Is Ric Flair worth it?

[OLE BIG]

I've ran into Flair a few times out a bars, etc...  but OLE BIG could probably share a few stories about him, if he wants to, that are better than mine.

I have a few.  I will back here later and tell them.

[Montague]

I have a few.  I will back here later and tell them.

I look forward to these.
You have some of the best stories on the board. My favorite is the one with Hennig and your golf resort.

O.B.: What do you do when you miss the gum?

C.H.: I don't miss.


GOLD!!!
 

[nasht5]

I suspect it bols down to a matter of taste/preference, or ignorance.

      preference: everyone is entitled to an opinion.
      ignorance: not everyone witnessed the Nature Boy during his Mid-Atlantic peak.
Hell, Hogan is considered one of the biggest things in wrestling, yet you mercilessly rag on him here.
And, I'm sure there are many who would criticize my own relentless criticism of Dusty Rhodes.

It's all good in the end.

it must be true that people who don't give ric the respect he deserves for being a better wrestler/entertainer than EVERYBODY else must be due to the fact that they don't know their wrestling history. I'm 42, i watched it all since 1977. The greatest in my life is ric flair. Hogan, Austin, rock, macho, just about everyone else is beneath them.

Just like the greatest tag team is LOD. I enjoyed many other teams but Hawk & Animal are the best.

[Montague]

it must be true that people who don't give ric the respect he deserves for being a better wrestler/entertainer than EVERYBODY else must be due to the fact that they don't know their wrestling history. I'm 42, i watched it all since 1977. The greatest in my life is ric flair. Hogan, Austin, rock, macho, just about everyone else is beneath them.

Just like the greatest tag team is LOD. I enjoyed many other teams but Hawk & Animal are the best.

I suspect that there are very few Mid-Atlantic fans who feel any differently.
But, ignorance is no fault of the possessor. We cannot control what we are fed. Fans who grew up in the NY market had little choice in so far as their main programming offerings.

[outby43]

looking forward to the stories OB

[littleguns]

Not sure if this is a serious post, but if so the reason Flair "never came out of character" is because he wasn't "playing" one.  He was exactly the same guy out of the ring as in it, good or bad.

And REALLY don't get the lack of respect for Flair in this thread.  Sad state of what has become of wrestling fan's "knowledge" these days.   

It was real, but again just my opinion. I started watching in the early 80's so caught Flair on TBS with Horsemen. I would take an Arn Anderson or a Rick Rude over Flair any day.

I do agree with another poster in here that rosters were sooo much deeper than they are now. Back then they had a ton of midcarders that could be pushed at any minute and not be crammed down your throat. Now a days someone goes down and they are scrambling to find find the next great thing. Ryback is OK, he is gettting crammed down our throats and come this time next year, he will be an after thought.

[OLE BIG]

The first time I met Flair was after a card in my high school gymnasium.  I was around six years old.  We knew the wrestlers all stopped at a certain gas station on the way out of town.  Myself, my mother and cousin left the matches and went there.  Sure enough, pretty much all of them stopped.  I got my picture taken with Flair and Valentine who were together.  Mulligan and, I think Wahoo were there as well.  I was so crazy about meeting him, I can't remember all of them.  All were friendly, and looking back, Flair was very friendly to my mother.  He was lucky my dad wasn't there, or old Natch might have had a bad night.

I also got my picture taken with him a few times in the Civic Center of a bigger town.  He was always polite and friendly.  It was also there that I saw Valentine take care of a guy that was trying to get at Flair.  Not a good night for him.

About twenty years later, Stoppa, myself and another friend started going to every Nitro we could.  I had had that picture blown up and kept it all this time.  I wanted Flair to sign it.  We found quite a few of the wrestlers in Jock's And Jill's in Atlanta one night.  Flair had a big entourage with him and a guy basically keeping people away.  I was going to try and get to him and the guy stopped me.  I told him I just wanted him to sign my picture and showed it to him.  He said "Oh my gosh.  Nature Boy, you have to see this."

We walked over and Flair loved it.  He signed it and asked me when/where it was taken, and was amazed I had kept it so long.  I told him he didn't have enough money to buy it.  Again, he was very cordial.

After that, I had a buddy that was a wheel in Turner's organization.  He would always get us great tickets and find out where the wrestlers were staying and we would stay there.  The hotel would always have a bar and was always a Marriot, Turner must have had a contract with them.  We would just hang out in the bar "with" them.

I saw Flair many times, and pretty much everyone who was in WCW at the time.  My final count for Nitros was about 15 I think.

 

[Montague]

The first time I met Flair was after a card in my high school gymnasium.  I was around six years old.  We knew the wrestlers all stopped at a certain gas station on the way out of town.  Myself, my mother and cousin left the matches and went there.  Sure enough, pretty much all of them stopped.  I got my picture taken with Flair and Valentine who were together.  Mulligan and, I think Wahoo were there as well.  I was so crazy about meeting him, I can't remember all of them.  All were friendly, and looking back, Flair was very friendly to my mother.  He was lucky my dad wasn't there, or old Natch might have had a bad night.

I also got my picture taken with him a few times in the Civic Center of a bigger town.  He was always polite and friendly.  It was also there that I saw Valentine take care of a guy that was trying to get at Flair.  Not a good night for him.

About twenty years later, Stoppa, myself and another friend started going to every Nitro we could.  I had had that picture blown up and kept it all this time.  I wanted Flair to sign it.  We found quite a few of the wrestlers in Jock's And Jill's in Atlanta one night.  Flair had a big entourage with him and a guy basically keeping people away.  I was going to try and get to him and the guy stopped me.  I told him I just wanted him to sign my picture and showed it to him.  He said "Oh my gosh.  Nature Boy, you have to see this."

We walked over and Flair loved it.  He signed it and asked me when/where it was taken, and was amazed I had kept it so long.  I told him he didn't have enough money to buy it.  Again, he was very cordial.

After that, I had a buddy that was a wheel in Turner's organization.  He would always get us great tickets and find out where the wrestlers were staying and we would stay there.  The hotel would always have a bar and was always a Marriot, Turner must have had a contract with them.  We would just hang out in the bar "with" them.

I saw Flair many times, and pretty much everyone who was in WCW at the time.  My final count for Nitros was about 15 I think.

That's great, man!

Thanks for sharing!!

[The Showstoppa]

OLE BIG, care to share the one about the almost 8-man tag match with you, TB, KL and SM vs Flair, Eddie, Benoit and ?

I'm actually not so sure your team would have lost unless TB got tagged in.....haha