His Best Feud: Ric Flair

[The Brain]

Well this should be interesting. I’ve said in my previous threads that I’m a WWE guy, but of course I can’t be all WWE when discussing the Nature Boy. I’m going the give this my best shot. My other threads were all from my memory as the feuds happened. I did not see a lot of Flair’s feuds first hand. I have to go by what I’ve seen on dvds, classics on demand, and read about in old magazines. It’s hard to come up with a list of only ten for a guy who wrestled for 35 years. Anyone who has knowledge of the NWA and WCW days please tell me what I’ve overlooked. I like to give my opinions, but I also like when someone can give me an education on old school wrestling. Here’s my list:

10. The Undertaker
9. Roddy Piper
8. Terry Funk
7. Triple H
6. Harley Race
5. Hulk Hogan
4. Randy Savage
3. Sting
2. Ricky Steamboat
1. Dusty Rhodes

Tough choice for #1, but I had to go with Dusty. Ever hear the saying “so simple it’s brilliant?” That’s the case with this feud. Often the most simple stories are the best stories. This is wrestling 101. Ric Flair was the Nature Boy. He rode in jets and limos. He had suites that cost thousands of dollars. He had the rolex watches. He had beautiful women. He had it all and the fans hated him for it. Maybe they were jealous or maybe they just didn’t like Flair’s cocky attitude, but everyone wanted to see him put in his place. Who better to do that than Dusty Rhodes? Rhodes was the common man. He drove his pickup truck. He wore jeans and cowboy boots. He had a big gut. He was the opposite of Ric Flair. 99% of wrestling fans could relate more with Dusty Rhodes than Ric Flair. A win for Rhodes over Flair was symbolic for a win for all the common men in the world. This was a natural rivalry between two of the biggest names in the business. They had some memorable matches including main eventing two consecutive Starrcade events.

I came close to picking Steamboat for #1. This was similar to the feud with Rhodes. Steamboat was the ultimate family man who had the opposite lifestyle as Flair. They also had an epic series of matches that are still talked about twenty years later. It was close, but I think the feud with Rhodes stood out a little more and it was the main event for the biggest show twice in a row.

Let me have it NWA/WCW fans. Do I have a good list? I’d love your opinions on #1, but how’s the rest of my list?

 

[instantkarmaVA]

I know it's not as big as the top ten best feuds but I used to enjoy the Flair/road warrior Hawk mini feud. I remember Hawk would throw Flair around like the proverbial sack of 'taters for 10 minutes or so just to get screwed by the Horsemen. I guess it's not too much of a fued since it was like the 4 horsemen vs Road warriors,Dusty,and Koloff at the time but I remember seeing this match in alot of the old nwa house shows and it was always enjoyable..

Flair's worst feud has got to be vs Ronnie Garvin..uggggg..

 

[thewrestlinghero]

I would not call this his greatest feud because hard to name just one because he had some many great one. But my favorite one was him vs Dusty Rhodes these to torn the house every time they wrestled. There cages matches was good and dusty beating flair for the title in the cage is a memorable moment or at least for me.

 

[Kryonis]

I loved his feud with Sting. Starting with Sting as a Horseman, then moving to the Black Scorpion and Sting's knee injury and then Sting finally winning the big one. The true passing of the torch that Hogan to Warrior was supposed to be. When you think about it, Sting went on to become one of the biggest names in wrestling history. TNA calling him an Icon is not just a nickname, it is very true. Dusty and Steamboat never got that big. I have to go with Sting!

 

[Monkey_Mania]

It's without a showdow of a doubt gonna have to be Sting. Without Sting, Flair wouldnt have made it mainstream. Sting kept him relevant with their first feud. Sure, Flair made Sting into a superstar, but Sting kept flair at the main event level. Because otherwise Flair was not good enough to keep up with the new talent. Thanks to Sting, he taught Ric Flair how to work a good match again. Without a doubt, his best feud is STING!!

 

[wrestling fan 666]

I think that your top ten list is good, but I'd move Harley higher than 6. Dusty is the top feud without a doubt. The whole video with the horsemen following Dusty to his truck and breaking his arm was without a doubt one of the most disturbing things I remember seeing as a child. Their feud was so big, and drew so much money, that they included others in it; hence the beginning of War Games.

