Has Ric Flair Gone Down for Not Retiring After Wrestlemania XXIV?

[californiachef84]

I personally think that Flair still looks a lot more relevant and has a lot more impact than Hogan and Brett Hart. While the other two should just stay away from ring action all together, Flair is still able to use his charisma and tell a story in the ring. I'd rather not see him busted wide open every week, he doesn't need to bleed to bring intensity to what he does. Wrestling is in his blood and I'm sure that most wrestlers his age would be doing the same if they could.

"I'd rather not see him busted wide open every week, he doesn't need to bleed to bring intensity to what he does".

What the hell show have you been watching? It certainly hasn't been Impact! I can't even remember the last time Ric Flair was bleeding on Impact. We have seen Flair bleed on tv maybe 4 or 5 times THIS WHOLE FREAKIN' YEAR!!! Since you don't watch TNA, don't even bother responding to something that you know nothing about.

Flair has not hurt his legacy one single bit by coming to TNA. WWE forced him into retirement and he does not (nor should he) feel sorry one bit for coming to TNA. WWE is the biggest wrestling based promotion in the world. However, even the WWE is not big enough to tell Ric Flair when to retire.

 

[GameOver]

I want to know how the hell you people can justify Flair not having enough money to retire. He's been wrestling and making money FOREVER. Plus these guys make enough money to invest well and live comfortably. Flair is not wrestling to make money, thats bullshit.

It seems to me that Flair is still around only for self serving purposes. I think him (as well and Hogan) still think that they are THE major players in the game. They used to be 15-20 years ago. Now? Not even close.

I think it does hurt his stature that he's still around all the time. Once in a while is awesome. I love to see the legends come around and mix it up with current talent every now and then. But Fortune is a main stable and storyline at TNA. Whos right in the middle of it? Flair. Immortal is the other main stable and storyline. Whos right in the middle of it? Hogan. These guys need to stop feeding their egos this horseshit that they should still be the top dogs in any company because they aren't what they used to be. Not even close. And in my opinion it hurts both of their legacies because the longer these geriatric fucks are around, the more likely you are to think of their recent TNA bullshit than their amazing glory days with WWE/WCW.

He's also squandered most of it and has several wives to pay alimony too.
i do agree though i don't think it's anything to do with "helping" TNA it's more about Ric Flair serving Ric Flair. same with Hogan and same with Bischoff, same with Nash, least Nash admits he's in it for himself

They blew what they had and refuse to let go so others can get a glimpse of what they got in there careers.

Ric Flair however does still do what is needed to put others over even if he loves being in the spotlight on the mic/camera.

 

[gbaby_steve25]

ok so i know im gonna get torn apart for this, but seriously how in the hell is a Ric Flair promo worth anything today... all he does is yell, scream, spit, and f'ing blabber jibberish like a 4 year old with a tantrum to throw... his WCW rants were not even this bad... i mean is it really cool and intriguing to make people assuming you have alzheimers and are about to have a damn stroke... chill out a bit... and seriously drinking and chugging a SMIRNOFF ICE??? WTF???? how in the hell has that ever made anyone cool. Ric Flair is a legend, and one of the best, arguably the best, ever... but seriously he is a joke on the mic in TNA, and I really blame him and the people in charge of his promos, if there are any. Ric can be great if he just calms down a bit when he is speaking, the tantrums when he isnt speaking are great and humorous but when u cant even understand what he is saying have the time... it just gets annoying... i mute the tv when he comes on now, and that was never the case in WCW or WWF/E... so i guess tear me apart but in my opinion coming back was the problem that is hurting him, it is what he is doing with his mic work, and i honestly think the whole FOURTUNE thing is quite stupid... we can name them something else.. and yes i thought the band was stupid too... and get this I actually love TNA wrestling....

 

[jacdnwarrior]

The retirement match and the sendoff on Raw was a great way to end a career. He should have left it at that. He wanted to do some other line of work while still with WWE or wasn't happy with what they wanted him to do I'm not sure what the reason is for him leaving WWE. On one hand, it's great if he's doing what he wants to do in TNA. On the other he's been doing this a long time, has been the top of a company made a lot of money, he really should be able to move on into retirement and stop working in the ring.

