Ric Flair

Ric Flair

This past weekend at Wrestlemania 24 Ric Flair retired.

Shawn Michaels whispered the words, "I'm sorry. I love you." Then, Michaels let lose with a Superkick, Flair walked into it, and the career of the greatest Professional Wrestler of all time came to spectacular end. He lost. Yet, to everyone there and those watching around the world, it was yet another victory for The Man.

I saw Ric Flair in 1982 at Mercer Arena defend his NWA World Heavyweight Champion title against Playboy Buddy Rose in a spectacular 20+ minute match from ringside. My brother, a cousin or two, and an aunt and uncle took us down for what would be our first pro wrasslin' experience. Yep. 7th row ringside. Of course, we moved up to the corner by the rope barricade during the main event and when Flair used his belt to knock out Rose and slipped out of the ring I found myself mere feet from his bloody glare. We made eye contact and I was cheering. He looked exhausted but held my stare.

In all the other times I went to wrestling cards, including Wrestlemania XIX, I never got to see Ric Flair wrestle in person again.

When I think of the greatest athletes I have seen in person, Flair is always near the top of the list; a list which includes Pele, Maradona, Magic, Jordan, Palmer, Marino, and Ripken.

I read Flair's book To Be The Man and found it to be as much a textbook on how to be a pro wrestler as an autobiography. It was clear that Flair's view of the business is far, far different than that of Hulk Hogan. See, there really is a split in the wrestling biz over what I think of as the perfect hero approach and the keep people in suspense approaches. Hogan rarely, if ever, lost. It was too important to him and those that promoted him that he ultimately emerge victorious; the perfect hero. Flair on the other hand would lose, sometimes to surprising opponents, and it would keep wrestling fans guessing as to what would really be the outcome of a given card. I prefer Flair's approach.

Ric Flair was the man. No, he still is.