 

[byrnside]

Ya know, it's hard for me to vote, as I didn't really watch a lot of Flair in his prime, being I'm only 24. I only saw what he did from '92 on. From the list I really enjoyed his 'Mania match with 'Taker, and his feud with Tripe H was awesome too. I think for me it'd have to be Ricky the Dragon. Just two of the absolute all-time greats, and what a great story. Dusty was a great choice for number 1 as well.

 

[gameof25]

I have a name you forgot. Barry Windham. He was a great worker in his prime. He was next in line to become world champion before Flair left for the WWF in the 90s. They had a lot of memorable matches.

 

[CKDaimen]

This is a strong list though, as someone mentioned, Harley Race could easily be higher. I think Taker should be over Piper and maybe even switch places with HHH because their buildup to their Wrestlemania match was great.

As for #1, I was struggling between Rhodes and Steamboast before opening, then I decided on Steamboat. But, since it is so close, and after hearing you sell your decision, I definitely can understand. If you wanted to cop out, it may have been just as easy to say Rhodes and Steamboat are tied for #1, but that's no fun. In reality, Steamboat/Rhodes is next to impossible to say which is better but if you had to chose one, I don't think either one is less worthy than the other. Rhodes and Flair was the ultimate character contrast feud while Steamboat/Flair was the best in ring feud of Flair's career. Good list, and a gutsy one....Flair is a lot more challenging than the other lists you had before this one....and might even be the hardest person to chose a #1 feud for, given the illustrious nature of his career.

 

[The Brain]

I have a name you forgot. Barry Windham. He was a great worker in his prime. He was next in line to become world champion before Flair left for the WWF in the 90s. They had a lot of memorable matches.

I thought about Windham. There is a match between the two on Flair's first dvd that I liked a lot. I not too familiar with the storyline and feud between them. I wasn't sure if it should make the top ten.

 

[X]

For me it's got to be Ricky Steamboat. While Sting was probably his most high-profile feud and was one of the feuds that really established him as the legend he became, but to me he was never better than when he got in the ring with The Dragon. Their matches in 1989 are pretty much the gold standard of main event wrestling matches to me, so there's just no way I couldn't vote for Steamboat here.

No Vader option though? I thought those two had a great feud, they put on some great matches. Flair also had some great matches with Terry Funk and Harley Race as well, Race specifically was the one to really elevate Flair to the next level. Flair rarely had a bad match in those days though, anyone who can drag a classic match out of the abysmal worker that was Dusty Rhodes deserves all the acclaim they receive.

 

[The Brain]

No Vader option though? I thought those two had a great feud, they put on some great matches. Flair also had some great matches with Terry Funk and Harley Race as well, Race specifically was the one to really elevate Flair to the next level. Flair rarely had a bad match in those days though, anyone who can drag a classic match out of the abysmal worker that was Dusty Rhodes deserves all the acclaim they receive.

Funny you should mention Vader. I was creating a new thread all about him as you were replying to this. I just posted it a couple minutes ago. I did consider Vader. I don't remember much about their feud. I know Flair said he was going to retire if he didn't beat Vader at Starrcade. It seemed to be Flair vs. Father Time and Vader happened to be champ. I am well aware I could be completely wrong about that as my knowledge of WCW is nothing compared to WWE. If so please straighten me out. I honestly couldn't remember if this feud escalated beyond Starrcade. Were there rematches? If so I could definitely see Vader in the top ten.

 

[DaGhost]

Of course you need to separate Best Feud from Best Matches. If you stick with Best Feud, then it has to be Dusty. Best Matches would be Steamboat without a doubt with Windham #2.

I will throw out a feud not mentioned.......Ricky Morton. The Four Horseman used to pull all their nasty tricks on Morton. I vividly remember an episode where Flair, Tully, Arn, and I think Ole, were rubbing Morton's face into a concrete floor and Morton was just a bloody mess. They had some great matches together.

So for me:

1. Dusty Rhodes
2. Rick Steamboat
3. Harley Race
4. Sting
5. Rick Morton
6. Barry Windham
7. Terry Funk
8. Roddy Piper

Those are the ones that stick out in my mind. Definitely NWA and WCW heavy here.

