Talk:Ric Flair

"Struck by lightning"?
At least twice Ric Flair has told a story where he was at an airport (on the runway) when it was raining, he had an umbrella with a metal spike on top, lightning hit it but bounced off and killed the man next to him. Google confirms that he has told the story, but I can't find proof that it is true. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.99.210.174 (talk) 22:23, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

Video Game Personality?
Ric Flair is involved in the expansion for the popular 'Red Alert 3' videogame, playing a character in the cutscenes; is this worth noting?Wired News 15:47, 3 February 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.68.84.174 (talk)

Backstage Politics
Shouldn't something be added about Flair's backstage politics? Eg. his unwillingness to put anyone over, to pass the torch, his refusal to work with certain wrestlers? This article reads like a Flair fanzine. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.245.168.205 (talk) 09:36, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Beat up by daughter's 22 year old boyfriend
This is hilarious. The "mighty" Ric got his butt kicked by his daughter's little boyfriend. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,419901,00.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.99.238.21 (talk) 21:07, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah, a 60 year old wrestler getting beaten up by a 22 year old in a car park brawl. How hilarious(!) Tony2Times (talk) 20:44, 26 April 2009 (UTC)

"Other signatures"
Who else thinks the ridiculous "other signatures" list should be turned into prose and merged into the "Legacy" section? Nikki 311  23:24, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Definitely. Gavyn Sykes (talk) 14:24, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes. It's too long and it shouldn't be under in wrestling. RandySavageFTW (talk) 17:54, 20 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Oh, God, yes. I've never seen that before... Don't know how I missed it. That's ridiculous. ♥ Nici ♥ Vampire ♥ Heart ♥ 19:23, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

Anyone gonna do it? RandySavageFTW (talk) 14:18, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Power plays
What about a section on Flair's power plays, creative control etc?! This prick has fucked up the careers of many many men. Fuck him! —Preceding unsigned comment added by User: (talk • contribs)

Please calm down!! Please be civil!!!. WIkipedia is not a forum!!! Thanks a lot, ''' Genius101 T. C. 20:56, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

NWA
Shouldnt his induction into the NWA HOF be added into the opener?LifeStroke420 (talk) 16:41, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Was he actually inducted into the NWAHOF? I realise I currently have no source, but remember hearing that when he stated he was contractually unable to appear, the NWA did not induct after all. Anyone with a source one way or the other? 41.245.168.88 (talk) 14:49, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

The NWA World Title switches in New Zealand & Singapore in 1984
All of Flair's reigns are listed under the member promotion he won the title in, except one. First, under Mid Atlantic/Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW someone put 6 times, it's actually 7: 1.Beat Harley Race at Starrcade 83 2.Beat Dusty Rhodes in 1986 3.Beat Ron Garvin in 1987 4.Beat Rick Steamboat in 1989 5.Beat Sting in 1991 6.Beat Tatsumi Fujinami in 1991. The match where Fujinami won was in New Japan. WCW consider Flair to still be WCW Champ via DQ. The NWA considered it a title change, so Fujinami was the new NWA World Champ, even if WWE doesn't recognize the switch. The rematch at SuperBrawl I was a WCW event 7.Beat Barry Windham in 1993.

The other 3, the first was beating Dusty Rhodes in 1981. Was this a St. Louis or Central States show? The 1986 match against Dusty, was this a JCP or Central States show? It definitely was one of Bob Geigel's rings, but Crockett was running the area by then. To keep it simple I'll just list the 1986 win as being a JCP show. There was the match where Flair beat Kerry Von Erich on an All Japan show. This leaves the switches a few months before. Here's the story: Steve Rickard was the NWA member in New Zealand. His promotion was called All Star Pro Wrestling and he was an NWA member from 1972-2001. All the people that screamed that the NWA became WCW, there wouldn't be an NWA today if not for Steve Rickard. He was the one that had got together with WCW to bring about the NWA tournaments in 1992. Anyway, Flair & Race had a match in Wellington, New Zealand. The NWA didn't okay a title change, but Rickard did a switch anyways. Funny thing no one knew, Houston promoter Paul Boesch just happened to be in attendance. While Boesch is mistakingly called an NWA member (he left the NWA in the early 70's) he did remain in good terms with the Board. When he saw what happened, he tried to get in touch with the Board in the US. Problem is it took two days to get through to the US. By this point, Steve Rickard's brother Tony (who was the NWA member in Singapore) hosted another Flair-Race match in Kallang, Singapore two days after the switch in Wellington. By the time the NWA Board was told about what happened, the belt was back on Flair. They just ignored it until the early 90's. When Howard Brody was NWA President he was quoted as saying that the switch did take place, so why not recognize it. It's funny that Race calls himself an 8 time NWA World Champion and WWE sometimes call him a 7 time champ, sometimes they call him an 8 time champ, yet they refuse to acknowledge this switch in Flair's reigns  class="autosigned">—Preceding MrNWA4Life 08:17 17 March 2009

