Ric Flair Pro Wrestling Living Legend Media Man International

Ric Flair

Websites

Hulkamania.com.au Hulk Hogan official website

News

Professional Wrestling Legend Ric Flair Expands Gambling Biz, by Greg Tingle - 1st April 2010

Professional wrestling living legend, 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair, has expanded on his gambling and gaming deals. Enter South Carolina Education Lottery.

As Media Man and Gambling911 have long suspected, there is a cross over audience in wrestling fan and punters, be it lottery, poker, casino, online and offline. We've also noticed an increase in PKR (3D) poker advertising on a number of Wrestling News Media and sports car - lifestyle websites, but that's another story. Flair didn't miss long time nemesis Hulk Hogan doing business with a Native American tribe via The Hulk-a-Mania Experience slot machine, but Flair's opted for "softer" gambling (thus far) via being a face of lottery tickets in the Carolina's.

Flair took a life gamble some 30 years ago when when his bleached his hair blond an transformed his image into a somewhat modern 'Gorgeous George' inspired character, known for his jet flying, limousine riding, wheelin', dealing, son of a gun antics. Flair became the thinking man's wrestler, and quite the entrepreneur in the process.

His biggest wrestling related pay days came around the time of his signing with World Wrestling Entertainment and 1991, soon after having his first match with Hulk Hogan. Today Flair still wrestles the occasional match against Hogan and his mates in WWE rival, TNA Wrestling, but Flair remains on the lookout for worthwhile business deals to help maintain his lifestyle and fuel his considerable expense account which experienced an increase with family matters and the like.

'The Man' is one of Charlotte's best-known celebs, and one of the world's most famous wrestlers, will be showcased on 'Woooooo!' South Carolina Education Lottery tickets, kicking off next week.

Flair will be in the think of the action with the $5 scratch-off ticket, starting Monday, according to Flair management and of the South Carolina Lottery.

Some six months ago Flair fronted that $5 scratch-off lottery ticket in North Carolina. The Flair tickets were among the state's best-selling lottery items. The ticket sale was pushed along by television commercials featuring Flair, which later became a bit of a viral hit on the YouTube website portal via Media Man creation American Gaming News.

Paula Harper Bethea, executive director of the South Carolina Education Lottery, said Flair will also help promote the ticket sales in the Palmetto State.

"We look forward to hosting Ric Flair in South Carolina at various events and anticipate an increase in ticket sales to generate more funds for education," Bethea said.

She also advised he is scheduled to appear on behalf of the lottery on 8th May at NASCAR's Southern 500 racing mega event in Darlington; and again June 5 at the Sun Fun Festival in Myrtle Beach.

The South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) began in 2002. South Carolina is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), best known for Powerball. Like most US lotteries, on January 31, 2010, it participated in the cross-sell lottery expansion, adding Mega Millions.

Other pro wrestlers who have an interest to get involved in gaming of the gambling variety include Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Snuka and Piper also already in a number of traditional video games. Kevin "Big Sexy" Nash from TNA and NWO fame has some gambling links on his official website. Rumors persist of PartyGaming

http://www.partycasino.com/index.htm?wm=3221754

and / or Australia's NextGen Gaming developing an Andre The Giant online slot game, which would be certain to be a hit with punters down under in Australia, and around the world. Andre toured Australia a number of times including in the 70s and later in the mid 80's with the then World Wrestling Federation.

Punters, into wrestling? Check out the Media Man website network... interviews, articles, profiles et al of many of the world's greatest and most colourful wrestling starts. No pro wrestling slot games... the closest is The Incredible Hulk online slot. Hogan came to terms with Marvel Entertainment a couple of decades ago to the turn of a few million dollars. Captain Cooks Casino is understood to have a 'My Slot' game which can be customized, so if you want to incorporate pro wrestling stars, you can. All we have to say is have fun and Woooooo!

Websites

PartyCasino (The Incredible Hulk slot)

http://www.partycasino.com/td/marvel.htm?wm=3159326

http://www.partycasino.com/index.htm?wm=3221754

Captain Cooks Casino (My Slot)

http://www.captaincookscasino.com/referral.asp?aff_id=aff77223:mma1

South Carolina Education Lottery

http://www.sceducationlottery.com

Wrestling News Media

http://www.wrestlingnewsmedia.com

Ric Flair - Media Man profile

http://www.CasinoNewsMedia.com/profiles/flair.html

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.CasinoNewsMedia.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Wrestling News Media is a Media Man creation

South Carolina Education Lottery

Wrestling News Entertainment News

Flair likely to wrestle Hulk Hogan in Australia November 2009

Flair calls in Triple M Radio "The Grill Team" and joins Hulk Hogan interview

Ric Flair WOOOOOO! NC Education Lottery game released - September 2009

NC Education Lottery website

News

Hulkster wrestles a return - The Sunday Telegraph - 20th September 2009

Hulk Hogan still the showman at the age of 56 - The Daily Telegraph - 22nd Sept 09

