Time for Flair to Retire?

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Yeah but none of those guys were holding the World Title that late in life. And Gagne and Bockwinkel's title reigns are what lead to the death of the AWA.

[Guest Astro]

Vince used older guys to help expand in the mid 80's as well as put over his core guys.

 

Mad Dog Vachon, Rene Goulet, Tony Garea, Baron Von Rasche (prior to his management run), Brad Rheingans (Who was probably younger than most on this list), Da Crusher, Ray Stevens (1987), and others.

 

There is a role for old guys like Flair, just not as top draws like the AWA tried to do in 1984-5.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Your making our points against Evil Blood though. No one's saying that Flair can't be on the shows. Just that it's suicide to put the World Title around his waist.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

There is a role for Flair. It's called "Retired".

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Or "Assistant to Mr. David Batista".

 

That would work.

[Guest Astro]

Nick Bockwinkel's retirement hurt the company, he was still drawing. The fact that he had guys like Brad Rheingans and Shiek Adnan as opponents hurt him greatly. A green as grass Scott Hall was Verne's pet project in 1984, but didn't work out. Curt Henning and Martel were both only the champs, because if they were not made champs, they were heading to the WWF.

 

Hansen actually had a decent crew in 1986 to defend aganist with Sarge, Martel, Greg Gagne, Scott Hall, Nick Bockwinkel, Bruiser Brody, Nord The BarBarian, Jimmy Snuka, a Young Leon"Vader" White and a host of other challangers. A decent crew but not marketed as well as the WWF's top guys (Funks, JYD, Hogan, Bundy, Andre, Piper, Savage, Steamboat etc)

[Guest Loss]

First of all, Angle is practically clarinet reeds and shoestrings at this point, and him and Flair in a dream match is ridiculous.

 

Second, Flair is WAY over 35. He's closer to 70 than 35.

 

Third, Abdullah has never been a world champ.

[Guest Duncan Eternia]

My God, how many more "flair should retire" threads are there going to be on this board?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Until he retires...

 

MUHAHHAHAHAHAH!

[Guest Rrrsh]

Until he retires...

 

MUHAHHAHAHAHAH!

I was waiting for sumone to say that....I am glad it was you Triple R

[SuperJerk 0]

Its time to start this baby up again, sez I.

 

 

edit: I don't even remember starting this fucking thread, by the way.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Y2Jerk

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I'm torn. Yeah, Flair is old and a shell of the worker he once was, but he still entertains me. Hell, I'd rather watch 57 year old Ric Flair throw chops and work a guy's leg than watch some slug like Gene Snitsky stink up the ring.

 

Flair will retire when he's ready. How many times has a promotion tried to push the Nature Boy aside or erase his legacy, only to turn back to him when things were rough, and have Flair almost instantly right the ship? He deserves to go out however he wants.

[Just John 0]

Flair needs to be a manager. He doesn't deserve to be kicked out of the business, but he shouldn't be wrestling a full-time schedule, and that's been true for about 9 years.

 

If this thread picks up momentum again, I doubt we'll be seeing anymore "Flair deserves one last run with the title" posts. His IC reign was a bad enough flop that anyone with a handful of functioning brain cells can see he doesn't need to be carrying the company.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I can't see Flair staying around in some capacity and not eventually returning to the ring at some point.

[alfdogg 0]

Flair needs to be a manager. He doesn't deserve to be kicked out of the business, but he shouldn't be wrestling a full-time schedule, and that's been true for about 9 years.

 

If this thread picks up momentum again, I doubt we'll be seeing anymore "Flair deserves one last run with the title" posts. His IC reign was a bad enough flop that anyone with a handful of functioning brain cells can see he doesn't need to be carrying the company.

Plus, if Flair gets the belt again, that's also one more HHH reign that has to be endured.

[Downhome 0]

I have always thought that Flair will always be around. I don't think we'll ever see him leave the business on his on. The only way we'll ever have wrestling without Flair, is if he is forced out for some odd reason, and that will never happen.

 

I fully expect him to either die in the ring, or to die as a direct result of what happens in the ring or other aspects surrounding the business. That could mean that he gets hurt really bad, or simply as he ages the time on the road takes it's toll on him to the point where his body just can't travel anymore.

 

As for him winning the title again, while I don't think it needs to be done, I wouldn't be against it as long as it was for a very short time, as long as he won it in a place where the fans would fully be able to appreciate his win, like in Charlotte, NC or Greenville, SC.

 

Ric Flair will never retire. He may give up working in the ring down the line, but he'll never retire from the business. I don't even say that because I think he needs the money, or anything like that. I just don't think he seriously has it in him to leave wrestling.

[Guest 1916]

I'm torn. Yeah, Flair is old and a shell of the worker he once was, but he still entertains me. Hell, I'd rather watch 57 year old Ric Flair throw chops and work a guy's leg than watch some slug like Gene Snitsky stink up the ring.

 

I agree 100%

 

One WHOOO! makes me mark out more than 99% of the stuff on Raw these days.

 

Granted, as most of the people here have said, he defenently doesn't need a title reign. Just give him some short TV matches, or even make him a manager like someone else said. The guy can still work a crowd. Give him camera time, just be selective about it. He is 57, but he's defenently the most entertaining 57 year old I've ever seen on television.

[Si82 0]

Flair needs to be a manager.

My thoughts exactly. I can't stand seeing Flair in the ring anymore but he's still Ric Flair. He has ton of charisma and is still really over with the crowd. He would be a perfect mouthpiece for a guy who's weak on the mic.