 

[Chicago1989]

I've already talked about this before, but again, Ric Flair HAS RUINED his legacy. He talked so much shit about TNA, Hogan, Kevin Nash, Vince Russo, and Mick Foley and look at him now; His mouth wrote a check that he couldn't cash. He talked and talked and talked, but in the end, it just made him look like a fool.

I mean, how do you go from this:

to this

????
Explain that to me? It's pathetic..​

The guy should've BEEN retired a long time ago. He has no business being in the ring. I don't care if he "has more to offer" in wrestling; WORK BACKSTAGE!!. He blades like every week, He ruined his legacy by losing to Hogan AGAIN on some shitty tour, he calls himself "God", and he's old. I can't imagine having a friend come over and see that I'm watching a 60-something year old guy wrestle. HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD MAKE ME LOOK?

He's only in TNA because of his issues with divorces and sucking up to Hogan. I respect what he's done for this business but please, give me a break. Are you telling me that you'll still be "The Man" in 2015?

And for those you of who say "He's an icon, he lives wrestling, he's great in TNA....". Bottom line is, he's old, he hasn't increased ratings on iMPACT!, and he's ruined his legacy. That's all it is .

 

[Syborgg]

IMO Flair's legacy was going downhill even before the match with Shawn. The WM send-off was actually a good way for him to save face, but then he ruined that by popping up in TNA. If he wants to work as a manager, or commentator, or help the younger guys, I'm all for that. However, he should not be in the ring wrestling. He shouldn't even be seen shirtless for that matter. The only reason the match with Shawn was any good was because of HBK, he carried Slick Ric on his back the whole match. Flair was over-rated in my opinion and the majority of his so-called legacy was built in the "minor leagues" wrestling in NWA and WCW in front of half the crowds that WWF and Hulkamania was getting. Hogan's 5 year WWF title reign and legions of fans were a bigger legacy than anything Flair built up.

As for what he's doing now in TNA, my advise to him would be simply stay out of the ring and out of his tights. Be a manager, help the young guys, etc. But for the love of god stop wrestling cuz at this point you're just embarrassing yourself.

 

[UltimateHitman]

I'm going to make one more point before heading to bed. I've been thinking about it and it seems to me that WWE wanted to do something special for Flair's send off, probably to spike ratings or what not before he left. The youth movement was coming, everybody probably knew it, and Flair just didn't want to stop doing what he loved. Yeah, money's probably a factor, but I'm sure if you had financial responsibilities and had to keep working at an older age you would do it too. Hell, he's still Ric Flair, and he can still get a pretty decent paycheck for being as old as he is, so why not?

Somebody also made the statement that if a friend came over and saw him watching a 60 yr. old man wrestling, how would that make him look? Thank the good Lord above that who is wrestling or other people's life decisions do not revolve around you like you obviously delusionally believe. I have absolutely no clue why someone would utter a statement like that. Turn the channel when you hear the knock on the door before they come in. If you leave the door unlocked and they walk in, act like you were in the middle of changing the channel and that's where it stopped when you got up to do something. For argument's sake I hope that was a joke, but given the feel of how the post was written I'm going to sadly assume it wasn't. I really hope you are not, or do not remain, that self-centered in your everyday affairs.

The point I'm getting at is that after re-thinking about the whole thing, I don't think Ric had a choice but to leave WWE because of the impending youth movement. Like a lot of people said, he's as old as the hills. But he wasn't ready to call it quits yet, for whatever reason, and quite frankly comes across much better at an older age than Hogan or Nash do. Hogan's a glory hound, and wouldn't have let the guys that Flair put over go over on him. Nash? Please. Never liked him even in his prime, so I'm biased. I think the other posters are right, he got a send off from WWE, not the entire wrestling industry, and I'd rather see Flair instead of Hogan or Nash any day. (Even though, until just recently, I had to see the other two anyway... ugh.)

 

[Chicago1989]

I'm going to make one more point before heading to bed. I've been thinking about it and it seems to me that WWE wanted to do something special for Flair's send off, probably to spike ratings or what not before he left. The youth movement was coming, everybody probably knew it, and Flair just didn't want to stop doing what he loved. Yeah, money's probably a factor, but I'm sure if you had financial responsibilities and had to keep working at an older age you would do it too. Hell, he's still Ric Flair, and he can still get a pretty decent paycheck for being as old as he is, so why not?