DaGhost

 

[axle124]

Ok the answer for number 1 is easy, STING, without question. The dusty feud came about and was good but it wasnt even supposed to happen. Dusty was supposed to be the secondary next to magnum ta, but he got hurt, so dusty subbed for him until sting was ready. Dusty and flair wrestled many matches but you never seen many on tv. Dusty would be fourth on my list behind sting, steamboat, and harley race. You could even put the feud with macho man since it went from wwf to wcw on there ahead of dusty. When u say flair, u dont think flair and rhodes, u think flair and sting, or flair and steamboat.

Anyway sting and flair feuded for the better part of 15 years, dusty and flair 6 at the most.

 

[NOD_FAN]

Flairs best feud was with Dusty rhodes no doubt. It was the rich jet flying limo riding son of a gun vs the poor peoples man Dusty Rhodes. This was a classic feud.

 

[blkscrpn5]

Beyond his long time feuds with Sting and Steamboat, I would have to say Terry Funk. Their I quit match in 1989(i think) was just great, very brutal.

 

[NSL]

I'm going with Terry Funk. While his other feuds may have been better story-wise, his matches against Funk may rank among the best of both of their careers. They both knew they had to be at their best, both in the ring and on the mic, and they pulled it off.

His matches against Sting and Steamboat were both good, and the stories were worked well, as was his short mini-feud with Hitman once he arrived in WCW. They could almost all rank as #2, but I'm sticking by the Funkster at #1.

 

[tarp]

I am like most posters it's hard to chose between Dusty and Steamboat. Daghost had a great post. I took quality of feud along with matches and had to go with Steamboat. Dusty is like 1B. Next should be Harley Race. The Barry Windham angle had some of the best matches which I have posted about a time or two but it wasn't a long drawn out feud like Dusty, Steamboat, and Harley. Flair put Sting on the map but Sting had to pull his own in the matches. Also I agree with Ricky Morton if you read Flair's book he talks about all of his 1 hour matches with Flair and he, Steamboat, and Windham were about the only three that could keep up with him that long.
1. Steamboat
2. Dusty
3. Harley
4. Sting
5. Ricky Morton
6. Randy Savage
7. Greg Valentine (Go back and find footage of some of there US Title Matches)
8. As a tag member with Blackjack Mulligan his feud with the Andersons I was 7-10 years old and saw these matches in person in Raleigh NC classis matches
9. Terrry Funk ( would've been higher but was short)
Gotta Go! Customer coming in!

 

[FlairFan2003]

Have to go with Dusty Rhodes...Rhodes was probably wrestling's most popular good guy in the 80's behind Hogan, and no one was more reviled circa 1984-88 than Flair. Their characters were complete antithesis of each other, Rhodes the harworking do what's blue jean wearing truck driving common man, Flair the immoral, win at all costs, womanizing, $1,000 suit, rolex and mercedes business man. Their interviews on the TBS Sat Night Wrestling Show were AWESOME, and these guys (despite their personal differences) always had good matches. The cage match where Dusty wins the Title in 1986 is an absolute classic, and their Starrcade 85 match (which is featured on multiple DVD sets) is another great match.

Flair may have had better matches with Morton and Whindham but the intensity of their fueds didn't match this one. There's a reason Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Flair/Dusty as the Top Fued Of The Decade in the 1980's. These guys also sold out nearly everywhere they went for almost 4 yrs straight, phenomenal.

Flair had some great promos inhis feud against Morton (the one where he gives Morton a training bra and Mortin stomps his sunglasses is priceless) but Rhodes star power is unmatched.

Feuds with Sting and Ricky Steamboat produced great matches, and no doubt Flair really put Sting on the map (Rhodes was already a superstar) and they deserve mention. The build up for his 2002 fued with Undertaker was excellent as it was for his 1993 clash with Vader, but both fueds died shortly after the payoff match never to be re-visited again.

Flair and Randy Savage did some great work at different times, and the WM8 match was one of Randy's best in WWE. Flair's "she was mine before she was yours, she's damaged goods" promos leading into WM 8 were some of his best during his first WWE run.

So many other Flair fueds produced memorable moments it's hard to list them all. He single handedly turned evil Freebird Jimmy Garvin into a sympathetic fan favorite in 1987. Flair's interview with a mannaequin dressed as Garvin's wife Prescious had to be one of his most over the top moments all time, and the payoff match in the cage at Great American Bash was good. Flair and Terry Funk played off each other, both on the mic and in the ring, beter than almost anyone. Their matches were more brutal than Flair's classics vs Sting and Steamboat but every bit as entertaining.