[frisco 0]

It's probably time for him to call it a career. I've always been a great Ric Flair fan, and in a perfect world I'd love to see HHH put Flair over clean in his final match...but most likely that won't happen.

 

I'd imagine Vince McMahon wants Flair to put over Cena...and perhaps a few more up guys he wants to push...before Flair finally retires.

 

As for quiting the sport entirely I'd hate to see that. I'd like to see him return as GM to either RAW or Smackdown. Either that or become a manager and manage a whole new generation of heels.

[Wrestlefreak 0]

Flair is 55 years old. Wrestling is about youth. He can't take bumps properly anymore and he looks like shit and is never allowed to talk. Any value he had left has been exploited by now.

 

Exactly!

[jester 0]

I heard somewhere that Flair also did not save the money he earned over the years, and needs to work. So that means he will be around until the day he dies.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Flair's work with Carlito was his best for a while, I'll give him that. To be honest, I don't want him winning the IC belt again or anything, but for opening matches, there's no one else to get the crowd going.

[BUTT 0]

I liked Flair when he was the "CEO" of WCW. Not when he was the crazy president getting sent to the mental institution, but the three-month period in late 2000 when he was the face CEO, he didn't wrestle, he didn't get into fights with wrestlers, and he was treated with dignity. (WWF had this for about three weeks when he first came in as co-owner before he started his feud with Vince) Then when he turned heel, they pissed it away. But that's the role I'd like to see Flair in. He should be the new Raw GM.

[BruiserKC 0]

Vince used older guys to help expand in the mid 80's as well as put over his core guys.

 

Mad Dog Vachon, Rene Goulet, Tony Garea, Baron Von Rasche (prior to his management run), Brad Rheingans (Who was probably younger than most on this list), Da Crusher, Ray Stevens (1987), and others.

 

There is a role for old guys like Flair, just not as top draws like the AWA tried to do in 1984-5.

 

But the problem is that most of those guys weren't World champions. People just can't picture or won't picture Ric Flair, a 16-time World champion, jobbing to curtain jerkers.

[Enigma 0]

Vince used older guys to help expand in the mid 80's as well as put over his core guys.

 

Mad Dog Vachon, Rene Goulet, Tony Garea, Baron Von Rasche (prior to his management run), Brad Rheingans (Who was probably younger than most on this list), Da Crusher, Ray Stevens (1987), and others.

 

There is a role for old guys like Flair, just not as top draws like the AWA tried to do in 1984-5.

 

But the problem is that most of those guys weren't World champions. People just can't picture or won't picture Ric Flair, a 16-time World champion, jobbing to curtain jerkers.

 

WWE Monday Night RAW -- September 16, 2002

-- Rico defeated Ric Flair

-- Booker T. defeated Test

-- Tag Team Champions Lance Storm & Christian defeated Bubba Ray Dudley & Spike Dudley

-- Chris Jericho defeated Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam to win the title

-- Kane defeated William Regal by DQ

-- World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defeated Jeff Hardy

[alfdogg 0]

Wow, Booker actually won a match in 2002. And against Test, no less!

[Guest Floridian Cool]

He should have retired in 1997...2002 at the latest.

 

Four years ago, I could say some good things about the man. He still looked like Ric Flair and he was still moving around the ring pretty well. Pretty well. He wasn't exactly tearing the house down...he was just having solid matches.

 

Who has he "made" since 2001? Nobody. Did anybody give him a snowball's chance in hell against Brock Lesnar? He hasn't been a credible wrestler for years. I was surprised when he beat Jericho.

 

I laugh whenever I read this crap about how he can still work better than a lot of the young guys on the roster. First off, how are you working anybody when you're a few years shy of 60 and looking every day of it? It totally kills the audience's suspension of disbelief. I hate it when Chris Masters sells his grandpa chops. Two, these people (i.e. Mick Foley and HHH) who talk about how great Flair's ring work has been since 2003 must be watching another television program. Whenever I turn on RAW, I see an old man who is winded, sloppy, can't get up for a lot of bumps, doesn't know how to take modern wrestling moves, and a lot of the time, just plain lost. Watch him work with somebody like Shelton Benjamin. Shelton has to slow his game down by about 50% just so that Flair can keep up, and even then Flair doesn't know how to take 90% of his repetoire. It's pathetic.

 

Nobody should wrestle past the age of 50.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Vince used older guys to help expand in the mid 80's as well as put over his core guys.

 

Mad Dog Vachon, Rene Goulet, Tony Garea, Baron Von Rasche (prior to his management run), Brad Rheingans (Who was probably younger than most on this list), Da Crusher, Ray Stevens (1987), and others.

 

There is a role for old guys like Flair, just not as top draws like the AWA tried to do in 1984-5.

 

But the problem is that most of those guys weren't World champions. People just can't picture or won't picture Ric Flair, a 16-time World champion, jobbing to curtain jerkers.

 

WWE Monday Night RAW -- September 16, 2002

-- Rico defeated Ric Flair

-- Booker T. defeated Test

-- Tag Team Champions Lance Storm & Christian defeated Bubba Ray Dudley & Spike Dudley

-- Chris Jericho defeated Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam to win the title

-- Kane defeated William Regal by DQ

-- World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defeated Jeff Hardy

 

The day that Ric Flair retired in my eyes.

[Guest Coffey]

Flair has no money and wrestling doesn't have a retirement plan. He's not going anywhere for awhile.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Taboo Tuesday against Orton or SSeries last year with HHH were the best times to do a serious retirement scenario.