Australian news media and general public warmly welcome Hulk Hogan "down under" to Sydney, Australia - September 2009

Media Man Australia public support of Hulk Hogan Hulkamania tour of Australia via The Baltimore Sun online

As long as both Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair do some of their signature moves have the in ring charisma, I think the match up is still worth paying for. There will only every be one Hulk Hogan and one Ric Flair, and both are apparently prepared to put in all on the line to entertain the fans while they still can, and make a pay day in the process, which will help go towards the massive expenses they have both endured in the past few years. I think wrestling fans owe it to the guys and themselves to pay to see the match. You also can't blame them for wanting to have a working holiday down under here in Australia, and make a pay day and party with us Australians. Enjoy the match up and take the opportunity to see both legends go at while they can. Let's also see some technical wrestlers and other entertaining talent get locked into the card. Hulk and Flair, thanks for the memories over the decades, and we look forward to seeing you do your thing in Australia. Greg Tingle, founder and director, Media Man Australia

The Sunday Telegraph - reader feedback - 20th September 2009

There will only ever be one Hulk Hogan, and one Ric Flair. I think fans owe it to see and support living legends such as The Hulk and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, while they can still do their thing. Hogan, Flair, Roddy Piper and the crew... thank you for the memories. New talent also have their chance to shine in the indy's, WWE feeder promotions and the WWE. Hulkamania for ever. Hulkamania has indeed run wild down under in Australia.
Bondi Beach #1 Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Roddy Piper fan. Woooo!
Greg Tingle

The Daily Telegraph - reader feedback - 22nd September 2009

Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Piper, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and too many more to list, thank you for the memories. Hulk Hogan's legend lives on and is alive and well down under in Australia. Australian's appreciate Hulk's hard work over the years and his own comeback of the decade. The way Hulk Hogan communicates his real life story is ultra impressive, and its great to see him putting in the hard yards, pounding the pavement and jetting around Australia to let the Australian public know that this upcoming tour is the real deal. The entertainment industry has been fuelled considerably by pro wrestling over the years, and guys like Hogan, Flair and Piper carried it on their backs, with switched on promoters at the likes of WWE, WCW and NWA kicking it along. It appears that Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jimmy Hart and Eric Bishcoff and co are putting together a great event here. For my money, having Hogan here means the show has already began. The coverage in the newspapers and Australian TV sure beats the hell out of some of the other stuff passed off as "entertainment news". Hulkamania forever. Wooooo! Just when they think they have the answers, Hogan and Flair change the questions.

Hulkamania: Let the Battle Begin

Line up

Hulk Hogan VS Ric Flair

Ken Anderson (formerly Mr Kennedy)

Eddie Fatu (known in WWE as Umaga)

Sean Morley (Val Venis)

Solofa Fatu (Rikishi)

Shannon Moore

Charles "The Godfather" Wright

Lacey von Erich

Vampire Warrior (known in WWE as Gangrel)

Jimmy Hart (The Mouth Of The South)

Eric Bischoff

Article

Wrestlers and Arnold Schwarzenegger Gambling, Poker Connection - 4th May 2009
(Credit: Gambling911)

Ric Flair recently signed a deal to be a spokesperson for the lottery in the Carolinas... The Shelby, NC Star ran a story noting that Ric, David, and Reid Flair are scheduled to appear on Saturday at the Rec Center for a charity show to raise for the Shelby City Parks and Police Department. If he attends this would be Reid's first public appearance since his arrest last weekend.

"This is of course totally the opposite direction to Jesse Ventura's stance on gambling, at least publicly," notes Media Man, Greg Tingle.

Tingle made reference to Ventura's support of an online gambling enterprise, BetUS.com, where he was a paid spokesperson for more than two years. Interestingly enough, the state of Minnesota for which Ventura served as Governor, announced last week it will try to block access to online gambling websites from citizens of that state.

Then there is California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a one time friend of both men, who reportedly would support an initiative in his state to legalize online poker.

In November 2004, an advertisement began airing in California featuring Ventura. In it, Ventura voices his opposition to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's policies regarding Native American casinos, the very casinos that stand in the way of the proposed poker legislation. Schwarzenegger and Ventura have not spoken in years, according to reports.

In September 2005, Ventura announced on The Mike Malloy Show that he was leaving the U.S. and planned to "have an adventure". In late October 2005, he went on the The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch and reiterated that he was leaving the U.S. due to, among other things, censorship. He has since moved to Baja California, Mexico.

Profile

Biography

RIC FLAIR
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 243 lbs.
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Finishing Move: Figure-four Leglock
Career Highlights: World Tag Team Champion; NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champion (w/Rip Hawk, Greg Valentine & Big John Studd); NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight; NWA Mid-Atlantic TV Champion; NWA World Tag Team Champion (w/Greg Valentine & Blackjack Mulligan); NWA Missouri Heavyweight Champion; NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship; NWA/WCW Champion; WWE Champion

To be a World Champion means you are the very best at what you do. To earn the title on more than one occasion is to be among the very best in sports entertainment. To hold the Championship 16 times and still be one of the biggest names in the business nearly three decades after first setting foot in the ring, is to earn a distinction that puts you in a category of your own ... "Living Legend." All of this --and more-- describes Ric Flair.

