Will Ric Flair's Legacy be diluted if he gets back in the ring?

[Hyorinmaru]

Taken from Eric Bischof's Blog Posted on the Main site

But if Ric is being driven by his “sense of self”, and is contemplating a return to the ring as a result, I fear,that the special moment that was Ric’s retirement and in many respects his legacy, will be diluted forever in the process."

I read this quote and it got me to thinking. If Ric decides to wrestle again be it for TNA or an independent promotion would his Legacy be tarnished? His Legacy is one that spans over 30 years and 3 different but huge companies (NWA, WCW, and WWE). But as Ric himself has stated many times he will wrestle until the day he dies.

I say no it wouldn't. Yeah his retirement after Wrestlemania was huge and one of the most touching moments I have ever witnessed in all my years as a wrestling fan. I think he has a lot he can still offer the rookies inside the ring be it in TNA or and Indy promotion. He could even bring and Indy fed into the spotlight. He has so much to offer the world of pro wrestling and in my opinion I think him getting back into the ring would only add to his already huge Legacy.

 

[klunderbunker]

To me, it would dilute it. Flair's retirement was a once in a lifetime event in this country. Very rarely, if ever, will we get a see a true legend be able to know when his last match will be and be able to build up to it. There was almost no chance he was going to beat HBK that night. His career ended on an amazing note and the next night on Raw was my favorite moment ever in Raw history. That being said, if he were to step back into the ring it would take away a lot of that specialness. It taints it almost. Now if he wants to go to TNA to just be an on camera character, a manager or just make an appearence, I'm all for it. He's a legend in the business and if he wants to show up at a smaller company, there's not a thing wrong with it. But for him to get back in the ring would tarnish what I've already seen him do with his retirement, which was done to perfection.

 

[Father:_Polley]

I think it would dilute it. Ric Flair went out on the big stage, in a high profile match off the back of a run of months undefeated, against one of the biggest names in wrestling in the last decade. People remember it.

If he goes back to do it a second time around, why will people care? He's already retired and it would be an anti-climax. Fans would feel robbed and it simply wouldn't work and why should it? If that send-off wasn't good enough, I fail to see how he's going to do much better unless he defeats cancer, HIV and Satan himself in a 3-on-1 handicap match as a blind amputee.

Ric, your wrestling days are over. If you still love the business, get involved some other way but in the ring.

 

[HBK-aholic]

His legacy wouldn't be diluted, but his retirement ceremony would.

I think with all the different things he's done, with how much of a legend he is, he could help another smaller promotion. Whether it was TNA, or smaller, his expertise could really do some good. In the ring he could teach some wrestlers many of the things he knows. Outside of it, he could help backstage, and helpw ith attitudes to the business and what you have to do to make it big.

However his retirememnt match or ceremony will never be matched for greatness. He pretty much has to say goodbye to it if he chooses to get back in the ring.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

His legacy is already diluted. He should've hung up the boots after he left the WWF/E back in the early 90's. He stopped being great a couple of years before that. The only thing that Ric Flair would be shitting on at this point in his "career" is all of the hard work that the WWE has done. They've hyped him up as the greatest wrestler of all time, some of it warrented, some of it not.

The thing with Flair is he has never learned how to control his money. Therefore he has had to stay in the business as long as he can. So he can have some money to fall back on. He will never fully quit wrestling. It doesnt matter what the role is be it , wrestler, manager, commisioner, owner, president of the company. To me, Flair is awesome, but he has hung on WAY to long. He has already diluted his legacy, why ruin all of the hard work the WWE has done by building him up as the second coming of christ.

The worst part about this...I'm a HUGE Flair fan.

 

[Milkyway!]

IMO only if they have in his contract to be a world heavyweight champ would it be okay for him to step in the ring, why is this? 16 time world heavyweight champ become 17 time, im all for it, the problem is, (from tna's prospective) do you want an older man to be your company's face, idk, flair cant wrestle as good as he once could, but neither can sting, angel (some will dissagree, but hes an olympic gold medalist, hes far past his prime by all means), or nash...i dont think this would tarnish flairs carreer, but it would take away from his retirement ceremony (i know this has be stated) but to be honest, did anyone here actually believe flair wouldnt be back in a year or two, hes said it himself i will wrestle until the day i die.......hes not dead yet? is it too noticeable im a flair mark here????

 

[Monkey_Mania]

IMO only if they have in his contract to be a world heavyweight champ would it be okay for him to step in the ring

Uggh, for real?

why is this?

Please, do tell.

