Welcome to another edition of Kay's Korner.
I decided that it was time to write a column about one of my favorite 'old school' wrestlers. When I think about my list, it is actually pretty long but I find that there is really only one wrestler that is actively wrestling right now. I'm talking about the one and only 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair.
As a child growing up, I hated the man with a passion that I can't even begin to describe. The Four Horsemen were definitely on my hate list and Ric Flair was at the very top. I can still remember the anger that I would feel every time that man appeared on television. Week after week, Flair would come out there bragging left and right while showing off all of his bling-bling. He seemed to always have the belt and always seemed to keep it by cheating. Of course, that was the Horsemen way. (I absolutely dare you to dispute me on that one!) I think that was the one of the things that irritated me the most was the fact that he always came out on top. As far as heels go, you absolutely couldn't touch him. I honestly cannot think of one heel that can touch Ric Flair back then. My stars, I believe that at that time in my life, I really and truly could have walked up to him and just spit in his face.
Now looking back, the man did his job and by God, he did it very well. Anytime you can make a wrestling fan feel real genuine emotions, you are doing your job right, end of story. This man always knew what to say and what to do to get the response that he wanted from the fans. He seemed to get away with everything back then and in a lot of ways, that certainly is true. Flair is the man that every heel should take a long hard look at. "To be the man, you got to beat the man! Wooo!" To this day, that still rings true in my book and believe me, in my book, Flair IS the man.
Now that I am older, I have nothing but respect, admiration, and love for the 16 time World Champion. He has done it all and he's still standing. Not only is the man still standing, he is still wrestling. We all know that wrestlers usually don't have wrestling careers that span over 20 years but Flair is still going as strong as ever. If you would have told me 10 years ago that Flair would be in ladder matches, I would have laughed in your face. The man has actually been involved in ladder matches now and damn it, he's adjusted so well that it's almost scary. Just the fact that the man can do it in his 50's is absolutely amazing and tells quite a bit about how much passion Flair has for the business of professional wrestling.
I honestly believe that he has just as much passion for the business now (if not more so) as he did back in the NWA days, which is one of the reasons that he can adjust to today's wrestling. He is still out there giving his blood, sweat, and tears in every match. I have found that most wrestlers eventually get burned out and just hang up the boots. They go out and do the occasional 'Indy' appearance here and there but that's about it. This can't be said about Flair. He's still out there now doing his thing and God bless him for it because he keeps the dream alive for 'old school' wrestling fans like my grandpa, my dad, and myself.
He has so much to offer the wrestling world that it's really quite amazing when you think about it. He is one man that I can say has done it all. He's been praised, mocked, ripped-off (Anybody out there remember Buddy Landel? He was such a rip-off and definitely not even a decent one.), fired, rehired, fired again; the list literally goes on and on. It amazes me that he still loves the business as much as he does considering everything he has went thru being a part of it.
I honestly don't think that he was ever given his due when it comes to what all that man did for professional wrestling. For those of you out there that have never seen Flair wrestle during the NWA days when Crockett Promotions ran it, you really and truly need to find a way to get your hands on that footage. Buy the Flair DVD or better yet, go out and buy the newly released Four Horsemen DVD. The matches are so full of ring psychology that it actually gives me cold chills watching it. That was when wrestling was 'rassling' and to me, those were the glory days of wrestling.
Make no doubt about it, the man will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time. If he doesn't, then there is something seriously wrong with the wrestling world. I daresay, the man has done and said it all. There will never be another Ric Flair in my lifetime. I doubt that anybody will ever come close to the legacy that belongs to the Nature Boy.
The only complaint that I have right now is that he is not around right now. I do not know exactly what is going on as he was drafted to Smackdown and then suddenly, he has disappeared. Rumor has it that he is fed up with the WWE and has decided to let them know it. If he is aggravated (and I truly don't know that he is), I feel that he has a right to be.
He is absolutely, hands-down one of the greatest to ever walk into a ring. I think the man has one more championship run in him. I don't think that it would be a long run for obvious reasons but I do think that a nice short one would be a perfect way to top off his amazing career. I want the fans to realize just how much blood, sweat, and tears this man has given for the business of professional wrestling. I want people to understand the sacrifices of his family. I want people to understand that nobody can go like Flair. Nobody.
Will he get that last championship run? I honestly don't know. I know that I would want him to have that opportunity again just so that the business can give something back to him for all of his loyalty and dedication to the business. Now, please don't mistake the business for the WWE; that is not what I mean. I am talking about the world of professional wrestling in general. Ric Flair is not WWE made. He never has been and he never will be.
Regardless of how I feel, I just want everybody to take the opportunity to thank Ric Flair for everything that he has done for professional wrestling. It doesn't matter if you like him or you hate him, you have to show him the respect that he has EARNED with his career. Trust me, the man has earned every bit of it and then some.
With that being said, let me do what I am asking everybody else to do. Thank you Ric Flair for the memories from my childhood, for the memories from my teenage years, and for the memories that you have continued to make in my adult life. You will always have a special place in my heart and I just want to take the opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for the sport of professional wrestling. You are a one of a kind original, often duplicated, but nothing has ever been as great as the original. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the blood, the sweat, and the tears that you gave for the world of professional wrestling.
That's it for this edition of Kay's Korner. I hope you have enjoyed this particular column as much as I enjoyed writing it. All feedback, good or bad, can be sent to lilwrestlegrl@yahoo.com.
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