His combination of flamboyance, athleticism and toughness has made him a true legend. Whether he is "styling and profiling", mixing it up in the ring or simply lending his expertise at ringside, Flair's contribution to this business is constant and his legend grows every time he enters an arena. The respect for Flair is boundless, not only do chants of "Woooo!" rain from all corners of the arena every time he is within sight of the fans, but every time a Superstar --any Superstar -- chops an opponent, fans chant, "Woooo!" in honor of Flair.

Some call Flair, "The Dirtiest Player in the Game." Others refer to him as simply "The Nature Boy." No matter what nickname he has earned, Flair is one of the cagiest competitors to ever step in the ring and it seems that the legend will continue to grow for a long time to come. Along with Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista, Flair is currently enjoying a run as a member of Evolution, which could be the most dominating partnership since the Four Horsemen of the 1980s. More than 20 years after first entering the ring, Flair continues to be at the top of his game.
(Credit: WWE Official website)

Profile

Ric Flair

Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949) better known by his ring name Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand, but also competes for the RAW brand. Also known as "The Nature Boy," Flair is among the most well known wrestlers in the world and has been one of wrestling's biggest stars since the early 1980s. Flair is recognized by WWE as a 16-time world champion, although his actual tally of world championship reigns varies by source. In World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he also had two stints as a booker—from 1989-1990 and again in 1994.

According to WWE, Flair is an eight-time National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Champion, six-time WCW Champion and two-time WWE Champion. He was also the winner of the 1992 Royal Rumble.

Early life

Ric Flair was born on February 25, 1949. Various places have been given for his birthplace; in his autobiography Flair claims he was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His birth name is not known due to a scandal at the Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis. His adopted parents named him Richard Fliehr.

As a teen, Fliehr took a job as a lifeguard at a local pool, where he received his first exposure to the wrestling business when he met the legendary Vachon brothers. In both 1966 and 1968, Fliehr won the state private school wrestling championship; and he was then recruited to the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship, where he played alongside Greg Gagne, the son of AWA kingpin Verne Gagne. Fliehr dropped out of college before receiving his degree, and he then worked as a bouncer at a nearby club, where he met Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera, who was preparing for a ring career at Verne Gagne’s wrestling school. Patera introduced Fliehr to Verne Gagne, who agreed to take him on as a member of what would be perhaps the single greatest training class in wrestling history (in addition to Ric Flair and Ken Patera, the group also included Greg Gagne, the Iron Sheik, Jim Brunzell, and Bob Bruggers).

Career

AWA

Under the tutelage of Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson, Fliehr made fast progress; and in 1972, he made his debut, battling George Gadaski to a 10-minute draw while adopting the ring name “Ric Flair.” Then weighing nearly 300 pounds with short brown hair, Flair scarcely resembled his future “Nature Boy” image; but he drew attention with his charismatic personality and ring endurance.

NWA

In 1975, Flair left the AWA for Jim Crockett's Mid-Atlantic region in the National Wrestling Alliance; and he soon captured his first title when, on February 8, 1975, he beat Paul Jones for the Mid-Atlantic TV Championship. However, on October 4, 1975, Flair’s career nearly ended when he was in a serious plane crash in Wilmington, North Carolina that took the life of the pilot and paralyzed Johnny Valentine (also on board were “Mr. Wrestling I” Tim Woods, Bob Bruggers, and promoter David Crockett). Flair broke his back in 3 places; and at age 26, he was told by doctors that he would never wrestle again. However, Flair conducted a rigorous physical therapy schedule; and he triumphantly returned to the ring just 6 months later, where he resumed his now-legendary feud with Wahoo McDaniel in February 1976. The crash did force Flair to change his wrestling technique away from the power brawling style he had used early on, which led him to adopt the "Nature Boy" style he would use throughout his career.

Groomed by Jim Crockett Jr. as his future top star, Ric Flair won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship when he defeated Bobo Brazil on July 29, 1977; and during the next three years, he held five reigns as U.S. Champion while feuding with Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Mr. Wrestling II, Jimmy Snuka, and Greg Valentine (with whom he also formed a championship tag team). However, Flair would reach elite status when he began referring to himself as “the Nature Boy,” which incited a notorious 1978 feud with the original “Nature Boy,” Buddy Rogers, who put Flair over in a now-famous encounter.

NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1981-1986)

Then on September 17, 1981, Flair reached the top of the mountain when he beat Dusty Rhodes for his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In the following years, Flair would eventually establish himself as the promotion’s main franchise in the midst of emerging competition from Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. With his outlandish wit and entertaining interview style, Flair embodied the role of the World Champion- sporting bleached blonde hair, elegant jewelry, designer suits, and elaborate custom robes while dishing out his trademark chops and feared Figure Four Leglock. All the while, Flair taunted his opponents with his famous “Wooo!” shout while boasting, and said many famous quotes like “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man" and "and whether you like it or not, learn to love it, ‘cause it’s the best thing going today!”

Harley Race won the title from Flair in 1983, but Flair regained the title at StarrCade 1983 in Greensboro, North Carolina in a steel cage match; afterwards, Race and Flair would fight in many different matches in early 1984.

Flair would go on to win the NWA title, officially, seven more times. As the NWA champion, he defended his belt around the world. Flair lost the title to Race and won it back in the span of three days in New Zealand in March 1984. At the first David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions at Texas Stadium, Flair was pinned by Kerry Von Erich. Flair regained the title 18 days later in Japan.

He then reigned for two years, two months, and two days, losing his title to Dusty Rhodes on July 26 at The Great American Bash 1986; Dusty had been a notable foe in Flair's career, and both men began a famous feud with one another after Flair helped break Dusty's leg on September 29, 1985. Flair regained the title two weeks later. Flair would engage in many different matches throughout his title reigns, and face many opponents like Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Kerry von Erich, Jay Youngblood, Sting, Jimmy Garvin, Magnum T.A., and Dusty Rhodes throughout his career as well.

The Four Horsemen

In the spring of 1985, the tag team of Ole Anderson & Arn Anderson began aiding Ric Flair (whom they claimed as a “cousin”) in attacks against Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., and Sam Houston . A few weeks later, the Andersons interrupted Houston’s match against Tully Blanchard, and the three heels combined to rough up the youngster while sending a message to the rest of the NWA. Shortly thereafter, Flair, Blanchard, and the Andersons formalized their alliance, calling themselves the Four Horsemen, with Blanchard’s manager J.J. Dillon also coming on board. Upon the group’s inception, it was clear that the Horsemen were unlike any heel faction that had ever existed. The four rulebreakers immediately used their strength in numbers to decimate the NWA’s top fan favorites while controlling the majority of the championship titles; and over the years, there would be various incarnations of the group, including Lex Luger, Barry Windham, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and even Sting.

World Championship Wrestling (1986-1991)

By 1986, wrestling promoter Jim Crockett had consolidated the various NWA member promotions he owned into a single entity, running under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance. Controlling much of the traditional NWA territories in the southeast and midwestern United States, Crockett looked to expand nationally, and built his promotion around Flair as champion. During this time, Flair's bookings as champion were tightly controlled by Crockett, and a custom championship belt was created for Flair.

Flair lost the NWA World Championship due to his flamboyant ways in Detroit to Ron Garvin on September 25, 1987. Garvin would hold the title for two months before losing to Flair on November 26, 1987 at WCW's first pay-per-vew event, Starrcade in Chicago, Illinois.

In late 1988, booker Dusty Rhodes proposed that Flair lose the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rick Steiner in a short match at StarrCade '88 when no agreement could be met regarding the finish to the scheduled main event between him and Lex Luger. Feeling that Rhodes had always conspired to make him look weak as champion, Flair refused, and threatened to leave WCW if Rhodes was not removed as booker. Rhodes was fired for various issues within the company, and former JCP booker George Scott was given his role as booker.

Scott immediately negotiated to bring in Ricky Steamboat for a series of matches. On February 20, 1989 in Chicago, Steamboat pinned Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This prompted a series of rematches, where Steamboat was presented as a "family man" (often accompanied by his wife and young son), while Flair opposed him as an immoral, fast-living "ladies man." Following a best-of-three falls match with Steamboat that lasted just short of the sixty-minute time limit (and ended with a disputed finish where Steamboat retained the title) at Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun on April 2, 1989, Flair regained the title from Steamboat on May 7 at Wrestle War '89. This match has been cited by many as one of the greatest wrestling matches in history and was voted 1989's "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Flair was attacked by Terry Funk (serving as a judge for the match, as per its stipulations) after the match when Flair refused to grant Funk a title match, telling Funk that he had spent too much time in Hollywood and out of wrestling, and was not a listed title contender. The attack reached its conclusion when Funk gave Flair a piledriver through the judges' table.

Months later, a "recovered" Flair returned to competition in an emotional match against Funk at The Great American Bash. The two continued feuding through the summer and eventually Flair reformed the Four Horsemen, with the surprise addition of longtime rival Sting, to combat Funk's J-Tex Corporation. This led to an "I Quit" match at Clash of the Champions IX: New York Knockout. Before the match, Funk stated that he would shake Flair's hand if he lost, a promise he kept when he shouted "Yes, I Quit!" after being in Flair's figure-four leglock.

Flair then kicked Sting out of the Horsemen upon his challenge for the NWA Championship, resulting in a revived feud between the two which had to be delayed due to Sting injuring his knee, forcing WCW to slot Lex Luger as Flair's main challenger until Sting returned. On July 7, 1990, Flair dropped the title to Sting in what the wrestling world at the time believed was a changing of the guard. Flair was not finished winning NWA World Titles, however.

