Ric Flair

**Richard Morgan Fliehr** (born February 25, 1949), better known as **Ric Flair**, is an American professional wrestling manager and retired professional wrestler.

Ranked by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair had a career that spanned 40 years. He is noted for his tenures with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Since the mid-1970s, he has used the moniker "The Nature Boy". A major pay-per-view attraction throughout his career, Flair headlined at the premier annual NWA / WCW event, Starrcade, on ten occasions, while also co-headlining its WWF counterpart, WrestleMania, in 1992, after winning that year's Royal Rumble. *PWI* awarded him their Wrestler of the Year award a record six times, while *Wrestling Observer Newsletter* named him the Wrestler of the Year (an award named after him and Lou Thesz) a record eight times. The first two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee, first inducted with the class of 2008 for his individual career and again with the class of 2012 as a member of The Four Horsemen, he is also a member of the NWA Hall of Fame, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

Flair is officially recognized by WWE as a 16-time world champion(eight-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and two-time WWF Champion), although the number of his world championship reigns varies by source, ranging from 16 to 25. He has claimed to be a 21-time champion. He was the first holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (which he also held last). As the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Champion, he became the first person to complete WCW's Triple Crown, having already held the United States Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships. He then completed WWE's version of the Triple Crown when he won the Intercontinental Championship, after already holding the WWF Championship and the World Tag Team Championship.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Figure four leglock

* **Signature moves**
	+ *Alley Oop* (Double leg pull slam)
	+ Back body drop
	+ Body guillotine, to an opponent's leg
	+ Chop block, usually as a setup for the figure-four leglock
	+ Diving crossbody
	+ Diving knee drop
	+ Dropkick
	+ Elbow drop
	+ Hip toss
	+ Iconoclasm
	+ Jumping knee drop, while running
	+ Knife-edged chop
	+ Low blow
	+ Multiple suplex variations
		- Belly to back
		- Delayed vertical
		- Double arm
		- Gutwrench
		- Vertical
	+ Pendulum backbreaker
	+ Piledriver
	+ Poking or raking the opponent's eyes
	+ Running crossbody
	+ Snapmare
	+ Sleeper hold
	+ Shin breaker
	+ *Stun Gun* (Flapjack, dropped into a hangman)
	+ Turnbuckle flip evasion, landing on the apron, with theatrics
	+ Testicular claw

* **Managers**
	+ Arn Anderson
	+ Baby Doll
	+ Bobby Heenan
	+ Curt Hennig
	+ Debra Marshall
	+ Double D
	+ James J. Dillon
	+ Fifi
	+ Lacey Von Erich
	+ Hiro Matsuda
	+ Jimmy Hart
	+ Miss Elizabeth
	+ Ole Anderson
	+ Sherri Martel
	+ Woman

* **Wrestlers managed**
	+ Abyss
	+ Beer Money, Inc.
	+ Big Show
	+ Carlito
	+ Charlotte Flair
	+ David Flair
	+ Desmond Wolfe
	+ Evolution
	+ Fortune
	+ Gunner
	+ Matt Hardy
	+ The Miz
	+ Reid Flair
	+ Ricky Morton
	+ Rob Terry
	+ Snitsky
	+ Steve Austin

* **Nicknames**
	+ "The Dirtiest Player in the Game"
	+ "The Golden Stallion"
	+ "I Da! Ba-loot!"
	+ "Kyouran no Kikoushi"
	+ "**Limousine Ridin', Jet Flyin', Kiss Stealin', Wheelin' Dealin', (Drippin') Son of a Gun**"
	+ "**The Man**"
	+ "The Master of the Figure-Four"
	+ "**Naitch"**
	+ "**Naitcha' Boy**"
	+ "The Nature Boss"
	+ "**The Nature Boy**"
	+ "The Original Party Animal"
	+ "Rambling Ricky" Rhodes"
	+ "The Real World Champion"
	+ "The Sixty-Minute Man"
	+ "Slick Ric"
	+ "Space Mountain"
	+ "Wrestling God"

