Face/Heel: Ric Flair

[shafe_41]

Ok so with all the poll discussions lately about superstars best feuds, overrated/underrated, I decided to start a similar concept of my own that I have not seen. Hopefully I can stay up on this and post a new one each week. My concept will be quite simple. I name a superstar, and everybody votes and debates on whether they make/made a better face or better heel during their time in the business.

My first name up for debate is none other than the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Did he make for a better face or a better heel in his career?

Now I wasn't around to see all of Flair's work so I'm not even going to pretend that I know everything about him. The first I ever really got to watch Flair was his WWE run that started in 92 with him winning the Rumble and becoming the WWF Champion. I know everybody talks about his work with the Horsemen and how they were one of the best heel factions of all time, but again... I have not seen a great deal of this personally. But I knew OF it and have seen the occasional classic promo or two.

My pick: heel. My memory serves me best with Flair being part of Evolution. He was the grizzled veteran and had the world titles to prove he was one of the best to ever step into the ring. Every single person that has ever gotten a chance to see Flair in person respects the hell out of him but he still found ways to make you not like him even this decade. Evolution... you hated him. That was a perfect example. He was better than you. He knew it. He made sure you knew it. Flair made it work even though that spot in Evolution could have easily been played wrong and had the fans on his side and his side alone... but that wasn't the case. I know Flair's best days were far behind him in Evolution and Evolution was not the highlight of his career, but again... that's how I'm able to remember him best since I also wasn't a big WCW watcher during the Monday Night Wars. So pair his Evolution work with the few promos I have been able to see from his Horsemen days... and it was far better than any of the face work I've seen from Flair.

 

[CKDaimen]

Definitely a better heel.

You've gotta remember that most of his time as a face was in his later years which was more of a lifetime respect for a legend sort of thing. But when you think of Ric Flair, you think of the 4 Horsemen, and they were the top heels in the entire industry back then, and that says a lot seeing as how WCW wasn't even the top company. He was definitely always a likeable heel, but he was still a great flamboyant heel and never really had a long run as a face until WWE, which like I said, is where it was more of a cheer out of respect, not just because he made a good face.

Ric Flair was the best at making a babyface out of other people, plus his in ring style is SO NOT babyface.

So yeah, this is an easy one. Definitely a better heel.

Good thread idea

 

[RAUl Mf. L0wk0]

Its got to be heel and im pretty sure Flair himself prefers being heel. Most of his career Flair has been heel from his battles with Ricky Steamboat and others like Dusty Rhodes. He made the classic good vs. bad fueds memorable. He made everyone look good with his ability to play such a good heel. From is involements from the Four Horsemen to Evolution. He's charcater was well done. He was one of those bad guys fans loved and thought he was cool. Flair did have swagg real talk.

Like said above Ric only became a sort of a face because he was viewed as legend that has been in the game for years. His longest face runs were prolly so in the WWE. He did have rare face success in WCW. But im pretty sure everyone rather have the Nature Boy a heel. From the NWA times to Now.

 

[gers09]

he is 100% best as a heel one of the best ever he could make who ever was facein look like the best face in the company weather it was in NWA WCW or WWE. the only reason he was ever a face was how much of a legand he is and he has done more for wrestling than almost all the wrestlers out there past and present and the fans respected him for it and loved him his style in ring is heel mic skills are heel

 

[RVDgurl]

I would be genuinely shocked if someone votes Flair better as a face. His WWE run at the end of his career was almost exclusively as a face, and he was good in that role. But that's not the real Ric Flair. Flair is one of the greatest heels in the history of the business. He made his name and built his legacy in the NWA/WCW as a heel. His greatest matches and best promos were cut when he was heel. There is just no comparison between the work he did as a heel compared to the work he did as a face. He will always be the man you love to hate.

 

[Xedus]

Heel by far. and of course the best examples of that were his days in NWA late 80's. Sting, Steamboat, Rhodes, Luger, and despite his short career even Magnum T.A. would not have been as great as we view them all today if it had not been for Flair. I don't dislike flair as a face. He had a great program as a face with Vader in WCW, but i'd rather see heel all day long when it comes to flair. Even in his final years with wwe i was just ding for one more heel turn all that lovey dovey respect stuff between him HHH and HBK would just drive me nuts sometimes. I like seeing the sedistic side with the flush red face and looking like his brains were about to explode during a promo.