Whenever the NWA switched the World Title, the board would have to vote on it. If the board voted "no" then no switch took place. When the NWA was touring Oceania/Asia the local promoters put the situation to the board, who voted overwhelming AGAINST switching the belt. However, the NZ promoter basically went into business for himself, and had Race win. The NWA's immediate response was to annul/overturn the decision. Instead the local promoters ahd Flair win back the belt, and return to the US as champion. The NWA's decision was simply to ignore two unsanctioned title changes that the vast majority of wrestling fans had no idea had ever even happened. However the NWA of the post-WCW era(a completely different beast) decided to recognize these changes. Largely because one of the main movers and shakers of the post-1993 NWA was the same guy who had gone into business for himself back in 1984! To say that "They happened. Everyone knows they happened, so why not recognize them?" is ridiculous. What about the Flair-Colon switches? The Flair-Veneno switches? In the days when wrestling was territorial there were NUMEROUS "title changes" that were just for the local crowd. However the NWA NEVER recognized these, as they were invariably done against the express wishes of the NWA board who voted for all title changes etc. Since wrestling is a work, and is booked and written, what the bookers/writers/promoters say is what matters. If some people care so little about their employers and the business that they are in as to blatantly disregard the booking orders and plans, that is thier problem. The NWA NEVER sanctioned those changes, the board voted OVERWHELMINGLY AGAINST those changes, and the NZ/Singapore promoters (2 brothers)had NO RIGHT to make them.So the NWA did the distinguished thing and just ignored them, as technically they never existed, as they were never truly NWA sanctioned matches as such.41.245.185.66 (talk) 09:14, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

Likewise, the Fujinami switch was never acknowledged AT THE TIME by the NWA. Only after the NWA-WCW split did the NWA then go "Oh yeah Fujinami DID win the NWA World Title back in 1991!" You recognize this, yet the whole Hulk Hogan/AWA thing is ridiculous? why? What's the difference? 41.245.185.66 (talk) 09:18, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

The bottom line is this, the NWA since the early 90's has recognized the Flair-Race switch in 1984. Just because you don't or WWE don't, doesn't matter. The organization that owns the title recognizes it. Yes, that very same NWA Board that didn't recognized the change in 1984, recognized it in the early 90's. To say the matches "tecnically never existed" and "were never truly NWA sanctioned matches" is bogus. The matches did happen. And the promoters on record WERE NWA members, therefore they were sanctioned matches. Now I don't know the details of the Flair-Colon match, but Colon isn't a recognized champion. As for the Jack Venano match, yes Flair was pinned due to the fact that he & Venano got to close to the Presdient of the Dominican Republic, the President's bodyguards pulled out guns, Flair freaked out and pulled Venano on top of him to get a pinfall and get out alive. There was no rematch where Flair got the belt back and Flair did leave the Dominican Republic with the belt. So there was no change.

As for the Flair-Fujinami switches, the NWA recognized the switches from Day One. I've read articles as far back as 1991 that stated that there were issues between the NWA & WCW. The NWA always recognized the switches whereas WCW considered Flair to still be WCW Champ. The rematch at the first Superbrawl had Flair retain the WCW Title and regain the NWA World Title. Of course WCW didn't recognize anything, they were trying to make people think they were the NWA and changed their name to WCW. Hell, the same WCW had Flair vacate the WCW Title after a double pinfall after a match with Rick Steamboat. Flair regained the title in a rematch for the vacant title, then 2 weeks later WCW forgot it ever happened! Regardless of what you may think, the NWA recognizes Flair as a 10 time NWA World Champion. Oh, BTW, the current Executive Director of the NWA, Robert Trobich, has served as the NWA's legal council since 1989. Again, so much for the current NWA having no link to the past!

As for the Hogan/AWA World Title, it is ridiculous. Verne Gagne never recognized Hogan as his champ. This all came about because a con artist of a promoter named Dale Gagner claimed to buy the AWA trademarks in bankruptcy court and then decides to add Hogan's name in the AWA World Title history. The claims of buying the AWA in bankruptcy court turned out to be bogus as Gagne still owned then and sold everything (AWA trademarks & video library) to Vince McMahon. WWE took Gagner to court over the AWA and Gagner didn't even show up. If this guy wanted to start his own new AWA, that's one thing, but this con artist claimed his promotion is the same as Verne's (already proven false) and linked his titles to Verne's. It's comparing apples & oranges. People can moan about the NWA of the 90's or today not being the same NWA as the 80's. Newsflash, many of the longtime members were members well into the 90's. Jim Crockett Jr. was a member until 1995, Don Owen was a member from the early 50's until 1992, Steve Rickard was a member from 1972-2001, and Larry O'Day, the Australian promoter was a member from the 70's until he died in 1997. MrNWA4Life 09:35, 25 July 2009 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.123.53.88 (talk)

Nobody claimed the MATCHES were unsanctioned matches. The truth is that the TITLE CHANGES were unsanctioned. We need to break kayfabe here, and realize that pro wrestling is a business just like any business. Say you turn up at work and your boss says "Do not make a deal with company x". Well you go ahead and make the deal. Your boss is enraged, demotes you, and manages to break off the deal before all relevant contracts are signed. Now would you really smugly boast to your new lower-level co-workers that "everyone knows I made that deal!"? Of course not. If we're being pedantic there have been literally thousands of title changes all over the world by thousands of promotions all done "just for the local fans" that have never been(and never were meant to have been) recognized. I've seen a few myself in person, and fully understood and accepted why something I paid money to see from a few rows back was never officially acknowledged. What makes Flair-Race '84 different? Oh, because the NWA from about 1994/1995 onwards decided that that one particular "just for the local crowds" change would now suddenly be recognized. If the NWA in 1984 decided NOT to recognize a local promoter going into business himself against the majority wishes of the Alliance, then they should stick with it. Maybe Trobich will start recognizing every touring title change. Maybe he'll decide to retroactively strip the previous champion of a title after the new champion has already been crowned. Oh wait, he's already done that!