16 time world heavyweight champ become 17 time, im all for it

You see, the problem is, is that Ric Flair is almost 60 years of age, He has nothing left to prove, and NOTHING left to really give back. At least in a wrestling role. Giving him another world title would not only be pointless, but a bad company move.

the problem is, (from tna's prospective) do you want an older man to be your company's face,

No, they are already being chastised for bringing in all these old names and giving them the title. They need to start using there homegrown talent. Flair would be better served as a manager, for someone like Robert Roode, or as a consultant for Kurt Angle.

idk, flair cant wrestle as good as he once could,

Very true, which is why he should save his body, and stay away from wrestling. Plus everyone in TNA would make Flair look like a chump.

but neither can sting, angel (some will dissagree, but hes an olympic gold medali st, hes far past his prime by all means), or nash...i dont think this would tarnish flairs carreer,

It would tarnish his career, he went out on such a high note, that he does NOT need to ruin it. He shouldve hung up the boots a long time ago. The WWE put all this time into making Ric Flair a god again, why would he ruin that?

but it would take away from his retirement ceremony (i know this has be stated) but to be honest, did anyone here actually believe flair wouldnt be back in a year or two, hes said it himself i will wrestle until the day i die.......hes not dead yet?

It would take away from it. End of story. He does not need to wrestle ever again. His time is up, it was 15 years ago. He either needs to stay backstage, be an on screen helper of sorts or find something outside of wrestling.

is it too noticeable im a flair mark here????

Yes, I am too. There is nothing wrong with being a Flair fan. You're just being selfish though.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

I'm not sure Flair's career will be diluted if he get's in the ring but it may get diluted if he was to "join" TNA, which is seen as a lesser promotion. It maybe said that Flair couldnt "make" it in WWE anymore(which maybe he couldnt) so he had to take a step back and go to the minor leagues. As for his career being diluted because he is older and cant wrestle very well, that didnt stop him when he first debut in WWE(he was past the hill then....but some peoples view) and it only helped established him to be the "great" wrestler he is, then if he gets back in the ring maybe he's career may not be tarnished.

 

[danaconda]

I just think it would be stupid.

Why, you ask.

Well take a walk down memory lane to Terry Funks first retirement. Funk was hugely over in Japan at the time and this became a memorable moment in wrestling history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij5-vZ_WcTU
(side note if someone could tell me how to embed this I would greatly appreciate it)

After Terry returned to wrestling he was never quite forgiven by a segment of the fans. His numerous "retirements" that followed were/are viewed as a joke by announcers, wrestlers, writers and fans. And now the Funker may never quite have his "legacy" restored to what should have been.

Now onto Ric Flair. His retirement, hall of fame and the following Raw had fans emotionally invested and some probably shed a tear or two. After all that investment from the fans a return to active wrestling would just shit on them, IMO. He would not get the respect that he deserves, hell he already gets the "he should have retired years ago" comments. Can you imagine what fans would be saying in another two years on th indy scene.....

"Yeah, I try and make all of his retirement matches"

"Me too, but I missed the ROH show where he put over __________ and they gave him the belt out of respect anyway"

Flair should continue his ride off into the sunset, spend time with his family and deal with whatever issues may lay there. Then return into a backstage role helping the younger become the next "limousine ridin', jet flyin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin' son of a gun. WOOOO!!”

Just my thoughts

 

[klunderbunker]

Another factor to all of this is what could Flair really do now that he hasn't already done? Let's say he went to ROH. What is he going to accomplish there? He's almost a senior citizen. Don't get me wrong. Over the last few years I've grown to respect Flair for his amazing longevity and ability to still connect with the audience, but he needed to hang it up. He was one of the few people to be able to decide when he wanted to go and not have an injury or something change things. That being said, if he were to go to ROH or any indy company or even TNA and put someone over, that person will be able to say they beat a retired, broken down old man whose best years have been behind him for almost a decade. Flair's best bet is to just show up every now and then if he wants to, cut a promo, praise someone and give them his vote of confidence, and maybe knock some midcard heel down. As far as in the ring in a match? Never. Period.

 

[Slim Pickns]

I think Monkey put it best, Flairs legacy is already diluted. The man hasn't been great since the 80's. He is only seen as near perfect because the WWE has promoted him as such.

He left the WWF in 93 after what was a so so run. Once he went back to WCW things were never the same. He got title runs but nothing memorable. Than Hogan came in and took over while Flair went to the background. Despite his time being up as an elite wrestler, he stayed in the spotlight for another decade, making an ass of himself.

