WWE's Ric Flair: Wrestling legend?

For years, there has been a question in professional wrestling, ?why is Ric Flair still wrestling?? The answer has finally been revealed, and the answer is, Ric Flair is broke.

As a fan of professional wrestling, I can honestly say that I do NOT understand what is so special about Ric Flair. It?s interesting, because neither does Vince McMahon or Eric Bischoff. Just because Ric Flair is a supposed 16 time ?world champion,? doesn?t mean he?s anything special in professional wrestling.

Ric Flair?s financial woes involve the IRS, in which the 16 time world champion owes the IRS more than $1 million since 1997, and his wages are being garnished $200,000 this year.

If that wasn?t enough, Ric Flair has a warrant out for his arrest. Apparently, the ?Nature Boy,? was in a car accident and was angered, for good reason, but allegedly he approached the motorist that hit him and assaulted him and kicked the motorist?s car which led to Flair being charged for assault and battering and for damaging property.

Does it get any worse? You bet it does. In May of this year, Ric Flair?s wife filed for divorce, citing steroid and alcohol abuse. To this day he is paying his ex-wife $20,000 a month until the divorce is finalized. Not only that, but the judge that is working on the divorce is considering freezing his assets due to him buying a $92,000 ring for his girlfriend.

While I don?t hate Ric Flair for his financial troubles, and I do wish that Flair can bounce back from these woes; however, as a wrestling fan, I don?t appreciate Ric Flair as a wrestler.

Ric Flair, in my opinion, is one of the most overrated wrestlers of all time. I don?t care how many times this guy has been world champion, this guy, quite frankly, sucks. While yes, he may be 56 years old, and he may still be in good shape, this guy, claiming that he?s the greatest wrestler of all time, is a joke to me.

I remember at the end of the final Nitro, it was Ric Flair vs. Sting, and I DIDN?T WATCH IT! Why? Because Ric Flair isn?t even a great technical wrestler, and he?s boring. I didn?t watch it, because I didn?t want to watch it. He can do a figure-four leg lock, big deal. Ric Flair can take bumps, big deal. Ric Flair can blade himself, big deal.

Here?s my problem with Ric Flair, he?s unprofessional, he talks a lot of smack inside and outside the ring, and yet he can?t back it up.

I understand that Ric Flair in the past has had some great matches with the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, and Harley Race, I?m not denying that he was once great, but lately, he?s been boring and downright disgraceful as a pro-wrestler.

Trust me, I don?t hate Ric Flair, because that would give him heel bonus points. I don?t hate Ric Flair, I just wish Ric Flair would go away. He?s old, he?s boring, he?s lousy as a wrestler, and while I?m at it, he?s a joke as an intercontinental champion.

That?s another thing that irritates me about how the WWE is pushing Ric Flair as the IC champion. Ric Flair is a babyface, and yet wrestling fans are outraged that this old fart is an IC champion. Let?s not give the belt to someone who might need it or could use it like, Edge, or Carlito, or Shelton Benjamin, or Rob Conway, but nope the mighty WWE gave it to Ric Flair. Despite he was 16 time world champion, he wins a second rate title in the WWE. Not to say the IC title doesn?t have prestige, but would you ever see Hulk Hogan win the IC belt? No. The WWE really screwed up by giving Flair the IC title, it?s equivalent to David Arquette winning the WCW title.

I understand that Ric Flair has his personal opinions about other wrestlers, but what he says doesn?t hold any water to me. For example, in a radio interview with James Walsh on the Blaze 1260 AM in Arizona, Ric Flair has been quoted that ?Bret Hart never made Vince McMahon any money.? This quote is ludicrous considering who said it, and the history and contributions that Bret Hart put in with the WWE. Personally, I can attest that Bret did make money for Vince, because while yes, if you compare Bret to Hulk Hogan?s run as world champion, Bret is obviously not the one making the most money; however, if you compare Bret to Flair, or even Shawn Michaels, or even Triple H, Bret has made more money. To be honest, if anyone didn?t make Vince McMahon any money is Ric Flair.

Flair has even stated his disdain with Mick Foley. Flair has stated that ?Mick Foley is nothing more than just a glorified stuntman.? While it may seem that Foley is just a stuntman and not a wrestler he obviously has also made more money in the WWE. I give more credit and respect to Mick Foley as a pro-wrestler than Ric Flair.

I think Flair is just jealous of both Bret and Foley, because they were ten times better than Flair as performers, and the fact that Flair hasn?t made Vince any money, and yet a stuntman and a better technical wrestler made more money. Hell, the Ultimate Warrior has made more money than Ric Flair.

To be honest, Ric Flair was a flash in the pan, and while yes a lot of people including Jim Cornette, Triple H, Batista, and other wrestlers believe that Flair is a legend, and while I agree to some extent, I disagree that Flair has emulated those like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant, Jeff Jarrett, John Cena, Vince McMahon, Sting, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, and even JBL.

Not to totally bash Ric Flair, because God knows I have said things about Hulk Hogan I have regretted now knowing what the wrestling business is all about, Ric Flair has had some great matches and had some great feuds. Feuds with the likes of Terry Funk, Sting, Lex Luger, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, and Dusty Rhodes come to mind when I think of Flair, and while yes, I understand that Flair is just making an honest living and trying to clear up his financial woes, and I respect that; however, by saying the things that he said about Bret and Foley, is the same reason why I was upset with Hulk Hogan?s remarks about Steve Austin and the Rock, because it was not giving credit where credit is rightfully due.

One thing that wrestlers need to understand, both past and present, is that the wrestling company has to evolve and change. It?s one reason why I was upset with Batista for saying that A.J. Styles didn?t have any talent, because little does Batista realize is A.J. Styles is ahead of his time, and wrestlers will evolve to that type of style.

If Hogan could give Austin his credit, Batista give Styles his credit, and of course Flair give Foley and Bret their credit they would be better established as legends or as ?professionals.?

Ric Flair's legacy ended in 1993, but other than that he's just a shadow of his former self.