Somebody also made the statement that if a friend came over and saw him watching a 60 yr. old man wrestling, how would that make him look? Thank the good Lord above that who is wrestling or other people's life decisions do not revolve around you like you obviously delusionally believe. I have absolutely no clue why someone would utter a statement like that. Turn the channel when you hear the knock on the door before they come in. If you leave the door unlocked and they walk in, act like you were in the middle of changing the channel and that's where it stopped when you got up to do something. For argument's sake I hope that was a joke, but given the feel of how the post was written I'm going to sadly assume it wasn't. I really hope you are not, or do not remain, that self-centered in your everyday affairs.

The point I'm getting at is that after re-thinking about the whole thing, I don't think Ric had a choice but to leave WWE because of the impending youth movement. Like a lot of people said, he's as old as the hills. But he wasn't ready to call it quits yet, for whatever reason, and quite frankly comes across much better at an older age than Hogan or Nash do. Hogan's a glory hound, and wouldn't have let the guys that Flair put over go over on him. Nash? Please. Never liked him even in his prime, so I'm biased. I think the other posters are right, he got a send off from WWE, not the entire wrestling industry, and I'd rather see Flair instead of Hogan or Nash any day. (Even though, until just recently, I had to see the other two anyway... ugh.)

Ha! So you're saying that I should change the channel and feel ashamed that I didn't want to have a friend watch what I love? But that still doesn't justify as to why a 60-year old guy is on a wrestling ring. But I was just making an example though. I stopped watching TNA right when Flair came in to ruin his legacy, but it wasn't just because of him. I have my reasons. But then again, I guess I did myself a favor in not humiliating myself watching an old guy in the ring. The guy's a legend but it's gotten to the point where it's just embarrassing to know he's still wrestling.

 

[Ming]

Flair's legacy has been shat on just a bit IMO. The man gave a great send off after a pretty good match at WrestleMania XXIV, and then a couple months later I see him wrestling in a second-rate promotion like TNA or putting on a promo which includes him foaming from the mouth and lying around in the ring?

Seriously that is a good way of trying to tarnish someone's legacy and I feel that TNA is a promotion that is struggling to compete with WWE because they're constantly signing up WWE rejects or hasbins who shouldn't even be competing anymore. That's why it's sad to see Flair in TNA or wrestling at all after the send-off he gave.

Now I know people are saying that "he lives and breathes wrestling" but there is always a time to stop and I feel that Flair has gone way past his time. He could've gone into coaching or just become a backstage influence but no he has to continue to punish his body at 60 something years old!?

I feel that his send-off at the WWE was more emotional than just quitting WWE it geniunely seemed like he was going to retire for good.

 

[Kitten Cutter]

Ric Flair continuing to wrestle doesn't bother me in the retirement sense, but in the health sense.

The Wrestlemania send-off, the legacy, the crying and adulation was an amazing sight, and all those moments plus his paycheck aside, there's an issue of the man's health and wellness here. and if Ric Flair wanted to keep going, that's his business. The problem is, look what's he doing in TNA. Every match he's blading and bleeding like crazy, and he looks winded and worked up at the end of each match. Every promo he's going crazy and losing his mind, and even though he's in great shape for a 60+ year old, I watch and worry about the man. I can't even get past that it's Ric Flair; I sit there and wonder what he's doing to himself and why he's doing it. He is a bonafide legend, and we see other legends come back in both companies and wrestle limited matches, sometimes the Royal Rumble or simply make appearances and get beat down. Flair is actually wrestling intense matches and cutting hardcore promos. I like that he's helping the young guys in TNA become something more; I just don't want to see a news article that Ric Flair drops of exhaustion and has to be hospitalized.

 

[HiddenInPlainView]

Flair working in TNA as a figurehead for Fourtune is a good thing, but i think he should have stayed out of the ring. Oh.....Those stupid bits of him dancing and having Smirnoff Ices dumped on him are just ridiculous!!!!