* **Entrance themes**
	+ **National Wrestling Alliance**
		- "Easy Lover" by Phil Collins & Phillip Bailey
		- "The Wanderer" by Dion
		- "Dance Champion" by Kool & the Gang
		- "Dawn" from "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss
	+ **World Championship Wrestling**
		- "Dawn" from "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss
		- "Brain Decay" by Chris Tsangarides (used as a member of the Four Horsemen)
		- "Charge" by De Wolfe Music (used as a member of the Four Horsemen)
		- "Groover" by Bob Buckley & David Sinclair (used as a member of the Four Horsemen)
		- "Coast" by Paul Riordan (used as a member of the Four Horsemen)
		- "Four Horsemen" by Jimmy Hart & Howard Helm (used as a member of the Four Horsemen)
	+ **World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment**
		- "Early Sprach" by Jim Johnston
		- "Dawn" from "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss
		- "Evolve" by Jim Johnston (used as a member of Evolution)
		- "Line in the Sand" by Motörhead (used as a member of Evolution)
	+ **Total Nonstop Action Wrestling**
		- "Dawn" from "Also sprach Zarathustra" (Remix) by Dale Oliver
		- "Fortune 4" by Dale Oliver (used as a member of Fortune)
		- "Immortal" by Dale Oliver (used as a member of Immortal)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **George Tragos / Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame**
	+ Class of 2013
* **Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling**
	+ WCW World Heavyweight Championship (8 times)
	+ WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
	+ NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
	+ NWA (Mid Atlantic) / NWA Television Championship (2 times)
	+ NWA (Mid Atlantic) / WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
	+ NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Rip Hawk (1), Greg Valentine (1), and Big John Studd (1)
	+ NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (3 times) – with Greg Valentine (2) and Blackjack Mulligan(1)
	+ First WCW Triple Crown Champion
* **National Wrestling Alliance**
	+ NWA World Heavyweight Championship (9 times)
	+ NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)
* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ Feud of the Year (1987) – The Four Horsemen vs. The Super Powers and The Road Warriors
	+ Feud of the Year (1988, 1990) – vs. Lex Luger
	+ Feud of the Year (1989) – vs. Terry Funk
	+ Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2008)
	+ Match of the Year (1983) – vs. Harley Race (June 10)
	+ Match of the Year (1984) –  vs. Kerry Von Erich (Parade of Champions 1)
	+ Match of the Year (1986) – vs. Dusty Rhodes (The Great American Bash)
	+ Match of the Year (1989) – vs. Ricky Steamboat (WrestleWar)
	+ Match of the Year (2008) – vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XXIV)
	+ Match of the Decade (2000–2009) – vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XXIV)
	+ Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1978, 1987)
	+ Rookie of the Year (1975)
	+ Stanley Weston Award (2008)
	+ Wrestler of the Year (1981, 1984–1986, 1989, 1992)
	+ Ranked **#3** of the top 500 wrestlers in the *PWI* 500 in 1991, 1992, and 1994
	+ Ranked **#2** of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the *PWI Years* in 2003
* **Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum**
	+ Class of 2006
* **St. Louis Wrestling Club**
	+ NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame**
	+ Class of 2007
* **World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment**
	+ World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Batista (2) and Roddy Piper (1)
	+ WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
	+ WWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
	+ Royal Rumble (1992)
	+ Thirteenth Triple Crown Champion
	+ Slammy Awards
		- Match of the Year (2008) – vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XXIV)
	+ WWE Hall of Fame (2 times)
		- Class of 2008
		- Class of 2012 (The Four Horsemen)
	+ WWE Bronze Statue (2017)
* ***Wrestling Observer Newsletter***
	+ Best Heel (1990)
	+ Best Interviews (1991, 1992, 1994)
	+ Feud of the Year (1989) – vs. Terry Funk
	+ Match of the Year (1983) – vs. Harley Race (Starrcade)
	+ Match of the Year (1986) – vs. Barry Windham (Battle of the Belts II)
	+ Match of the Year (1988) – vs. Sting (Clash of the Champions I)
	+ Match of the Year (1989) – vs. Ricky Steamboat (Clash of the Champions VI: Rajin' Cajun)
	+ Most Charismatic (1980, 1982–1984, 1993)
	+ Most Outstanding (1986, 1987, 1989)
	+ Readers' Favorite Wrestler (1984–1993, 1996)
	+ Worst Feud of the Year (1990) vs. The Junkyard Dog
	+ Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) – with Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Lex Luger, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution vs. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored
	+ Wrestler of the Year (1982–1986, 1989, 1990, 1992)
	+ Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (1994) – Retirement Angle
	+ Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
		- Class of 1996