Ric Flair at number two

[JGlass]

Ric Flair, arguably the best heel to ever lace up the boots, comes in at number two in the Hall of Fame rankings. There's no denying he contributed many techniques that are the bread and butter of wrestlers to this day, but is he worthy of being up this high? He's turned into a controversial character, much like Hogan. Flair has a checkered past to say the least, and he's not known for being the easiest guy to get along with (ask historically nice guys like Bret Hart and Mick Foley about their relationship with Flair). Does this attitude of Flair's make you think less of him? Flair also lost the respect of some fans because of his refusal to just retire. Does Flair's inability to let go of the business bother you, especially after Shawn Michaels gave him a retirement matches for the ages?

Answer these questions and post your thoughts on Flair as a hall of famer in here.

 

[The Prodigal Anti-Lemming]

Flair in the Hall? He definitely belongs there, and he definitely belongs there as an initial selection. A strong case can be made for his being the greatest of all-time. He was a 16-time world champion, and the accumulative duration of those reigns adds up to almost ten years. He was one of the top draws in the industry in his prime, and played a pivotal role in preventing the NWA from being completely engulfed by the WWF during its national expansion.

Furthermore, Flair was the second wrestler to attain a world championship double in the NWA/WCW and WWF. He accomplished this feat before Hulk Hogan.

Admittedly though, his attitude (while having no bearing on his in-ring accomplishments) has disturbed me at times. Over and over again in his autobiography, Flair laments what his lifestyle and probable marital infidelities did to his marriage, while maintaining that it was necessary to carry on in this manner to become a legend in the profession. Sounds like a guy who can’t quite admit what he’s done wrong and excuses any prior action as being a necessary evil to advance his career. Age hasn’t mellowed him one iota, to judge from the 2002 “Plane Ride From Hell.” I have never subscribed to the partying lifestyle, and Flair’s outright obsession with it makes me think of him as corrupt outside of the ring as he is great within it. Moreover, he has at times conducted himself as a public spectacle (the divorce with his wife in which Flair’s violent nature came to public light for the first time, the road rage incident, and that incident a few years ago in which Flair got into a fistfight with his daughter’s boyfriend).

I remember watching Flair drop that match to Michaels, and when it was over, I immediately concluded, “He’ll be back.” To someone like Flair, wrestling is a drug that he cannot live without. Despite his documented anxiety problems, Flair is addicted to the spotlight, the adulation of the masses and the pull of the ring. It is impossible for me to envision a wrestling world without Flair. He’s simply been around too long, and as long as he is physically capable of walking, he will probably continue to make his special appearances.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Ric Flair disgusts me at this point in his career. Not that I don't have respect for the man and everything he's done for the business, but his legacy takes a hit every time he steps in the ring and embarrasses himself. His forehead bleeds profusely when the fucking wind blows and the fact that he still wears his tights is enough for me to turn off the TV, that is if I were actually still watching TNA at this point.

All that said, he deserves to be one of the first 5 in. Any wrestling Hall Of Fame or Greatest Of All Time list with Flair in the top 5 is an absolute joke and I'm glad that the WZ elite are smart enough to realize this as well. One of the greatest in ring workers ever, probably the best talker of all time, and an absolute pioneer when it comes to what the blueprint to a heel character should be. Words can't describe how amazing the Nature Boy has been throughout his career(most of the time, anyway.)

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Much like Hulk Hogan, totally deserves to be a first time pick. Do I think he belongs in at #2? No. Top 5? Yes. Ric Flair is someone who has inspired a large group of talent to become a professional wrestler. He's also captured more world championships than any other person in history. He's been in headline matches at WrestleMania's, main evented Starrcade's, beaten all that there is to beat and won countless championships and accolades along the way. Flair was the biggest star in the NWA in the 80's, his WWF move was treated as a huge deal and he was a legend pure and simple in WCW. I'm not the biggest Ric Flair fans in the world but you can't deny him his rightful spot in the Hall of Fame.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I have absolutely no complaints with The Nature Boy being number 2. Apart from Hulk Hogan, noone is more synonymous with the business than Ric Flair. The most successful World Champion in history, he was carrying the NWA/WCW on his back while Hogan was doing the same for the WWF.

Should he have retired years ago? Yes

Is he damaging his legacy continuing to wrestle into his 60s? Yes

But the fact of the matter is that Ric Flair's life is wrestling. He knows nothing else. He has been playing the Nature Boy for 40 years and has had countless great matches over the years. He has wrestled anyone who was anyone in the business in his career, and probably beaten them.

