Is it time for Flair to retire?

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

Let me start by saying that if I had to chose my favorite wrestler of all time, it would be Ric Flair. I started watching wrestling in the early 80's and got to see Ric Flair in his prime. I saw him win all the titles, save the NWA/WCW's asses many times and marked out when he came to the WWF both in 1992 and last year.

 

With that said, I feel that although he needs to elevate the stars of the future, having him job every match these days isn't helping anyone. When the match was announced did anyone think he had a chance of winning? Even when he does win (Jericho), everyone agrees that he should have lost. His promos, when he cuts them, lack the heart he had back in the day. That could also be because his best days were as a heel. He should either become a manager for someone with no mic skills, or retire completely.

[Guest Insane Bump Machine]

He should only be used for 2 or 3 matches a year at the big PPVs. He shouldn't wrestle every week. This way they could have some real dream matches with great buildup, but unfortunately they already threw away most of them.

 

HHH vs Flair should have been a big PPV match, dito for Rock vs. Flair and Stone Cold vs. Flair. WWE is stupid.

[Guest notJames]

Manager, maybe. But he should definitely hang up the boots. It's over for his in-ring ability. That slow, plodding "World Title" match with HHH made me feel sorry for him. I don't want to remember him as another guy who didn't know when to quit.

 

I know there's a chance that management is making him wrestle against his wishes, and if that's the case, they need to seriously re-evaluate their roster. I mean, having him and HHH wrestler twice in one night says a whole lot about the faith they have in their personnel.

 

And not for nothing, but the jiggling of Flair's man-boobs as he ran to the ring for the Main Event gave me douche chills all night. It was like watching There's Something About Mary and/or the Mae Young Royal Rumble fiasco all over again...

 

[Guest bob_barron]

I think Flair should wrestle once in awhile but he would be perfect as a manager.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

They're treating him like he's a regular active wrestler, and without much consderation for direction, either. Flair feuding with anyone should have great potential for mic work and some old-school wrasslin' action, but the writers always seem to drop the ball--the Jericho feud was built on run-ins and brutal assaults when these two should just be cutting into each other with words. Was the point of defeating Jericho at Summerslam so Flair would have a little more cred to give when he lost the Big Gold Belt match?

 

Like much WWE booking, this has all worked counterproductively--Flair has been jobbing left and right, and it hasn't changed a thing. No character is really in any better a position for it. One might say that Brock got some cred for beating Flair, but like almost all the other Flair "big matches," they've been mediocre TV throwaways with little to no build.

 

I'd vote for this: resume and finish out the Jericho feud, with lots of promos, and one final match at the next PPV, where Jericho goes over totally cleanly. Flair hangs up his boots and doesn't wrestle again, if they can resist the temptation. And, honestly, though I love Flair, get him off the TV if you can. If someone does 'retire' Flair, it won't be worth anything if he's back cutting promos and being some sort of owner again a week later.

[Guest Insane Clown Dan]

I think that the solution for getting Flair out of the ring is quite obvious :

 

Kick Stephanie off of Smackdown and make Flair the GM!

 

Seriously... who would fit better in the role since he had previous storyline ownership, has past heat with Bischoff, and has more recognition and mic skills? FLAIR, not Stephanie or any other McMahon.

 

Yep, they need to boot Ms. "I want to eat up all TV Time cause daddy thinks I = ratings and I cant play a face for jackshit" McMahon and make Flair the GM for Smackdown.

 

Not that it'll ever happen... but its the best thing to do with him if he retires from the ring.

[Guest RenegadeX28]

I thought that when Flair was coming down to the ring, he was going to offer his help for HHH, as a manager, but when he challenged HHH to a title shot, I knew that HHH was gonna win.

 

And speaking on the main event, Jericho got screwed again. He had an IC title shot, and once again, he gets screwed. The reasons are because RVD vs Y2J is played out, or they just screwed him.....

[Guest cynicalprofit]

It should be noted that Flair has a 2 hour comp of his best promos, while steph has yet to be invloved in ANY comp tape.

 

He still needs to be around, period. He's over and for a guy reaching the senior discount rate, and he can still go. What more can you ask for? Its to bad hes not peaking now.

 

But if he keeps jobbing maybe he should change the phrase to "to beat the man means you are man, unless your a mcman, in which case, you suck." Or "To be the man, wooo, means hes jobbed to you, man."

[Guest BionicRedneck]

He should have been SD GM.

 

He wouldn't have had to wrestle very often.

 

He is still good on the mic

 

He and Bisch have genuine heat

 

They could wrestle each other. (which Steph/Eric can't)

 

but...Vinnie knows best

[Guest RicFlairGlory]

I thought that when Flair was coming down to the ring, he was going to offer his help for HHH, as a manager, but when he challenged HHH to a title shot, I knew that HHH was gonna win.

 

And speaking on the main event, Jericho got screwed again. He had an IC title shot, and once again, he gets screwed. The reasons are because RVD vs Y2J is played out, or they just screwed him.....

Oh fuck you. I hope you dont REALLY think that Jericho learned he wasnt getting the IC title shot at 10:30, are you really that fucking dense and naive?

[Guest El Psycho Diablo]

Flair needs to retire, yes. So do Hogan and Undertaker.

[Guest Redhawk]

That slow, plodding "World Title" match with HHH made me feel sorry for him. I don't want to remember him as another guy who didn't know when to quit.

Maybe some of that slow ploddingness had something to do with HHH? If Flair was able to have a good match with Stone Cold back in...whenever that was...I don't see why he would have suddenly gone to shit a few months later.

