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Outline:
1. General Information...A. What Is Flair's Real Name?
...B. How Old Is Flair?
...C. Where Is He Originally From?
Introduction Crap:
If you use this FAQ, please attribute it to me, Becky Taylor (a.k.a. T-Bo, Komet, Cager, etc.). I am not in relation to WCW, WWF, ECW, or anybody else for that matter. This is not supposed to be offensive, but I'll remove anything that is. I also hereby proclaim, I am NOT Ric Flair. I'm just a 17-year-old female from Nashville, Georgia. I've never met him. I'm just a fan. If you use the complete FAQ, leave this message on there. And if you use parts of this,
Folks, I KNOW if you plagiarize this! One little tidbit lets me know.
Lastly, a quick warning: I've included a few personal comments in here, most of it being mere speculation. I know I'm not right 100% of the time.
In January 1997, I created this thing. It took me two days to come up with this FAQ; one to think of the material and the other to create it. It's existed ever since. Several modifications have been made and it's led to me eventually denouncing a variation of it that exists elsewhere because of controversiality. I think this one is free of that.
I created this thing as a way for you and me to learn more about the "Nature Boy." Flair has served as my favorite wrestler since my introduction to said sport in 1993. I took my idea from the RSP-W FAQ (of course).
Most recently updated area to find this stuff: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/2399/faq.html
Corrections? Comments? Want to bother me?
Email me at:
dtaylor@surfsouth.com
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs
Outline:
1. General Information
...A. What Is Flair's Real Name?
...B. How Old Is Flair?
...C. Where Is He Originally From?
2. Background Information
...A. What Is Some General Background Information?
...B. Was He An Amateur Wrestler?
...C. Did He Play Any Other Sports?
...D. Is He Married?
3. Title Reigns
...A. World Title Reigns
...B. World Tag Team Title Reigns:
...C. United States Title Reigns:
...D. Missouri Heavyweight Title Reigns:
...E. Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title Reigns:
...F. Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title Reigns:
...G. Mid-Atlantic Television Title Reigns
4. American Wrestling Association
...A. Who Trained Flair?
...B. When Did Flair Debut?
...C. Who Was It Against And What Was The Result?
...D. What Role Did Flair Play In The AWA?
5. Early Mid-Atlantic
...A. When Did He Come To The Mid-Atlantic Region?
...B. What Is The Origin Of The Ric Flair "Wooo?"
...C. When Did He Pick Up The 'Nature Boy' Gimmick?
...D. What Were Some Early Angles?
6. Plane Crash
...A. What Are The Details Of The Crash?
...B. When Did He Return?
7. Late '70s
...A. Was Flair Ever A Tag Team Champ?
...B. Has There Ever Been A Match Between Him And The "Original" Nature Boy?
8. 1980-1991
...A. How Many World Titles Has Ric Flair Won?
...B. When Did He Win His First World Title?
...C. So Many Wrestlers In The '80s Were On Steroids-- Was Flair?
...D. What Was So Great About Starrcade '83?
...E. What Is The So-Called Power Struggle Between Dusty And Flair?
...F. What About The 1988 Great American Bash Match With Luger?
...G. What Are Some Details About The Forming Of The Four Horsemen?
...H. Who All Has Been In The Group?
...I. What About Wrestle War '89, When Funk Piledrove Him On The Table?
...J. What About The Black Scorpion?
9. WWF
...A. Why Did Flair Leave WCW?
...B. How Did He Arrive In The WWF?
...C. Why Was He Allowed To Have The NWA/WCW World Title?
...D. How Did His Tenure In The WWF Go?
...E. What Was His 1992 Ear Injury?
...F. Why Did He Leave The WWF?
...G. What Was His Last WWF Match?
10. 1993-
...A. What About The Sid Vicious-Arn Anderson Stabbing?
...B. How Did This Affect Flair?
...C. What About Flair's "Retirement" In 1994?
...D. What About The 1995 North Korea Match With Inoki?
...E. Was The Blood At Starrcade 1995 Real Or Fake?
...F. Was This In Retailliation Against The WWF?
...G. What Are The Details Of Flair's Arrest In 1996?
...H. What Is The "Shoot" Interview?
...I. What About Flair's Shoulder Injury?
...J. Was That Him Being Attacked By The NWO?
...K. The Lawsuit'
...L. Was The Heart Attack Real Or Fake?
11. Miscellaneous
12. Where To Get Other Information
13. Credits
I know more than what is listed here, but
won't delve into it here or in email.
Before becoming a wrestler, Flair attempted a
job as a life-insurance salesman in 1970. He
found he didn't like the job and quit. Back to the top
At college, he played offensive
guard/defensive tackle on the University of
Minnesota's freshman team and roomed with
Mike Goldberg (Bill's older brother) and Ken
Patera. Academic reasons prevented him from
ever playing at the varsity level. Flair
himself has stated he also wrestled.
Flair also was a powerlifter (like Patera),
but I do not know if he participated while
enrolled at the University of Minnesota. The Basics:
Opponent///////////////////////////Date
NWA/WCW: 1981 - 1991
Dusty Rhodes/////////////////////09.17.81
WWF: 1991-1993
Royal Rumble**///////////////////01.19.92
WCW: 1993-
Barry Windham*** //////////////07.18.93
** Flair eliminated Sid Justice (Vicious) for
the victory. This was for the title since it
was held-up after a couple of
Undertaker-Hogan matches.
*** This was for the NWA title, not the WCW
title.
