26. Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXIV
Ric Flair had one of the greatest careers in the history of wrestling and a dream stretch at the end of his run with the WWE. All good things must come to an end. The Nature Boy made a return from injury in late 2007 only to be greeted by Vince McMahon, who told him in no uncertain terms that the next match he lost would be his last. Flair embarked on a four month farewell tour, of sorts, going up against many of the top names in the business and defeating them all. What made it all even sweeter was that Naitch was to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on the night before WrestleMania. Yet, in true Flair style, he wanted to go out with one last great match. He, thus, chose the best wrestler in WrestleMania history, Shawn Michaels, to be his opponent. Michaels was reluctant, at first, but he eventually came around to the idea and promised he would give Flair everything he had. The atmosphere for the match was nearly unparalleled in Mania lore. 75,000 in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando were Wooing like you would not believe. Michaels and Flair seemed intent on having a great match and stealing the show right from the onset, trading blows and a great many knife edge chops to keep the crowd Wooing their heads off. HBK upped the ante when he tried to do a springboard moonsault to the outside, but Flair moved out of the way to send Michaels crashing hard into the announce table. Flair took control and used much of his signature arsenal before HBK took the skies again with a moonsault off the top turnbuckle to the outside that caught Flair just enough to save face, but not enough to absorb another heavy blow. It was one of the most brilliant performances on HBKs storied Mania resume. In perhaps the most memorable moment in wrestlings modern history, Michaels ended it with a super kick just after noticeably uttering the words, Im sorry; I love you. Flair ended his career with a bang. Even at 60, Flair was able to hold up his end of a great match.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
