Obviously, Ric Flair would go back on his word and wrestle again following WrestleMania XXIV's loss against Shawn Michaels, but that doesn't take away from the fact that his 2008 retirement was an unbelievably emotional affair. At the time, Flair seemed deadly serious about hanging up his boots, bringing the curtain down on one of the most eventful careers in wrestling history. As aforementioned, he would compete numerous times at later dates, but his speech from the episode of Monday Night Raw immediately following 'Mania was impassioned and from the heart. Millions were along for the ride with the 'Nature Boy', who couldn't even try to hide his tears from fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k1t7huB_aM It really seemed at the time that Ric was kissing goodbye to the spotlight, something which had previously been unthinkable. During the lengthy segment to close out the show, Flair was joined by everyone from Vince McMahon to The Undertaker, who broke character to offer a hug in the man's direction. This only added weight to an already emotional situation, and there was hardly a dry eye in the house.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.