I confess to no longer watching
wrestling, having long ago lost interest in the current product,
both WWE and TNA. But Ric Flair continues to be the common thread
that links us from today back to 1974, when Flair first made a big
splash in the wrestling business right in front of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling fans. He took the
wrestling world by storm, and hasn't let it go yet.
I suspect many of you don't watch the
current product either. But I think we all still have an interest in
the Champ. So occasionally Jim De Medeiros will update
us on what's happening with our hometown boy, the "Nature Boy" Ric
Flair.
-D. Bourne
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While many people spent New Year’s Eve
reflecting on the year that was, wrestling fans spent the day
reflecting on the greatest career in the history of the industry.
It was on New Year’s Eve that WWE
Monday Night Raw aired what was unquestionably Ric Flair’s finest
performance in 2007. It was Ric Flair versus Triple H. The stakes
were high. As per usual, Flair’s career was on the line in the
contest. However, to ensure that Triple H did not allow his mentor
to defeat him, Triple H’s entry into the Royal Rumble was also
hanging in the balance.
The WWE set the scene for an all-out
leave-it-in-the-ring showdown. It was to have been another big night
in sports entertainment. What they didn’t account for was the one
intangible that has always made superior exhibitions of wrestling,
and, indeed, all Ric Flair performances, special. What WWE didn’t
account for was the one thing they couldn’t script – the pure,
unbridled, raw human emotion that would captivate the audience and
the performers.
It is well known that Ric Flair and
Triple H are close behind the scenes. Prior to their New Year’s Eve
match, they had one of the finest backstage segments since their
classic contest in 2003. Their respect for each other and their
desire to prove to everyone involved that each of them were still
the leaders of the industry was never more apparent.
Flair conceded that, at 58, his time maybe nearing its end. But, as
he’s said since his November return, the time to retire hasn’t come
yet. “I’ve gotta be Ric Flair. I’m not going down with my head
between my legs. You may be the best in the business today, but you
ain’t the man yet until you put me away.”
Triple H responded by telling his
mentor, “I have strived every day of my career to be the man that
you were and still are.”
A visibly appreciative Flair corrected
his adversary, “I’m not the man I was, but for one night, … I will
rise to the occasion. I have to. Just like you have to bring it.”
© WWE.com
With the passionate backstage segment
behind them, Greensboro, North Carolina was about to witness its
last classic Ric Flair wrestling match. Both men were well received
by the Greensboro Coliseum audience – an arena forever associated
with Ric Flair due to the countless mat classics he wrestled in it
over the last 35 years. For those memories that he provided them –
and for the performer he still is – Flair was the recipient of the
night’s only standing ovation. Fans expected to see something
special, and they were not disappointed.
Flair took the early advantage in the
contest, much to the delight of the partisan crowd affectionately
and forever known as “Ric Flair Country.” With the same confidence
that he showed during his early Mid Atlantic territory days in the
1970s, Flair strutted his stuff against his much younger opponent.
He peppered Triple H with his trademark reverse knife-edge chops. It
wasn’t until Triple H retaliated with an unexpected elbow that the
“Nature Boy’s” offense was briefly stopped. The two men then traded
the advantage over the course of the next five minutes. Flair
countered Triple H’s Pedigree with a backslide for a near fall. An
impressive double-arm butterfly suplex then returned the advantage
decidedly in Flair’s favor. Soon, Flair locked in his legendary
Figure Four Leglock. After a couple of frantic efforts, Triple H
finally reached the ropes and the referee forced the break. The fans
fiercely booed. Triple H immediately nailed Ric Flair with a
Pedigree, but because of the knee pain from the Figure Four Leglock
mere seconds before, he was unable to attempt a cover. When an
interfering William Regal unexpectedly hit Flair with brass
knuckles, the referee disqualified a bewildered Triple H.
© WWE.com
With the victory, Ric Flair’s
celebrated career was extended. Days later, highlights were shown on
the WWE Smackdown program. When they returned to live action, an
already irate Montel Vontavious Porter vowed that in his next
contest, Ric Flair would not be so lucky. With the New Year now well
underway, Flair and his fans do not have long to savor the moment of
the exceptional battle with Triple H. Even though everything else in
professional wrestling may have drastically changed, on that
incredible night in Greensboro, North Carolina, it was as if time
stood still. At 58 years-old, Ric Flair entertained a worldwide
audience in another main event classic, resoundingly giving them the
crystal clear message that his career was far from over.
James De Medeiros
January 9, 2008
Photo: © WWE.com
Previous updates:
Ric
Flair's Last Run Derailed?
Flair
Promises to "Go Out in a Blaze of Glory"
Ric Flair: The Final Countdown
Links to Jim De Medeiros Flair updates
can always be found in the Smoke
Filled Rooms section of the website.
© 2008 Mid-Atlantic Gateway
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