On February 25, the world of wrestling celebrated the first 70 years of one of the most important superstars in the history of entertainment sport: Ric Flair. His career as a wrestler began in the 70s when there was still no sort of UFC betting. In 1972, he made his debut in the American Wrestling Association but only two years later he moved to the NWA where he remained for over 15 years.
However, Flair’s life was dramatically shaken on October 4, 1975, when the plane where he was flying crashed in North Carolina. The pilot died and other passengers were seriously injured. Ric himself suffered a severe wound, fracturing his back in three parts. The doctors were very straightforward: his career as a wrestler was definitively over.
Nevertheless, Flair’s willpower was stronger than any diagnosis and already eight months after the accident he was back in the ring. However, that accident would forever change the history of Ric and wrestling: since he could no longer use power moves because of back problems, Flair would opt for a more technical style, also using robbery moves and tricks, giving birth to his “Nature Boy” character (inspired by Buddy Rogers) that would remain forever his feature. Indeed, his feud with Buddy Rogers would definitely raise his status before the fans.
His first world title came on October 17, 1981, when he defeated Dusty Rhodes, creating a rivalry that would mark the next years of the NWA. It was one of the most important feuds in the history of wrestling and is still taken as an example by insiders for the intensity with which the two rivals faced each other in and out of the ring inside the storyline.
In 1985 he captained one of the best known and most respected stable teams in the history of wrestling: that with Arn and Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard and J.J. Dillon as managers, where he created the first version of the Four Horsemen, a group of heelers willing to do anything to put themselves at their feet all over the NWA. A few years later, another historical rivalry would begin for Flair, the one with Sting that we will mention later.
Flair also became the number 1 of Ted Turner’s WCW and immediately turned out to be its first champion. At the beginning of the 90s, however, with a resounding decision, he decided to move, for the first time in his career, to Vince McMahon’s WWF. Being determined to make Hulk Hogan lose the title against the Undertaker, he would become world champion winning the Royal Rumble in 1992, one of the most amazing ever according to insiders and fans.
The following year, however, Flair decided to return home, to the WCW, where he would become the leader of the faction that would try to counter the rise of Hollywood Hogan and his New World Order, this time however with Flair in the role of face and HH as the heel.
Ric Flair would also play the last match in the history of WCW, before its acquisition by WWE, against Sting, with the two hugging each other for a long time at the end of the match, thus writing an unforgettable page in the history of wrestling.
He bequeathed an incredible legacy to wrestling but also left us Charlotte Flair, his daughter who became one of the leading wrestlers in the women’s division of the WWE.
