Is Ric Flair allergic to selling? (Semi-spoilers, not really)

[Anybody Thrilla]

Seriously, I was watching his match with Carlito from Smackdown, and Carlito was working his ribs BEAUTIFULLY the entire match...then all of a sudden, Flair just shot up to his feet and took over on offense, paying absolutely no mind whatsoever to his ribs. Even after the match, he was all strutting around and being a faggot like usual, not clutching his ribs or anything. He made Carlito look like a little bitch, basically. Flair really pisses me off.

But I see he tends to have a lot of fans. If it's all just based on nostalgia, then I guess he warrants some pop, but his in ring work has gone SO far downhill that it's painful to watch. I seem to recall some people on here talking about how he can still put on a better match than half the roster. Well let me tell you now, no he fucking can not.

Hang 'em the fuck up, Nature Boy.

Thank you.

[IC Champion]

No Comment.

[Anybody Thrilla]

What, is he on The Kliq's 'protected' list or something?

He's awful these days. Absolutely awful.

[Tb1]

Painfully agree. He's gotten pretty awful over the last few years. But hell, the guy is 58 years old.

[IC Champion]

No, I'm with you ABT, Flair is just held in highest of regards in these parts.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I understand he is, and I'm contesting that maybe he shouldn't be. It was different 20 years ago, but not so much now.

[Anybody Thrilla]

But hell, the guy is 58 years old.

Right. So he should stop fucking wrestling. Watching a Flair match is only a little bit better than watching a Hogan match for me these days.

And those fucking backdrops are stupid.

[IC Champion]

I understand he is, and I'm contesting that maybe he shouldn't be. It was different 20 years ago, but not so much now.
He lives off his legacy, which is what he's been doing since his WCW days, when I never found him all that great anyways.

Flair is Flair, people will "WOOOOO" everytime he chops, and pop because he is Ric Flair, not because he's going to cut an awesome promo or, becuase he's going to wreslte a 20 minute spectacal or has, but because he is Ric Flair.

[Anybody Thrilla]

OK, so Flair = Hogan. Got it.

[IC Champion]

Except Flair has contributed to the business.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I do tend to recall a bunch of people trying to tell me that Flair could still put on a better match than half the current roster not too long ago, though. Where are they right now? I forget who it was.

[IC Champion]

I haven't seen a good Flair match in a LONG time.

[Kane Knight]

Fuck him. He should have retired a decade or so ago.

[Anybody Thrilla]

The only time I've ever really enjoyed Flair was when he was in that feud with Randy Savage, claiming to have compromising pictures of Miss Elizabeth. Seriously, that's the ONLY time. He's always been pretty 'blah' to me.

[chrisat928]

Flair>Hogan, because Flair does something Hogan never has.

HE PUTS OVER YOUNGER TALENT!

ie: MVP at Vengence. Edge and Orton on numerous occasions.

Except Carlito, but I think that has more to do with Flair hating Carlos Colon.

[Anybody Thrilla]

That doesn't make him any less horrific in the ring.

[James Steele]

He is RIC FUCKING FLAIR. Yeah, he is nowhere as good as he was, but he is still a good worker.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Wow, sick point. Never thought of that.

[Tb1]

Right. So he should stop fucking wrestling. Watching a Flair match is only a little bit better than watching a Hogan match for me these days.

And those fucking backdrops are stupid.

No disputing he should retire, just the fact that you can't expect as good match from someone who was born shortly after the conclusion of World War II.

[James Steele]

ABT, Ric Flair has to land like that on backdrops and such because of when he broke his back.

[Skippord]

I concur

[Destor]

...

[NeanderCarl]

When Flair "retired" in 1994, most people thought it was for good. Even in the "no-one ever retires" world of wrestling. Most concurred that 40-something Flair had lost a few steps, and wanted to retire to preserve his legacy as one of the greatest of all time.

That he came back, and is still going THIRTEEN years later, is mind-boggling.

[NeanderCarl]

To be honest though, he still looked good in there as recently as 2003. It was, unfortunately, downhill from there.

Bar a wicked cage match with Randy Orton in 2004, he has done nothing of note in the time since. I'd still like to see him get a high profile send-off, if (and hopefully when) he retires at WrestleMania 24. Give him a big retirement countdown, let him cut some classic promos, give him an opponent he can have a classic 20min match with and put over to end his career.

