Ric Flair: Is He the Man?

[SSJPhenom]

I love to read posts from this site and I love to post myself. I love to debate things with other fans that I normally wouldn't have the chance to do. With that being said, I have a problem. I've said this before: It seems like everytime we debate someone one this site(I.E. John Cena, HBK, HHH, 'Taker, and countless others) we always come back to comparing them to Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin, as we associate those two as the best. What about Ric Flair?

No question in my mind and it should be no question in anyone else's mind that Hogan and Austin were the two biggest draws in the history of Professional Wrestling. They were the most popular stars in the history of Professional Wrestling. They have sold more merchandise than any other star in the history of Professional Wrestling. They were widely successful. So if we go by that then we have to consider Hogan or Austin the best, however, if we look at the craft of Professional Wrestling(I.E. mic skills, ring/crowd psychology, the ability to tell a story, putting people over, starting new things, in ring ability, and what have you), who was better than Ric Flair?

Flair could talk on the mic with the best of them. He could rhyme, he could work a crowd, he could make you laugh, angry, or cry and he did those things, sometimes, in the same segment. He coined catch phrases before wrestlers even used catch phrases. At one time, there wasn't a man more hated in Professional Wrestling or more loved. His ability to hold a crowd in the palm of his hand, whether he was a heel or a face rivals that of even Hogan. His matches with Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Steamboat, Terry Funk, Magnum T.A., Barry Windham, Sting, and etc. pretty much spoon fed those stars their legacy. His association with the Four Horsmen made stables and factions a new and exciting thing and he pretty much spoon fed Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchord, and J.J. Dillon their legacys. Who had better matches in the 80's and early 90's then Ric Flair? Also, who is more respected as a legend of Professional Wrestling than Ric Flair? His send off on Raw, is(IMO), the greatest Raw segment that I have ever seen. Le't not forget he is only a 16 time world champion, nothing major.

With all that said, why do we not discuss Ric Flair in the same conversation as others we consider to be among the greatest of all time? Is it because we don't consider him to be one of, if not the greatest of all time(I certainly do), or is it because as a Professional Wrestler, the man is incomparable?

 

[Blue Chipper]

Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan set on a tier above Ric Flair, and that's why Hulk and Stone cold are used as the measuring sticks as opposed to Ric Flair. Stone Cold, and Hogan, had everything essential in American pro-wrestling; They had the look, gimmick, charisma, mic ability, in-ring ability, psychology, and presence. They were huge draws, and more entertaining than anyone before, or after them. Ric Flair isn't on a level with Hulk and Steve, becasue he was simply not as good in terms of a professional wrestler. Ric could draw, but he couldn't draw anything like Hogan or Steve. Ric could wrestle a technical match, but he was a one-trick pony, so to speak. Every match was basically the same, and he's been critisized heavily over it. He was great on the mic, and playing his gimmick however, but not quite on the magnitude of Steve and Hulk. Nearly every asset of a wrestler, Hulk and Steve did slightly better at than Ric Flair, and that's why they're used as the "measuring sticks" to everone else.

 

[WWF Wrestling Fan]

Is Ric Flair The Man well Hell yeah he is hes not a 16 time champ thats just for them to say in WWE hes actually a 27 time champion look it up and do the math

 

[FiveTymeWCWChamp]

Flair made more wrestlers than anyone in history. Look at all the guys that became someone because of Flair. Sting, Rhodes, Magnun TA, Steamboat, etc, etc. Hogan or Austin never made someone like Flair did. Austin and Hogan might have made more money, but they didn't make superstars like Flair did. By the way, the gimmick is true to life...

TO BE THE MAN...YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE MAN...!!!!!! WOOOO!!!!!!

Ask Hogan or Austin how many guys got the rub from working a feud with them. Hogan never put anyone over. Austin was lucky to have the Rock and McMahon as an adversary. Hogan was lucky to have Andre, Warrior, and Savage.

 

[Exist2Inspire51]

I think that Flair was the man. He was the man that everyone wanted to be but I think that in the past couple of years his legend has dropped off. I think that when he kept getting in the ring when he couldnt perform that hurt him. He became that guy who wouldnt quit while he was ahead. I think that Ric Flair was a great performer but he became a sad accuse for a great legend.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Hogan and Austin drew primarily because of how they were used in WWE. Austin didn't draw shit in WCW, and he didn't really help a great deal when he was in ECW, and when he first arrived in WWE, he didn't draw then either.

As for Hogan, did anyone really pay to see him before becoming 'The Real American'?

