10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About Buddy Landel

8. Nature Boy vs. Nature Boy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS5VWYuk-kE The Battle of the Nature Boys went down in 1990, when Landel returned to NWA after a falling out with the promotion. At that point, both Flair and Landel were well known for using the Nature Boy nickname/gimmick, and NWA wisely took advantage of that fact and booked the "battle" soon after his return. It made sense: with the similarity in looks and the fact that they essentially played the same character, they made natural foes. On top of that, the promotion was obviously aware of their earlier, record breaking bout. Cashing in on that was a no-brainer. In fact, Landel had previously been expected to win the NWA title from Flair, just prior to leaving the company for the first time in 1985. He was also set to wrestle Nature Boy Buddy Rogers in the early 90s, going to far as to strike Rogers with the Tri-State belt in the ring in a match of Landel's that Rogers was officiating. Rogers was in his seventies at the time, but still active. The idea was that the two would wrestle with the Tri-State belt on the line, but the promotion folded before it could happen, and Rogers later passed away.