After being unmasked as the Black Scorpion at Starrcade 1990, Flair regained the title from Sting on January 11, 1991 in front of a near empty house due to the blizzard conditions in the New York City area. Prior to this reign, WCW split their recognition of a world heavyweight champion from the NWA, and Flair was subsequently recognized as the first WCW World Heavyweight Champion, while still being recognized as NWA World Champion. On March 21, 1991, Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Flair in a controversial match in Tokyo. While the NWA recognized Fujinami as their new champion, WCW did not because Fujinami had backdropped Flair over the top rope in a violation of WCW rules. On May 19, 1991, Flair defeated Fujinami at SuperBrawl in St. Petersburg, Florida to reclaim the NWA title and retain the WCW title. In doing so, he became an eight time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, breaking Harley Race's record.

In the summer of 1991, Flair had a contract dispute with WCW president Jim Herd, who wanted him to take a substantial pay cut. Herd had removed Flair as head booker in February 1990, and wanted to reduce Flair's role in the promotion even further, despite the fact that Flair was still a top draw. According to Flair, Herd also proposed changes in his appearance (i.e. by shaving his hair, wearing a diamond earring and going by the name "Spartacus") as well as his in-ring name in order to "change with the times",[7] a move that Kevin Sullivan equated with "changing Mickey Mantle's (uniform) number" as an example of unnecessarily altering a legend. Flair disagreed with the proposals, and two weeks before the 1991 Great American Bash, Herd fired him. Flair's popularity in WCW would be proven during his absence, as broadcasts were often punctuated by unignorable chants of "We Want Flair!" While Flair had left for the WWF he was still recognized as the WCW World Champion until July 1, 1991, when the title was officially vacated. Though, the NWA does not recognize this entire run as a whole as Flair had lost an NWA title bout against Tatsumi Fujinami on March 21, 1991 in Japan (in a non-WCW matchup). Flair then regained the NWA title from Fujinami on May 19, 1991 on SuperBrawl I (in a title fight according to NWA, but non-title fight according to WCW), but since Fujinami was never recognized by WCW to have beaten Flair before for the Championship title and thus he was never recognized as a WCW Champion, the title was then stripped from Flair on July 1, 1991.

World Wrestling Federation (1991-1993)

Flair signed with the WWF in August 1991, and began appearing on television the next month. Initially, he appeared on WWF shows with the "Big Gold Belt", calling himself "The Real World Heavyweight Champion." WCW sued Flair in an attempt to reclaim the belt, but Flair claimed that he owned the belt in lieu of the $25,000 deposit paid by NWA champions upon winning the title, which had not been returned to him when he was fired from WCW. The matter was settled later that year, with Flair's deposit being returned to him along with interest.

Led by his "financial advisor" Bobby Heenan and his "executive consultant" Mr. Perfect, Flair repeatedly issued challenges to WWF notables like Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan, wrestling a team led by Piper at Survivor Series 1991 and helping The Undertaker defeat Hogan for his WWF Title that same night.

At the Royal Rumble 1992, he won the Rumble Match to claim the vacant WWF Championship. Flair drew number three in the Rumble match, and lasted a then-record 59 minutes, last eliminating Sid Justice with help from Hulk Hogan, who had been eliminated by Justice seconds earlier. In so doing, Flair joined Buddy Rogers as the only men to win the WWF and NWA World Championships in their careers. He also became the fifteenth man to hold the WWF Championship.

After a planned program with Hogan was scrapped due to Hogan's hiatus following the WWF's steroid scandal, Randy Savage challenged Flair for the WWF title at WrestleMania VIII. Flair taunted Savage (Kayfabe) by claiming that he had a prior relationship with Savage's wife, Elizabeth, and that he had the pictures to prove it (which were later revealed to be doctored photos). Savage defeated Flair for the title at WrestleMania. In July 1992, as Savage prepared to defend the title against The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam, Flair and Mr. Perfect sowed distrust between the two by suggesting that they would back one or the other during their match. They actually attacked both Savage and Warrior and injured Savage's knee sufficiently, an injury that Flair exploited to regain the title in a match on September 1. Due to an inner ear injury that affected his equilibrium, his second reign would be short-lived, as he lost the title to Bret Hart on October 12.

Flair teamed with Razor Ramon to take on Savage and Perfect at the Survivor Series 1992.

Ric Flair appeared in the Royal Rumble 1993. After losing a Loser Leaves Town match to Mr. Perfect on an episode of Monday Night Raw, Flair returned to WCW. On The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection DVD, Flair described his first stint with the WWF as "the greatest year and a half of my career, outside the time I spent with Arn and the Four Horsemen."

