How Good Was Ric Flair Actually?

10. Presence/Look/Presentation

Custom-made from head to toe, Ric Flair is perhaps the definitive wrestler when it comes to "living the gimmick". The Nature Boy is a pioneer, as will become a common theme in this feature. When it comes to playing a company's top heel, Flair is the example by which all others are judged. The limousine-riding, Learjet-flying, wheeling, dealing (woo!), son-of-a-gun character Ric has embodied since the late '70s is the quintessential wrestling villain.

We've covered how Dusty Rhodes was so much of an everyman that you can imagine sharing a pint with him. Well, Ric is the man letting you know that he's in a suit worth more than your monthly paycheck, behind the red rope of a club you could never get into, and stood with women that wouldn't be seen dead talking to you.

Ric Flair's look is iconic. His platinum blonde hair, flamboyant robes, and regal pyrotechnics are perfectly intertwined with his theme music, 'Also sprach Zarathustra' from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, to create one of the most recognizable entrances in the history of professional wrestling. His arms outstretched as he twirls 360 degrees to show the audience the magnificence of his robe, the swagger in his walk as he rocks the Flair strut towards the ring, and a "woo" down the barrel of the camera lens. It's flawless showmanship from one of wrestling's most flamboyant and unforgettable characters.

10/10