To many, the name Ric Flair is synonymous with wrestling. He got his start as Nature Boy and became one of the most well-known wrestlers in the sport. He has been one of the industry’s biggest draws since the 1970s due to his in-ring activities, which were, in many cases, against the rules. This gave him the reputation of being one of the dirtiest wrestlers in the industry.
But just because he broke the rules, doesn’t mean he turned the fans against him, quite the opposite. He was well-liked and many copied his signature WHOOOO!, which caught on with crowds and was often used as a welcoming call as he entered the ring. Because of his popularity in the ring and his throngs of followers, he has become a wrestling icon.
During his time wrestling, he worked with various wrestling promotions including: JCJP, WCW, WWF/WWE, TNA, as well as All Elite Wrestling (AEW,) according to BleacherReport.com.
Back to the Beginning:
Richard Morgan Fliehr was born in Memphis, TN in February 1949, according to The Smackdownhotel.com. When he decided to wrestle, he changed his name to Ric Flair, making it easier for audiences to remember and spell correctly. He was the adopted child of Kathleen and Richard Fliehr. Richard was studying to become an obstetrician and gynecologist in Detroit and his adoptive mother, Kathleen, wrote for the Star Tribune. After his father completed his residency in Detroit, the family moved to Edina, MN, where Fliehr lived most of his childhood.
In ninth grade, the family relocated to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where he attended Wayland Academy, where he excelled in wrestling and track. For a short time after high school, he went to the University of Minnesota but soon learned that an academic career was not for him.
Early in his career, while still in his teens, he trained with Verne Gage, a hugely popular professional wrestler. He went to camp where he met and had the opportunity to work with numerous up-and-comers in wrestling. He first used his new moniker “Ric Flair” in his debut bout in December 1972, when he had a 10-minute draw against a local wrestler.
Ric Flair’s Career:
Flair worked in numerous different promotions throughout his career and was making a name for himself as he was beginning to win titles and was at the center of several feuds. But all of this nearly came to an end when he was involved in a serious plane crash. Several people were killed, another person was paralyzed and Flair was left with a broken back in three different places. This all happened at the young age of 26.
Instead of thinking his career was over, he dedicated himself to physical therapy and returned to the ring just three months after sustaining the potentially career-ending injury.
Vince McMahon and many other wrestling executives and respected wrestlers said he was one of the best they had seen. Flair went on to win many more matches throughout his career. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