**** This was a four-way match, involving
Flair, Page, Sting, & Hulk Hogan. Reigns Overlooked (reigns not recognized or
whatever you wish to call it):
1. Flair was automatically given the WCW
World Title in March of 1991 when the
title was first created. The title is
not the same as the NWA World Title.
2. On June 23, 1994, in Charleston, South
Carolina, at Clash of the Champions
#27(?), Flair defeated Sting for the
"International" championship (actually,
the resurrected NWA title, which he had
held in 1993 by defeating Barry
Windham) for the belts to become
unified.
Other Reigns as World Champion
None of these reigns are recognized by either
the NWA or WCW and probably won't ever be
recognized. The only one that's been changed
over the years is the Race switches down in
New Zealand and Singapore in 1984, which have
been recognized since about 1991. In any
case, these title wins mean absolutely
nothing until WCW decides to recognize them.
Jack Veneno:
Victor Jovica:
Midnight Rider:
Tatsumi "Dragon" Fujinami:
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat:
Greg Valentine----->Gene & Ole Anderson----->12.25.76----->Gene & Ole
Anderson----->05.08.77
Bobo Brazil----->07.29.77----->Ricky
Steamboat----->10.77
Konnan----->07.07.96
----->relinquished due to injury
----->10.96
*Tournament final
Back to the top
Wahoo McDaniel ----->09.20.75
----->??? ----->???
Rip Hawk ----->Bob Bruggers & Paul
Jones ----->07.04.74 ----->Paul Jones & Tiger
Conway Jr. ----->before 11.74
Paul Jones ----->06.03.75 ----->Paul
Jones ----->06.10.75
Flair says he thinks he picked up the
sound/word from Jerry Lee Lewis. In my
personal study of 1960s music, I think he
picked it up from either Del Shannon or the
Beach Boys. Back to the top
DIRECTLY QUOTED FROM AN EMAIL: "The first one
was when Ric Flair came to the Mid-Atlantic
area as tag team partner to Rip Hawk. Swede
Hanson had suffered a real life heart attack
and Rip brought Ric in to replace him. I'm
not sure if Flair was coming anyway or not
but this was how he was introduced to the
public. Ric's first finishing hold in the
Mid-Atlantic area was an elbow drop used
mostly from a run off the ropes - very much
like Dusty Rhodes used. His second finisher
was the vertical suplex. The figure four came
later."
To add a little more to it, I recently read
an article that stated that Flair was
introduced as a "nephew" of Rip Hawk. So,
technically, Flair probably bleached his hair
blond to look like Hawk instead of Buddy
Rogers.
After being Hawk's cousin, Flair later was
introduced as a cousin of the Anderson
brothers, due to the fact that he, like Ole
Anderson, was from Minnesota.
John Valentine turned to the passengers in the rear of the aircraft, smiled and said, "Guess what, we are out of fuel." He laughed as he knew the aircraft could fly on the right engine which was still running. The pilot reached for the fuel tank selection lever. He turned it to the reverse fuel tank, not realizing that it was empty, too. As the fuel line changed to the exhausted tank, the right engine began to sputter and now all was silent, no power, only the noise of the wind rushing by and the propellers turning in the wind. The engines were silent.
The aircraft dipped, nose first, and began a rapid descent, only three miles short of the runway at New Hanover Airport. Forty seconds later, they were at tree top level, the aircraft tore through tree branches and crashed into the ground. The wings were still intact, and the aircraft was sliding forward on it's belly at 70 miles per hour, then there was a crash and crunching of steel as the aircraft slammed into an embankment supporting a railroad track.
The pilot flew forward through the windshield. John Valentine braced with his powerful arms against the dash of the aircraft. The rear seats broke loose. The wrestlers in the back, the seats, and baggage crashed forward into John Valentine, breaking his back in three places. The aircraft was now still.
Pilot: In a coma six weeks before passing away.
Another view to this is from a Mike Mooneyham
article from the Charleston Post & Courier.
Johnny Valentine tells this story.
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/2399/articles/valentine2.txt
Back to the top
Non angle-wise, Rogers admitted that Flair
had taken the 'Nature Boy' image farther than
he (Rogers) had.
David Von Erich was going get the title from
Race on that night in Dallas, but because a
match (Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood vs.
Don Kernodle & Sgt. Slaughter) had done well
on closed circuit earlier, Crockett got
enough votes with the NWA bookers for Flair
to regain the belt that night and Fritz Von
Erich's payoff was for David to get the belt
the next year in Dallas. The payoff was never
really received as David died in Japan in
February of 1984. I guess, to make it up to
Fritz, Kerry Von Erich received the world
title in May of 1984. The name itself has been mentioned in various
sources:
Source A: The Bible. In the final chapter,
Revelation, the Horsemen are prominently
mentioned. I'm not a Biblical expert,
although I should be.
Source B: The Notre Dame backfield of the
1920s. Notre Dame was a football powerhouse
then, as they were for the most part of the
first half of the 20th century.
Source C: Metallica. The first two sources,
I've heard mentioned. This source, I came up
on my own accord and very seriously doubt as
the source. Metallica's first major release
was Kill 'Em All in 1983. The second song on
the album was titled 'The Four Horsemen',
which talked of the Horsemen of Source A.
In any case, Arn Anderson takes credit for
coming up with the name of the Horsemen. 1986: Flair, Tully Blanchard, & Arn & Ole
Anderson
Managers/Valets:
J.J. Dillon ' 1986-88
Appearing briefly after Arn and Tully left
were the Yamataki Corporation. The group
included Flair, Barry & Kendall Windham, &
Butch Reed. Hiro Matsuda supposedly bought
the contracts of Ric and Barry. The idea was
very short-lived. The above match with Steamboat is considered
one of the best (if not the best) matches of
all time.
