One of the biggest stars to ever lace a pair of boots, not to mention the one guy widely considered the greatest professional wrestler ever, Ric Flair was on his way out of WCW in 1991 when he contacted Vince McMahon about joining his company. Fans salivated at the possibility. After all, Flair had wrestled every major star in the industry not owned by McMahon and now, they would have the opportunity to watch the Nature Boy battle the likes of Hulk Hogan, Mr. Perfect, Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Roddy Piper. How could they not be excited; how could they not mark out? When he was positioned opposite of Hogan almost immediately upon his television debut, fans prepared for the rivalry that was a decade in the making. Of course, McMahon's promotion failed to deliver on the easiest rivalry ever. Box office receipts were not as impressive as the company had hoped for and thus, plans for Hogan vs. Flair at WrestleMania VIII were called off. But that was okay, because the story fans were privy to, featuring Flair, Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth was even better than anyone could have imagined. The intensity and hatred felt so real that fans lost themselves in the performances of the all-time greats involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWUx-iuvpOQ To his credit, Flair was as detestable and unlikable as ever, completely overcoming WWE Creative's disappointing handling of he and his character early on to ignite legitimate disdain from the fans. As much as they hated him and wanted to see Savage unleash hell on the bleach blonde staple of the National Wrestling Alliance, they still respected him and his performances under the McMahon umbrella led to a whole new audience marking out over his considerable greatness.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