 

That being said, Flair still generates a pop, so they need to keep him around and wrestling. Besides, he's Flair, he can quit whenever he wants. No one's forcing him.

[Guest The Man in Blak]

That being said, Flair still generates a pop, so they need to keep him around and wrestling. Besides, he's Flair, he can quit whenever he wants. No one's forcing him.

I tend to agree with this view, considering that there are more than enough wrestlers on either roster that can't draw any form of reaction to save their lives.

 

An additional bonus of keeping Flair around in the ring is that, gawd willing, some of the man's appreciation and talent for ring psychology might rub off on anyone he's in the ring with.

[Guest dreamer420]

Kick Stephanie off of Smackdown and make Flair the GM!

after his clusterfuck turn as part owner? God I hope not.

[Guest BionicRedneck]

I agree. Flair should never have turned. Then he should have been SD BM. Putting him in now would make about as much sense as Stephanie McMahon's breast implants.

[Guest Raven_Effect01]

after his clusterfuck turn as part owner? God I hope not.

No one can really tell these days if Stephanie's a face or heel with the way she acts on TV.

[Guest RazorxEDGE]

I tend to agree with this view, considering that there are more than enough wrestlers on either roster that can't draw any form of reaction to save their lives.

 

This, and the fact that the fans only pop for the stars of yesteryear, shows that there are no new stars being made.

[Guest notJames]

That slow, plodding "World Title" match with HHH made me feel sorry for him. I don't want to remember him as another guy who didn't know when to quit.

Maybe some of that slow ploddingness had something to do with HHH? If Flair was able to have a good match with Stone Cold back in...whenever that was...I don't see why he would have suddenly gone to shit a few months later...

Sorry if that came across wrong... I was going by the old axiom "Flair can carry X wrestler to a better than decent match" Of course, HHH and his baggage weighed down the match, but a vintage Flair... hell, even a Flair from four months ago would have been able to do a better job (no pun intended).

 

That being said, I think RazorxEDGE has a point... sure the fans still cheer for Flair, but they should be cheering for someone new too, and the WW_ hasn't been too good at helping the process along.

[Guest Kid Kablam]

[quote=Redhawk,Sep 3 2002, 08:27 PM

Sorry if that came across wrong... I was going by the old axiom "Flair can carry X wrestler to a better than decent match" Of course, HHH and his baggage weighed down the match, but a vintage Flair... hell, even a Flair from four months ago would have been able to do a better job (no pun intended).

 

That being said, I think RazorxEDGE has a point... sure the fans still cheer for Flair, but they should be cheering for someone new too, and the WW_ hasn't been too good at helping the process along.

I think everyone EXCEPT for Vince sees this. I mean, I may not know much about business, but I do know a little about entertainment, and in Entertainment, you always need a new generation. Robert Deniro's getting old? Send in Ed Norton. Al Pacino's seen better days? Send in Toby Maguire. See Vince? It's a simple concept. I mean, I love DeNiro too, but when he starts the whole self parody thing, it's time to reevaluate.

[Guest Redhawk]

But then 15,000 lose their minds when old-ass Hulk Hogan cups his ear and has shitty matches, so why should Vince see that he needs new blood? The fans are to blame if any wrestlers are still in the main event in their late 40s and early 50s.

[Guest Kid Kablam]

I guess that's true. Vince always did try to "Give the fans what they want" The only problem: He's been sucking at it lately. He gave us Jericho as CHamp. Mess up. He gave us the brand extension so that we could see a more spread out roster, and he's been doin a nice job of messing that up.

[Guest Redhawk]

WWE is almost there when it comes to "give the fans what they want," with just a few simple mistakes:

 

1. Jericho was made champion, but then Y2J just HAD to be a weak champion because he was aheel and he was small. Because small guys couldn't POSSIBLY beat bigger guys without help, right?

 

2. Brock was pushed, but was never allowed to use his Angle-like skills and was kept in "Big Monster" mode. I mean, he used a freakin' BEARHUG. And no one could figure out a different finish besides, "Face gets distracted by Heyman and F5'd."

 

3. The roster was split, but instead of just doing it quietly and letting everyone figure it out, we had to make an angle out of it and focus all the attention on Vince vs. Flair and Steph vs. Eric. I still say they should have done the split quietly.

 

4. They brought in WCW, but turned them all into weak heels and lackeys for WWF guys. Sorry, but the WCW/ECW Alliance shouldn't have had Stone Cold, Angle, and Shane McMahon on their team. It's called making NEW stars.

[Guest godthedog]

i'm kinda torn. one side of me says flair should stay in the ring, giving guys the rub & teaching other guys how to work, etc. the other side of me says that they've pretty much blown their load already with 'dream matches', flair doesn't have much of any rub to give anymore, and he's having problems working himself because he gets so winded all the time. but it's hard to argue with keeping a guy on the roster who delivers the goods half the time (v. undertaker, v. rock, & i actually liked the jericho match a lot for what it was).

 

i dunno...i think flair's got one (and only one) great feud & match left in him. if he psychs himself up enough and trains like he's never trained before (cause he basically has to work at least twice as hard as he did ten years ago to get a comparable match quality), he could go out in style, they could sell it like flair's last hurrah & he can make somebody look like a million bucks (preferably angle or benWAAAAAAAAAH; and i really dug the tag match flair had with angle, with the mind games & such). this feud with jericho isn't the way to go out though. he needs to hold a little back if he wants to go out like a champion.