Herd and Flair didn't get along. There are
two main reasons for this; I'll go into a bit
of detail on each one. For this question,
this background stuff is important.
B. Change of Look: Herd did force Flair to
cut his hair, but did not succeed in
the other change, which was for Flair
to wear an earring. Another reason is because Flair and WCW
couldn't agree to terms on a contract. Flair
wanted an increase in salary while WCW wanted
him to take a pay cut.
Vince McMahon wasted no time in signing Flair
with the WWF. As a side note to the "real world's champion"
thing, I suspect that "Nature Boy" is
copyrighted by the NWA or WCW (or even by Jim
Crockett). I also noticed that at one
pay-per-view, Flair's robe said 'Ric Flair'
on the back, instead of 'Nature Boy'.
Crockett did originate the Flair version of
the gimmick. Later Ric regained the belt from Savage while
Razor Ramon interfered. (They were going to
work the match and at about 12:00, Bobby
Heenan was sent out to get the referee, Earl
Hebner, to stop the match on account of how
bad it was. It was announced to the fans that
the match was so out-of-control they had to
stop it. They came back out later in the show
and worked a 25:00 title change.)
He then dropped the title to Bret Hart in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
He and Mr. Perfect had been allies this
entire time and by the Survivor Series,
Perfect had joined forces with Randy Savage,
taking the Ultimate Warrior's place. Flair
ended his tenure in the WWF with a "Loser
Leaves the WWF" match, even though Flair
wrestled on house cards after that,
particularly in Europe. Back to the top
Flair and Vader ended up being a spectacular
show from Charlotte, NC, particularly for its
dramatic fashion and match stiffness (Flair
lost a couple of teeth, courtesy of a Vader
forearm shot).
Back to the top
On March 8, 1996, Flair and a twenty-year-old
female (a friend of Flair's wife), were
pulled over. The female was driving and was
arrested for DWI. Flair was also arrested
with the charge of abetting a DWI. They had
come from the SouthEnd Brewery (of which
Flair is half-owner). Flair claims he needed
someone to drive him home and he didn't
realize that the twenty-year-old had been
drinking as well.
As for the trial, I don't know the results.
Obviously, Flair did not get into much
trouble.
Article from the Charlotte Observer Back to the top
On September 21, 1996, Flair faced Kensuke
Sasaki in Japan in a tournament. Flair
injured his shoulder after an ipponzeoi (a
form of an armdrag) and did not take the move
right and completely tore his rotator cuff.
He had surgery in October of '96 and returned
to in-ring action on May 18, 1997, with Kevin
Greene & Roddy Piper vs. Scott Hall, Syxx, &
Kevin Nash and was victorious.
During this time period, Flair is scarcely
being used in angles. He is rarely appearing
on television, even though he is attending
every taping, because this letter of intent
supposedly said he has to.
Suddenly, in April, it is announced on Nitro
that Flair will appear on Thunder with a
major announcement regarding his career. The
next day, Bob Ryder reported in his 'Notes
From Bob' emails that this may not happen as
Flair had asked for the day off to see his
son participate in an amateur wrestling
tourney. On Thunder, the angle was pushed.
During the last few minutes of the show,
which was supposed to be his interview time,
it is announced that due to "bad weather"
Flair wouldn't be arriving. Eric Bischoff
comes out and buries Flair. Arn Anderson then
made a rare TV appearance and said Flair
wasn't appearing "for all the wrong reasons."
Things got worse. Nitro appeared the next
Monday in Minneapolis. Flair was supposed to
be at Clemson promoting the event with other
wrestlers (he may have been instead scheduled
on Nitro). He wasn't there. Bischoff buried
him backstage after Nitro.
A suit was filed in Fulton County, GA
(Atlanta), against Flair over the missed
appearances, saying that the letter of intent
was binding. Remember the letter of intent
supposedly said he couldn't miss a taping?
That's basically what it's about.
A couple of months later, Flair filed counter
suit, citing he never signed a contract.
Of course we know that Ric made his return
September 15, 1998, on Nitro for a huge
Horsemen reunion.
Has it been resolved? In all probability,
yes.
For an article from the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution with perhaps a better
introspection
On the December 14, 1998, edition of Nitro,
Eric Bischoff came out to do an interview.
Flair comes out a minute later and chases him
around the ring and eventually Bischoff gets
away. Flair returns to the ring for a chat
with Gene Okerlund. Flair delivers a very
spirited interview, complete with him doing a
few elbow drops, a knee drop, and a flip over
the turnbuckles. At the end of the interview
after Flair talks about ripping out
Bischoff's heart, he clutches his left arm
and falls back into a corner. Security goes
over to him and Arn Anderson sprints down to
the ring. A few executives come out,
including Dusty Rhodes and David Crockett.
Flair gets carted out on a stretcher and to
an ambulance. As the show progresses,
Schiavone is trying to get updates on his
condition, and says that trainer Danny Young
says that Flair was having shortness of
breath and chest pains. Bischoff, later in
the show, delivers a remorseful interview in
which he says Ric had a mild heart attack.
The heart attack didn't happen. The real
question that has been presented is whether
or not the [falling to the ground] spot was
real or not. Flair claimed two days in the
Charlotte Observer later that his left arm
went numb. Then, Bret Hart, in his Calgary
Sun column, gave a more detailed reason,
claiming that Flair had the numbness as a
result of nerve damage due to his back injury
that sometimes caused spasms in his arm and
chest. Hart claimed that the symptoms closely
resembled a heart attack. Others have said
that Flair re-injured his left shoulder.