 

[klunderbunker]

I wouldn't say Flair made an ass of himself. WCW made an ass of him. What happened to him there wasn't his fault. Hogan and Bischoff and others took the company over and drove him down to the levels he was at. For some reason people have always wanted to change Flair from what he became famous doing. WCW wanted to make him a gladiator at one point then later wanted him almost dead on the card. The thing is as often as they tried to get rid of him he kept sticking around. When he came back in Evolution, he was his old self and was about as good as ever since he first left WWF. He had that suave personality again that made him a legend. I wouldn't really say that he's made himself diluted as he was sticking around in the midcard for the most part and was still helping the company where he could. It was still a thrill to see him every week, at least it was for me.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

His legacy is already diluted. He should've hung up the boots after he left the WWF/E back in the early 90's. He stopped being great a couple of years before that. The only thing that Ric Flair would be shitting on at this point in his "career" is all of the hard work that the WWE has done. They've hyped him up as the greatest wrestler of all time, some of it warrented, some of it not.

I have to disagree with this Monkey. His Legacy is not diluted. Yeah the WWE put a lot of hard work into Flair, but that's because he has earned the right to be called the greatest of all time. He has helped mold some of Today's greats both directly and indirectly. I've read more articles than I can count where superstars have stated that Ric Flair is a major reason they got into the business. Not to mention that in his second run in the WWe he added the World Tag Team Titles and the Intercontinental Title to his already lengthly list of titles. And how can we forget one of the best Heel factions of all time in Evolution. A Huge part of Evolution's success is due to Ric Flair being in the group. I remember tuning into Raw wanting to see what Evolution would do next and a big part of that again is due to Ric Flair. He was a master on the microphone and could get the fans to hate and boo him are love and cheer him. The WWE pushed him to the moon because he was the only man with the staying power and the charisma to pull it off. If they had tried to do what they did with Flair to anyone else it would not have worked. That is Ric Flair Legacy and nothing will ever dilute or tarnish it.

 

[PWAQfan]

Anyone here forgetting the fact he only said he's retire from wrestling in the WWE?
I don't see how Flair going about can be a bad thing, he can teach all around the world!
he may even start up his own promotion, who knows.
you take the words of Eric Bishoff but even he doesn't know what is in Rics head.

half the WWE fans wouldn't even know that Flair is gone or if he turned up in NWA again or in Japan to have some last final matches.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm pretty sure when he said his last match in "this ring" he meant any wrestling ring anywhere. Yes Flair could start up a promotion (not sure why he would) or teach anywhere but he doesn't have to wrestle to do that. As an agent or commentator he'd be great though. He's always been able to talk with the best of them. Why wouldn't he be perfect as the mouthpiece for some young up and coming guy that has all the upside in the world but can't talk that well? A lot of fans may not know but that's beside the point. The era of Kayfabe ruling all is dead and has been dead a long time now. People know what happens in wrestling in the world now.

 

[klunderbunker]

Kayfabe did serve a purpose when wrestling was still only on once a week and had four ppvs a year as there was no real media out there like internet to show what was really going on behind the scenes. Kayfabe was a very fun thing to have around, but it's a lot better now that I've been smarkified. While it's a bit annoying at times losing the element of suprise, the idea of knowing much more abotu the behind the scenes aspects and being able to debate around here is still very fun. Kayfabe will always be around, but never as strong as it used to be. What do you mean by modern uses and adamle?

 

[justinsayne]

Another factor to all of this is what could Flair really do now that he hasn't already done? Let's say he went to ROH. What is he going to accomplish there? He's almost a senior citizen. Don't get me wrong. Over the last few years I've grown to respect Flair for his amazing longevity and ability to still connect with the audience, but he needed to hang it up. He was one of the few people to be able to decide when he wanted to go and not have an injury or something change things. That being said, if he were to go to ROH or any indy company or even TNA and put someone over, that person will be able to say they beat a retired, broken down old man whose best years have been behind him for almost a decade. Flair's best bet is to just show up every now and then if he wants to, cut a promo, praise someone and give them his vote of confidence, and maybe knock some midcard heel down. As far as in the ring in a match? Never. Period.

