KingofOldSchool
07-13-2004, 02:41 AM
Ric Flair Lied!
July 12, 2004
I've been a big Ric Flair fan for quite some time. I was a fan of his before I broke into the business and even more so afterward. I was fortunate enough to develop a friendship with the man and I think even a level of mutual respect. Because of this I decided I would read his recently released autobiography. I seldom read wrestling biography as like the business itself there is usually a degree of "working" involved in them. This misinformation isn't always intentional it's just wrestlers generally have a slight (or sometimes unbelievably huge) bias opinion of their contribution to the industry. After years of trying to both get over and put yourself over it's hard to break with tradition and be completely objective.
With that said I picked up a copy of "Ric Flair: To be the Man". After reading the book cover to cover I have come to the unequivocal conclusion that Ric Flair, not only lied in his book, he's been lying his whole career. Ric Flair coined the phrase "To be the man; you've got to beat the man." and nothing could be further from the truth. Ric Flair has been beat so many times in his career and let me assure you he is still very much The Man. It will take a hell of a lot more than beating Ric Flair to make someone else The Man, it would take an act of God, and even that might fall short.
This book is, in my opinion, the best wrestling book there is, was, or ever will be, and is quite probably the most honest. If you do not pick up a copy of this book, I'm not sure you should be allowed to continue calling yourself a wrestling fan. This is more than just the Ric Flair story it is a large portion of our industries history. What I liked most about this book is that it isn't just told to us by Ric Flair, it includes the words and thoughts of so many others. We hear from Ric's family, co-workers, and friends. When Flair talks about his feud with Steamboat, we get Steamboats thoughts on the subject as well, we hear from so many influential people in this industry and hearing their thoughts on the subject supports Ric's take on what happened and makes this story so much more believable and honest. Hearing how Ric's lifestyle affected his family and hearing it from his own kids gives us a look at some of the very real repercussions of being World Champion in an era when being World Champ meant over 300 days a year on the road.
Ric does not sugar coat his life in this book, he admits to things he isn't proud of, and really speaks his heart. He lets us in on some real personal issues in his life that shocked me when I read them. I now better understand why the one match we had together (A tag match with Christian and I defending the WWE Tag Team Titles against Flair and the Undertaker) was the way it was. If I knew then what I knew now, it could have been so much more an honour and special night for me, instead of the frustrating and confusing night it was.
The book concludes with what Flair considers the greatest night of his career; The night in Greenville, SC when he wrestled HHH for the World Title on RAW. I was there that night, and after the match was over and the RAW broadcast ended everyone did a in-ring tribute to Ric Fair. We didn't know the inner turmoil Ric had been going through and why this night would be so special for him. We just wanted to show Ric, that we loved and respected everything he means to this business. It turns out it was something he needed to hear, and I'm so glad I was there that night to tell him. This is your chance to show your respect too, go buy this book, and show Ric Flair that he is now and always will be THE MAN, WOOOOOOOOO!
Till next week,
Lance
P.S I did a commentary about that night in Greenville, I will try to find it and repost it ASAP.
July 12, 2004
I've been a big Ric Flair fan for quite some time. I was a fan of his before I broke into the business and even more so afterward. I was fortunate enough to develop a friendship with the man and I think even a level of mutual respect. Because of this I decided I would read his recently released autobiography. I seldom read wrestling biography as like the business itself there is usually a degree of "working" involved in them. This misinformation isn't always intentional it's just wrestlers generally have a slight (or sometimes unbelievably huge) bias opinion of their contribution to the industry. After years of trying to both get over and put yourself over it's hard to break with tradition and be completely objective.
With that said I picked up a copy of "Ric Flair: To be the Man". After reading the book cover to cover I have come to the unequivocal conclusion that Ric Flair, not only lied in his book, he's been lying his whole career. Ric Flair coined the phrase "To be the man; you've got to beat the man." and nothing could be further from the truth. Ric Flair has been beat so many times in his career and let me assure you he is still very much The Man. It will take a hell of a lot more than beating Ric Flair to make someone else The Man, it would take an act of God, and even that might fall short.
This book is, in my opinion, the best wrestling book there is, was, or ever will be, and is quite probably the most honest. If you do not pick up a copy of this book, I'm not sure you should be allowed to continue calling yourself a wrestling fan. This is more than just the Ric Flair story it is a large portion of our industries history. What I liked most about this book is that it isn't just told to us by Ric Flair, it includes the words and thoughts of so many others. We hear from Ric's family, co-workers, and friends. When Flair talks about his feud with Steamboat, we get Steamboats thoughts on the subject as well, we hear from so many influential people in this industry and hearing their thoughts on the subject supports Ric's take on what happened and makes this story so much more believable and honest. Hearing how Ric's lifestyle affected his family and hearing it from his own kids gives us a look at some of the very real repercussions of being World Champion in an era when being World Champ meant over 300 days a year on the road.
Ric does not sugar coat his life in this book, he admits to things he isn't proud of, and really speaks his heart. He lets us in on some real personal issues in his life that shocked me when I read them. I now better understand why the one match we had together (A tag match with Christian and I defending the WWE Tag Team Titles against Flair and the Undertaker) was the way it was. If I knew then what I knew now, it could have been so much more an honour and special night for me, instead of the frustrating and confusing night it was.
The book concludes with what Flair considers the greatest night of his career; The night in Greenville, SC when he wrestled HHH for the World Title on RAW. I was there that night, and after the match was over and the RAW broadcast ended everyone did a in-ring tribute to Ric Fair. We didn't know the inner turmoil Ric had been going through and why this night would be so special for him. We just wanted to show Ric, that we loved and respected everything he means to this business. It turns out it was something he needed to hear, and I'm so glad I was there that night to tell him. This is your chance to show your respect too, go buy this book, and show Ric Flair that he is now and always will be THE MAN, WOOOOOOOOO!
Till next week,
Lance
P.S I did a commentary about that night in Greenville, I will try to find it and repost it ASAP.