He is a fine choice for number 2 JGlass

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I could nitpick why Flair isn't the best choice for the #2 spot in the HoF, but somebody could just as easilly come back at me with reasons he should, and neither of us would be wrong.

Personally, I think Lou Thesz, Buddy Rodgers, Andre the Giant, and Gorgeous George are all viable candidates for the #2 induction, but we're splitting hairs. They all should get in. I'll put Flair ahead of Hackenschmidt, Sammartino (not by much), Verne Gagne, and even Steve Austin.

Flair has amazing longevity, but I think a lot of that is due to the fact that his life outside of wrestling is an unfulfilling mess. But hey, that works for Hogan, too. Unlike Brett Favre in football, Flair actually CANNOT still perform to a level that would make him viable, and appears on name value alone. Guys like Steve Austin and Booker T are showing tremendous grace in taking roles as commentator / on screen trainer, allowing them to showcase talent and put over others without making the show about themselves. Each time I see Flair, I think "Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money."

I can't let myself lose sight of their great things he's done too. He held up the NWA and WCW when Vince was buying everything in sight. He took the groundwork layed by heels like Gorgeous George, Buddy Rodgers, and a few others and truly modernized it. And fair or not, his tendency to lose big matches to younger talent afforded him less of the criticism guys like Hogan and Nash have received for "burying talent."

So the #2 spot is fair to Flair...

 

[LSN80]

but is he worthy of being up this high?

One of the great promo men of all time, and his impact on the business can't be understated. Ive watched over and again some of Flair's matches with Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, and Sting, amongst others. While Flair is certainly one of the all-time greats, I believe that him being ranked number 2 is simply too high. While Flair might be the most flamboyant character of all time, I find it an absolute necessity to consider the entire body of work of the man in order to relly judghe his place in history. nd as much as Flair was a larger then life character, great worker, and phenomenal talker, I simply can't consider him as high as number 2. he held on way too long in the WWE, losing to the likes of Kenny and Carlito, and has done more detriment to that legacy while in TNA. When he wrestles, since he's not honoring his retirement stipulation(even if he has HBK's blessing), his matches should feel special. They should only be top flight matches against other Icons. Instead, he's fighting Jay Lethal in street fights, and competing in Lethal Lockdown matches, and doing the job at that. I can't, looking at his entire body of work, put him at #2. His matches in TNA simply dont have a special feel to them, and it tarnishes his legacy, to me.

Does this attitude of Flair's make you think less of him?

i could care less about his attitude. Yeah, hes a prick whose gone through more wives then Lindsay Lohan has rehab stints. Yeah, he throws fits when he doesn't get his way. Yeah, he's had road rage incidents. But what the hell does that have to do with his actual career? If we looked at every wrestler and saw them for who they truly were personally, we'ld likely have respect for about 5 to 10 percent of them. Flair's just have been more publicized. I canlook past Chris Benoit's henious actions, and still wtch his matches and enjoy what a great talent he is. So I seperate Ric Flair, the human being, from Ric Flair, then performer.

Does Flair's inability to let go of the business bother you, especially after Shawn Michaels gave him a retirement matches for the ages?

This bothers the hell out of me. Going into the match, we knew this was the "curtain call" for Flair. And then HBK did everything he did to make sure Flair got one hell of a sendoff match. The psychology, from the beginning of the build to the match, to the match itself, was excellent. It should have ended when HBK mouthed "Im sorry, I love You", and superkicked him, and with the incredible sendoff the next night, All the losses to the future endeavored midcareders would have been forgotten. But he chose a different path.

Flair would have been fantastic as a mouthpiece. Even in TNA, he was great as the heel manager for AJ Styles. I guess what Im saying is, I have no problem with him staying in the busines. Its the way he's stayed in the business, and that will forever tarnish his legacy, for me. While I still consider him a top 5 talent, I simply cannot justify him at #2. He absolutely belongs in the WZ HOF, but putting him at number 2 is something I simply cannot do, looking at his entire body of work. Part of it is because he's unfufilled in his personal life, and this may be the only thing he knows and loves. But that doesn't mean his legacy isn't tarnished as a result, because it is.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

For someone like me who was not very familiar with the impact of Flair in the 80's on pro-wrestling, I wouldn't come up with the no#2 slot, but I'd be wrong. I have seen some of his matches, by god seen his promos and heard and watched people talk about his impact on the NWA scene and where he was a true out n' out PLAYER in his day. He be pimpin' before pimpin' was black...maybe I'm exaggerating but still, no # 2 is just right.

