Dear HTM: Could you please explain what is so great about Ric Flair
Posted by: Honky Tonk Man on 01/15/2004

Dear HTM,

Since you are a wrestler, you seem to be a natural choice for me to direct this question to. I have been watching wrestling since I was born, and have seen many great skilled and entertaining athletes. I predominately grew up watching the WWF but I occasionally watched the NWA (and later the WCW). During this time period the Apter mags and later on several internet sources have been screaming how great Flair is and how great a technical wrestler he is.

I have seen older Ric Flair matches and was not impressed at all, so I figured I would buy his new three disc DVD to see if I perhaps was missing something. Sadly, I am now out $25 dollars, and my opinion has stayed the same. He is far from a great wrestler. How is he a technical wizard? Through most of his matches he is constantly chopping his opponents, as opposed to punching them. Does this qualify as great technical wrestling? I have seen my baby cousin fall down and take harder bumps than him, and she found no reason to do a blade job.

His talked about cage match with Harley Race from Starcade is on the DVD, and I was disappointed with that as well. Many internet sites scream about how great the finish of the match was, when Ric Flair did a flying body press on Harley Race. It looked like he screwed it up since he did not land directly on Race and it looked like he just kind of knocked him over. Vince McMahon would fire or have long talk with one of his wrestlers if a finish like that was botched. His best move on the DVD is when he hip tossed Rick Steamboat in one of their matches, but is was not good because Ric executed it right, rather because Rick Steamboat sold it like he had been shot.

I know I am not the only person who feels that Ric Flair is overrated. Bret Hart even said after he beat Flair for his first WWF world title, that he was disappointed with Flair. This is likely because he has had much better matches with true technical wrestlers before this like Shawn Michaels, Mike Rotundo, and Rick Martell. I know I am slamming his legacy with this email, but I will leave you with this question for you to ponder: Since the NWA was nowhere near as popular as the WWF in the 1980's, how many wrestling fans think Ric Flair is a great wrestler because they have witnessed his matches, compared to those that think Ric Flair is a great wrestler because some internet Smark site said he was a great wrestler.

Moonbaby

Thank you for those fine comments and wise insight. I could not have said it any better than you have just written. Flair has always been able to get the wrestling mags, bookers, and promoters to think he was something special in and out of the ring. All his matches are the same from the walk down the aisle until he leaves the ring.

Flair could not carry Harley Race's jock strap nor could he come close to working like the Funks, Jack Brisco, or Nick Bockwinkle. Flair had a free ride from the Crocketts' bookers. Ole Anderson, George Scott, and even the over inflated ego Dusty Rhodes were some of the people who pushed Flair when there was much better talent on hand. Why WWE keeps him around is beyond me. He is dog shit as far as I am concerned.

Whooooo where are we partying tonight Arn?

Till we meet again,
Adios

The information in this article is exclusive property of the Honky Tonk Man Website and cannot be used elsewhere without proper link credit.