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

Even though Flair is probably more entertaining than ever, I do think it was a huge disrespect to Shawn Michaels and the WWE for going over to TNA to wrestle. He retired, left the WWE saying he would never wrestle again, and the WWE gave him this huge send off celebration, chronicling his life in the business, only to show up to some other show to wrestle? I think it sucks, and it makes me think less of him as a person, not as an entertainer.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Even though Flair is probably more entertaining than ever, I do think it was a huge disrespect to Shawn Michaels and the WWE for going over to TNA to wrestle. He retired, left the WWE saying he would never wrestle again, and the WWE gave him this huge send off celebration, chronicling his life in the business, only to show up to some other show to wrestle? I think it sucks, and it makes me think less of him as a person, not as an entertainer.

I think his retirement and a lot of the thing he said was scripted. The retirement itself felt forced because really, if it WAS up to Flair, he'd never retire. His existence in TNA is evidence that supports that.

So, if you do something you love, something you can feel you can still do and maybe even do better and help other people in the process, but you're forced to stop doing it, wouldn't you do it again if given the chance? I know I would.

Besides, I think people were thrown off the celebrations and thought this was the real deal. It sure looked like his official retirement, it made sense, but if TNA threw such a fiesta for Kurt Angle at BFG, you'd think he'll retire for real as well.

Flair is done with the WWE. He's already in the HoF. I don't think less of him as a person for doing what he loves. Whatever makes Flair happy is fine with me. He's Ric Flair, he can do whatever the fuck he wants in this business.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

I think his retirement and a lot of the thing he said was scripted. The retirement itself felt forced because really, if it WAS up to Flair, he'd never retire. His existence in TNA is evidence that supports that.

So, if you do something you love, something you can feel you can still do and maybe even do better and help other people in the process, but you're forced to stop doing it, wouldn't you do it again if given the chance? I know I would.

There's nothing to support that fact except for the weak assertion that he was forced to retire backed up by nothing except for his appearance in TNA. There's no reason why the WWE would force someone to retire. If the WWE wanted him gone, believe me, he wouldn't have gone down in the flaming blaze of glory that he did.

Besides, I think people were thrown off the celebrations and thought this was the real deal. It sure looked like his official retirement, it made sense, but if TNA threw such a fiesta for Kurt Angle at BFG, you'd think he'll retire for real as well.

Flair is done with the WWE. He's already in the HoF. I don't think less of him as a person for doing what he loves. Whatever makes Flair happy is fine with me. He's Ric Flair, he can do whatever the fuck he wants in this business.

There's nothing to support the idea that Ric Flair's retirement was a work, especially because HBK mentioned it in passing during his retirement. This is kind of an irrelevant point, because there's nothing to support the argument either way, so we're kind of forced to assume he actually did retire, and that actually does make me think less of him.

I'm not saying he didn't have a right to join TNA, but it was a dick move.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

There's nothing to support that fact except for the weak assertion that he was forced to retire backed up by nothing except for his appearance in TNA. There's no reason why the WWE would force someone to retire. If the WWE wanted him gone, believe me, he wouldn't have gone down in the flaming blaze of glory that he did.

There's nothing to support the idea that Ric Flair's retirement was a work, especially because HBK mentioned it in passing during his retirement. This is kind of an irrelevant point, because there's nothing to support the argument either way, so we're kind of forced to assume he actually did retire, and that actually does make me think less of him.

I'm not saying he didn't have a right to join TNA, but it was a dick move.

Weak? What's this thread about then? If WWe hadn't made such a big deal about Ric's possible retirement - WM was sold on the back of Ric Vs HBK; every RAW and PPV in the 6 months leading up to WM was sold on the idea that you could possibly miss his last appearance; the celebration is in Ric's DVDs. How's that for evidence - Ric's (possible) retirement was used to make *gasp* money!

When he came back to WWe he was involved in physical altercations with Y2J and a Backstage Brawl with Orton (then they could still say he was retired from wrestling). Yes that's right - Flair fought for WWe before the Hulkamania tour and then TNA! Some bloody retirement!

