Who should end Flairs career?

[HBK-aholic]

Credit: Wrestlezone.com

Just days after claiming that he is on the verge of starting his own wrestling promotion with Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan now says that he wants to fight Ric Flair at WrestleMania.

Hogan told MTV.com, "they need a main event real bad, brother" and said WWE still has a lot of tickets to sell. Hogan said that with Flair's career on the line, it's the perfect match to have - and he even has an idea for who could be the special guest referee. “Either he’ll put me out for good or I’ll put him out for good. One or the other. That would be the match of the new millennium. Hogan vs. Flair. Maybe get Vince McMahon as a special guest referee. Me and Flair both hate Vince.”

I personally don't think this would be the best way out for Flair. It's just the sort of thing that Vince may go for, and obviously Hgan would get a huge pop as he always does, I just don't think it's the most interesting way to end his career. I think that honour should go to someone who either Flair is close to, or who could benefit from it a lot.

It's hard to choose someone really. We've all heard the rumours about Shawn Michaels ending it, which I think would be a good ending, someone with as much talent as Shawn ending a legends career. Also Shawn and Flair are friends, and Shawn has often said when growing up one of his favourites was Flair. Therefore it would be slightly ironic that he would be the one to end Flairs career. The only thing I see people arguing against this is, Shawn has nothing to gain from it, which in a way is true. He is already a legend, and definate Hall of Fame material. He will always be remembered as the legend he is and doesn't need the ending of Flairs career to solidify that in any way.

The other option they could go with, is having an up and coming star doing it. I know recently they've had the likes of Kennedy and MVP wrestle him, and if I could have chosen beforehand I'd have said Kennedy should have been the one to do it if this was the way WWE was going for. What a huge push for someone to have the career of Flair on their hands. They would have officially made them go down in history even if they didn't do much else. However there is also a problem with this. Firstly, who would they choose? And secondly, is it believable.respectful to have some new inexperienced wrestler to do this?

What are everyones thoughts? Who do you think should end his career, and why?

[michaelj817]

I seriously doubt at this point they are going to bring Hogan in to retire Flair, and truly hope they don't. Due to his countless injuries, Hulk looked like a walking cardboard standup last time he worked a WWE match, Flair's workrate has been substandard as of late, and there is no way that they could carry a Main Event level Wrestlemania match at this point of their careers. Plus, if Vince put Hogan over Flair, it would seriously come off as one last shot at the dead in the ground WCW, and Vince putting one of his guys over the man who was synonymous with WCW itself.

Which in turn leads us to the fact that regardless of who Flair's opponent is, it will not be a Main Event level match b/c WWE dropped the ball from a booking standpoint. They are going to induct Flair into the HOF this year, and with HBK getting teary eyed on RAW last night are nice touches, but way too late, and oh so predictable. It has been downplayed as an afterthought for so long now, that the spoils of the victor won't mean anything in the eyes of the fans. Had Flair been built up better over the course of the angle, it might be a different story and a make or break match for either MVP or Kennedy. I'm aware that it might upset some to see old man Flair going over younger healthier superstars, but it was a money angle that fell apart for reasons I don't know. For WWE this has been just another filler mid-card angle, and to try to make something big out of it now might be too little too late.

A few months back, I was truly hoping that they would do an angle with HHH, and in the back of my head was thinking "Iron Man" match. I thought it really had some potential for a Wrestlemania moment, seeing Flair defeated by his protege(yeah I know we've seen it before), on the biggest stage of them all in a match that we haven't seen in ages. Flair, who wrestled in countless hour long marathons over the course of his career, beat and retired by his protege HHH, the only man to wrestle in more that one sanctioned "Iron Man" matches. Anyway that was my idea, and whether or not Flair could still go for an hour is up in the air, but I think Hunter could carry him.

Instead we are looking at HBK doing the honors of retiring Flair, and that might be just as good. Although the segment didn't go off completely smoothly last night, I think we might be in store for a confrontation between Flair and HBK next week in which an angered Flair goes off on Shawn for treating him as a relic and inducting him into the HOF. At least that's what I am hoping for at this point, because if they do go with MVP or Kennedy, it won't mean a thing for either one of them due to the fact that there is no hot air left in the balloon that is the "Ric Flair Retirement Angle".

[mattitude2007]

As a big Kennedy/MVP fan I'd love for either to do it.

But lets be real, Flair's retirement should be one that should go down in a memorable fashion. It should go down in a surefire way so there is little
chance of its memory being tainted later.

I mean...what if the up and comer that retires Flair ends up screwing up his career somehow later? It would then go down that a forever midcard wrestler retired the greatest in-ring performer of them all.