Ric Flair has drawn wherever he went a million times over. As much as i hate to agree with Mark Madden, Flair really is pro-wrestling's equivalent of Jesus. He's always had great mic skills, good ring psychology, a decent look and a great sense of what will get over with an audience.

I bet that if Austin hadn't won KOTR in '96 he wouldn't have really done anything. Someone like Russo would have turned around and said 'Black boots and trunks isn't going to cut it Steve,' and he'd have been felled with de ja vu. When Steve first hit the scene in WWE, the roster was still full of stupid gimmicks, and even the ones that were actually over, were kinda stupid. You had an undead monster, an insane lunatic with one ear who shoved his hand in your mouth, a sexy boy, and a guy proclaiming that he was the best ever, running around in pink tights and leather, and hailing from Canada. Stables consisted of pissed off black guys, bikers and god knows how many other misfit groups they had back then.......

.... until finally, they let Austin become someone people could relate to as a character. 'Hey, this guy isn't pretending to be xenophobic and blaiming me! This guy isn't talking about going to hell and dragging us with him! This guy isn't prancing around like a fairy all the time! He's just a guy swiggin' a brew, flippin' the bird and kickin' a LOT of ass....... I COULD BE THAT GUY!!!!!!'

Once he separated from Dibiase and stopped being the 'Buttfucker', he became someone the fans could relate to. He was a blue collar hero, and when he started beating up his boss, they loved him even more. People loved to watch Austin drive in, smash up Vince's car, drink a beer, and then come and beat up Vince, because deep down inside, that's what they wanted to do to their bosses. He was a vent for their anger.

Hogan only had to proclaim himself as a 'Real American' to be loved forever by the World. Want to get over real quick? Say you love the states. Want to get intense heel heat with one sentence? Say you hate the states, repeatedly. And then what did they do? They face him off against foreigners. Iron Shiek and Andre, both foreigners. Hogan fueded with Slaughter as well didn't he, when Slaughter was an Iraqi sympathiser or some thing? It was after that that he started doing programmes with the other top guys like Savage and Warrior, and then of course he went to WCW, and a load of fans went with him.

Hogan cemented WWE as the only game in town, and then later made WCW the other only game in town. Austin then helped WWE reclaim their top spot and helped them keep it for another year or two before finally succumbing to his back and neck problems.

Ric Flair started before both, and lasted longer than both in the profession in general, as well as being a top draw for years before anyone gave a monkey's about the other 2. Imagine a collection of villages (the territories) that all worship the same demi-god (Flair), until one day an attacking army comes along (WWE), wipes out the villages, rapes their resources and then makes people believe in a new idol (Hogan). When it comes to comparing new guys to older guys, we should really compare them with Hogan and Flair, not Hogan and Austin. Or to be really honest, you should just compare them to Hoagn, because no one is ever likely to live to the standard set by Ric Flair. Not Hogan, not Austin, not Rock, not Michaels, not Taker, not Hart, not Nash, not Sting, not HHH and not Cena.

That's my take anyway.

 

[JenovasWitness]

In a lot of respects, Ric Flair is the man. Longevity, promo ability, charisma and the respect of his fellow workers are just a few of the factors to be considered when applying the title of "The Man" to the Nature Boy.

Certainly it can be argued that Ric had some spots that he liked to call in his match that were repetitive and could be considered hokey but, hey, how many guys can take simple moves like the knife edge chop and get the crowd to chant "WOOOO!" every time you land one or make the crowd pop with a face bump?

You could also say that Ric has taken a bit of a shallow approach in his criticisms of former contemporaries like Bret Hart, but really, these arguments reek of politics and old habits for old professional wrestler die hard.

The truth is, Ric gave of his blood and soul to entertain and be number one, night in and night out for years and years. He has inspired a great main of the main event talent in the business today to strive for the same type of success that he enjoyed. He is a 16 time World Champion(although some of these title reigns were a little ludicrous at the end of his WCW run), a record that will surely stand until the day HHH inevitably ties or breaks it. Lastly, if you ask a group of professional wrestlers today who they think the greatest wrestler of all time was, chances are you are going to receive a response that is either "Hogan" or "Flair". That type of respect is definitely earned through sacrifice and excellence, something that Flair knows a great deal about.

So yes, it would not be a stretch to refer to Ric Flair as "The Man".

 

[I Beat Dan Gable]

What a lot of people don't understand about Ric Flair, was that he had already made a name for himself before The Nature Boy went to Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1981. A lot of the names that get thrown around as the "greatest" are good wrestlers, but Ric Flair got it done night after night for over 30 years. And this was back in the days of wrestlers having to drive themselves from one town to the next and help set up and tear down after a show.
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