As far as the AWA, well Vincent Kennedy Mcmahon, upon the purchase of the AWA, including all rights, control issues, lineages, video libraries etc etc etc announced that HE was recognizing Hogan as a 2-time AWA World Champion. And as you stated the AWA went directly from Gagne to Mcmahon. Nobody cares about that huckster Gagner. Vincent K Mcmahon the sole owner of the AWA recognizes Hogan. Thus, by your logic, since the matches did happen, Hogan's hand was raised, he was handed the belt, and the current owner(in an unbroken ownership lineage) recognizes them. Thus Hogan is a 2-time AWA World Champion.

As far as Fujinami is concerned, that's utter tosh. At the time Flair won by the dreaded Dusty Finish. However, some naive people thought that Fujinami had won. The rematch saw Flair (the only Champion) defeat Fujinami to RETAIN the World Title. So Flair was 2-0 against Fujinami(ignoring any other matches the 2 men may have had). The whole "NWA/WCW split" is more bs NWA revisionism. Fujinami, like Race, was only ever recognized as having been NWA Champion long after the event. In fact the Fujinami-Flair situation is far closer to Hogan-Bockwinkel than Race-Flair is. But you choose to recognize both Flair-Fujinami and Flair-Race as "official" just because the current NWA says it is so. Yet when WWE says Hogan is a 2-time AWA Champion it's crap. Gagner doesn't even figure into it. If we accept Flair as a 10-time NWA Champion, then we must be consistent. And since WWE(who own WCW) NOW only recognize Flair as a 6-time WCW Champion, then that must be true too. Either it's the truth AT THE TIME IT HAPPENED or the truth AS THE CURRENT OWNERS SEE IT NOW. Yet you want it both ways with Flair? 41.245.157.255 (talk) 13:49, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

WAAAA! You clearly don't know squat. Flair was pinned in the first match with Fujinami. The NWA did recognize him as their champion even then, and there were problems with WCW as a result. The rematch saw Flair (only the WCW Champ) regain the NWA World Title. The switches with Race, yes, were recognized in the early 90's. But it's funny that WWE recognizes Race as an 8 time NWA World Champion. As for WWE claiming Hogan is a 2 time AWA Champ, I've never heard of it. The only person I've ever heard make the claim was Dale Gagner. If you don't want to accept Flair as a 10 time NWA World Champion, whatever, the NWA recognizes him as holding their title 10 times. As for WWE only recognizing Flair as a 6 time WCW Champ, they can't count. As NWA World Champ in 1991, WCW created their own world title and declared Flair was their champ (WWE ignores this). And in 1994, there was a match with Rick Steamboat that ended with a double pinfall. Flair vacated the title and gave the belt to Nick Bockwinkel. Flair won the rematch. Prior to the match, WCW called Flair "an 11 time champion" and after the match started calling him "a 12 time champion", then forgot the whole thing weeks later. In my book, when a title is vacated or held up, the reign is ended and when it is won in a rematch, a new reign begins. Since you (as well as WWE) can't count, here's some links that'll help: http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nwa/world/nwa-h.html How many times is Flair listed here? 10 times http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html How many times is Flair listed here? 8 times http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-in-h.html How many times is Flair listed here? 2 times http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-h.html How many times is Flair listed here? 2 times Gee, I was never good at math but by my count that looks like 22 times. Why is it some people just can't count? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.8.129.236 (talk) 08:08, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

Firstly, nobody ever regarded the "WCW International World Heavyweight Championship" as a World Title per se. Counting that as a World Title reopens all the wormy cans about "Is the ROH Title a World Title?", "Is the current ECW Title a World Title?" etc. PWI, the standard when it comes to these things don't consider it to have been a World Title (and they didn't AT THE TIME either), men like Sting don't count their WCWIWHC reigns as having been "World" etc. Oh yeah, one more thing, the first guy actually recognized as being WCWIWHC was Rick Rude. Flair's first reign was once again, retroactive.

Now, as far as the NWA goes, yes Flair was pinned by Fujinami in the first match. The same way he was pinned by Dusty Rhodes at Starrcade 1985. See the entry on Dusty Finish for more. WCW immediately played that card, and the official announcement was "Flair wins by DQ". You have all these facts and yet you are unfamiliar with the Dusty Finish? Weird. Now once again, the NWA only ever recognized that Fujinami had won the NWA Title from Flair (long) after the second match had already taken place. Nobody disputes that the current version of the NWA recognizes these supposed 2 Flair-Fujinami title switches as having been legitimate, but that is at odds with what the NWA in early 1991 recognized. Harley Race on the other hand did actually beat Flair in the first 1984 match(unlike Fujinami in 1991), but this was the promoter going into business for himself, and blatantly disregarding the Board's vote and laws. THAT'S why that reign was never recognized AT THE TIME, and it was only recognized a decade later, when that same self-aggrandizing booker got a new higher position of power in the post-WCW NWA. So, again, nobody disputes that the present NWA recognizes Flair as a 10-time NWA Champion, but we need to make a point that 2 of those were not recognized by the NWA at the time they occurred (or didn't occur in the case of Fujinami), and that only years after the event became "official".

