10 Wrestling Ripoffs Better Than The Original
2. Ric Flair (‘Nature Boy’ Buddy Rogers)
Everything from Ric Flair's figure four finish to the 'Nature Boy' nickname and even the aloof poise when posing for promo pics was lifted from Buddy Rogers. Flair had started using the 'Nature Boy' moniker in the mid-1970s, then feuded with Rogers before beating him to officially earn the tag in 1978. In short, Buddy agreed to pass the torch to a new emerging star, and Flair was off to the races.
He'd become an even better 'Nature Boy' in almost every conceivable way. A bevy of World Championships in groups like the NWA, WCW and the WWF followed. Flair tropes like his trademark "Woo", the "Flair Flop" and his loudmouth promo style became fast favourites with fans buying tickets. Between the ropes, Ric carved out a legacy for himself as one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet. If he was still in his prime today, then he'd surely be considered one of the best wrestlers in the world right now.
Flair patterned himself after Rogers. He bleached his hair blonde, wore similar ring attire, used a lot of the same moves Buddy had deployed during matches, and generally turned into the same 'Nature Boy' he'd enjoyed as a fan. Except he wasn't the same. Ric was better and left more of an imprint on the industry than his predecessor.
He arguably couldn't have done that without Buddy's blessing. Several other wrestlers used the 'Nature Boy' name, including Buddy Landel and Paul Lee, but none of them came close to matching what Flair achieved in the biz as a successor to Rogers.