If he hadn't become so rambling and incoherant in recent years, he would have been a perfect fit for a colour commentator role. Maybe he can be the next Bobby Heenan/Freddie Blassie in a managerial capacity.

[owenbrown]

I think there is an epidemic of no-selling in wrestling... and it's called the Hogan no-selling virus. Also, doesn't Terry Funk hold the record for most retirements?

[NeanderCarl]

Most likely. He first retired in the early 80s!

He must have retired over a dozen times. Has he even hung up the boots now? I don't think he's wrestled since One Night Stand 06...

[IC Champion]

Terry Funk isn't going anywhere.

[Dorkchop]

Ric Flair is a guy who should wrestle on special occasions. Make him a GM or something, and every few months have him wrestle a match. The crowd would be even louder if he wrestled only a few times a year.

I give him a lot of credit for STILL wrestling, but he really should have retired from full time competition years ago.

Remember his match against Vince at Royal Rumble 2002 (I think)? That match was special because at that point, Flair was a GM and wasn't wrestling every week.

[Super V]

No, I'm with you ABT, Flair is just held in highest of regards in these parts.
Don't be a bitch. State your opinions on the internet like a man.

Edit: Good to see you man up ya pussy.

[Champion of Europa]

He has had some good matches recently with Foley, HBK, HHH, and so on.

[Amaroqwolf]

Of course he has, because Foley, HBK, HHH are his friends or close to it in Foley's case that they'll make him look good.

(Waits for the Neg rep to roll in)

[True Brit Grit]

Hmmm.. Catch him on the second turnbuckle and toss him off (so to speak) onto his back and he'll sell like a bitch everytime. Identically. But I agree with those saying he should think about giving it up - did I read rumours of a WM24 exit?

Still better than most today on the mic but you can only put over so many young talent before the effect of a win over Flair starts to lessen...

[Amaroqwolf]

Flair isn't sall that great, honestly the only time I liked him was when he had the "Heartattack" in the ring at WCW, and then they turned it into a storyline where Bischoff poisoned him.

[Russenmafia]

Flair>Hogan, because Flair does something Hogan never has.

HE PUTS OVER YOUNGER TALENT!

ie: MVP at Vengence. Edge and Orton on numerous occasions.

Except Carlito, but I think that has more to do with Flair hating Carlos Colon.

He puts over younger talent, but considering his age, wrestling ability and the fact he is a now a midcarder, a victory over Flair is the same as a victory over Santino Marella.

[Kane Knight]

When Flair "retired" in 1994, most people thought it was for good. Even in the "no-one ever retires" world of wrestling. Most concurred that 40-something Flair had lost a few steps, and wanted to retire to preserve his legacy as one of the greatest of all time.

That he came back, and is still going THIRTEEN years later, is mind-boggling.

Hey, if someone was willing to pay your coke bills for you to put on a half assed show....

[road doggy dogg]

Yeah he is absolutely awful. It's hilarious how people say he's a better wrestler than a bunch of current people, because he is really really quite bad. Old people are faggots.

[Anybody Thrilla]

ABT, Ric Flair has to land like that on backdrops and such because of when he broke his back.

I know that, but that doesn't make it any more entertaining to watch. He needs to get out of the god damn ring.

[Mooияakeя™]

Flair stopped being good when he stopped flying up the turnbuckles when whipped and when 89.6% of his offense was "chopping the opponent".

I miss his "stressing" rants too. Sometimes that fucker would go so red and beady eyes, I feared for his heart.

[IC Champion]

I remember him droping elbows in the middle of the ring, looking like he was half out his mind, it was awesome.

[Kane Knight]

I know that, but that doesn't make it any more entertaining to watch. He needs to get out of the god damn ring.

Yeah. I understand why he can't do it, but that's probably more a sign of why he shouldn't be in the ring.

[Mooияakeя™]

I remember him droping elbows in the middle of the ring, looking like he was half out his mind, it was awesome.

lol. I just remembered that, didn't he used to go nuts elbow dropping his "sports jacket"? I swear I've seen him to that in Dub-C-Dubbya.