Go on J.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Does Flair deserve number 2? I don't know about anyone else but when someone names a wrestling promotion, there's usually a name that'll pop straight into my head, so from some historical federations to today's promotions - this is what I'll think when you say:-

WWF / nWo - Hogan
NWA - Flair
WWF 'Attitude' - Austin
WCW - Sting
WWe - Cena
AWA - toss up between Gagne & Bockwinkel
WWWF - Sammartino
IWGP - Muta
AJPW - Misawa
TNA - AJ
RoH - Joe

Now obviously, I'm not making cases for current guys like AJ or Joe - I'm only using them as examples. The two biggest companies in wrestling history are the NWA/WCW and WWWF/WWF/WWe. So as far as I'm concerned, the two biggest names in these promotions should be 1 & 2 and the only argument should be which one deserves the top spot (my own personal preference would have been Flair).

The only qualification for admittance to a wrestling HoF should be the pluses they have provided for the business. Too many worthy candidates would have to be overlooked should we look for things to disqualify them for... they've gone on too long; they used backstage politics too much; they only got over cause they were pumped full of steroids et cetera. Basically, if they have had a substantive positive impact on the sport you love, all other crimes (if not forgiven) should be null and void for qualification purposes.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I would not put in Ric Flair at #2 even if I do not take into account the fact that he should have retired years ago. Ric Flair was the man for the NWA in the 1980's, he is a great in ring performer as well as a promocutter, but he is not the draw that Hogan or Austin were. Being a draw is the biggest contribution that one can make to the business. Flair was a good draw but he did not have the fanatical crowd support that the likes of Hogan and Austin had. He always took a backseat to Hogan in the Hulkamania era and once Hogan went to WCW, Ric Flair was not the star there that he had once been.

My opinion is that Austin should have gone in before Flair with Flair going in at number #3 but I guess that it does not make much of a difference as long as both guys make it to the top 5.

Flair should have retired years ago but I do not think that it is something that should be held against him. Maybe it is hurting his own legacy but I do not think that it is having a hugely adverse effect on the business. Flair played a midcard role in the WWE and is doing something similar in TNA as well. It is not that he is trying to steal the spotlight from deserving wrestlers, he is merely doing what he loves. In fact he is more than ready to give a push to any talent that really deserves it. It is having an adverse effect on his health and his legacy but maybe we should leave it to Ric Flair himself to worry about those things.

 

[Whatsinaname696]

I could See Ric Flair as high as number 2 easily, no he wasn't the draw Austin was and he wasn't the draw Hogan was and he wasn't the draw a lot of stars were, but if it's Solely on that then this is gonna be a pretty f'd up HoF lol, it's also about the contributions they made to the industry, which is why I agree with Hogan at one and Flair one step behind (although we're jus putting them in the HoF, not nec. rating them,right?... right?)

Flair taught a LOT of those big draws how to cut a promo, how to work a match, how to work the crowd, the whole game so there's a lot to be said for that I think, and there are other people that did that that I would like to see early in too, but I doubt any (or at least MOST) of them will be, so I'm good with Flair here

Sting and Andre should be next in I believe in either order, Hulkamania, The Immortal One, Hollywood Hogan, the nWo, ALL of it culminated, to make Hogan what he has been ever since, in one moment and I think the guy in the ring with him deserves a lil credit for it, same with Flair, no ALL of what he is in NO WAY came from Sting, but it DAMN SURE didn't hurt his career did it? It's one of the most memorable things about Flair to me, oh and yeah Flair had more thing that makes him worthy of number 2 to me....

Barry Windham, Sid Vicious and the Enforcer Double A Arn Anderson... yeah you can switch the names but I personally loved those Horsemen (and hated a certain later group, but that happens sometimes) the only groups of more than a tag I put up there with them are Demolition, DX, The Freebirds, and ,ofcourse, the nWo (which isn't fair cuz that was a f'n army) so yup... WHOOOO!!! ( he also had that)

 

[ProudFlairMark]

No doubt I am a bit biased here. Flair, to me, encompassed all the necessary attributes it takes to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. If you reference Dave Meltzer's Observer, to say Flair wasn't a draw is not just incorrect, it's damn near blasphemous. Flair drew consistently for nearly 15 years - think about that. Today's superstars, whether it's from over saturation or lack of talent, cannot "stay over" for longer than a few years. Flair, to this day, gets ovations on par or better than any superstar in the business. Work rate? None even close. His ability (and willingness) to get people over is legendary among the boys. Mic work? Perhaps only Dusty Rhodes can even come close to Flair's uncanny ability to cut a promo. Flair's influence on the industry is unparelled in any era.