World Championship Wrestling (1993-2001)

Flair returned to WCW in February 1993, and hosted a short-lived talk show in WCW called A Flair for the Gold. Arn Anderson usually appeared at the bar on the show's set, and Flair's maid, Fifi (portrayed by Wendy Barlow), cleaned or bore gifts. Flair briefly held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for a tenth time before WCW finally left the NWA in September 1993. After WCW's withdrawal, however, the NWA dropped recognition of Flair's tenth reign, leaving him with nine official NWA World Heavyweight Title reigns.

WCW planned to have Sid Vicious win the WCW World title at Starrcade 1993, but Sid was fired after a violent real-life altercation with Arn Anderson in London. Flair was placed in the match, which was held in his adopted hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. The match was billed that if Flair lost, he would retire from wrestling. The match would end with Flair using a chop block and roll-up on the gigantic Vader to win the title. The match was a huge success and used to draw Hulk Hogan, who in Flair's book admitted he cried while watching the match, into WCW.

In June 1994, Flair defeated Sting in a unification match, merging the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship with the WCW World Championship. Flair later feuded with Hulk Hogan upon Hogan's arrival in WCW in June 1994, losing the WCW World Championship to him in July. Flair lost a retirement match to Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1994. Flair took a few months off before returning as a wrestler and part-time manager in 1995 (explained on-air by having Flair nag Hogan for months until Hogan agreed to let Flair come back). He and Randy Savage renewed hostilities when Savage arrived in WCW late in 1994, and their feud continued off-and-on for almost two years with each wrestler winning the WCW World Championship from each other at different times.

Flair defeated Savage in a steel cage at SuperBrawl VI to win the WCW World title, which saw Savage betrayed by Elizabeth in favor of Flair. Flair even defeated Konnan on July 7 at Bash at the Beach 1996 to win the United States Championship. He vacated it in November of that year due to an arm injury.

Flair would play a major role in the New World Order storyline in late 1996 and throughout 1997. He and the Horsemen often took the lead in the war against Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan. Flair would feud with Roddy Piper, Syxx, and his old nemesis, Curt Hennig, in 1997 after Hennig was offered a spot in the Four Horsemen only to turn on Flair and the Horsemen at Fall Brawl '97. Hennig punctuated the act by slamming the cage door onto Flair's head.

In April 1998, Flair became embroiled in a dispute with WCW president Eric Bischoff when he failed to appear at a televised event. Bischoff had placed Flair on the show only three days prior, and Flair had earlier requested time off on the same night to see his son, Reid, wrestle in a Greco-Roman wrestling tournament. He made a surprise return on September 14, 1998 to ceremoniously reform the Four Horsemen (along with Steve McMichael, Dean Malenko, and Chris Benoit) in Greenville, South Carolina. During his return speech, Flair would shoot on Bischoff, saying that Bischoff did not care about the fans and kept shouting the words "abuse of power" and "Fire me! I'm already fired!"

Flair feuded with Bischoff for several months afterward, eventually winning the "Presidency of WCW" from Bischoff. Ironically, (in kayfabe) this led Flair to abuse his own power, even calling himself the President of the United States by accident. He then made a WCW title match with Hulk Hogan at Uncensored 1999, which he won due to a biased referee in Charles Robinson. Robinson would be nicknamed "Lil' Naitch," idolizing Flair and officiating all of Flair's matches in his favor. Flair would win the WCW World Championship twice during 2000, WCW's last full year of operation.

When WCW was purchased by the WWF in March 2001, Flair was the leader of the heel group called the Magnificent Seven. During the final episode of Nitro, He gave a powerful speech regarding the company's greatness. Later in the night, Flair lost the final match in Nitro history to Sting on March 26, 2001.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2001-Present)

2001-2004

After a hiatus from pro wrestling, Flair returned to the WWF in November 2001 as the on-camera co-owner of the company. Flair reappeared on RAW following the end of the "WCW/ECW Invasion" that culminated in a "Winner Take All" match at Survivor Series 2001 won by the WWF.

Flair's new on-screen role was that of the co-owner of the WWF, with the explanation that Shane and Stephanie McMahon had sold him their stock in the company to a consortium (namely Flair) prior to purchasing WCW and ECW.

Flair's feud with Vince McMahon led them to a match at the Royal Rumble 2002 in a Street Fight, where Flair defeated McMahon. That match was Ric Flair's first match since his return to the WWF. Flair would also wrestle The Undertaker at WrestleMania X8 (2002) where Flair would lose a bloody brawl. From then, the "co-owner" angle would culminate in early 2002, when the WWF was split into competing "brands," with Flair taking control of the RAW brand, while Vince controlled SmackDown! After Steve Austin abruptly left WWE while in a program with Flair, a match was hotshotted between Flair and Vince for sole ownership of WWE, which McMahon won, thanks to interference by Brock Lesnar.

Flair would later turn heel (then face, then heel again) over the next two months, before joining Triple H's "Evolution" stable. Flair won the World Tag Team Championship with Batista twice in 2003-04.

