10 Beautiful Moments Of Respect In Wrestling

2. "I'm Sorry; I Love You"

Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair
WWE.com

Vince McMahon imposed in-ring retirement on Ric Flair in order to best monetise it.

It was for his own good, really, and this magic long-term programme was the perfect vehicle with which to preserve his legend. In doing so, Vince afforded Flair the dignity of one last classic in his anthology of them, elevating a sad, ageing midcard figure into the elite pantheon of WrestleMania. It's stunning that Vince is otherwise so adverse to using age to drive his storytelling approach, on this evidence.

Flair survived a malevolent series of matches to arrive at WrestleMania XXIV in the opposite corner of the man who had idolised and arguably surpassed him as the in-ring North American G.O.A.T, loading the stakes with realism and a deep sense of pathos. The story they constructed was phenomenal; Flair, desperate to stay in the ring that sustained him, used his old cheating tricks, distilling and subverting his heel brilliance so that it was cheered, paradoxically. In the end, Shawn had surpassed him - but not without an aching sense of guilt.

As he motioned to finish Flair with Sweet Chin Music, the profound respect he held for the Man manifested with perfect pro wrestling melodrama.

"I'm sorry; I love you," he said, before pulling the trigger.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!