Flair at #2? My only issue with that is that he isn't #1.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Ric Flair disgusts me at this point in his career. Not that I don't have respect for the man and everything he's done for the business, but his legacy takes a hit every time he steps in the ring and embarrasses himself. His forehead bleeds profusely when the fucking wind blows and the fact that he still wears his tights is enough for me to turn off the TV, that is if I were actually still watching TNA at this point.

All that said, he deserves to be one of the first 5 in. Any wrestling Hall Of Fame or Greatest Of All Time list without Flair in the top 5 is an absolute joke and I'm glad that the WZ elite are smart enough to realize this as well. One of the greatest in ring workers ever, probably the best talker of all time, and an absolute pioneer when it comes to what the blueprint to a heel character should be. Words can't describe how amazing the Nature Boy has been throughout his career(most of the time, anyway.)

I 100% agree with this. It disappoints me so much that Ric Flair is unable to accept that his wrestling career is basically done, and has been for about 10 years. He is tarnishing his legacy with every sub-par match he takes part in, every time he bleeds from someone flicking his head and he needs to seriously stay out of the ring. Seeing Ric Flair wrestle today is just pathetic. I respect the hell out of the guy but he needs to be a manager, or just make guest appearances. He has no place being in the ring any more, as I have said on several occasions.

BUT...there is no doubt in my mind that Ric Flair needs to be in the Hall of Fame. Just like Hogan, who is also outstaying his welcome in the wrestling business, and has been for years, Flair is one of the men who made professional wrestling what it is.

His accomplishments are astonishing, from being a 16x World Champion, to leading one of the most important factions in wrestling history, to his epic 1-hour title matches in his NWA days, his matches with Steamboat, his days in Evolution and his classic retirement match at WM against Michaels.

Flair was the epitome of what a heel champion should be, he could talk better than almost anyone, his gimmick was iconic and he put his heart and soul into every single match for about 30 years.

The man is a legend, he deserves to be remembered as a legend and I just hope he stops wrestling so that the younger fans remember him as a legend, and not just the old, out-of-shape guy who bleeds every week and talks nonsense

 

[ProudFlairMark]

I think it's universally agreed upon that the Flair of today is a shell of his former self. For anyone to think that he could compete at the level he did for the first 20 years of his career would be asinine. Still, if we are talking about the entire body of work that is his career (say, 1981 until 2008), you cannot argue his place in history. If you're a fan of pro wrestling, you understand that there are certain criteria one has to meet to be considered a "great" pro wrestler.

First and foremost, charisma. A great professional wrestler must exude charisma. People must be attracted to facets of your persona, look, etc. Mic skills? Second to NONE. Look and ability to work his gimmick? Flair was the envy of male fans and the object of desire of the females. People paid to see Ric Flair. His charisma was by and large the primary factor to him being a draw.

Second, workrate. Psychology, pacing and timing all make up a wrestlers ability to "tell the story." Even those who are not Flair fans are unanimous in the belief that Flair could have a 4 star match with a broomstick and get the broomstick over.

Third, Flair's sphere of influence extends probably further than any other main event talent, ever. So many of today's generation credit some aspect of Flair's attributes with making an impression on them early in their careers.

Triple H, Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels all consider Flair to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. At Fall Brawl 95, a fan held up a sign that said it all..."If God were a wrestler, his name would be Ric Flair"

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I wouldn't have picked Rick Flair in the top 5. Sorry. There are too many wrestlers that came before him who had much more of an impact on the business than he did. When will people stop thinking that wrestling started when they started watching ? Or in the 70s ?

That doesn't mean he should never be in the HoF or that he isn't great, I'm just saying there are a number of performers who came before, that we should look at. People should be more willing to do some research on the history of the business and its stars instead of just relying on their own memories.
Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers, how can any one say those guys shouldn't be there before Flair ? Just my opinion.