So, I think Flair's retirement match should be one without the side motive of pushing a new talent and should focus soley on Ric getting a proper send off with an opponent he can enjoy working with and who can take him to a great final match. HBK and HHH are the only names that come to mind.

I wouldn't want Hogan to do it because I would feel very sad for Ric. I love Hogan and Flair, but I just feel that Hogan would take the focus off of it being Ric's special night. Besides that I believe that Hogan has beaten Flair everytime they've had a match....I don't want that to include Flair's last too.

[Slyfox696]

If it's not going to be used to put over a new superstar (and maybe even if it is), then Ric Flair AND Hulk Hogan's last match should be with each other, at Wrestlemania. I mean, the two biggest rivals to never even be in the same promotion for a decade, to end it all in one night, with one man going over clean. Obviously, Hogan would go over, because it's what he does, and Flair would lose because it's what he does, but even at their advanced age, with proper billing, this match could be big.

Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan. For all the marbles. One last time.


Wow, that's giving me goosebumps.

[xfearbefore]

Originally Posted by Slyfox696

If it's not going to be used to put over a new superstar (and maybe even if it is), then Ric Flair AND Hulk Hogan's last match should be with each other, at Wrestlemania. I mean, the two biggest rivals to never even be in the same promotion for a decade, to end it all in one night, with one man going over clean. Obviously, Hogan would go over, because it's what he does, and Flair would lose because it's what he does, but even at their advanced age, with proper billing, this match could be big.

Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan. For all the marbles. One last time.


Wow, that's giving me goosebumps.

Agreed. As much as I like to hate on Hogan, even I would mark out like I was 10 years old again if this match were to happen. Even though both are way too old to still be wrestling, and the match itself probably wouldn't be stellar, I'd still shell out the 50 bucks (or whatever new outrageous price they're charging for Wrestlemania this year) to see this match alone, live.

I doubt it'll happen though.

[bigbear84]

I too would pay to see this match. I've always been a huge hogan fan , but have lost a lot of respect for him due to the way he won't lose anymore. The way he treated the Shawn Michaels situation was awful. I would gain a great deal of respect for Hogan if he did something crazy and tapped out to the figure four. I know Flair says he will never retire, but going out a winner would be the perfect send off.

[blackhart07]

Why does everyone say Hogan i cant see how this would be good. Ya it will probally draw. Since Kennedy and MVP are pretty much out the window for the WM match as much as i hate him there is only one person in the WWE that could carry Flair to a good match and thats HBK. Thats not fair to all the boys in the locker room to have Hogan come in for one night and in a huge match fight Flair. All Hogan does is bash the WWE. When is the last time he has had a good match. This match will put everyone to sleep. Hogan cant work that good even when he was in his prime, now 15 years later he wants to work a match at WM with a guy his same age. Flair should have done what have been good for the WWE and help a young guy on the map. I highly doubt Flair would even wanna fight Hogan in his last match, he loves Shawn anyway go read his book. Plus they would have nothing for Shawn to do at WM. I cant see this happening.

[mattitude2007]

This is Flair's final send-off angle. Not Hogan's.

It would be a huge match even with little build up, but please lets be fair to Flair for a minute here. Because quite frankly Hogan would take away almost all the attention from Flair.

Unless Hogan somehow plays the heel in this angle...which won't happen ever, because Hogan shouldn't be booed at this stage of his life, I can't say I'd like it.

But if Flair OKs the idea....then I can't complain.


edit: Good looking out Slyfox. Post edited.

[Slyfox696]

Originally Posted by blackhart07

When is the last time he has had a good match.

The last two times he had a match?

This match will put everyone to sleep.

Maybe to anyone whose testicles haven't descended yet. But to people who actually lived before Bill Clinton was U.S. President, this match would still be epic.

Hogan cant work that good even when he was in his prime,

Hogan was the greatest worker in history. Never forget that.

Originally Posted by mattitude2007

It would be a huge match even with little build up, but please lets be fair to Ric for a minute here.

You totally screwed that up.

The line is "Be fair to Flair"...not Ric.

[blackhart07]

Hogan cant work that good even when he was in his prime,

Hogan was the greatest worker in history. Never forget that

You have to be kidding me right? How is Hogan the greatest worker ever? I will be the first to admit he was the biggest draw ever. But you gotta be kidding me when you say he is a great worker. He is no where up to par with guys like Benoit, Angle, Y2J, both Harts, HBK, Guerrero, Undertaker. You really think Hogan could pull somewhat of a decent match out of Flair?

Originally Posted by blackhart07
When is the last time he has had a good match.

The last two times he had a match?

If you are implying his last two matches were good. Look who he was working with Kennedy and MVP. How old are both those guys? And how old is Hogan? You dont think in those matches MVP and Kennedy might have carried Flair a little bit.