2005-Present

At Unforgiven 2005, Flair defeated Carlito for the Intercontinental Championship, becoming the thirteenth Triple Crown Champion in WWE history. He defended the title in a feud with Triple H before losing it to Shelton Benjamin. on February 20, 2006. Flair then took some time off in mid-2006 to rest and marry for the third time; he returned in June to work a program with Mick Foley that played off their legitimate past animosity. Flair defeated Foley at SummerSlam in a "I Quit" match.

Subsequently, he was involved in a rivalry with the Spirit Squad on RAW. On November 5, 2006 at Cyber Sunday, he captured the World Tag Team Championship from the Squad with Roddy Piper. On the November 13 edition of RAW, Flair and Piper lost the Tag Titles to Rated-RKO, due to a disc problem with Piper and had to be flown immediately back to the USA as soon as RAW was off the air. On November 26, 2006 at Survivor Series, Flair was the sole survivor of a match that featured himself, Ron Simmons (replacing an injured Piper), Dusty Rhodes and Sgt. Slaughter versus the Spirit Squad. He would become a victim of a conchairto by Rated-RKO and (kayfabe) was just sent to the hospital on the November 27, 2006 edition of RAW. Flair then left television due to his divorce hearings. On the December 11, 2006 edition of RAW, Flair returned to team up with DX again. They defeated Rated-RKO and Kenny Dykstra.

Ric Flair would then become a team with Carlito after Ric Flair said that Carlito had no heart. Ric Flair defeated Carlito in a match after which Carlito realized that Flair was right.[33] Flair then became a mentor of Carlito. The two faced off in a Money In the Bank qualifying match which ended in a no contest after The Great Khali attacked both men. Flair and Carlito got a second chance in a Money In the Bank Triple Threat qualifying match against Randy Orton, who won.Flair and Carlito got yet another chance when they both competed in a battle royal for Edge's spot, and Flair appeared to have won the battle royal when Edge, who had faked a knee injury earlier in the match, ran into the ring and eliminated Flair.Flair and Carlito faced off against Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch in a #1 contender's match for the World Tag Team Championship but were defeated. After weeks of conflict between Flair and Carlito, the team split up when Carlito attacked Flair during a match. At WWE Judgment Day, Ric Flair defeated Carlito with the Figure four leglock. His career was put at risk following a match with Randy Orton on June 4, 2007.

On the June 11 edition of RAW, Flair was drafted from RAW to SmackDown! as part of the 2007 WWE Draft. He briefly feuded against Montel Vontavious Porter and rejoined forces with Batista to feud with The Great Khali.

After a six month absence, Flair returned to WWE programming on the November 26 edition of RAW to announce that he would "never retire". Mr. McMahon retaliated by announcing that the next match Flair lost would result in a forced retirement. Later in the night, Ric Flair defeated Randy Orton after a distraction by Chris Jericho. It was revealed on the 15th anniversary of Raw that the win or retire ultimatum only applied in singles matches. On New Years Eve, 2007, Flair faced Triple H in a "Win or Retire" match, which Flair won after William Regal attacked Flair with a set of brass knuckles, thus, Flair won the match via disqualification.

Legacy

Despite his age, less-than-chiseled physique, and being past his prime as a "main-eventer," Flair is still a capable performer. Flair became over with the crowd, often due to his in-ring antics, including cheating ways (earning him the distinction of being "the dirtiest player in the game"), his trademark strut and his shouting of "Woooooo!" While his charisma has never been in question, Flair's moveset has become limited in recent years, mainly punches, chops, back body drops and various devious maneuvers. Some exceptions where he has stepped outside this small package of moves include a Monday Night RAW contest against Kurt Angle in June 2005, an Intercontinental Championship match at Unforgiven 2005, and a Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22.

In a tradition started by the vocal fans of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and Shane Douglas during a time when the WCW management and Flair was thought to be unjustly holding a large amount of wrestlers down, anytime a wrestler delivered a hard back hand chop to the chest of his opponent, fans yelled "Woooooo!" to mock Flair, whose knife edge chops often made his opponent's chest raw or even bloody. This tradition long outlived any controversy, as it was meant to protest and has carried over to WWE and almost all other North American promotions. The chant has since become a tribute to Flair.

Since the late 1970s, he has worn ornate fur-lined robes of many colors with sequins, and since the early 1980s, his approach to the ring was usually heralded by the playing of the "Dawn" section of Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra (famous for being used in the motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey).

Late in 2003, WWE released a three-DVD retrospective of Flair's career (focusing mainly on his career prior to 1993), The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection. It became WWE's fastest-selling video package up to that time.

On May 19, 2003, Triple H defended the World Heavyweight Championship in a match against Flair. After RAW went off the air, most of the people who were backstage came out to honor Flair, including Vince, Shane, and Stephanie McMahon. Triple H then appeared, and after a stare down, he placed the World Heavyweight Championship belt on Flair's shoulder and embraced him. Flair then gave a speech thanking everyone for the tribute.

