Since his pro debut in 1972, Ric Flair has enthralled audiences. His influential championship swagger and off-the-chart charisma is often imitated, but has never been duplicated. Today, at the age of 59, he continues to entertain fans around the world.
Ask “Who’s the greatest player ever to grace a baseball diamond?” and chances are good that you’ll hear “Babe Ruth.” Talk about basketball legends and Michael Jordan's name is sure to be mentioned. Ask anyone about professional wrestling and you will immediately see a big smile followed by "Wooooo!"
The legacy of Ric Flair is already etched in stone. He will be remembered as the greatest pro wrestler of the modern era. Flair is recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment as a 16-time world champion, although his actual tally of world championship reigns varies by source. But Ric Flair has always known who he is – “a kiss-stealing, wheeling, dealing, jet-flying, limousine-riding son-of-a-gun!”
Flair made his name on wrestling hour-long marathon matches, his cocky interview style, and his knack for shouting “Woooooo!” into microphones (a talent he developed after listening to Jerry Lee Lewis sing “Great Balls of Fire” on the car radio). Yet incredibly, he almost didn’t become the most celebrated champion in sports-entertainment history. On October 4, 1975, he was among five passengers injured after an improperly fueled Cessna 310Q twin-engine plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed down in Wilmington, North Carolina. Doctors insisted that Flair, who had broken his back in three places, would never wrestle again. So he did the only thing he could do: Ignore the doctors, rehab, and become a ring legend with a “flair” for championship gold. “I wish I could say that the plane crash humbled me,” he says, “but I just started living the life of the ‘Nature Boy’ and didn’t look back. I took my insurance settlement and bought my first new Cadillac.”
“Slick Ric” maintains that the party he started four decades ago is far from over. He’ says he’s having too much fun! While at times he has been called the dirtiest player in the game, Flair has never strayed from being “The Man” who most young sports-entertainers – WWE Superstars included – idolize. Even those unfamiliar with his storied career, the “styling and profiling” in custom-tailored sequined ring robes, or his “Nature Boy” strut, know one thing when they hear “Woooooo!” shouted at a WWE live event, a craps table in a Las Vegas casino, or on the scoreboard of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes: They’re in “Ric Flair Country.”
Ric Flair very recently retired from the ring and was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame on March 29, 2008...the first active wrestler to ever be honored.
Today, Ric spends his time as the official WWE Ambassador making cameo appearances on WWE shows and representing the WWE brand throughout the world on air and at events. He is also available today for commercials, films, television and voiceovers. Ric is working on branding campaigns for several clients and is a veteran of game shows, sports promos, autograph sessions, corporate events and motivational speaking.