In a recent interview with Mark Madden, Flair
said it was an angle. I'll leave it at that.
Back to the top
Back to the top
Back to the top
Back to the top
...A. Does Flair Really Hate Hogan And Savage?
...B. Can Ric Flair Fly?
...C. Why Does He Tape His Fingers?
...D. What Are The Similarities Between Him And Buddy Rogers?
...E. Has Flair Ever Been A Booker?
...F. How Long Does His Contract Last?
...G. How Much Does Flair Make?
...H. Has He Made Any Appearances On TV Or In The Movies?
...I. Why Is He Allowed To Keep His Name In Both Federations, While Hall And Nash Can't?
...J. Why Does Shane Douglas Hate Ric Flair?
...L.11A. Has Flair Ever Hit A Move From The Top Rope?
...A. Are There Any Other Web Pages About Flair?
...B. Is There A Ric Flair Fan Club?
...C. Are There Any Books Dedicated To Him?
...D. Are There Any Videos, Not Including PPVs, Dedicated To Him?
...E. Where Can I Send Him Fan Mail?
1. General Information
1A. What is Ric Flair's real name?
Richard Morgan Fliehr
1B. How old is Flair?
His date of birth is February 25, 1949. That makes him 50.
1C. Where is he originally from?
Edina, Minnesota. (The first 10 years of his life he lived a couple of blocks from the Edina Country Club. The next 15 or so years, he lived on the other side of Edina.)
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs2. Background Information
2A. What Is Some General Background Information?
Flair came from an upper-class family. His
father was a doctor, while his mother worked
at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis.
2B. Was He An Amateur Wrestler?
Yep. He won the Wisconsin state high school
championship as a student at Wayland Academy
in Beaver Dam (a boarding school). Some
sources say he won it once, some say he won
it twice.
2C. Did He Play Any Other Sports?
Sources also vary on other sports he played
in high school. Football and wrestling are
definite, as he was a two-time All-State
selection as a lineman and the wrestling bit
was covered above. As for other sports, both
basketball and track have been suggested
through these sources (basketball by someone
who attended Wayland Academy and track by the
biography on Verne Gagne's AWA site).
2D. Is He Married?
Yes, to Elizabeth Fliehr. He also has four children from three different marriages.
3. Title Reigns
3A. World Title Reigns:
PWI ("Apter" or "mark" magazines) recognizes about 12 & WCW recognizes 14.
Lost To
Harley Race///////////////////////06.10.83
Harley Race///////////////////////11.24.83
Harley Race///////////////////////03.21.84
Harley Race///////////////////////03.23.84
Kerry Von Erich/////////////////05.06.84
Kerry Von Erich/////////////////05.24.84
Dusty Rhodes/////////////////////07.26.86
Dusty Rhodes/////////////////////08.09.86
Ron Garvin/////////////////////////09.25.87
Ron Garvin/////////////////////////11.26.87
Ricky Steamboat/////////////////02.20.89
Ricky Steamboat/////////////////05.07.89
Sting///////////////////////////////////07.07.90
Sting///////////////////////////////////01.11.91
stripped///////////////////////////////*
Randy Savage//////////////////////04.05.92
Randy Savage//////////////////////09.01.92
Bret Hart/////////////////////////////10.12.92
Rick Rude////////////////////////////09.17.93
Vader//////////////////////////////////12.27.93
Hulk Hogan//////////////////////////07.17.94
Randy Savage//////////////////////12.27.95
Randy Savage//////////////////////01.22.96
Randy Savage//////////////////////02.11.96
Giant////////////////////////////////////04.22.96
Hulk Hogan//////////////////////////03.14.99
Diamond Dallas Page****/////04.11.99
* When Flair was fired from WCW in July,
1991, WCW stripped him of it's World Title.
The NWA's small board of directors continued
considering him their champ for a little bit
longer. The NWA, although recognizing him,
didn't have enough power at this time for it
to really make a difference.
During the early part of 1983 (most likely
January), Flair worked a couple of shows down
in the Dominican Republic against Jack
Veneno. Reportedly (by a fan in the venue),
Flair lost the title and quickly regained it.
In later years, Flair admitted the switches
to Dave Meltzer.
These switches are almost identical to the
ones with Veneno, except the date was
February of 1983 and the events took place in
Trinidad.
In February of 1983, as part of an angle the
Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes) defeated Flair
for the belt, but was forced to relinquish it
due to the fact that he would not unmask to
NWA officials.
Flair actually lost the belt to Tatsumi
Fujinami at Tokyo Starrcade in March 1991.
WCW continued recognizing him as champ
despite this. There was a rematch at
SuperBrawl I in May (Flair won) and the
additional reign is not recognized by WCW.
Flair faced Steamboat at Spring Stampede
1994. The ending of the match concluded with
a double-pin situation and the decision was
for Flair to keep the belt. The angle was for
Flair to declare the belt held-up himself (I
believe Nick Bockwinkel, the figurehead
commissioner did declare the belt held-up)
and for there to be a rematch with Steamboat
on Saturday Night.
