Athletes - Ric Flair

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	Athletes - Ric Flair

Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee), better known by his ring name "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler currently with WWE on its RAW brand. He has been one of the leading personalities in professional wrestling since the mid 1970s and is considered to be among the elite names in the history of the industry. His total number of world title reigns is debated, with some arguing that he has had as many as twenty five world title reigns, while others only recognize sixteen.

Professional wrestling

NWA/WCW

After three years with the AWA, Flair joined the NWA affiliated Jim Crockett Promotions based in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. On the rise, he suffered a severe back injury in a October 4 1975 plane crash in Wilmington, North Carolina. Doctors told Flair that he would never wrestle again, but Flair proved them wrong by returning to active wrestling the next year.

Ric Flair won the United States Heavyweight Championship 4 times, then won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time by defeating Dusty Rhodes on September 17 1981. Harley Race won the title from Flair in 1983. Flair regained the title at StarrCade 1983 in Greensboro, North Carolina in a steel cage match. Flair would go on to win the NWA title six more times. As the NWA champion, he defended his belt around the world, including frequent stops in the Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.

Throughout the 1980s, Flair became affiliated with The Four Horsemen stable. Flair's main rivals for the NWA title were Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, Lex Luger, and Sting. Flair also feuded with Magnum T.A., Nikita Koloff, Ricky Morton of the Rock 'N Roll Express, and Kerry von Erich, among countless others. He was constantly seen with various valets such as Woman, Miss Elizabeth, Fifi, Sherri Martel and Baby Doll.

World Wrestling Federation

After a contract dispute with WCW head Jim Herd while still NWA/WCW champion, Flair left WCW, a group run by Ted Turner which had just separated from the NWA, in July 1991. Flair was offered a fifty percent pay cut and no longer got the option of booking power. Herd wanted to make Lex Luger the top star and wanted to make Ric Flair a midcard star despite the fact that he was still a huge draw. Flair disagreed, and a week before the 1991 Great American Bash, Herd fired him. According to Flair, Herd also wanted him to change his appearance (i.e. by cutting his hair and wearing a diamond earring) in order to "change with the times".

During Ric Flair's first run in the WWF, he took the "Big Gold Belt" with him and was billed as the "Real World Heavyweight Champion." This is because Herd refused to return the $25,000 deposit that Flair had put down on the belt itself, plus interest. The NWA required the NWA World Champion to place a $25,000 deposit on the belt to ensure that the champion wouldn't leave the Alliance with the belt. Since Flair did not receive his deposit, he felt that it was still his property. WCW tried to sue the WWF to regain it, but the case was thrown out of court. Eventually, Flair returned it to WCW in exchange for the original $25,000 deposit, plus $11,000 interest. In the meantime, Flair wore an old WWF World Tag Team title belt that was blurred out on television.

In January 1992, Flair began his first run in the WWF, winning the WWF Title in a thirty-man "Royal Rumble." Feuding with Randy Savage, Flair also won another WWF Title before leaving the company. At the end of his run, Vince McMahon and Flair himself simply felt that Flair was no longer needed in the WWF. McMahon thought that Flair did everything he could in the WWF, and Flair was ready to go back to WCW. McMahon and Flair amicably ended Flair's contract with Flair ultimately losing a "loser leaves town match" to Mr. Perfect on Monday Night Raw. Flair has often referred to the eighteen-month stint as a highlight of his career.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Ric Flair ]

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Athletes - Ric Flair

Professional wrestling

NWA/WCW

World Wrestling Federation

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