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Flair to Battle The World Champion in a Chicago Cage Match Showdown on Smackdown by James De Medeiros |
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Ric Flair will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame late this month during Wrestlemania weekend. 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 much either. But I think we all still have a common interest in The Champ. So occasionally James De Medeiros will update us on what's happening with our hometown boy, the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. And yes, I now confess to be recording the WWE shows again on my DVR - just to follow what appears to be these final few weeks of Flair's in-ring career. -D. Bourne
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Ric Flair has always been synonymous with the world heavyweight championship. During his illustrious career, the legendary “Nature Boy” has captured the world championship a recognized, record-setting 16 times. In fact, he has won the world title so many times, that he remains one of the very few wrestlers to have a disputed world title count, after “unofficial” title victories in such places as Japan, Singapore, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Because of his long and storied career, many –including Steve Austin, the creator of the current Flair storyline– have felt that the proper send-off would include a world title run. Currently, plans are in place for Flair to wrestle World Champion, Edge, along with his two cohorts, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins.
The match will take place at the March
11, 2008, WWE Smackdown television tapings in Chicago, Illinois. Of
course, fans of the “Nature Boy” know that the city of Chicago has
often produced memorable moments in the career of
Flair would battle many other great legends in Chicago during his illustrious 36-year career including Arn Anderson, Sting, Terry Funk, Hulk Hogan, and Dusty Rhodes. On March 11, 2008, he wrestles perhaps the last non-career threatening match of his career, and likely the last match of his career in the city of Chicago. As of yet, there is no definitive word on whether this might be a championship match. Even if it is, a 3 on 1 handicap match would seem to be insurmountable odds. Edge enters the match with a WrestleMania match against the Undertaker on the horizon. Both the Undertaker and Edge are known for their WrestleMania streaks, and the world title may not be a necessary tool to further spice up this contest. Meanwhile, Flair prepares to wrestle Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania, and the world title would only further enhance the retirement storyline and this potential career-ending match. As is always the case in wrestling, anything can happen. Certainly the career of Ric Flair is proof of that age-old wrestling adage.
James De Medeiros Published 3/06/08 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 Flair Proves He's Still Wrestling's MVP Hobbling to Heartbreak at Wrestlemania?
Links to Jim De Medeiros Flair updates can always be found in the Smoke Filled Rooms section of the website.
© 2008 Mid-Atlantic Gateway |
Ric
Flair. In Chicago, Illinois, on December 29, 1972, Flair wrestled in
his first Battle Royal. As a member of Verne Gagne’s AWA, Flair
would wrestle many times in Chicago during 1973 and 1974. After
winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Flair would return
to Chicago. As the NWA World Champion, he headlined the AWA
SuperClash, September 28, 1985 show, wrestling Magnum T.A. in one of
their many classic encounters. In late1986, Flair would bring the
Four Horsemen to the city and would be a major part of the Crockett
northward expansion. On November 26, 1987, he would capture his
fifth world championship in a grueling match against Ronnie Garvin.
While Garvin was the babyface, Flair was clearly the fan favorite
with the Chicago crowd who seemed thrilled with his championship
victory at Starrcade 1987. On February 20, 1989, the title reign
would end at the Chi-Town Rumble event with a loss to Ricky
Steamboat, thereby re-igniting perhaps the most memorable feud of
Flair’s career. On April 17, 1994, the two would renew their rivalry
with a classic draw again in Chicago, at the WCW Spring Stampede
Pay-per-view.