than it could have negative ramifications. A moment that should rival Rock vs. Hogan may not accomplish that. Theoretically, if Mr. Kennedy gets the nod, and he goes on to be a big name in the industry that rivals Bret Hart, Randy Savage or Mick Foley, then it will be looked back on with satisfaction. And if say Mr. Kennedy can’t hold his own for an extended period of time, than it will have been a waste.
With Shawn Michaels, there really is no gamble to be made. Obviously it is a benefit if the opponent happens to be the best wrestler on the roster, seeing as Flair is rather broken down at this point. But more importantly, Michaels is someone who has proven himself in the past, unlike someone like M.V.P.. Mickey Mantle filled the shoes of Joltin’ Joe for the Yankees, and Derek Jeter filled the shoes of Donny Baseball. That’s the way it should have been. Ken and Montel can not yet fill the shoes of Ric Flair. And we really don’t know if they can grow into them, either.
On top of all that, Ric Flair has, by all accounts, done more than enough for his coworkers around him. He is truly a professional wrestler who could actually understand the business in the sense that he was there to make the product better, and not to look out for himself. In numerous personal accounts and anecdotes, he has expressed his comprehension for knowing his role in the professional wrestling. “Your match will only be as good as you make your opponent look.” and “I don’t want to make the same mistake Dusty Rhodes made with booking by keeping myself in the spotlight. I’m not going to make sure I do what’s right for Ric Flair. I’m going to make sure I do what’s best for business.”
Athletes like Mick Foley have gone out of their way to build new stars, at what they believed was going to be their own expense in the twilight of their career. He significantly helped to make Triple H a more credible threat to his face counterparts, and used his last days productively. However, Ric Flair is one of the few wrestlers who has actually been booked in a way that parallels an actual real athlete. Someone who, barring the use of steroids, has had his skills deteriorate from what they once were. He climbed to the top of the ladder, and he managed to stay on the top rungs for a very long period of time. Then as time went on, the number of tally marks in his loss column increased. He eventually became something of a hit or a miss, and is now competing with wrestlers who we all knew he would beat years ago, but now we’re skeptical as to whether he can score the win over them or not. Even with this booking, he is still billed as a sixteen time World Champion, and a win over him, even if it is years past his prime, is always something to brag about.
There really can not be any type of argument to be made about how Naitch needs to pay back the business by doing the job for others. He’s done that on more than enough occasions. He earned the privilege of having his name on the marquee for numerous Starcades, and considering he has put over wrestlers like Sting, Hogan, Triple H and Batista, He put over lesser names like Shelton Benjamin, Kenny Dykstra, Jeff Jarrett, and Buff Bagwell.
On top of that, the current star power for someone on the very top in WWE seems to only last for roughly two-three years. John Cena is an exception, as he is exceptional at drawing passionate reactions from the crowd. But someone like Batista, who had all the momentum anyone could ask for when he went into Wrestlemania 21 and won the title, is now starting to lose his appeal with the WWE management. He main evented the last two Wrestlemanias he competed at, but is now in a throw-together match with Umaga. They both have decent star power, but weren’t doing much, so they got thrown on. I think it’s plain for everyone to see that Batista’s career is now going downhill at this point, as is Edge, who’s incredible two year run before his serious injury had intensity that most likely won’t be recreated. The blazing fire is now more controllable, and when he inevitably drops the title to The Undertaker at Mania, he should smoke a cigar, because the best will officially be behind him.
Prior to this year, Randy Orton was given a win over many legends, but that simply wasn’t enough to make him worthy enough in the fans’ eyes to be where WWE wanted him to be. A lot of those losses could now be argued to be more like blemishes to their careers than they have turned out to be positives for Orton at the time, as he just wasn’t ready to hold his own on the main stage, unlike now. WWE counted him as a chicken before he hatched, and when he didn’t hatch fast enough, it seemed as if much time and effort was wasted. As for Ric Flair, the truth is that a win to retire him is a bigger rub than is reasonably necessary to get any wrestler to the main event. If someone can’t become a big player by working programs with guys who are the current top dogs, as Flair did, than they are not deserving to be that high on the card, much less deserving of being the one to retire The Nature Boy.
On March 30, 2008, one of the greatest sports entertainers of all time will step foot inside the squared circle for what many believe will be his last time. Ric Flair is actually one of the very few wrestlers whose contributions through his star power and ability to draw crowds are rivaled by his dedication to putting over other wrestlers and making them look good. He worked his way up the ladder, and in time he became an incredible star in the industry. Now the sixteen time World Champion is hanging up his boots for good, and a moment of this magnitude should be taken very seriously. Should this be used to build someone new, or just to make it something that is “right” for Flair? In the case of the former, we don’t know how that will look years from now, just as Carlito no longer looks right being in the Piper’s Pit segment at Wrestlemania 21, nor does Rikishi look right in being the person who ran over Steve Austin. In the case of the former, you have someone who is almost as anyone on the roster, save of course for Naitch, and while he won’t help produce much for the future because of this, he will produce a moment that will stand still in time.
To take a quote from a classic movie:
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
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