 

[iwinulose]

kinda a stupid question to say the least. ric flairs career is legendary and yes he is tarnishing his reputation by wrestling in his 60's, and is considerably hurting his name, but what he has done, his legacy, his overall career outweighs that. him being at number 2 is awesome. no issues what so ever. he worked his ass off to get wrestling into the spotlight, to get large masses of people interested. he did a lot and for that he deserves it. like i already said though, yes he is tarnishing his name but not quitting. he should have been done after shawn michaels gave him that fantastic match, hell, some would argue that he should have been done sooner then that for the sake of his own health plus since he is kinda hogging the spotlight and taking away time that younger guys should be getting which is hurting him. i hope we dont have to see him get into the ring again cause one bad bump is all it would really take at this point.

 

[ProudFlairMark]

When it comes to the history of the business, I can hold my own. In the history of the business, Flair's status among the all time greats is well above that of Rodgers (although I will give credit to Buddy - for his time, he was fantastic). Both Rodgers and Wagner laid the blueprint for what Flair would become. While the influence is evident, Flair took those traits and repackaged them in such a way that it took off into the stratosphere. Flair's natural charisma was undeniable and decisive. Flair evolved the arrogant heel persona and made himself the definitive measuring stick for anyone who adopts that gimmick. Hulk Hogan adopted many of the Jesse Venture and "Superstar" Billy Grahmn mannerisms (despite him being a heel), but developed the character in such a way that now he is the measuring stick for the ultimate face. In this business, it's about the evolution of the personalities and how they are conveyed. Flair reached the apex of the arrogant heel. He took what they did and did it better.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Flair deserves credit because he excelled and adapted through different eras of wrestling television, from the grind of 300 matches per year living in the house show circuit, all the way through the 30 day PPV to PPV fast paced feud era of today.

How many guys who came up in the 70's could have adapted so well to the much more glamorous, image laden productions of the 80's like the Flair - then moved on and excelled in the era of 10 minute TV matches and semi reality based promos of the 90's ?

Flair's charisma and look had a lot to do with his ability to remain relevant for so long, but his in ring ability may have been the biggest contributor to his longevity. Flair excelled at 60 minute marathons matches, brutal Steel Cage bloodfests that became the basis for today's Hell In A Cell, he wrestled chain & strap matches, went through tables, his work rate and quality of diverse work in his 80's heyday were fantastic. He also adapted well to contrasting opponents, wrestling a much varied style against monsters like Nikita Kolloff and The Road Warriors than his wrestling clinics vs Barry Whyndam and Ricky Steamboat.

As far as drawing power, wasn't if Meltzer a few years ago that ranked the biggest draws each year from 1980-2008, this was posted on this board somewhere. Flair was #1 or #2 I believe in 8 of 10 years in the 80's, once missing the top 2 because he took extended time off (1989). He was #1 in 1992 and 1995, and ranked in the Top 10 in 1996 & 1999. He wrestled much less frequently in 97-98, partly due to injury in 97 and in part due to the extended contract dispute in 98.

The fact that Flair was outdrawing Brett Hart in 1995, that he ranked near Austin and Rock, etc in 99, that in his last full year on the house show and PPV circuit in WWE in 2006 he was again in the Top 10 (#6 I believe, could be wrong), shows that he had tremendous longevity as a major draw. Topping the list I believe four times (twice in the 80's, twice in the 90's) is pretty impressive. Most of of his #2 finishes in the 80's were behind Hogan 84-87 at the onset of Hulkamania.

In terms of influence, two of the biggest stars of the last decade, Triple H & HBK freely admitt they were directly influenced, and borrowed much of their in ring style and persona, from Flair, Chris Jericho has listed Flair as an influence as well. Not may guys have been basing themselves off of Hulk Hogan in the last 15 years.

As far as whether Flair borrowed some of his character from others, yes. It's been pointed out that even Hogan borrowed from others (he recently did an interview saying much of his persona was based on Billy Graham & Dusty Rhodes). Flair readily admitts that certain aspects of his ring performances were taken from Wahoo McDaniel & Terry Funk, and that the combination of Buddy Rogers and Super Bowl era Joe Namath influenced much of his Nature Boy persona, but that doesnt detract from Flair' success, taking those elements and combining them into one of the most successful packages of all time. Are we really going to say Hogan isnt a star because he borrowed some of his schtick from Graham & Dusty ? Are we really going to downgrade the popularity of HBK & HHH because of how much they were influenced by Flair ?