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs3B. World Tag Team Title Reigns:
All NWA
With------>Opponents------>Date----->Lost To----->Date
Greg Valentine----->Gene & Ole Anderson----->10.30.77----->stripped----->04.78
Blackjack Mulligan----->Baron Von Raschke &
Paul Jones----->08.08.79----->Baron Von Raschke
& Paul Jones----->08.22.79
3C. United States Title Reigns:
NWA
Opponent----->Date----->Lost To----->Date
Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods)----->04.09.78----->Ricky
Steamboat----->12.17.78
Ricky Steamboat----->04.01.79
----->relinquished after winning World TagTitle----->08.79
Jimmy Snuka----->04.20.80----->Greg Valentine----->07.26.80
Greg Valentine----->11.24.80----->Roddy Piper----->01.27.81
WCW
3D. Missouri Heavyweight Title Reigns:
Opponent ----->Date ----->Lost To
----->Date
David Von Erich* ----->07.15.83 ----->David Von Erich
----->09.16.83
3E. Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title Reigns:
Opponent ----->Date ----->Lost To
----->Date
Wahoo McDaniel ----->05.24.76 ----->Wahoo
McDaniel ----->09.11.76
Wahoo McDaniel ----->10.16.76 ----->Wahoo
McDaniel ----->11.30.76
3F. Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title Reigns:
With----->Opponents----->Date----->Lost To----->Date
Greg Valentine ----->Dino Bravo & Tiger Conway
Jr. ----->mid-1977 ----->Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat
----->08.22.77
John Studd ----->Ricky Steamboat & Paul
Jones ----->10.30.78 ----->Ricky Steamboat & Paul
Jones ----->11.05.78
3G. Mid-Atlantic Television Title Reigns
Opponent ----->Date ----->Lost
To ----->Date
Rufus R. Jones ----->05.77 ----->Ricky Steamboat
----->06.77
4. American Wrestling Association
4A. Who Trained Flair?
Verne Gagne (and Billy Robinson is believed
to be involved), at Verne's wrestling school.
This was Flair's third attempt at 'passing'.
4B. When Did Flair Debut?
December 10, 1972 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
4C. Who Was It Against And What Was The Result?
George "Scrap Iron" Gadaski holds this
distinction. The result was a 10-minute,
time-limit draw.
4D. What role Did Flair Play In The AWA?
Flair was a jobber with very few wins. He
never won any kind of title in the AWA,
despite what a few people think.
5. Early Mid Atlantic
5A. When Did He Come To The Mid-Atlantic Region?
Region?
May to June 1974. The first match I've seen
listed has the date of June 1, 1974 - he
defeated Les Thatcher in Spartanburg, SC and
the last AWA match result I've seen is from
April of '74.
5B. What Is The Origin Of The Ric Flair "Wooo?"
In about '74, Flair would use it at the end
of interviews, as sort of an exclamation. The
current trend of Flair constantly using it in
interviews and in the ring came about a while
later, as fans started 'Whoo-ing' at him and
he responded in kind.
5C. When Did He Pick Up The 'Nature Boy' Gimmick?
He picked up the gimmick in 1976; contrary to
the belief he used the gimmick in 1973 or
1974. Before 1976, he bore little resemblance
to Rogers, apart from the blond hair.
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs5D. What Were Some Early Angles?
6. Plane Crash
6A. What Are The Details Of The Crash?
Nothing has been too clear on this. It happened October 4, 1975, coming into the airport in Wilmington, North Carolina. Flair's quote (from Ric Flair: 2 Decades of Excellence): "I crashed in a private plane in 1975, and broke my back in three places. I was flying to a match. I was flying to Wilmington, North Carolina, to wrestle that night... Legion Stadium, it was sold out. The pilot was killed, and one of the greats in our sport- Johnny Valentine was left paralyzed... from the waist down, and another guy by the name of Bob Bruggers is not paralyzed, but, you know, unable to do anything physical. I was out six months, I was supposed to stay out a year, and I healed, you know, like every young athlete I wanted to get back in, you know, and the doctors said 'I can't tell you-... I can't tell you, you'll have to find out. I can tell you that the bones, and all are put back together, but whether or not it's going to work you'll have to find out.'"
Note: Flair was noticibly VERY uncomfortable talking about this. In other words, that would not be a question to ask if you ever talk to him.
Directly ripped from off of Dory Funk Jr.'s page: "The light twin aircraft had descended to 1,000 feet above ground level on approach to New Hanover Airport, Wilmington, North Carolina.The pilot leveled the aircraft and increased power to maintain altitude. The aircraft was cleared for a visual approach. With the increased demand for fuel, and a near empty tank on the left side, the left engine began to sputter, surge, and then fell quiet as the fuel supply was exhausted.
This article was about John Valentine more than anyone else. Credit goes to Dory Funk Jr.
John Valentine: Broken back in three places. Permanent disability.
Ric Flair: Broken back in one place, multiple lacerations.
Bob Bruggers: Permanently disabling ankle injury.
Tim Woods: Bruises and scratches.
David Crockett: Bruises and scratches."
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs6B. When Did He Return?
On February 1, 1976, with a count-out victory
over Wahoo McDaniel. (That's almost four
months out of action.) Most sources will say
either 6 or 6 ' months.
7. Late '70s
7A. Was Flair Ever A Tag Team Champ?
No, Tony Schiavone was not lying. His first
ever title was as the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team
Champ. He and Rip Hawk defeated Bob Bruggers
and Paul Jones [7/4/74]. He was world tag
team champ three times; twice with Greg
Valentine and once with Blackjack Mulligan.
He did hold the Mid-Atlantic tag titles with
Greg Valentine and another with John Studd.
See the 'Title Reigns' section.He was world tag team champ three times. Twice with Greg Valentine and once with Blackjack Mulligan.
6B. Has There Ever Been A Match Between Him And The "Original" Nature Boy?
