100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
53. Ric Flair vs. Mr. Perfect (Raw, 25 January 1993)
"That's not fair to Flair!".
Bobby Heenan was always some laugh when commentating on Ric Flair's run in the WWF between 1991-1993. The way he'd ham it up, lay it on thick and generally act like everyone should step aside and let the 'Nature Boy' win was outstanding work. Flair was so strong as a heel that he helped Mr. Perfect turn babyface and become one of the hottest good guys in the promotion, which is something nobody could've predicted beforehand.
They locked horns when Perfect punted Flair out of the '93 Royal Rumble, but that was a mere preview of their 'Loser Leaves Town' one-on-one come the 25 January Raw. That was undoubtedly the first marquee match promoted or held back for Vince McMahon's new flagship TV show, and that plan worked well. It set the tone for what would be expected from Raw in years to come.
Ric's constant bids to cheat during the match made fans salivate over thoughts of Perfect shutting him down and running him out of the federation back to WCW. Think about that for a second: World Championship Wrestling did actually play a part in the storytelling here. It was an 'us vs. them' mentality, and WWF fans were all in on that.
Whilst Perfect had slowed his big bumping style just a tad due to niggling injuries, he was still some worker when motivated. Across the ring, Flair did everything in his power to make Curt Hennig look like a real star. Ric did business the right way before departing and hitching a ride back to Atlanta.