Ric Flair: A geriatric wrestler who still gets into the ring at the age of 61
Since before this current generation of wrestling fans was even born, the unstoppable force in professional wrestling known as Ric Flair made his debut. This great wrestler has been wrestling for longer than most of his fans have been
alive. Over the years he has won numerous titles and become a household name, but questions remain as to why he continues to put his body through such a punishing regime. At the age of 61, when other people are slowly getting used to retired life, this geriatric
wrestler refuses to quit. Even retiring from the WWE in 2008, he has come back to the sport and now wrestles for TNA Wrestling. Will he ever retire or will even the children of today’s fans get to enjoy his wrestling.
Born in 1949, Richard Morgan Fliehr, soon developed a passion for wrestling. During his early life, this soon to be professional wrestler got his first taste of the wrestling business when he met the now legendary Vachon brothers.
Having played football in high school, he was given a scholarship to the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship. Fliehr left university before getting his degree and started working as a bouncer at a local club. It was here that he met Olympic weightlifter
Ken Patera who was about to start wrestling training at a very famous wrestling school founded by Verne Gagne. It was Patera who got Fliehr into the Gagne School and the rest is history.
In 1972, Fliehr made his wrestling debut for the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Before his debut, Fliehr took on the stage name of Ric Flair and developed an image for himself. He left the AWA in 1974 and joined the National
Wrestling Alliance. He was known for his ring endurance and flamboyant style and he slowly became very popular with the fans. In 1975, Flair’s burgeoning career was almost prematurely ended when he along with several other wrestlers were involved in a plane
crash. Ric broke his back in three places and was told by doctors that he would never wrestle again. But like many determined and heroic athletes, he made a complete recovery and after rigorous physiotherapy entered the ring again after only 6 months. It was
because of the plane crash that he took on the nickname the Nature Boy and eased up on his in ring performances; becoming the Ric Flair that wrestling fans know today.
Soon the NWA and other wrestling companies were consolidated into the World Championship Wrestling and Flair became the new champion. He held the title until 1991, when he had contract issues with the company. His bosses wanted Flair
to change his appearance and gave him a substantial pay cut. Flair disagreed with these changes and left the company to join the newly rebranded World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and what would later become the WWE. He spent a year and a half at the WWF and
termed it the best time of his career. He was forced to leave as part of a Loser Leaves match and subsequently joined the WCW again.
After spending some time at the WCW franchise, Flair then made a triumphant and much publicised return to the WWF in 2001. This time though he was in a new role, that of co-owner of the company. The enigmatic wrestler continued to
wrestle to great popularity until 2008, when he went into semi-retirement. Even though he had previously stated that he would retire from the WWE in 2010, Flair decided to join TNA Wrestling and is still with the company today.
Ric Flair is a 61-year-old wrestler, who defying all odds still continues to wrestle. Most athletes in professional sports cannot continue past the age of 35 and some try to push 40 but never beyond that. Even though professional wrestling
is not really a sport, it still requires a lot of strength, training and stamina to compete in a match. It is a very big deal for a man who is as old as a grandfather to still be in active competition. The Nature Boy is a great wrestler and a very spirited
athlete who may not be wrestling for much longer, but while he is still wrestling, he will always be a true champion.
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