The great thing about Ric Flair was that he was so good at making a smooth transition from heel to face and back to heel. In about a year's time he made this type of transition. At the beginning of 89 he was feuding with Steamboat and was heel, one of his great feuds. Then he finishes the feud with Steamboat in Chicago and Terry Funk who was a guest judge attacks him after the match and all of a sudden he his face and the fans immediatly transition from Steamboat to Flair being a face. Then he has his classic feud with Funk and the Great Muta in the mix. Sting who had been feuding with Muta teams up with Flair. Sting is in the Horseman and after the thunderdome match with Funk and Muta and the feud ends The Horseman turn on Sting and once again Flair is back to heel brilliant transition, and one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history in my opinion.

 

[Tunit624]

Ric Flair is THE heel when it comes to professional wrestling. His face turns are based on the fact that he's such a great heel. While he is always a fan favorite in Minnesota and Charlotte because those places are Ric Flair country, he never panders to the crowd like say Hulk Hogan or the Ultimate Warrior. He is always the wheeling dealing jet flying limousine driving son of a gun weather he is a face or a heel. So much of what he has done in his career has been emulated by all the heel champions who have followed him.

 

[Kingdoug]

HEEL.........With a tear in my eye....this is the greatest night of my life.......Ric Flair.....after winning the royal rumble for the title....if you have never seen this promo look it up...you will get chills but watch the entire match The Brain was priceless....YOUR KING HAS SPOKEN....im not the pope and im not pimpin but i am the KING and i am malevolent.

 

[WWF Wrestling Fan]

Ric Flair IS the greatest Heel EVER Him and the horseman '' breaking '' Dusty's arm now that was shocking. Flair was one of those guys that even as a heel you respected and wanted to climb in to the TV screen and wanted to kill him at the same time. I loved his feuds with Sting and Steamboat they were classics two of the greatest matches I have ever seen was Chi-Town Rumble 89 Flair V. Steamboat and the very last WCW Nitro Flair V Sting The Respect they have/ had for each other was shown at the end of that match and when they were smiling and nodding there heads to each other out of respect if WCW was never sold and was never bought by The WWF I don't think anyone would have seen the respect those two had for each other.

 

[stingerlegends]

Dang it. I meant to say heel. That 1 on there shouldn't be there.

Ric Flair had that rare heel ability to make you LOVE to hate him. You boo the bad guys, but you went to the show and watched the show, WAITING for your chance to boo him. He made fans jealous of him, for his power, for his women, for his money. Too many heels just made you hate them for punching your favorite face. That's it. Flair made you hate him for so many reasons, but you loved it.

 

[FiveTymeWCWChamp]

Flair was always great as a heel. But his face stuff wasn't to shabby as a face either. He was a great face when he faced Vader. He was a great face when the Horsemen reformed (Beniot, Malenko, Mongo) vs the NWO. He was great either way. But if I have to choose between the two, I am goin heel Flair. Because he was a kiss stealin, wheelin deal, limousine riddin, jet flyin, wooo son of a gun! And remember, Space Mountain might be the oldest ride in the park, but it still has the longest line!

 

[Eric]

You missed his best years, the ones as leader of the four horsemen back in the 80's.
I'll make this short, he was best as a heel in the four horseman.
The best four horseman faction was Flair, Arn Anderson, Blanchard, Windham.
I didn't care for Ole Anderson.
Flair and Hogan put wrestling on the map back in the 80's.

 

[The Con Volt]

HEEL.HEEL.HEEL!!!! I for one am always in favor of a wrestler changing as little about their real-life character as possible. And from the pages and pages worth of quotes i've read from other wrestlers, Flair is, or was at one time, the biggest, smelliest piece of shit in the entire industry. But that's just Flair and I don't think anyone in their right mind would want it any other way.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Flair was great as heel. Everytime I watch those segements, and promos between him and Ricky Steamboat, I get chills. I even liked when he was a heel in Evolution. Flair as a heel was great because he was so cocky and flashy, and did a great job at looking the part. As a face, Flair's character would always come off as being this guy you wanted to feel sorry for.