TNA Charlotte: Round 2, Match 1: #2 Ric Flair vs #31 Giant Baba

[Shocky]

The following match takes place in the TNA Region, inside of the six sided ring, from Charlotte, NC.

#2. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair

vs.

#31. Giant Baba

 

[klunderbunker]

It's a shame that such a legend has to go, but Baba is powerless here. He's a legend worldwide, but Flair is a god here. Baba is a 2-3 time NWA Champion, Flair has won what, 14? This simply isn't close. Flair beat Vader and he can beat a guy this size as well. No real contest but a clash of epic proportions to put it mildly.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Want to know something crazy. As much of an icon Giant Baba is in Japan, I'll boldly say that Flair's just as legendary. This match makes me want to create the teleportation device from Star Trek and grab Baba and Flair from the early 80's to do battle for my amusement. It would go 60 minutes, Baba would get a pin, but Flair wins thanks to the Dusty finish. Whoooooooooooo!

 

[IrishCanadian25]

It's a shame that such a legend has to go, but Baba is powerless here. He's a legend worldwide, but Flair is a god here. Baba is a 2-3 time NWA Champion, Flair has won what, 14? This simply isn't close. Flair beat Vader and he can beat a guy this size as well. No real contest but a clash of epic proportions to put it mildly.

Flair wasn't really supposed to best Vader, but that's another discussion for another day.

Flair is decent at beating guys who are a little bigger than him, but Baba severly outmatches him here. I am not 100% convicned for either side, so I'll open myself up to being convinced by the field.

 

[HeadlessGnome]

Tough matchup and both are legends in their own right, but Flair is a little above a legend in that he has godlike status, he is hailed worldwide and I just don't see Baba winning this, sorry.

 

[klunderbunker]

Flair wasn't really supposed to best Vader, but that's another discussion for another day.

Flair is decent at beating guys who are a little bigger than him, but Baba severly outmatches him here. I am not 100% convicned for either side, so I'll open myself up to being convinced by the field.

So what? Who won the match, Vader or Flair?

Flair is a legend all the world over, including in Japan. On the main site there was a series of articles talking about how Flair was considering a string of retirement matches in Japan. Think about that for a bit. He only did occasional tours of the country yet he's being offered a chance to come back and retire again over there. Flair is nothing short of the biggest legend of all time. Baba was indeed great, but Flair would cheat to no end and even Baba's greatness would be outmatched.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

And no one even bothered to mention that this takes place in CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA! Flair would have to have a Stan Hansen AND Abdullah the Butcher run-in to even get a TWO COUNT placed on him by Baba in Charlotte. Just sayin'.

 

[Tastycles]

These two actually fought, but I have et to find it yet. It was when Flair was on the way up and shortly after Baba had won the last of his 3 NWA titles. Flair won it quite convincingly, so you have to think that given home advantage and the fact that he was further away from his prime at that point than Baba was, Flair would win here pretty comfortably against a man rightly seen as a legend.

 

[Harthan]

Well, the ring does neither of them either favors or disadvantages, and Flair's Charlotte advantage will help him out. Flair's got no problem putting big men down, and has demonstrated that he's more than capable of beating Baba as well. Taking nothing away from Baba, a Japanese great, but Flair has him (and many, many others) simply outclassed. Undoubtedly a great and competitive match, but Flair walks away the victor.

 

[Theo Mays]

WOOOO! Naitch is my pick here. He can hang with someone the size of Baba. This match would be epic and one of the best, but Flair chops the knees and puts in the figure food and parties the night away after his big victory.

 

[Shocky]

Those big long legs just seem like they would go right into a figure four. Your not as tall as you're billed when you're lying on your back. Does Baba out power the naitch, sure thing there. However, the Naitch is about as good of a heel as it gets, and without question he will do something to even up the odds. When you take a big mans leg out from under them, essentially any advantage they would have is gone. Flairs finisher focuses on a leg, so the entire focus of the match would be on said legs of Baba.

 

[Tenta]

The best comparison I can find right now between Flair and Baba (yes, they have fought, but my video evidence is nowhere to be found) is a classic that takes place in (wait for it....) Greensboro, North Carolina.

The match in process is a man that's just as much a legend in wrestling in general as Baba. Baba is a legend in Japan. This man is a legend on three separate continents.

That man is Vader.

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Vader is just as tall, heavier, quicker, and has more moves than Giant Baba. Flair knows how to chop down big men. As Flair so eloquently put, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall". Flair has seen too many come and go. Not to mention the fact that this match is in Charlotte.

Everything builds for a classic "Flair gets pounded on fir twenty minutes, and then pulls out the screwy finish" match.

 

[NaturallyPricele$$]

This match is HUGE on so many fronts. Baba is a legend, but taking on Flair in Charlotte is just too much. Flair takes it in a 30 minute classic.

 

[NSL]

Those big long legs just seem like they would go right into a figure four. Your not as tall as you're billed when you're lying on your back. Does Baba out power the naitch, sure thing there. However, the Naitch is about as good of a heel as it gets, and without question he will do something to even up the odds. When you take a big mans leg out from under them, essentially any advantage they would have is gone. Flairs finisher focuses on a leg, so the entire focus of the match would be on said legs of Baba.

Basically what Shocky said. Flair is, and always will be, the "dirtiest player in the game", and will pull out all stops to take down Baba. Whether it's a chop block to the knee, a thumb to the eye, or the best game of possum ever, he'll do it. If it's not a Figure Four in the center of the ring, it'll be a roll-up with a handful of tights, and his feet on the ropes. He'll be struttin' all the way to the locker room.