 

[Killswitch1337]

i completely agree with the OP, i too believe he bastardized his retirement, i dont care on whos terms his retirement was. i lost a lot of respect for the man when he returned, not just because he returned, but because he wrestled. a man of his age should not ever be in a match, let alone a hardcore match. he should never have to bleed for the enjoyment of others, and never be smacked with foreign objects, or pu through a table.
i think its just sad to see him get in the ring every night. i dont absolutely hate him when he speaks, but wrestling is something he shouldnt do. he used to be my favorite of all time, but now he has taken that respect and threw it away. its just sad to see him wrestle.

 

[a0161613]

Flair will always be The Man. I believe that him going to TNA wasnt going to ruin his legacy BUT wrestling as often as he does and in the matches that he has (meaningless matches against Morgan and the Street Fight vs Lethal) massively affected how a whole generation will remember someone who was incredibly talented and was the best at what he did.

 

[CerebralViper96]

Yes,it was pretty emotional when his career ended at WM 24,I'm not even going to go to detail.All imma say is would you rather go out by lossing to Shawn Michaels in a perfect WrestleMania match or being busted open in a loss to Matt Morgan?

 

[Marky-Marc]

I think his retirement and a lot of the thing he said was scripted. The retirement itself felt forced because really, if it WAS up to Flair, he'd never retire. His existence in TNA is evidence that supports that.

So, if you do something you love, something you can feel you can still do and maybe even do better and help other people in the process, but you're forced to stop doing it, wouldn't you do it again if given the chance? I know I would.

Besides, I think people were thrown off the celebrations and thought this was the real deal. It sure looked like his official retirement, it made sense, but if TNA threw such a fiesta for Kurt Angle at BFG, you'd think he'll retire for real as well.

Flair is done with the WWE. He's already in the HoF. I don't think less of him as a person for doing what he loves. Whatever makes Flair happy is fine with me. He's Ric Flair, he can do whatever the fuck he wants in this business.

So you hate WWE so much to go as far as saying that a wrestling LEGEND like Ric Flair was given a scripted retirement speech? Unbelievable.

Anyone who thinks this is a moron, there's no nice way of putting it. Also, where was it ever said that McMahon forced him to retire? That's just bullshit. I remember reading in mid-2007 that Flair said he wanted to retire at WM24, so anyone who thinks that, IDR, is just blind.

Flair is great, always has been. But the fact is, and cannot be denied, that he came back because he needs money. His lavish lifestyle probably couldn't be afforded anymore, and with the fact that he marries 20-year old bimbos, then beats them up, and divorces them, is probably very costly.

You wanna go to TNA and cut awesome, albeit crazy, promos? Go right ahead, milk 'The Nature Boy' for all it's worth because it will nevr get old. But the second he stepped in the ring on that stupid Hulk Hogan tour, he lost credibility. Not because he went to TNA, TNA sucks but it's not like he's in a high school gym, it's because he started wrestling again. That was the slap in the face.

And to all of you heartless marks that say he's a God and can do what he wants in this business for as long as he wants, what are you gonna say when we read on the WZ homepage one day in the near future: "Breaking News: Ric Flair found dead in hotel room" because I have no doubt that one day it'll happen. I pray that it does not and he dies an old man comfortable in his bed in 20 years, but not at this rate. He needs to calm it down, he has already hurt his legacy with what he's been doing the last year, no need to pay the ultimate price for it.

 

[K++s]

I think this is the same as Favre's stints with the Jets and the Vikings or Montana's time with KC. At the time, when you're watching, you're seeing the shadow of a great competitor and for people who haven't seen him anywhere else, yes, it does tarnish their legacy for those individuals.

However for the rest of us, after he finally retires, the TNA chapter will likely just be a footnote and all anyone will remember or talk about will be his time in the NWA and to a far lesser extent, the WWE when they were truly great.

 

[Rasha]

I think this is the same as Favre's stints with the Jets and the Vikings or Montana's time with KC. At the time, when you're watching, you're seeing the shadow of a great competitor and for people who haven't seen him anywhere else, yes, it does tarnish their legacy for those individuals.

However for the rest of us, after he finally retires, the TNA chapter will likely just be a footnote and all anyone will remember or talk about will be his time in the NWA and to a far lesser extent, the WWE when they were truly great.

