WCW Nitro Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?

1995 was a pretty eventful year for the Nature Boy. Ric Flair took some time off from WCW after losing a retirement match to Hulk Hogan in late 1994, but returned as both a wrestler and Vader’s part-time manager a few months later. In April, he wrestled Antonio Inoki in front of 190,000 spectators in Pyongyang, North Korea, and he was feuding with Arn Anderson at the time of Nitro’s debut show.

Flair reverted to type by turning on Sting to form a new Four Horsemen with Anderson, Brian Pillman, and Chris Benoit shortly after. He won two more WCW Championships before the NWO storyline kicked-in, with his seventh and final reign coming in May 2000. Flair waited until late 2001 to jump ship to WWE, where he enjoyed an entertaining late career run before Shawn Michaels eventually “retired” him in 2008.

Flair has been in and out of the company ever since, and wrestled his final match in 2012. Recent years have seen him assist his daughter Charlotte’s rise to prominence through NXT and the main roster, before aligning with her rival Sasha Banks at the heart of their feud. As one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, Flair will likely be making WWE appearances for as long as he’s willing and able.

Aside from moonlighting on Raw, Flair became a podcast cost in 2015, and the final episode of The Ric Flair Show was uploaded on December 16th, 2016. His career will be the subject of “Nature Boy,” and ESPN 30 for 30 documentary that is expected to be released later this year.