Flair has also earned a reputation through the years of being a "team player", a guy who would carry through with stories or lose matches even when he did not agree for the good of the show.

Add all this together and you get the package of one possibly the greatest total star wrestling has ever seen... you cant tell the history or evolution of the industry without spotlighting Ric Flair

 

[jacdnwarrior]

First, I never said Flair is not HoF worthy. I took issue with his placing in the top 5. I also stated that I feel and believe, that many performers who came before Flair are often overlooked and their contributions are forgotten in favour of Flair, because they aren't alive to make their point or they didn't come at a time when many fans have been alive. Or at a time when their matches or contributions were not memorialized on video or tape for people to see later on.
People borrowing from each in wrestling happens all the time, I don't fault Flair for that, but it can't be ignored when he takes a name and a finisher that was established for a long time before he came along. Flair is a great entertainer, great on the mike, a great heel , and could've been great in the ring for a time, but not the greatest wrestler I've ever seen, and not the greatest draw.


Why not Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers in the top 5 instead of Flair ? DO you know what they contributed to wrestling to say their contribution is less than Flair's ? Also, who says Rick Flair is better than Buddy Rogers ? Is it the fans of Rick Flair ? Is it the wrestling historians ? Is the performers who worked with Flair and /or Rogers ? Is it the promoters ? It's easy to say as a fan that Flair is the best, but that doesn't make it true. I could be wrong, but Rogers invented the figure 4 or was the first to use it, was a top draw for 15 years, which very few have done including some of the stars mentioned in this forum. Gorgeous George helped sell more tvs than any other sports figure at his time and was also a huge draw during his time. They did this at a time when wrestling wasn't as respected as it is today. They're not in the top 5, what else do they need to do to get there, when they paved the way for the Hogan's and the Flairs ?

You speak about Flair being at the top of the game for all those years, but you don 't mention one huge factor that led to that. Politics. Flair was a master politician. There were times he wasn't drawing but had the promoters over a barrell with his contract stipulations. Flair's not the only one. Hogan was a politician, so was Rogers, and there was a number of othe people as well. But you can't ignore that just because you like the guy.

Flair was good maybe even great, HoF worthy, but not the first 5 in a HoF or in the history of the sport, imo.

As far as his continuing to be apart of the business, if he wants to keep working, that's his right, but I'd prefer he stick to managing and being on the mike and stay out of the ring. He loves the business, he can contribute but he does hurt his legacy when he insists on working matches at his age.

 

[bmg82683]

Why not Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers in the top 5 instead of Flair ? DO you know what they contributed to wrestling to say their contribution is less than Flair's ? Also, who says Rick Flair is better than Buddy Rogers ? Is it the fans of Rick Flair ? Is it the wrestling historians ? Is the performers who worked with Flair and /or Rogers ? Is it the promoters ? It's easy to say as a fan that Flair is the best, but that doesn't make it true. I could be wrong, but Rogers invented the figure 4 or was the first to use it, was a top draw for 15 years, which very few have done including some of the stars mentioned in this forum. Gorgeous George helped sell more tvs than any other sports figure at his time and was also a huge draw during his time. They did this at a time when wrestling wasn't as respected as it is today. They're not in the top 5, what else do they need to do to get there, when they paved the way for the Hogan's and the Flairs ?

Television and the revisionist that is vince mcmahon is the reason flair/hogan/savage/andre/piper ect get much more of the nod than any of the names you have mentioned.

now onto the question itself...

Does flair deserve this not.. to some generations yes. just like thez and rodges do to flairs generation. just like hart and michaels to the people who grew up watching them. and just like how orton and cena will deserve it based on those who are influenced by them.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

i dont think we should be judgeing ric flair on weather he is good enough or not to be at number 2 in the hof rankings by looking at what the man is like outside of the ring. but what we should do is judge him by what he has achieved in wrestling. and by going by what he has acheived then he should be at number 2. he is a 16 time world champion. the first person to ever win the wwe and wcw championships. he was the leader of the greatest faction in wrestling history (the four horseman ) and for years carried nwa on his shoulders. if this is not good enough to get him to number 2 in the hof then i don't know what is.

 

[Latinoeddy]

Great wrestler (arguably the greatest North Americna wrestler of all-time), great promo guy, tons of charisma, great character. Just because he doesn't retire or has some bad stuff outside the ring shouldn't affect his amazing wrestling career.