Awesome comparison. Think Michael Jordan... all of these "tarnished legacies" questions were tossed around during his Wizards comeback but nobody's hating on him for it today. Flair will get the same type of treatment whenever he's truly gone from the business. In retrospect, some of what he did in TNA will probably look good compared to some of those awful angles from the last 4-5 years of WCW (e.g. David Flair).

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I'm going to speak slowly as some people just ain't picking up on this point, Ric Flair fought Randy Orton for the WWe 14 months after WM24. It was described as an unsanctioned fight but (if you've never heard of kayfabe, stop reading now), it was just a bulls**t way of getting round the retirement match with HBK "Hey it's not a sanctioned wrestling match so it didn't count"

Now, tell me again how Naitch has demeaned his retirement match or the company that gave him such a great retirement party... they frickin did that themselves!

 

[Marky-Marc]

I'm going to speak slowly as some people just ain't picking up on this point, Ric Flair fought Randy Orton for the WWe 14 months after WM24. It was described as an unsanctioned fight but (if you've never heard of kayfabe, stop reading now), it was just a bulls**t way of getting round the retirement match with HBK "Hey it's not a sanctioned wrestling match so it didn't count"

Now, tell me again how Naitch has demeaned his retirement match or the company that gave him such a great retirement party... they frickin did that themselves!

I'll tell you: Batista tried telling him for weeks not to do it because he was retired, so they didn't have a wrestling match, so instead, he challenged Orton to a fight. You can't stop two men from fighting so it didn't count. If he got into a fight at a bar when he was drunk one night would that be him coming out of retirement? No, it wouldn't.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I'll tell you: Batista tried telling him for weeks not to do it because he was retired, so they didn't have a wrestling match, so instead, he challenged Orton to a fight. You can't stop two men from fighting so it didn't count. If he got into a fight at a bar when he was drunk one night would that be him coming out of retirement? No, it wouldn't.

Really? Batista TOLD him not to fight for weeks, hmm - if only I could think of examples when one wrestler pleaded with another not to compete for various reasons Batista was providing the 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card so that knuckleheads could claim it wasn't a real match. When was the last time you saw a real fight involving knife edge chops, kicks and stomps that are hardly making contact & two friends jumping in and performing a double vertical suplex? The commentators ever refer to it as a 'one on one contest' when Legacy save (oh yeah, did I mention that Ric was decimating the WWe Champion at the time?) Orton from the figure four! Grow up - a match is a match, had Ric not lost to Shawn - this would have been a last man standing match, but as Ric was 'retired' and WWe wouldn't sanction a match he had to go down this route

 

[Marky-Marc]

Really? Batista TOLD him not to fight for weeks, hmm - if only I could think of examples when one wrestler pleaded with another not to compete for various reasons Batista was providing the 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card so that knuckleheads could claim it wasn't a real match. When was the last time you saw a real fight involving knife edge chops, kicks and stomps that are hardly making contact & two friends jumping in and performing a double vertical suplex? The commentators ever refer to it as a 'one on one contest' when Legacy save (oh yeah, did I mention that Ric was decimating the WWe Champion at the time?) Orton from the figure four! Grow up - a match is a match, had Ric not lost to Shawn - this would have been a last man standing match, but as Ric was 'retired' and WWe wouldn't sanction a match he had to go down this route

TYou're telling me to grow up yet you have more smiley faces than words in your post so thanks buddy.

You can hate on this as much as you want, fine he had a match with Randy Orton, the difference is, when he went to Australia to fight Hogan he asked HBK for permission, he didn't do that when he fought Orton, because technically is was a non-sanctioned match so it still doesn't count. But that's not the point, we can argue that forever. The fact is, he is tarnishing his legacy by doing what he's doing there. The Smirnoff Ice is so stupid, the screaming is a little over doing it, and the wrestling is a slap in the face to everything that Shawn, Vince and anybody else who had a hand in that retirement. Remember Big SHow hysterically crying because his idol was retiring FOREVER??? No you probably don't. Now that moiment means nothing because Flair couldn't stay out of the spotlight.

So you can say he had a match with Orton, I don't care. He is tarnishing what he took years to build and he doesn't care about anyone who embraced that moment, and I hope that the day he finally does hang it up (which at this point will probably never happen) he has a shitty retirement and it weighs on his mind as a piss poor way for a Legend going out.