Flair released his autobiography, To Be the Man, in July 2004. The title is taken from one of his catchphrases, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man!"

Real-life feuds

Bret Hart

In 2004, Flair engaged in an off-screen rivalry with Bret Hart, in which both claimed to be the best wrestler of all time and accused each other of performing the same routines in most of their matches. In Flair's autobiography, Flair criticizes Hart over exploiting the death of his brother, Owen Hart, and the controversy surrounding the Montreal Screwjob. Flair also makes mention in his biography that he personally "never saw dollar signs" on Bret Hart in reference to what he claims as Bret being a poor draw in the United States.

Shane Douglas

Flair has had a long running feud with Shane Douglas. Douglas accused Flair of sabotaging his push in the NWA/WCW after getting a solid push and a rub from his tag team partner Ricky Steamboat. Flair, in turn, would respond that Douglas was always the guy that would blame his shortcomings on others. He called Douglas out as well as accused him of steroid abuse during a broadcast of the Internet radio show WCW Live! in which he said that he would meet him anytime and anywhere if he "took the needle out of his ass." They were able to come to a working relationship during Douglas' last stint with WCW.

Mick Foley

Flair has also had issues with Mick Foley. In his 1999 autobiography Have a Nice Day!, Foley said that "Flair was every bit as bad on the booking side of things as he was great on the wrestling side of it."This was in reference to how poorly Foley thought he was booked during his WCW career when Flair was on the booking committee.

Flair responded in his autobiography, writing, "I do not care how many thumbtacks Mick Foley has fallen on, how many ladders he's fallen off, how many continents he's supposedly bled on, he will always be known as a glorified stuntman."

In 2006, the two men got involved in an on-screen feud on WWE television regarding their past, despite Foley's statement on his blog on WWE.com that the two have come to an understanding in real life and are on good terms with each other now.

Personal information

Flair does not know his full birth name. In the opening chapter of his autobiography To Be the Man, titled "Black Market Baby," he notes that his birth name is given on different documents as Fred Phillips, Fred Demaree, and Fred Stewart. The chapter title is a reference to the fact that the Tennessee Children's Home Society, the agency with which he was placed for adoption, was revealed in 1950 to have fraudulently induced thousands of mothers to give up their children for adoption. The future Ric Flair was adopted when he was six weeks old by a physician (father), Richard Reid Fliehr, and a theater writer (mother), Kathleen Virginia Kinsmiller. At the time of his adoption, his father was completing a residency in gynecology in Detroit. Shortly afterwards, the family settled in Edina, Minnesota, where the young Richard Fliehr lived throughout his childhood. He later attended Wayland Academy, a coeducational boarding school in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Flair's son David Flair was also a professional wrestler. Flair's younger son Reid Flair is an accomplished high school wrestler and made several appearances on WCW television along with his sister Ashley and half-sister Megan. Flair is not related to the Andersons, though he was billed as their cousin in the various NWA territories and WCW.

In December 2005, a magistrate issued arrest warrants for Flair after a road rage incident that took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which Flair allegedly got out of his car, grabbed a motorist by the neck, and kicked the door of the motorist's sport utility vehicle. Flair was charged with injury to personal property and simple assault and battery, both misdemeanors. This incident was ridiculed on WWE programming, most notably by the wrestler Edge. The charges were dropped after the witnesses failed to show for a scheduled court appearance.

Flair is sometimes seen attending the Carolina Hurricanes NHL ice hockey games at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. When the Hurricanes score, one of a couple of videos appears on the scoreboard. One shows Flair in a Hurricanes jersey saying, "That's another Carolina Hurricanes goal! Woooooo!" Flair is also seen in the open segments of every Carolina Panthers home game. He ends his segment with his trademark "Woooooo" in which the crowd usually imitates. Flair is also a big fan of the South Carolina Gamecocks, and has appeared in the pregame video for the Gamecocks.

Flair has appeared in several motion pictures including: The Wrestler (1974) and Sting: Moment of Truth (2004).

Flair became a grandfather in 2004 when his eldest daughter, Megan Fliehr-Ketzner, gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Morgan Lee Ketzner on May 9.

On May 27, 2006, Ric married his third wife, fitness competitor Tiffany VanDemark.

In September 2007, Flair opened a financial business called Ric Flair Finance.

Flair's son, Reid Fliehr, has signed a developmental contract with WWE.

Political views

Ric Flair has declared his support for the Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

He said of Huckabee, "[Huckabee] is a quality person, self-made, a great family man and he has a great vision for our country. And I'm here to excite the crowd."

Also, in one WWE Magazine issue, Ric Flair said that he may run for Governor of North Carolina. (Credit: Wikipedia).

Website

World Wrestling Entertainment

Profiles

WWE

News

Ric Flair is set to wrestles Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 2008

Ric Flair in legends Match at WrestleMania 2009

Ric Flair inks Lottery deal in Carolina's - May 2009

Flair rumoured to return to WWE for more matches - May 2009