I think if Flair were to go to ROH he could have a huge impact, not saying he should go there and step back into the ring beleive me I have no desire to see him try and keep up with all the high risk spots and shit they do there, but if they brought him in and used him the way the used Steamboat, Foley, Storm and other legends I think he could do a lot of good, he could teach those guys a lot about ring psychology, and some of those guys really need to learn that stuff, lol, as well as how to cut promos better, and he would also bring them some more attention from people who would normally not watch ROH, he could also do some work with the students at the ROH school, so a guy like Ric Flair could do alot for a promotion like ROH, now once again I'm not saying I think Ric Flair will or should go to ROH, just saying what he could do if he were to go to ROH

 

[klunderbunker]

Oh definitely he still has a lot to offer, just not as an active wrestler. How many other people have nearly 40 years as a pro wrestler? If he were to show up in any indy company it's an instant upgrade for them, just as long as he stays out of the ring. ROH has done excellently by using guys like Steamboat for just those reasons. Flair appearing there would be huge, especially if it was built up as a suprise legend. As great as Foley and Steamboat are, Flair is far ahead of them. The lessons that he could teach anyone there form the rookies to the veterans are priceless. I'd love to see Flair there or in any legit indy company or in TNA. He'd make a great mouthpiece. But I'm with you on never seeing him in the ring anymore. He still has too much to offer to never be involved with the business again though.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I have to disagree with this Monkey.

Awesome.

His Legacy is not diluted. Yeah the WWE put a lot of hard work into Flair, but that's because he has earned the right to be called the greatest of all time.

Yes and No. He has earned it by sticking with the business for as long as he has. He is an Icon in the industry. There is no doubt about it. He did however stay past his welcome. He should have retired in 95'. Half of his World titles actually dont have any meaning to them at all. One is like one month, another is like 2 weeks, then the next is like 4 days. He was booked poorly because he was old. Simple as.

He has helped mold some of Today's greats both directly and indirectly. I've read more articles than I can count where superstars have stated that Ric Flair is a major reason they got into the business.

I agree. Flair is one of the reasons that most got into the business, so is Hogan, Race, Piper, HBK, and numerous others. He still didnt mold them, there is only one person that can mold you into the professional wrestler that you would become...That is you. You can worship who you want, you can get helped by anyone. It is up to you though to get everything done.

Not to mention that in his second run in the WWe he added the World Tag Team Titles and the Intercontinental Title to his already lengthly list of titles.

Oh where he simply buried Carlito for a title that doesnt mean jack squat anymore. Or are you talking about the time where him and Piper were transitional tag team champions? I know he was a tag champ with Batista as well. He did a good job with that one though.

And how can we forget one of the best Heel factions of all time in Evolution. A Huge part of Evolution's success is due to Ric Flair being in the group.

Or it could be all 4 men. Orton and Batista were stars just waiting to bust out. Plus at that point Triple H had more star power to make them both, which he did. Flair was good in his role, he was just in the background.

I remember tuning into Raw wanting to see what Evolution would do next and a big part of that again is due to Ric Flair.

Me too, I loved Evolution.

He was a master on the microphone and could get the fans to hate and boo him are love and cheer him.

He used to be good. Like I said he overstayed his welcome and forgot how to work the mic like he used too.

The WWE pushed him to the moon because he was the only man with the staying power and the charisma to pull it off.

It could also be because they were also trying to disassociate with Hulk Hogan. With all the bullshit that Vince and Hogan have been through he was trying to make people forget about Hogan, or make people think that Flair was superior.

If they had tried to do what they did with Flair to anyone else it would not have worked.

Once again Hogan comes to mind, you might have forgotten that he was a wrestler though. You know with all of the bullshit going on in his life right now. Also because Vince was trying to build Flair up as being the absolute best.

That is Ric Flair Legacy and nothing will ever dilute or tarnish it.

You mean the legacy of Ric Flair as in what?? The guy who had a "heart attack on an episode of WCW programming, or is it the same Ric Flair that was in a psycho ward only to find a nurse and bring her on tv with the name of Asya? Or the same Ric Flair that was so out of shape that he had to wear a t-shirt on the last Nitro when he wrestled Sting?

Point is, the only reason you dont remember that shit is because you were either too young, or because Vince has completely erased it from your memory. Flair did all those things because he was in need of money, he was not the smartest guy with it. I respect the hell outta him, but it really tarnishes his legacy. If Flair had been smart with his money, he couldve been remembered for how great he was and then went on to retire after he faced Hulk Hogan in WCW. On the contrary though. He did just the opposite, therefore tarnishing his legacy forever.

He went out on a high note this year. All because of Vince, you can thank Vince for the fond memories you have of Flair. I will sit back and remember Flair for what he was then, not what he is now. He couldve went out on such a higher note then he did.

Again...This is coming froma HUGE Flair fan.

 

[PWAQfan]

Who cares Monkey, you say his money spending tarnished his legacy.
to be honest, nobody is going to remember "oh god ric flair had a heart-attack on a now run down show that was clearly not good enough to keep running" but they are going to remember in the future when they look on WWE.com "holy crap this guy finished his career at wrestlemania after being active for 36 years"

He was in need of money and only to us people who know so much and have that history.
your going to say to me, because he was booked badly and needed money he was not a great wrestler?
but i've never seen someone work the crowd like he did, wrestle as well as he is and specially at his age.
his age was one of the things that made him special, another thing was that he put a good show on all around the world!

