10 Best Wrestling Rivalries That Kept It All In The Ring
8. Barry Windham Vs. Ric Flair
Ric Flair had so many outstanding feuds throughout his wrestling career that his rivalry with Barry Windham often goes unmentioned. This is a shame, as not only did it come during one of the most consistently entertaining periods of ‘The Nature Boy’s’ tenure, but it also produced some of his best in-ring work.
The feud’s premise was simple, with Flair, the flashiest of heels, going against Windham, the country’s most unsung babyface hero. Its greatest moments came through a series of three five star matches in 1986 and 1987, with the first going to a double countout, but Flair taking victory in the other two. Nonetheless, Ric’s masterful selling had the fans buying into the idea that Windham could end his lengthy NWA Heavyweight Title reign at any time, though this never came to pass.
Barry had to wait until 1993 to eventually get the belt, and the rivalry continued to grow and evolve over the years. Windham drifted in and out of the Four Horsemen, and became the ‘Lone Wolf’ shortly after his big title win, feuding with Flair once more. The feud took on a more dramatic focus at this point, but in the early days, Flair vs. Windham was all about the in-ring.