Wrestling-titles.com is not a reliable source. It's strewn with factual errors and blatant biases.

Do you have any sources/proof re: the "11-time" and "12-time" comments in 1994? Anyway, if that were true, it proves my point not yours. Regardless of the actual facts, WWE (who own all rights, names, and LINEAGES of WCW) call Flair a 6-time WCW Champion. That is wrong. But it's no different than the current NWA gaggle calling Flair a 10-time NWA Champion, which is also bogus. Either BOTH Flair's NWA and WCW reigns need to be reflective of actual historical truth, or BOTH need to reflect the current revisionism. 41.245.169.27 (talk) 09:35, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

As for your arithmetic. Here's 11(or 12)

01)Flair over Rhodes(81)

02)Flair over Race(83)

03)Flair over Von Erich(84)

04)Flair over Rhodes(86)

05)Flair over Garvin(87)

06)Flair over Steamboat(89)

07)Flair over Sting(91)

08)Flair wins Royal Rumble(92)

09)Flair over Savage(92)

10)Flair over Windham(93)

11)Flair over Vader(93)

12)Flair over Steamboat(94)***may be bs

Note that when Flair beat Vader at Starrcade 1993, he called HIMSELF and 11-time World Champion, and even made the comment "Eleven is heaven! Whoooooo!" I remember some guy writing in to a mag and disputing that, saying that he was a ten-time World Champion, and his victory over Windham shouldn't count, as the NWA Title was being treated as secondary Title in WCW at the time, clearly below the WCW Title. Also in January 1993 PWI ran a huge article about whether or not Flair would win his TENTH World Title(meaning he was a NINE-TIME World Champion) as of January 1 1993. If we add in your bogus titles (Race in 84, Fujinami in 1991, WCW Int in 1993) that makes...waat you say that Flair won THREE World Titles in 1991 (2 NWA+ 1 WCW) Doesn't make any sense, but what the hey, so that's four more, meaning that WCW would have said that he was a FIFTEEN time World Champion before April 1994. and a SIXTEEN time after the Steamboat rematch. Yet they said "eleven-time" and "twelve-time". I wonder why that is? 41.245.169.27 (talk) 09:46, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

For what it's worth, in a recent crazy old man promo, Flair referred to himself as a 21 time World Champion! Paulkearvell (talk) 09:01, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Ring of Honor
This does not need its own section IMO. It's pretty clear (based on the official statements) that he's not gonna be wrestling, it's nothing more than a deal for him to show up and sign autographs for fans. There is nothing about him wrestling or any other involvement. A 1 or 2 sentence mention in the retirement section is enough.  TJ   Spyke   23:34, 22 February 2009 (UTC)


 * The problem is he is involved in the tv show and seems to be a main figure here and there. He is set to appear at the next tapings in May.-- Will C  04:53, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
 * How come it isn't mentioned at all anymore? Are we waiting to see what else he goes on to do? If Matt Hardy's one time appearance gets a mention then Flair's multiple appearances should as well. Tony2Times (talk) 20:44, 26 April 2009 (UTC)

Legacy
Don't get me wrong, I'm not ripping on Flair or anything, but shouldn't some of his behind the scene politicing of his career also be in here? To me, this page seems to glorify Flair. Flair did put a lot of people down with his booking influence in order to keep himself and his friends at the top. I would do this myself, but there are some better authors that me around here. Like I said, I'm not trying to rip the guy, but I think the controversies he created should also be noted on this page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.144.179.34

That's just your opinion which I don't agree with, if every article on here had every possible claimed "controversy" about someone it would just be a glorified gossip magazine.

(talk) 04:36, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
 * It's sort of covered in the Real Life Feuds section though maybe that should be retitled to make it clearer. Tony2Times (talk) 20:44, 26 April 2009 (UTC)

Why is he called Nature Boy?
The article doesn't say why he chose that name --AW (talk) 03:11, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
 * "Flair, however, reached elite status when he began referring to himself as "The Nature Boy," which incited a 1978 feud with the original "Nature Boy," Buddy Rogers, who put Flair over in one encounter." Tony2Times (talk) 18:27, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, but why did he choose "Nature Boy"? Why not something else? --AW (talk) 15:14, 8 June 2009 (UTC)
 * To spark a feud with Buddy Rogers, and then the name stuck. Like Cena's FU name was meant to mock Brock Lesnar's F5. Tony2Times (talk) 23:22, 8 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Actually, Flair was billed as the Nature Boy in JCP, as early as 1975. See Mid Atlantic Wrestling Gateway website for historical newspaper clippings and ads as evidence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.76.220.34 (talk) 19:48, 3 November 2010 (UTC)

I don't have a source other than memory, but I can tell you beyond doubt that he was known as "Pretty Boy" Ric Flair at least as late as 1978. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.133.88.142 (talk) 16:18, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

Early life
"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. 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. At the time of his adoption, his father was completing a residency in gynecology in Detroit."