If you don't like Flair fine, but his legacy wont be tarnished by some crap that happened in WCW, which after reading wouldn't really shock anyone. so yes, that is what i have to say.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Who cares Monkey

*raises hand*

you say his money spending tarnished his legacy.

Actually it did. How could it not? He spent more money than he earned for a long time. Eventually your going to need to make up for that money, wich is why he stayed in wrestling for so long, that and he loved wrestling. Mostly because of money though.

to be honest, nobody is going to remember "oh god ric flair had a heart-attack on a now run down show that was clearly not good enough to keep running"

Again. *raises hand* I am a wrestling fan. I remember everything that happens with all of my favorite wrestlers. To me the stuff that you are saying "does not matter" makes me sick. I bet you I could ask a number of wrestling fans and they would remember it too.

but they are going to remember in the future when they look on WWE.com "holy crap this guy finished his career at wrestlemania after being active for 36 years"

Only because that is what WWE is spoon feeding us nowadays. As for the older fans we will remember what Flair was when he was good, what he was when he was bad, and what he was at the tail end of his career.

He was in need of money and only to us people who know so much and have that history.

What? He needed money, he continued to wrestle. Being booked poorly for a good 8 years of his career.

your going to say to me, because he was booked badly and needed money he was not a great wrestler?

Never said that. I think Flair is one of the all time greats. I was talking about his legacy, which is tarnished.

but i've never seen someone work the crowd like he did, wrestle as well as he is and specially at his age.

...erm..umm...Hulk Hogan ring any bells. Oh, wait. He doesnt exist in WWE world anymore, its all about Flair.

his age was one of the things that made him special, another thing was that he put a good show on all around the world!

So being an overrated old hack, who overstayed his welcome makes him special. I understand now.

If you don't like Flair fine,

Again, I am a HUGE Flair fan. I am just stating my opinions and backing it up with facts. You know, thats the whole point of these forums.

but his legacy wont be tarnished by some crap that happened in WCW

It will and it has. Sorry to say, but it's true.

so yes, that is what have to say.

I guess you told me didnt you.

Flair is a legend for sure, but his legacy has been diluted for a long time. He allowed it to happen. He came out of it, but the fact is his legacy will always be tarnished. End Of story.

 

[DMan23]

Ric Flair's legacy won't be diluted. His history is written. Honestly, if he hadn't gone back to WWE after WCW closed shop how many people would even be talking about Ric Flair? How many people would even know who Ric Flair is except for die hard wrestling fans? Thanks to WWE, they built up Ric Flair to be their ambassador, something they've been looking for for over a decade. It was going to be Hogan, then Bret Hart, but as things turned out Ric Flair got that push.

For anybody who thinks the farewell on Raw after WMXXIV wasn't totally scripted and that all the wrestlers wanted to come out for that, I have a couple of used cars to sell you. Ric Flair is absolutely not the greatest of all time, but one of the greatest who held on for way too long. I think before 2001 Ric Flair was in fact underrated but in 2008, thanks to WWE, he is way overrated. Anything he might do in TNA or anywhere else isn't going to affect anything. If anything diluted his legacy it would have been in 2005 when he was nothing but HHH's stooge.

 

[Vagrant]

I'm with most people in saying that it would certainly dilute his legacy. It's not like he was taken out due to injury/family issues and could respectably come back at any time. He was involved in a many months long storyline, had a great match to finish on, and had lots of coverage and a very extravagant retirement ceremony on-screen. Certainly if he was to (re)join a promotion where he would be wrestling, this would all seem pointless and people would care less.

I'm also afraid that if he were to come back and wrestle, when he was to retire again people would just stop caring because that ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. That can't be reproduced, and if it was I think people wouldn't care a whole lot since it's been done.

 

[ZAPX4V1]

What legacy? He was never that entertaining, and is only considered great by some people because he had such a long career. Long does not equal good though. It just means that he stuck around 20 years longer than he should have

 

[Jane]

No, Flair should be done. I don't care if it's TNA, ROH, WWE, or any independant promotion. He was already starting to dilute his legacy near the end, and going to TNA would be the last straw. He is done with wrestling, just as he should be. WCW and WWE made him, and I think it would be a disgrace now for him to go to TNA. I just think it is time that Ric Flair stopped wrestling. I would be fine if he went for some appearances in TNA... maybe. But wrestling is too far.