In his later years, Flair did some very good work vs Mick Foley and Edge (their 2006 TLC Match is really something considering he was 56 yrs old at the time).

Of course some fans don't want to hear it, but Flair and Hogan had some really great moments too. Regardless of what you think of Hogan, Flair is easily one of the two or three best fueds he ever had, and probably along with Savage the absolute BEST matches he ever had.

 

[DaGhost]

Wow, some really great comments on this. I like the post about Magnum T.A. I thought about him, but alas that would have to fall into the "feuds we wish would have happened" category. Sadly it just never got the chance.

Dusty and Flair had staying power. Plus, during their heyday they never "made up" and teamed. They were always bitter enemies (unless I am having brain lock). Most of Flair's other feuds almost always had a period of time where they were buddies or Horsemen.

Steamboat you could almost count twice. Once before he left for the WWF and again on his return to NWA/WCW.

Certainly Road Warrior Hawk and Nikita Koloff could have been great feuds given time. Those Great American Bashes back then were incredible.

DaGhost

 

[Nature Boy]

This is alomst too tough for me to decide.

As soon as I think of one then another screams out at me.

There are so many great ones. Flair made Sting a star. Steamboat and Flair having some of the best matches of all time. Dusty and Flair clashing in a battle of arch rivals. Hogan and Flair putting the two greatest names of all time in the same ring.

The list just goes on.

So in no real order, though I have tried to order them somewhat

Sting
Dusty Rhodes
Ricky Steamboat
Hulk/Hollywood Hogan
Harley Race
Barry Windham
Terry Funk
Ricky Morton
Randy Savage
Eric Bischoff
The Undertaker
Lex Luger

Great feuds from the greatest of all time, Whooo!

 

[King Patrick Star]

I’m not too sure what the Nature Boy’s “Greatest” feud was, but on paper, his feud with Hulk Hogan should have been the biggest thing above the WrestleMania XV, X7, and XIX Main Events, Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock. This was the epitome of WWF vs. WCW in the 80s / early 90s. This was the definition of Good vs. Evil, then, of course, they switched. This was Tradition vs. Modern, during the Horsemen vs. N.W.O. feud. Too bad it didn’t go as well as all the other feuds mentioned.

 

[cwill18]

I voted Sting because of the body of work over the years, but I always thought his fued with Funk was the most exciting of his career.

 

[bigevil83]

i believe his greatest feud was with ricky steamboat. You have two of the all time greatest in ring competitors in their prime against one another. Their body of work is up there with the best thats ever been seen. Both guys played their role so well with steamboat as the ultimate good guy family man and flair as the limousine riding jet flying son of a gun. Awesome stuff to watch.

 

[ServantofTwilight]

for me it would have to be Dusty Rhodes. While I think matches against Windham and Steamboat were better wrestling wise; and the hogan fued should have been more epic; his fued with Rhodes was violent, intense, and produced great matches.

What I think made the fued work so well was the contrasting characters the men portrayed. Flair the jet setting playboy who wanted the title for the money and fame it brought him. Rhodes the working class son of a plumber who was living the "American Dream". Together they put on good/great matches everytime they wrestled. Add the Four Horsemen angles and you had great stuff. Dusty gets my vote.

axle124 said--Ok the answer for number 1 is easy, STING, without question. The dusty feud came about and was good but it wasnt even supposed to happen. Dusty was supposed to be the secondary next to magnum ta, but he got hurt, so dusty subbed for him until sting was ready. Dusty and flair wrestled many matches but you never seen many on tv. Dusty would be fourth on my list behind sting, steamboat, and harley race. You could even put the feud with macho man since it went from wwf to wcw on there ahead of dusty. When u say flair, u dont think flair and rhodes, u think flair and sting, or flair and steamboat.

I just wanted to comment on this post. the Dusty fued did not come about as a result of Magnum's accident. Dusty and Rhodes had history since 1981, about three years before Magnum showed up on the scene. Flair ended Rhodes title run in 81, the two headlined Starcade 84 and Starcade 85 and Rhodes took the title off of Flair in August of 1986, three monthes before Magnum was set to do it. Rhodes was never a filler as when magnum TA got hurt the did a face change to Nikita and it was he who then fueded with Flair in Magnum's place.