Welcome to another edition of Kay’s Korner.
I think that the title of this column is probably the best one that I have ever come up with in my wrestling column history. It is also one that I have never really truly imagined to be totally honest with you. I hope that all of you wrestling fans out there understand that Ric Flair retiring from the world of professional wrestling IS the end of an era, and not just any era; it is the end of the ‘Flair’ era. The world of professional wrestling has lost its greatest performer of all time, and while it makes me sad in a lot of ways; at the same time, it also makes me very grateful that I was able to witness as much of Flair’s career as I did.
I have to admit that I pretty much knew in my heart that it was coming. Vince McMahon telling Flair that he had to win every single match that he was in (in order to continue his professional wrestling career) was actually the first real clue as to what was really getting ready to happen. (Actually it was a no-brainer as far as I was concerned but to be totally honest; there was this little tiny piece of me that hoped that it was not true. I honestly think that it had to do with the fact that Flair was just so ‘old-school’.) When it actually did happen at Wrestlemania XXIV, it didn’t come as a total & complete shock.
My entire pro wrestling experience has always had Flair in it. (Ask my dad if you don’t believe me.) It is my childhood memories of Crockett Promotions (AKA as Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling) that is really & truly what got me hooked on professional wrestling. Back then, there really wasn’t a whole lot of ‘characters’ as there were ‘wrestlers’. It was all about promos and ‘rassling’ skills and let me tell you; that is (and will always be) my kind of wrestling. It was pretty much all black and white back then; there really wasn’t that fine line between the ‘faces’ and the ‘heels’ as there are in today’s world of professional wrestling. Flair was absolutely 100% the ‘heel’ wrestler that I loved to hate.
As I look back over the years, I can only sit and smile. As much as I hated that man growing up, and trust me on this one; nobody ever hated Flair as much as I did growing up; I also grew to have a great deal of respect, admiration, and honest to God love for Ric Flair. There has never been a professional wrestler like Ric Flair. There is an old saying that goes, “When God made you, he must have broken the mold.” Well, I’m here to tell you that not only did God break the mold when it came to Ric Flair; He smashed it into a million pieces! I’ve often wondered how things would have been had there never been a Ric Flair in professional wrestling, purely from a curiosity stand point. The truth of the matter is that I can’t really do it. Ric Flair has been a part of professional wrestling (and a part of my life) for as long as I can remember.
Now, the fact of the matter is that any up and coming professional wrestler will learn what has to be done (in order to be a successful heel) by watching Ric Flair. Flair was absolutely incredible when it came to making my blood boil and just pissing me off to no end. (If you can’t do that as a ‘heel’, then you don’t need to even think about attempting it.) He would come out week after week in designer suits and all kinds of gold to match, including the World Heavyweight Championship. He was absolutely untouchable when it came to promo skills. It was the kind of promos that just made you want to go out and see whatever match Flair was talking about in the hopes that somebody would have the wonderful opportunity to shut up his mouth!
Even to this very day, I can still go back in time and feel (physically) how frustrated I was with Flair having the belt. It was just so irritating and aggravating because we all had those wrestlers that we wanted to have the belt (other than the one who had it). I really wasn’t any different from any other wrestling fan with the exception that I really didn’t care who got the belt off of Flair just as long as somebody did. (I have to tell you that I haven’t had a wrestler ever affect me the way that Flair has.)
Eventually Flair turned but not really because he wanted, or even planned it. Sometimes in the world of professional wrestling, you can’t really control how the fans will react to you. Once you have earned their respect, there is no controlling whether you are a ‘heel’ or a ‘face’. When it is somebody who has really and truly given his life to the world of professional wrestling, the fans start to see that performer in a totally different light.
Suddenly, even though he is still the ‘dirtiest player in the game’, you started cheering for him. All of those countless matches over the years really start to mean something to the ‘true’ wrestling fan. All of those matches are what grabbed our attention and kept it for all these years. All of those matches, where blood, sweat, and tears have all been shed, are what earns a wrestling fan’s respect along with the wrestlers of professional wrestling. All of those matches were the defining moments in Flair’s career and what made his career last as long as it has. (I honestly do not feel that anybody has ever had the passion in the world of professional wrestling the way that Flair did.)
On an ‘off’ subject, one thing that I really enjoyed was actually getting to enjoy watching a bit of wrestling history with my dad. I actually got to watch the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony with my dad. We sat there and really listened to Flair talk. He began the first part of the ceremony talking about ‘concluding’ his wrestling career. I looked at my dad and he looked at me, saying with a look of amazement on his face, “He’s retiring.” Suddenly it all seemed to hit home and I told my dad that this was the end of an era. (Hence where the title of this column came from; excuse me for just a moment while I tell my dad that I really enjoyed watching that with him. Daddy, I really enjoyed watching the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony with you (while switching back and forth between the WWE and the Tarheels playing basketball. It felt just like the good ‘ole’ days.) I know that things don’t happen like that on a regular basis since the move to Tennessee and I just wanted you to know how much it meant to me.)
To be honest, up to that point, I had never really imagined Flair retiring. Even though it has ‘officially’ happened, I still find myself wondering if it is true. Sometimes it is really hard to imagine professional wrestling without certain performers and for me; Flair is one of those performers. I also can’t help but wonder if he could really do it. Did the one and only Nature Boy (in my book) really retire from wrestling?