An angle arose in 1978 in which there was a
contest to guess a mystery wrestler, who was
a former world champ. Rogers was the answer
and immediately took "offense" angle-wise to
Flair using the gimmick. So, there were
several in 1978, he and Rogers squared off to
find out who was the "true" Nature Boy. Flair
won most of the matches using the
figure-four.
8. 1980-1991
7A. How Many World Titles Has Ric Flair Won?
Several reigns have been overlooked, but according to my calculations, 16 NWA/WCW and 2 WWF, for a total of 18.
7B. When Did He Win His First World Title?
September 17, 1981. He defeated Dusty Rhodes
in Kansas City, Missouri, with Lou Thesz as a
special referee. Rhodes had been a
transitional champion, defeating heel Harley
Race two months earlier.
7C. So Many Wrestlers In The '80s Were On Steroids-- Was Flair?
Yes. I don't think he was a serious abuser, though. Notice the size difference, even between 1989 and 1993.
7D. What Was So Great About Starrcade '83?
This event was shown by closed circuit
through several regions including the
Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Caribbean.
Flair
beat Harley Race for his second world title.
This took place on November 24, 1983, in
Greensboro, North Carolina.
7E. What Is The So-Called Power Struggle Between Dusty And Flair?
About 1988, Flair and Rhodes, REALLY didn't
get along, especially since Rhodes blamed
Flair for not being able to draw. Dusty,
though, had ruined the title with screwjob
finishes. During that year ('88), Flair
reportedly vetoed a title change to Lex
Luger, who was over with the fans, but
couldn't actually wrestle (IMO and just about
everyone else's). By Starrcade '88, Dusty
wanted Flair to job the title in five minutes
to Rick Steiner. Flair threatened to jump to
the WWF at some point. What saved Flair was
the fact that Turner's group, which were the
new owners, decided upon a Flair-Luger
showdown for Starrcade '88. They also ended
Rhodes' reign as booker and gave Flair
creative control over the title.
7F. What About The 1988 Great American Bash Match With Luger?
This is a typical Rhodes screwjob finish.
Flair retained the title against Luger, when
"Maryland State Athletics Commission" rules
said a match had to be stopped at the first
sign of blood. What made this so unrealistic
was Luger's blade job, as his blood never
flowed much. Amusingly enough, at the next
year's Bash in the same locale, Flair and
Terry Funk participated in a wild,
double-juice fest, with no restraints.
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7H. Who All Has Been In The Group?
1987: Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, &
Lex Luger
1988: Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, &
Barry Windham
Arn and Tully leave for the WWF in '88; the
Horsemen go on hiatus, but briefly, another
group appeared (see below).
1990: Flair, Arn & Ole Anderson, & Sid
Vicious
Flair leaves for the WWF in '91; the Horsemen
go on hiatus.
1993: Flair, Arn Anderson, Sid Vicious, &
Paul Roma
The group splits; Arn gets stabbed; more
hiatus.
1995: Flair, Arn Anderson, Brian Pillman, &
Chris Benoit
1996: Flair, Arn Anderson, Chris Benoit, &
Steve McMichael
1997: Flair, Arn Anderson (briefly), Chris
Benoit, Jeff Jarrett, & Steve McMichael
1997: Flair, Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael, &
Curt Hennig
Hennig betrays the Horsemen; Flair disbands
the Horsemen
1998: Flair, Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael, &
Dean Malenko
McMichael disappears; Horsemen dead?
Baby Doll ' 1986-87?
Woman ' 1990; 1996-97
Debra McMichael ' 1996-97
Ms. Elizabeth ' 1996
Arn Anderson ' 1997-99
7I. What About Wrestle War '89, When Funk Piledrove Him On The Table?
Flair wanted some time off, so they created
an angle during the Flair-Steamboat match.
Funk served as a ringside judge in this
match, in which Flair regained the World
Title. After a two-month period, Flair
returned to have a major feud with Funk,
which culminated in an 'I Quit' match for
Clash of Champions IX, in which Flair beat
Funk with a figure-four.
7J. What About The Black Scorpion?
In 1990, after Sting won the world title,
bookerman Ole Anderson created an angle, in
which he originally wanted the Ultimate
Warrior or Dark Angel (whatever his name is)
to use. Warrior ended up staying with the
WWF, and Anderson was going to use Barry
Windham. The angle flopped because it was
stupid to begin with (magic tricks and Ole
providing Scorp's voice) and because they had
no one for the role. Sting himself flopped as
a champion, so Flair got the belt back in the
Meadowlands of New Jersey in January in
exchange for wearing the mask one night and
bailing the company out.
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs8. World Wrestling Federation
8A. Why Did Flair Leave WCW?
Jim Herd (then executive vice-president, the
post Bischoff has held) used rank high in the
Pizza Hut Corporation. I don't know why he
got a job in professional wrestling.
1. Age
Herd thought Flair was past his prime and too
old to be a champion. Simple enough.
2. Character
Back to the original question, Herd wanted to
pass the world title on to Luger (or just
have a younger champion) at the Great
American Bash 1991, but Flair refused to job.
A decision was then made to drop the belt to
Barry Windham at a TV taping in Macon, GA,
two weeks before the show. Before the taping,
Flair quit or was fired by Jim Herd. The
title ended up going to Luger, who pinned
Windham at the Great American Bash on July 14
(which has been regarded as being both 'The
Ric Flair Protest Show' and the worst
pay-per-view of all time).
Herd absolutely hated the "Nature Boy"
character. He suggested various changes,
which included:
A. Name Change: Flair and Mark Madden
recently brought up the topic on WCW
Live! One character was called 'The
Gladiator' (no details given). The
other, Flair couldn't remember the name
of, but he said it was similar to Van
Hammer's gimmick.