The above is (badly!) written as to assume the reader has prior knowledge of Flair being adopted. Since this came as news to me as a 43 year-old wrestling fan it is reasonable to assume the general public being equally ignorant in this respect. (Kmitch87 (talk) 09:25, 8 June 2009 (UTC))

Some as high as 25?
Could someone explain this? WWE's official policy is "16". Even if we take the NWA's claim of 10NWA titles(which is revisionism), the 2 WWE titles and the nonsensical idea that it's 8 WCW Tiles, that still "only" comes to 20. Where do the other 5 come from? 41.245.130.141 (talk) 15:35, 12 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Agree that a better number is 20, not 25. However, the "8 WCW titles" idea is not nonsensical. It's the number you get by independently evaluating each match by the same standards as other WCW title changes. For example, in other WCW cases, when the belt is "held up" and then won back, it counts as a title change. You could certainly make a case for 22. There are the 20 you mention, plus the Jack Veneno title swap in Trinidad (which is not included in the NWA 10), plus the WCW International (if this is counted as a World Title) victory over Sting. The (high-end) totals would then be 11 NWA, 9 WCW, and 2 WWF, for a total of 22. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.76.220.34 (talk) 19:55, 3 November 2010 (UTC)

Height and weight
Weight: 330lbs ??????? Noway he was max 260lbs when he was a very young Wrestler, 230-245lbs the most of his career

Height: he´s about 5´10", maybe he lost height but his current height is not over 5´10". Vince McMahon described him as 5´10" in the late eighties —Preceding unsigned comment added by The Specialist66 (talk • contribs) 11:47, 23 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Until Flair showed up in WWF McMahon would never have even said the word "Flair" in any public context, let alone guessed his height. Height and weight are taken from sources, you disagree then find a source. Darrenhusted (talk) 13:16, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Note 4
4He won the title for the third time in Kallang, Singapore. Records are unclear as to which promotion hosted the event.

What is this referring to, in the Titles section? 75.45.194.234 (talk) 13:06, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Real-life Feud?
What about when Scott Steiner cut a shoot promo on Flair in February 2000, mentioning how Flair held people back, forced Austin, Foley, HHH etc to jump to RAW in order to get fair treatment etc, and had never drew a dime? Steiner was suspended, and Russo the King of the Worked Shoot made it into a storyline a couple of months later.

Then more recently Steiner did a shoot interview where he talked about the same stuff...Flair getting booked on top by his friends but never drawing flies, his holding people down, and his being a total mark for himself. This should be added.

Oh, yeah and Flair took cheap shots at Kevin Nash also. Nash simply replied that Flair "never won shit" as it's all scripted, and if Flair wants to see who's better he'll be happy to do an MMA-style match.

Silly phrasing
"...although his actual tally of World Championship reigns varies by source". Surely his actual tally can only be one number, and some of those sources are thus quite simply bs?
 * WCW recognised the WCWI as a world title, then it didn't. WCW recognised the NWA international changes, then it didn't, PWI recognise 20 world titles, then it didn't. WWF didn't acknowledge NWA titles (at one point Flair was only recognised in the WWF as a 2-timw world champion), then in WWE it recognised WCW, NWA and WWF titles but not WCWI or international changes. Due to kayfabe the actually amount varies by year and by organisation, such is the problem with professional wrestling. Darrenhusted (talk) 09:45, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Vandalism - dates/years?
I corrected the first one, but there appears to be a great deal of years that have been changed to be 17XX or 18XX instead of 19XX or whatever is correct. Someone may need to go back and verify all the years as I am not 100% sure what they should be if it is more than just fixing the first two digits. Doconeill (talk) 01:31, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

Plane Crash
How come the crash that nearly ended Flair's career isn't mentioned? TyVulpine (talk) 21:39, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Never mind, didn't see it at first. TyVulpine (talk) 22:07, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Sr.?
Can someone explain the Sr.title on his name?I don't understand.(MgTurtle (talk) 14:43, 3 May 2010 (UTC)).

Match with Inoki in North Korea
Someone ought to write a section regarding this huge (politically and draw-wise) match. 24.42.93.217 (talk) 00:28, 15 May 2011 (UTC)

Picture change?
There was nothing wrong with the previous one, it was actually much clearer and better than the current. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.13.205.39 (talk) 18:49, 6 June 2011 (UTC)
 * Clearer? Better?? I don't think so. The current picture is actually perfect. In my opinion. --79.224.127.202 (talk) 16:03, 9 June 2011 (UTC)
 * I agree with the OP. The picture change wasn't necessary.  If a photochange was completely necessary then there are plenty of better ones to chose from.  This new one isn't very clear and it is frankly gross in my opinion. LordMaldad2000 (talk) 18:57, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Lots of Legal material
If anyone wants to take the time to go through it all, there's an enormous writeup on all of Flair's legal troubles here: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6891795/the-wrestler-real-life. Jstohler (talk) 21:49, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Signing with the WWF n 1991?
So one paragraph states he "was still recognized as NWA World Champion until September 1991 when he signed with the WWF". Then straight away it says "he signed with the WWF in August 1991". Since neither is sourced, there's no way of knowing? Roodestorm (talk) 10:40, 16 December 2011 (UTC)
 * I suppose it could be made clearer but I believe he was recognised as NWA World Champion until September 1991, though he signed with the WWF in August. Tony2Times (talk) 10:46, 16 December 2011 (UTC)

Ah. Roodestorm (talk) 11:50, 16 December 2011 (UTC)
 * I recently listened to an October 1991 wrestling radio show (because I'm that cool a dude) and can confirm what I said above seems to be true. The NWA were a seperate body from WCW, although WCW represented the only NWA territory worth talking about. Hence when Flair was WCW Champion, he was also NWA Champion but when he left for the WWF he was stripped of the WCW Championship. The NWA were not an exclusive type of company so they were reluctant to strip Flair of the NWA Championship until WCW's head Jim Herd reportedly bought votes on the NWA Board to have Flair stripped of the title and have them recognise the WCW Champion. Which was kind of petty since WCW left the NWA soon after. It's a very confusing case of affairs. Tony2Times (talk) 10:17, 13 January 2012 (UTC)

