The Curious Case of...

No, not Benjamin Button. Not even Brad Pitt. Let's examine the curious case of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. He's a household name to most wrestling fans, both young and old. However, Richard Morgan Fliehr didn't exactly have a smooth ride to stardom, to being a legend, or to WWE's Hall of Fame. He's met his match, had his demons, and experienced lots of hardships on his way to success (after success). Let's not go into great detail, but let us examine the curious case of Ric Flair.

Richard Morgan Fliehr was born on February 25, 1949. He was adopted, went to boarding school in Wisconsin, and met Greg Gagne at the University of Minnesota while playing football. Through Ken Patera, Fliehr met Verne Gagne, and his journey as Ric Flair began. It almost ended as quickly. In October 1975, Flair broke his back in an airplane crash that ended the life of Johnny Valentine. Flair was told he'd never wrestle again. He didn't consider that. Flair changed to a more technically sound style, and returned to the squared circle in less than a year. Over the next 15 years, Flair would become a mainstay in multiple NWA territories, a multi-time NWA (and WCW) champion, and one of the top draws the business had ever seen, and that's only half of his career.

In 1993, Flair returned to WCW after a short stay in the WWF. He made his mark on the Monday Night Wars, feuding with the New World Order, Konnan, and even his son David. When WCW was purchased by the WWF, Flair returned to the spotlight again, becoming a figurehead on Raw as "the consortium" the McMahon children had sold their WWF stock to. Over the next years, Flair would have a prominent role on Raw, before being drafted to Smackdown!. This drafting, however, did not have much of an effect. Flair returned to Raw and feuded with Mr. McMahon up until his loss in his retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV.

For all of Ric Flair's in-ring success, he's endured plenty of turmoil outside it. There was the airplane crash and the broken back, being forced to change his wrestling style, multiple marriages and divorces, failed business ventures, etc. But as Ric Flair the wrestler disappears into memory, Richard Fliehr the person trudges on. It's curious. What would Richard Morgan Fliehr have done if he had not broken his back in 1975? Would his career have been even greater? What if he'd never returned to wrestling after breaking his back? What would he have spent the last three decades doing? As a wrestler, Ric Flair always quipped, "To be 'the man,' you've gotta beat 'the man.'" Well, for over 30 years, Richard Fliehr worked hard to make Ric Flair "the man" and I'm grateful to have experienced most of those years. Whooooo!