Ric Flair | |
|---|---|
 Flair in 2019 | |
| Born | February 25, 1949[1] Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.[1] |
| Other names | Richard Morgan Fliehr |
| Education | Wayland Academy |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouses |
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| Partner | Wendy Barlow (2018-2024) |
| Children | 4, including David, Ashley, and Reid |
| Relatives | Conrad Thompson (son-in-law)[2] Andrade El Idolo (son-in-law) |
| Ring name(s) | The Black Scorpion[1] Ric Flair[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 243 lb (110 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.[3] |
| Trained by | Verne Gagne[3][4] |
| Debut | December 10, 1972[1][5] |
| Signature | |
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| Part of a series on |
| Professional wrestling |
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Richard Morgan Fliehr[6][a] (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers[7] and journalists[8] as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanning over 50 years in 6 decades.
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). Much of his career was spent in JCP and WCW, in which he won numerous titles. Since the mid-1970s, he has used the moniker "the Nature Boy". A major pay-per-view attraction throughout his career, Flair headlined 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.[9] Pro Wrestling Illustrated 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, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
Flair is officially recognized by WWE as a 16-time world champion (8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and two-time WWF Champion),[10] although the number of his world championship reigns varies by source, ranging from 16 or 17 to 25.[11] He has claimed to be a 21-time champion.[12] 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 WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and WCW World Tag Team Championship. He then completed WWE's version of the Triple Crown when he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, after already holding the WWF Championship and the World Tag Team Championship.
- ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
pwhofwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Price, Mark (January 17, 2018). "Ric Flair announces his daughter's engagement to a guy wrestling fans know well". charlotteobserver.com. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
wwe-biowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
slamwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Woodward, Buck (December 10, 2010). "This day in history". PWInsider. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ "Power Slam". This Month in History: February. SW Publishing. January 1999. p. 28. 55.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GOATPeerswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
GOATJournalistswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "WrestleMania VIII main event". WWE. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ "Ric Flair's title history". WWE.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
worldtitleswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Ric Flair Return. Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin. YouTube. November 1, 2009. Event occurs at 31 seconds. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
Fact be known, it's 21 times. 16, I'll take credit for.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).