Quit
Several websites are claiming he has quit TNA. I added it in on the page, but the sites are only minor websites, not major. Anybody else heard anything?--Mjs1991 (talk) 01:54, 23 May 2012 (UTC)
 * I've had to revert your recent edit as it violated Wikipedia's Biography of Living Persons policy by containing rumours relating to the individual's employment status based on unreliable sources. Currently, Flair is still listed on TNA Wrestling's website as a roster member and there have been no official statements forthcoming. Speculation from internet sites is not acceptable for inclusion on articles. ŞůṜīΣĻ ¹98¹ Speak 02:08, 23 May 2012 (UTC)
 * ProWrestling.Net is reporting that he has a lot of heat backstage, while PWTorch is reporting that he MIGHT be let go soon. I think a lot of other websites are jumping the gun as a) they want to make headlines regardless of authenticity or b) Alex Shelley's been let go and people may be assuming this is a mini cull. Tony2Times (talk) 09:05, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

JOE NAMATH INFLUENCE
In a WWE DVD, Flair claimed that he got his trademark "Woo!" from Jerry Lee Lewis however, I used to own a WCW produced VHS that celebrated Flair's career at the 20-Year point (Ric Flair: Two Decades of Excellence); in that video, he talked about the influence football legend Joe Namath had on his in-ring persona. If you look at some of the films from Namath's career, you will see that he sometimes wore his hair long and in a style similar to the one Flair would later wear; he wore mink coats, as did Flair and most telling of all, there is a shaving cream commercial that Namath did with Farrah Fawcett where they are exchanging "Woo!"s (or "Whew!"s). Flair's earlier acknowledgement of Namath's influence is a more reliable citation that the Lewis one.MARK VENTURE (talk) 04:43, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

Nicknames
There's a couple of nicknames listed I'd question. 1) "Stylin' and Profilin'" wasn't a nickname, it was a catchphrase he used to describe his lifestyle. 2) "I-Da! Ba-loot!" Huh? I don't think I've ever heard that one before, does anyone have a reference for that? I plugged it into google, and all I got was this article. I'd recommend getting rid of both.HubcapD (talk) 05:59, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Retirement - 2008 or 2012?
The article states that Flair retired in 2008, which is what WWE lead fans to believe. But Flair continued to wrestle up until 2012. Should the article be updated to include this, or is it going based off of WWE's history? 46.31.201.181 (talk) 21:44, 25 August 2015 (UTC) JF.
 * Guesswork. I say leave it blank. 82.132.213.226 (talk) 03:51, 17 February 2016 (UTC)

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Main evented wrestlemania VIII.
I mean I definitely wish he and Macho Man had main evented but as far as I know the last match was Hulk Hogan vs Sid.&#42;Treker (talk) 17:16, 2 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Dual main event:, . 5.69.239.92 (talk) 02:18, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

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Tarnished legacy
This bit was added by User:Dr J Alvarez who is blocked for being a sockpuppet. While the sources they added in the Legacy section supporting this theory are solid and belong there, this does not belong in the lede.LM2000 (talk) 00:15, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

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Latest legal issue
So, I was talking with some relatives of mine who live in Indiana and they told me that Ric Flair had been kicked out of the local bar. I googled it and read on sites like wrestlinginc.com stated that he was there for 5 minutes before being tossed for insulting a bartender. Several articles on other websites stated this wasn't the first time he's got into trouble. My question is, and I realize no one has updated this in a while, would the site I made reference to be considered a reliable source? If not, like my aunt told me before, all you'd need to do is google Ric Flair and the words Fort Wayne and it'll give you results for details of the incident. Also, after perusing the wrestlinginc site's article I noticed it does have one bad word. But, that curse word is what the website claims Ric Flair shouted at the employee. Needs2learnmore(<b style="color:#F00">talk</b>) 08:27, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * If you're going to add this, please use the source from Pro Wrestling Sheet, since Wrestling Inc. is not reliable per WP:PW/RS. Nickag 989 talk 09:04, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * So, I'm not really completely certain as to how to add that citation to the article. While it is a current event, would it be allowed by Wikipedia to add current ongoing legal issues even though a bunch of websites have made news articles about it?<b style="color:#FA0">Needs2learnmore</b>(<b style="color:#F00">talk</b>) 09:43, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Copy and paste this, without going to edit mode: Nickag 989 talk 11:57, 10 April 2017 (UTC)

So it should look something like this then? <b style="color:#FA0">Needs2learnmore</b>(<b style="color:#F00">talk</b>) 19:18, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes. Nickag 989 talk 19:19, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * I've crossed all my comments above, because even if this is sourced, it's WP:NOTNEWS. Nickag 989 talk 20:14, 12 April 2017 (UTC)

Flair v Hogan
For historical purposes, I think it should definetly be noted that the first wrestling match between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan took place on 10/25/1991 in oakland.

This should be a historical landmark event for professional wrestling,in that it was similar to Mike Tyson v Muhammad Ali; in that the 2 biggest stars in the history of wrestling finally competed against each other. The idea few people know about it or remember the event due to wrestling promoters never mentioning it on tv or practically ignoring it makes it even more noteworthy.