In one of my previous columns, I discussed how hard it is for wrestlers to actually leave the world of professional wrestling. The passion is what makes it so hard to walk away, I think. Though I have never experienced it (and I’m pretty sure that I never will), I can only imagine the ‘rush’ that is felt when performing in front of a live wrestling crowd. I can only imagine how this really is the end of the ‘Flair’ era but more importantly; I can only imagine how really & truly hard this will be on Ric Flair.
It is pretty much all that he has ever done. It really and truly is the one thing that he has always been able to do and do damn well, I might add. I have to totally agree with what Triple H said at Flair’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Not only does Flair deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame, he really does deserve his own wing.
I have often found myself here lately, thinking of how I would like to personally thank Vince McMahon for treating Flair the way that he has over the last few years. (I know, I know. I have a love/hate relationship with the man; hence a love/hate relationship.) Flair has been actively wrestling and while he does look older in the ring, he still can go with the best of them. McMahon has often been known to do his own thing with wrestlers, but I honestly feel that McMahon really & truly respected Flair for the professional that he always was. I also think that he respected the fact that Flair, after being abused, underrated, and fired from WCW, (the company that wouldn’t have been sold to Ted Turner had Flair not been part of the deal) finally got that wrestling spark back in his eyes.
Here is what I love the most about Flair being inducted into the WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame; Flair was not, and can not ever claim to be, WWE made. Flair was a success in the world of professional wrestling before he came to the WWE the first time. I think that it is only fair to say that Flair was not really WWE made. Flair was always faithful to his roots, which is why he stayed at WCW until it was bought out by Vince McMahon. Believe it or not, there is something to be said about being loyal, even when that company is not loyal to you.
WCW and Eric Bischoff had really taken their toll on Flair towards the final days of WCW. I can understand how he could be affected negatively towards professional wrestling. It really does make me sick for those lost days when Flair was sitting at home engulfed in legal battles because Bischoff decided that he needed to show Flair he was boss. I just couldn’t understand how they did not understand that Flair had sacrificed quite a bit to earn his spot in professional wrestling. Flair had been overworked and did everything that they asked of him, and then some! The one time that he didn’t show up for a Thunder taping, they decide that he has breached his contract. Why? Because he wanted to watch his son, Reid, wrestle in a major tournament. To say that I was very disappointed with the treatment of Flair, at this time, is a huge understatement.
Then I remember when he finally got the opportunity to come back. It was so awesome and so emotional because Flair was in South Carolina which has always been known as ‘Flair Country’. (I am here to tell you as a witness and a lifetime member, ‘Flair Country’ does exist! Just think of the Mid-Atlantic States and that will just about cover it.) Not only did he come back, but I actually got to witness a ‘shoot’ in progress. Nowadays, things are so scripted that it can be hard to see sometimes when an actual ‘shoot’ is being done, but when Flair finally let loose on Bischoff, I knew that every single word coming out of his mouth was real. It was definitely not a promo; it was an honest to God shoot.
I honestly never thought that I would witness Flair retiring from the world of professional wrestling. It almost seems surreal to me in a lot of ways. He has always been a part of my wrestling world. It really is just hard to imagine being a wrestling fan without Flair being there. To be honest, I always imagined him being around in a ‘managerial’ position once he decided to retire from the ring just because he has got the gift of gab. Flair has the art of a promo done to perfection (and though he may slip every now and then, he is will always be ‘the man’ when it comes to that particular part of professional wrestling) down to a fine art.
I know, a lot of you are just rolling your eyes in the back of your head thinking, “Geez, get over it already.” I’m here to tell you that I will probably never really get over it. If you really don’t understand what I am going thru right now, then please find yourself some old footage of Flair and watch the master in action. I promise you; you will not be disappointed and you will understand why saying goodbye to him is so very hard.
Before there was ‘The Game’, there was ‘The Man’. Flair didn’t boast about his championship reigns just for the sake of doing it. He did it because he was great at what he did. From promos to ring work to ‘styling and profiling’, Flair will always be the greatest wrestler of all time in my book.
I have often read that Ole Anderson does not agree with Flair carrying that moniker at all. I can only say that I could argue with Anderson for a very long time when it comes to Flair. He has often said that when you have seen one Flair match, you have seen them all. (Hey, I actually heard that statement with my own two ears come out of Ole Anderson’s mouth at the first Mid Atlantic Fanfest in Charlotte, NC.) Well I just have to say that I really don’t agree with that opinion and I’ve got the years of watching Flair to back it up.
As much as I am really and truly going to miss Flair, I can only imagine how his peers will miss him. There is no doubt in my mind that he taught anybody who wanted to know anything from professional wrestling. He was always so giving in the ring, and nobody has ever sold professional wrestling the way that Flair has. I can only imagine how his mere presence in the locker room is sorely missed, as it should be.
A legend should be treated with respect and Ric Flair is definitely is a legend. So here’s to the kiss stealing, wheeling dealing, styling and profiling, jet-flying son of a gun. It’s been one hell of a ride and I just want to thank you for making it so memorable. You are one hell of wrestler Ric Flair, while I may not know you personally; I also know that you are one hell of man. God bless you and your family for all the sacrifices that you and your loved ones have made over the years. I don’t know how you did it, but I sure am grateful for it.
Well, that’s it for this edition of Kay’s Korner. This is a bit longer column than I normally write but hey, it was about Ric Flair; what did you expect? Thanks for stopping by! Any and all feedback can be sent to lilwrestlegrl@yahoo.com. (Please put Feedback in the subject line.) Until next time, take care and God bless!
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