8B. How Did He Arrive In the WWF?
In 1991, Bobby Heenan announced at the end of
one of the WWF's TV shows (Prime Time?) that
Flair was coming and held up the NWA/WCW
world title. Flair himself later appeared
with the NWA/WCW world title, and began
calling himself "The Real World's Champion."
He and Roddy Piper got into a fight at the
announcer's table, with Roddy accidentally
hitting Vince McMahon with a chair. In the
weeks to come, he interfered with Hogan's
match with the Undertaker at Survivor Series,
allowing Undertaker to win the WWF
championship.
8C. Why Was He Allowed To Have The NWA/WCW World Title?
He owned the belt (to a degree). Crockett had
the belt made and the NWA started using it in
1986. Crockett was in debt about the same
time and gave Flair ownership of the belt
instead of giving him his guaranteed money.
WCW sued and in court in 1992, they purchased
the belt from Flair for a reported $75,000.
8D. How Did His Tenure In The WWF Go?
Flair won the Royal Rumble, setting a new
in-ring time record (which Bob Backlund broke
the next year). Later he dropped the title to
Randy Savage in their famed "Flair Knew
Elizabeth First" feud.
8E. What Was His 1992 Ear Injury?
On October 9, 1992, Flair faced the Ultimate
Warrior in Phoenix, AZ, and ended up with
broken nerve endings in his ear. Three days
after the match with Warrior, Flair lost the
title to Hart and continued to wrestle a few
times after that. Ric ultimately missed from
the middle of October until the middle of
November.
8F. Why Did He Leave The WWF?
In 1993, Flair left because
(a) his contract
earnings weren't guaranteed and McMahon
wanted to move his down to mid-card status
and
(b) Flair thought he was still a
contender for the world title. McMahon agreed
to let him go.8G. What Was His Last WWF Match?
Versus Bret Hart in Dortmund, Germany, on
February 10, 1993. He then didn't wrestle in
WCW for several months (no-compete clause?),
but did make interview appearances.
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs9. 1993-
9A. What About The Sid Vicious-Arn Anderson Stabbing?
In October of 1993, WCW was touring England. Vicious and Anderson had been arguing during the trip and Vicious attacked Anderson in his hotel room. Anderson received twenty stab wounds, while Sid suffered a punctured lung.
9B. How Did This Affect Flair?
Other than being a good friend of Arn, at the
time Vicious was scheduled to face Vader in
the main event of Starrcade '93 and win the
title. Vicious was canned for the incident
with Anderson, and WCW had no credible
opponent for Vader, until they called upon
Flair to win the world title from Vader.
9C. What About Flair's "Retirement" In 1994?
To get a huge buyrate for a PPV, they ask
Flair to do the job in a "retirement" match.
Flair agrees to do this if he gets a contract
extension and they have the match. The idea
afterwards was to bring Flair back in a way
that the fans wouldn't feel cheated. He was
brought back in '95 after two meetings to
vote on his "reinstatement" using "foreign
executives" (Kensuke Ishikawa was Sonny Ono
and other WCW employees were used in the
roles).
9D. What About The 1995 North Korea Match With Inoki?
Inoki originally wanted Hogan as an opponent,
but Hogan wanted a nice sum of money and
didn't want to job. Because of this, Flair
was slipped in as Inoki's opponent. Flair
lost in 14 minutes in front of the largest
crowd in pro-wrestling history (190,000).
9E. Was The Blood At Starrcade 1995 Real Or Fake?
Real. Savage bladed Flair, which was obvious because of a bad camera angle, even though some think Flair juiced hardway.
9F. Was This In Retailliation Against The WWF?
Maybe, because at this time both leagues still outlaw blading.
This question is difficult to answer because the WWF still claims the blood in the match between Davey Boy Smith and Bret Hart was hardway. They claim that Hart was cut by a piece of glass from an earlier match. Some still say that Hart bladed.
9G. What Are The Details Of Flair's Arrest In 1996?
(This was actually a recurring question back
when I started this thing in 1997')
9H. What Is The "Shoot" Interview?
An interview that aired August 10, 1996, is believed to be a shoot. Flair talked about Hogan's precence in WCW and how Hogan has carried around federations for years. Transcript: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/2399/int_8_96.html9I. What About Flair's Shoulder Injury?
The original injury took place on August 14,
1995, against Hiroyoshi Tenzan (Yamamoto).
The injury progressively got worse until'
9J. Was That Him Being Attacked By The NWO?
No. Although bearing a minor resemblance,
considering the camera angle, it is not.
Also, note what was being yelled by Flair.
This seems to be taken from a mid-80s match.
He screams "my back" at one point and an
obscenity (as he used to yell before Turner
came along) during the brunt of the beating.
WCW didn't notice the obscenity, for the
entire sequence aired on Saturday Night,
obscenity and all.
9K. The Lawsuit'
Flair's contract expired in January or
February of 1998. About that same time, Flair
signed a letter of intent (not a contract) to
stay in WCW for three more years. A contract
had not been agreed on because certain
conditions Flair had wanted in a contract
(mostly regarding his experience) did not
appear in the contracts that were sent to
him.
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs9L. Was The Heart Attack Real Or Fake?
Summary of events for the uninformed:
10. Miscellaneous
10A. Does Flair Really Hate Hogan And Savage?
He and Hogan mostly disagree with booking. Flair says that's their only difference. As for Savage, they get along and are believed to be friends.
