Did Ricky Steamboat "carry" Ric Flair?

[James Steele]

I am discussing Ric Flair with someone and they called Ric Flair the "worst performer of all time" and said he was carried most of his career and especially in the Flair/Steamboat matches. Please...give me some faith in TPWW.

[KayfabeMan]

To an extent, I believe that nearly everyone Flair worked with on a regular basis carried him in some way.

Not to say he was horrible, because he was a good performer, but I believe he just did the matches knowing he'd get all his shit in and then take it home. Very formulaic.

Everything inbetween then I have to think was the other person making him look good. Seen this with Ricky, Harley, Vader, Sting, etc., etc.

[whiteyford]

Have always found his matches to be very formulaic, but worst performer of all times a bit much, he knew what worked for him and the crowd and he's still able to work so he maybe just wrestled a bit smarter than he's given credit for.

[Afterlife]

I said "worst performer I've ever seen," not "worst performer of all time".

[dhellova guy]

I cant beleive this is even a topic.

The answer is no.

Everyone gets "carried" from time to time, and Flair had his share of drama that probably caused him to phone it in a couple of times.

But watch some of his matches against jobbers in his prime, and tell me whose carrying who.

[Sixx]

But watch some of his matches against jobbers in his prime, and tell me whose carrying who.

Against jobbers.

Wow, that really proves he was great.

[Loose Cannon]

when you worked the interviews as good as Ric Flair did in the 80's, all the babyface had to do was show up. Flair knew what the people wanted. They wanted to see Flair get his ass kicked for 15-20 mins, do his spots and then he would squeak by at the end.

no carrying needed.

[TazFTW86]

do u think his back injury from the airplane accident has anything to do w/ it? he was limited to some stuff in the ring he once said..

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

He was a great worker. But I'd surmise that Steamboat was a better in ring worker and probably "carried" him a bit. More just they had great chemistry together and who has a bad match with Steamboat?

[Anybody Thrilla]

when you worked the interviews as good as Ric Flair did in the 80's, all the babyface had to do was show up. Flair knew what the people wanted. They wanted to see Flair get his ass kicked for 15-20 mins, do his spots and then he would squeak by at the end.

no carrying needed.

This is the correct answer.

I really was never a huge fan of Flair's in-ring work, but in his prime, he worked the stick like no other. Think back to the feud with Randy Savage leading into Wrestlemania 8. EVERYBODY wanted to see that man get the fuck kicked out of his shit, and it was amazing.

Afterlife, I could probably compile a list of people you have seen that are all worse performers than Ric Flair, but I think you were clearly being facetious.

[muffalufagus]

when you worked the interviews as good as Ric Flair did in the 80's, all the babyface had to do was show up. Flair knew what the people wanted. They wanted to see Flair get his ass kicked for 15-20 mins, do his spots and then he would squeak by at the end.

no carrying needed.

^ This.

[JimmyMess]

If Hulk Hogan says "Ric Flair is the greatest ever" than thats good enough for me.

[Nicky Fives]

Ricky Steamboat would carry anyone he worked with, with the exception of Shawn Michaels (IMO)..... that's just how good Steamboat was as a performer..... Flair was not the best in-ring performer, but he was far from the worst.......

[Aguakate]

Actually, "au contraire"...I believe Ric Flair carried everyone he wrestled with.

[Anybody Thrilla]

What makes you say that?

[Aguakate]

What makes you say that?

He wasn't the greatest wrestler, but his charisma, his personality and his antics would make any match interesting, no matter who he was wrestling with.

[bigslimjj]

Ask those fans that bow down to him in every arena he goes to what they think on the subject.I can't even believe this is a thread....so you get this:
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/ron%20burgundy" target="_blank"><img src="http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac189/cryptix77/ronsays.jpg" border="0" alt="ron burgundy Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>

[XL]

I kinda get the impression that a lot of the people doing the bowing probably haven't even seen most of his work. They consider him the "greatest" cos that's what he is billed as.

[CSL]

Flair didn't need carrying until he started getting a bit ridiculous, certainly not as far back as the Steamboat matches. And even when he got ridiculous, you could still see him leading younger guys like Masters through matches.

[McLegend]

Anyone who thinks this is true is a horrible human being.