How Good Was Ric Flair Actually?

No conversation about the best promo in the history of wrestling can happen without Ric Flair's name being the first to be discussed. The intensity and charisma with which he delivered his words were as compelling and magnetic as literally anyone to ever hold a microphone. For 30 years, Flair was the standard by which all other wrestling promos were judged.

If every wrestler in the Hall of Fame has a catchphrase by which they're known, Ric Flair is the man who made that a requirement. "To be the man, you've got to beat the man" is timeless, and the way he would declare himself "the Nature Boy" is simply legendary. "Stylin' and profilin'", Ric delighted in telling everyone that he's "kissed all the girls, and made them cry" and "diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair". Hell, even describing Space Mountain as "the oldest ride with the longest line" in his later years worked a charm.

For actual promos, his "I was born with a golden spoon" promo ahead of Starcade 1987 is electrifying. Letting everyone know about how unobtainable his wardrobe and lifestyle were, Flair's legendary work on the mic extends far beyond the world of wrestling in this moment. This promo was the perfect opposite of Dusty Rhodes' legendary "hard times" promo, and gave a million rappers the blueprint for hip-hop's boasting about fancy cars, women, clothes, and Rolexes. 

Ric Flair's interview with Mean Gene Okerlund after winning the 1992 Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship for the first time is an all-time classic. As Flair looks into the camera and declares "with a tear in my eye, this is the greatest moment in my life", his emotion is mesmerizing. Ric's whole life was wrestling, and he christened his crowning moment perfectly, name-checking every big wrestler in the company and making it known that they all "have to pay homage to The Man". Woo, indeed.

Blurring the lines of fiction and reality, Flair cut another classic promo as his real-life animosity towards Vince Russo on a 1999 episode of WCW Thunder boiled over. He mocked the booker's Italian upbringing and lack of muscles, goading him about how he "wanted to be like the Nature Boy" in a verbal attack that was both electric and personal. It felt equally real years later in the WWE, when Flair was at his condescending best, dropping elbows and knees on a copy of Mick Foley's 'Foley Is Good' book and coaxing the Hardcore Legend into an 'I Quit' match at SummerSlam 2006.

Pick any promo you want. It could be stripping to his underwear on Nitro, or having a "woo off" with Jay Lethal in TNA; the list of great Ric Flair promos is several miles long. 

10/10