Also the fact that the advertised match did not meet sales expectations, which most likely lead to WWF creative team canceling the seemingly obvious idea of a Flair v Hogan title match on the biggest wrestling show of the year; Wrestlemania. This is both odd and significant from a pop culture,social, and historical stand point. This info is more critical and suitable to an encyclopedia format as it describes the real life details, rather than just fictional story lines.

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Flair and adoption ring
User WarMachineWildThing has twice reverted a triple-sourced information about Flair's adoption. He's also sent me the templates saying the edit is unreferenced (clearly not), potentially defamatory (it isn't), in violation of Wikipedia policy, and could get me blocked. The last one is partially true, as WarMachine simultaneously blocked me from responding directly on his talk page.

Ric Flair himself discusses the facts about his childhood abduction and adoption in his autobiography (this is mentioned in the following references), but as I do not have Flair's book I cannot cite it as a source with the appropriate page number.

This is the triple-ref'd but reverted edit. It also links to Georgia Tann's existing Wiki page: The adoption was arranged by the Tennessee Children's Home Society, which was run by child kidnaper and trafficker Georgia Tann ; Tann's crimes were then not known to the public, or to prospective parents like the Phillips.

Thanks. 98.116.70.234 (talk) 23:02, 4 July 2017 (UTC)98.116.70.234


 * Some of the sources you have provided are not RELIABLE, nothing in those refrences say Flairs book talks about how he was abducted as a child yet you continue to place in the article about kidnapped children. There is was no evidence provided by you that has anything to do with Flair or evidence he was kidnapped. Tanns crimes have nothing to do with Ric Flair. The article already shows he was in fact adopted. Some of the sources you provided are non reliable and/or have nothing to do with Ric Flair. There is no viable reason to link Ric Flair to Georgia Tann as there is no proof provided he was involved with what she was doing or that he was kidnapped as a child. Provide reliable sources that say Yes Flairs book says he was kidnapped or otherwise it's a BLP violation and Unsourced. <b style="color:Red">Chris "WarMachineWildThing" </b> Talk to me 23:12, 4 July 2017 (UTC)
 * It's very simple, provide a reliable source that shows Ric Flair said he was kidnapped as a child and sold. Not refrences to Tanns crimes that don't mention him. I have Flairs book, I know what it says, but without proof I can say it says anything I want, doesn't make it true. Hence there needs to be a reliable source saying yes he said it or yes it did indeed happen and you have provided none of those. Furthermore I did not block you from my talk, Admins locked my talk down due to constant Vandalism and disturbing images placed by IPs, so no I did not block you from ANYTHING. <b style="color:Red">Chris "WarMachineWildThing" </b> Talk to me 23:29, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

In the Legal Issues part, I have a question : Flair gave Highspots the belt for collateral for WHAT ? Very VERY unclear and poor writing
Is is not a personal attack to simply state a fact. That part was poorly written. It needs more information in order for it to make sense. The way it was written, it's like the writer is acting like they already introduced what they are referring to when they NEVER did. 96.233.52.166 (talk) 19:45, 13 July 2017 (UTC)
 * It should be written "as collateral for the loan", but I fixed that already.  Nickag 989 talk 20:37, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

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"Greatest" claim
This section needs a complete rewrite. The sources are just a collection of articles in which the authors refer to Flair as "widely regarded as the greatest". None explain by who he is regarded as such. This is also highly US centric as only English speaking writers are quoted.

The article needs to provide proper sources rather than quoting weasel words and needs to be qualified as the current wording suggests a degree of consensus which does not exist. Indeed the article on Hulk Hogan makes an identical claim about him.

Per WP:EXCEPTIONAL, exceptional claims require exceptional proof.

The section referring to the 1980s has similar issues and also contains a factual error - Keller refers to the best wrestler in the country, not the best American wrestler.

McPhail (talk) 01:33, 1 January 2019 (UTC)


 * WP:EXCEPTIONAL dictates that "Any exceptional claim requires multiple high-quality sources". This is fulfilled.


 * Is there a WP doctrine that demands the sources "explain by who he is regarded" as the best? It doesn't seem to be an issue at Meryl Streep, a good article. Sharonaj (talk) 02:04, 1 January 2019 (UTC)


 * There are three relevant policies:
 * Assert facts, not opinions: "When a statement is an opinion (e.g. a matter which is subject to serious dispute or commonly considered to be subjective), it should be attributed in the text to the person or group who holds the opinion. Thus we might write: "John Doe's baseball skills have been praised by baseball insiders such as Al Kaline and Joe Torre.[1]". We do not write: "John Doe is the best baseball player". The inclusion of opinions is subject to weight policy, and they should be backed up with an inline citation to a reliable source that verifies both the opinion and who holds it." The current text does not follow this convention, and the quoted sources don't assert who holds this view, they just parrot the same text.
 * Unsupported attributions: "Weasel words are words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated. A common form of weasel wording is through vague attribution, where a statement is dressed with authority, yet has no substantial basis. Phrases such as those above present the appearance of support for statements but can deny the reader the opportunity to assess the source of the viewpoint. They may disguise a biased view. Claims about what people say, think, feel, or believe, and what has been shown, demonstrated, or proved should be clearly attributed."
 * WP:BALANCE: "Neutrality assigns weight to viewpoints in proportion to their prominence. However, when reputable sources contradict one another and are relatively equal in prominence, describe both points of view and work for balance." The current text ignores any sources that refer to any other wrestler as the greatest, and the wording implies a level of consensus that does not exist. McPhail (talk) 19:13, 2 January 2019 (UTC)