10B. Can Ric Flair Fly?
Fifteen years ago, he could dropkick. The majority of his 'high-flying' moves have either been the attempted jump from the top rope via the Flair flip over the turnbuckle, and a cross-body block. The cross-body block has been his most successful. He won his second world title by defeating Harley Race using this.10C. Why Does He Tape His Fingers?
There are a few reasons for this. He uses this for style and also this is how he hides the blade. Over the years, though, he has changed the positioning of the tape, and also he used to tape only the fingers on his right hand. Now, he tapes the fingers on both hands.
10D. What Are The Similarities Between Him And Buddy Rogers?
Besides the 'Nature Boy' gimmick there are a few other similarities. Of course, there's the blond hair. Rogers is the originator of the figure-four and also strutted. Like Rogers, he has won both the NWA and WWF world titles. Rogers admitted though, that Flair had taken the Nature Boy gimmick farther than he had.
11E. Has Flair Ever Been A Booker?
In 1994, Flair took over the position as the head booker. Hogan came to WCW in the middle of the year and started creating his own storylines. By the end of his tenure as head booker, Hogan controlled most of the main-events and Flair controlled the undercard wrestlers. This is why Alex Wright got a push. Later, when Kevin Sullivan took over, Wright's push abruptly ended.
11F. How Long Does His Contract Last?
The Observer posted it as being throught November of 1997. Others have posted it as ending in November of 1998.10G. How Much Does Flair Make?
In the '80s, he made around $300,000 a year. By the mid-80s, he was making around $750,000 a year. In 1991, Flair was asking for his salary to be increased to over a million per year. (WCW decided to cut Flair's pay, and restrict his role in the company, so he left.) Now, he makes about $450,000 a year.
11H. Has He Made Any Appearances On TV Or In The Movies?
In 1973, he made an appearance in Verne Gagne's movie "The Wrestler." The film was totally AWA. Flair's one appearance in it, is in a scene near the end, where several up-and-comers are sitting at a dining table. He was also in the 1986 movie "Body Slam." As for TV, he has made an appearance on Baywatch, as well as done some political commercials for George Bush in 1990. He also did a Slim Jim commercial with Randy Savage that aired in October of '96.
11I. Why Is He Allowed To Keep His Name In Both Federations, While Hall And Nash Can't?
The concept is that Flair like Vader and Piper created the gimmick on their own account. The Hall and Nash characters of "Razor" and "Diesel" were created and are copyrighted by the WWF.
11J. Why Does Shane Douglas Hate Ric Flair?
Douglas claims that Flair held the younger talent down while he (Flair) was booker in 1989. Douglas also seems enraged because Flair fired him for going to another company official that was over Flair to complain about a decision.
Shane's quote from a Prodigy Interview. As you can see, he's making excuses:
BootyCall KS (Prodigy Member):
Shane...could you explain exactly what you have against Ric Flair, and
if you still hold the contempt you used to have for the "Nature Boy"?
Shane Douglas (Speaker):
Ric was very reluctant to help any young talents in the business. He
would use his position as a booker or as the top talent in the territory
to use and or hold down younger talent at a time when he could have been
helping groom the next generation of great wrestlers. He chose instead
to desperately hold on and he hurt the business by doing it. In the late
80's and early 90's there was a great lull in new young talent. It was
largely his fault.
10L. Has Flair Ever Hit A Move From The Top Rope?
He won his second world title by defeating Harley Race using a crossbody
block from the top rope at Starrcade '83. Occasionally, he'll hit a
double-axe handle'
Click the banner above for great wrestling DVDs12. Where To Get Other Information
12A. Are There Any Other Web Pages About Flair?
Yes. John Kramer has a page that lists all the titles Flair has won and has sixty pictures in his photo gallery.
The address is http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt5097a/flair.htm
Earl Oliver of Solie's Vintage Wrestling has a picture history of the Four Horsemen.
That address is http://users.aol.com/Solie/horse.html
12B. Is There A Ric Flair Fan Club?
Shogun runs and unofficial one. The address is:
http://users.vnet.net/shogun/flair.html
12C. Are There Any Books Dedicated To Him?
Steve Helwagen's book, "Whoo! The Ric Flair Record Book" is still available. Address:
Steve Helwagen
188 South Fork Circle
Pataskala, Ohio 4306212D. Are There Any Videos, Not Including PPVs, Dedicated To Him?
WCW released a video in 1995-96 entitled "Ric Flair: 2 Decades of Excellence". There may be more than one version of the video. For video of several Flair matches there are several tape traders online. Shado is one who it seems like every other day posts his 'Ric Flair Legend' tape on RSPW.
12E. Where Can I Send Him Fan Mail?
If you wish to send fan mail send it to WCW's offices in Atlanta.
13. Credits
Several people on the internet, mainly those on RSPW who don't realize it, but they have contributed information. I don't have a list of everybody, but here are a few:
Thomas V. Delrosario
Dory Funk Jr.
Dan Edward Ginnetty
Steve Helwagen (BIG HELP)
Otto 'Hack-Man' Heuer
John Kramer
Herb Kunze
J. Levin
The writer of the RSPW FAQ, Mr. Macika
Conn Mackintosh
Bill Milano at DDT Digest
Earl Oliver at Solie's Vintage Wrestling
Doug Palmer
Sam Siegel
Shado
Shogun
Chris Tabar
To contribute to the Ric Flair FAQ, or to ask a question: email me at
dtaylor@surfsouth.com
Back to T-Bo's Page
Back to the Ric Flair Dedication
This IS the end of the document, ya'll.
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