 * The article absolutely does not assert that Flair "is the best". As for who holds the opinion that he's the best, it's a widely held belief per the sources (again, this is not a problem elsewhere on Wikipedia). The Hogan article does not assert that he is widely regarded as the greatest, as you claimed, but that he is "regarded by many" as such. Sharonaj (talk) 22:07, 2 January 2019 (UTC)


 * "Widely regarded as the greatest professional wrestler of all time" absolutely suggests that this is a majority view. The manual of style specifically identifies phrases such as "it is widely thought" and "it is believed/regarded" to be avoided. The cited articles are all articles specifically about Flair - that's cherry picking sources rather than taking a neutral approach. If we look at the article on Abraham Lincoln, it does not say "Abraham Lincoln is regarded as the greatest US president" - even though there are plenty of sources that would assert this - it says "Lincoln has been consistently ranked both by scholars[4] and the public[5] as among the greatest U.S. presidents". This is (a) more balanced in that it does not suggest that Lincoln is unequivocally regarded as the greatest (b) complies with policies and the manual of style in that it stipulates who holds this view (c) provides citations of people holding this view rather than citations of people saying that this view is held.


 * As a compromise, I would suggest the following wording (the sources could be consolidated into single footnotes as in the current text): Regularly ranked by both peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair..."


 * I believe this conveys essentially the same message as the existing text, but (a) allows for other wrestlers being considered "the greatest" and (b) cites the opinions of wrestlers (Austin, HHH, Shawn Michaels) and named journalists rather than using the "widely regarded" claim. McPhail (talk) 16:48, 3 January 2019 (UTC)
 * You've dug up some good sources there, but I feel "regularly" wouldn't be supported in this new version. I propose "Ranked by multiple peers and journalists...", per the given cites (SYNTH is not summary). Sharonaj (talk) 17:10, 3 January 2019 (UTC)


 * Thanks, agreed - I'll update to this tweaked wording. McPhail (talk) 13:00, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

Infobox photo as of March 2019
Awfully unflattering photo. I'd tell you what it reminds me of, but someone would cry BLP foul. The 1996 photo would serve the same purpose of a headshot without the negative impression. RadioKAOS / Talk to me, Billy / Transmissions 04:30, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
 * I would support using a picture of him during his most popular period. So anything from the 80s to early 90s would work. It would have to be of decent quality though. We don't want a low quality image in the Infobox. StaticVapor message me!   10:30, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
 * I agree, should add 80s/90s Flair photo. Dilbaggg (talk) 17:30, 1 August 2022 (UTC)

"Politics" Section References
Hey there, everybody. I was looking at the references for the Politics section and basically they're all dead. I don't have the time right now to search for appropriate references, and I'm sure it wouldn't be smiled upon for me to mark every link as dead. Out of maybe 8 citations, there's maybe two that work. One is the Rolling Stone link, the other is a list of candidates supposedly showing Ric as having run for president - but his name isn't on the list. The remaining six or so include reference to a Tweet from an account that doesn't exist anymore, but clearly doesn't seem to be Ric's. Just figured anyone watching this page would want to know, if you didn't, that the references are now practically non-existent. Hope this is helpful.2601:89:C501:C780:F942:E3BE:59CD:B86 (talk) 13:58, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

Fix modules?
Modules don’t look right, anyone who has access to edit this article should probably fix this. WikipediusWizard (talk) 19:30, 26 July 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 29 December 2022
change present to 2022. Retired. Final match occurred this year. 136.58.15.153 (talk) 23:42, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Lemonaka (talk) 07:48, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

Fred Phillips
Flair recently came out on his documentary and said his birth name was “Fred Philips”. 2601:14D:457F:1620:6D29:AB04:E3D6:4A0A (talk) 05:28, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 4 February 2023
198.52.147.38 (talk) 07:57, 4 February 2023 (UTC) His birth name is Fred Phillips
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Cannolis (talk) 08:14, 4 February 2023 (UTC)

Business Ventures as of 2023
It's mentioned in the article that his cannabis brand was launched in some states but did not include Florida. https://muvfl.com/product/rfd-flower Capriegrisham (talk) 00:52, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 11 June 2023
Change "On Octoober 30th" to "On October 30th" 67.150.85.96 (talk) 08:08, 11 June 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅ Actualcpscm (talk) 08:31, 11 June 2023 (UTC)

Sexual Assault Allegations
Why is “The Plane Ride from Hell” buried underneath “real life feuds”? It should be underneath “Legal Issues” or be it’s own section if it is indeed true. 2601:206:857F:F040:2999:952A:6E4E:F8F (talk) 12:12, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
 * He faced neither criminal nor civil action, so I am not sure if belongs under "Legal issues." The flight attendant did sue WWE though. Plane Ride from Hell was a backstage issue, and it's under the "backstage issues" section.LM2000 (talk) 12:58, 9 March 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 March 2024
add link to George Gadaski 173.162.220.17 (talk) 23:15, 19 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I have added link for you. Keith D (talk) 23:41, 19 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I have added link for you. Keith D (talk) 23:41, 19 March 2024 (UTC)