1 00:00:08,634 --> 00:00:10,970 - The most prestigious champion in the world, 2 00:00:11,012 --> 00:00:13,931 Nature Boy Ric Flair! 3 00:00:13,973 --> 00:00:15,099 [tense music] 4 00:00:15,141 --> 00:00:17,769 - They all want to be--whoo! 5 00:00:17,810 --> 00:00:19,854 Like the Nature Boy, 6 00:00:19,896 --> 00:00:21,939 but there can only be one. 7 00:00:21,981 --> 00:00:23,232 [upbeat music] 8 00:00:23,274 --> 00:00:24,776 - Ric Flair, 9 00:00:24,817 --> 00:00:27,779 the self-professed dirtiest player in the game. 10 00:00:27,820 --> 00:00:28,780 A villainous playboy... 11 00:00:28,821 --> 00:00:29,906 - Whoo! 12 00:00:29,947 --> 00:00:31,574 - Who openly displayed attributes 13 00:00:31,616 --> 00:00:34,994 that the modern society viewed as evil. 14 00:00:35,036 --> 00:00:36,871 - He was cocky. He was arrogant. 15 00:00:36,913 --> 00:00:39,165 - I'm not like every other Tom, Dick, and Harry 16 00:00:39,207 --> 00:00:40,792 that walks on your program. 17 00:00:40,833 --> 00:00:43,461 - And he was great at making me hate his guts. 18 00:00:43,503 --> 00:00:45,088 - When I'm in that ring, 19 00:00:45,129 --> 00:00:48,174 I don't care about anybody but me. 20 00:00:48,216 --> 00:00:50,468 - He'd use every dirty trick in the book. 21 00:00:50,510 --> 00:00:52,428 He's the dirtiest player in the game. 22 00:00:52,470 --> 00:00:54,680 - I'm the dirtiest player in the game. 23 00:00:54,722 --> 00:00:56,808 - Oh, my God! Right across his knee! 24 00:00:56,849 --> 00:00:58,935 - He could be incredibly vicious. 25 00:00:58,976 --> 00:01:02,313 - There's your pretty boy. Now he's ugly! 26 00:01:02,355 --> 00:01:04,148 - Ric is a Scarface-like figure. 27 00:01:04,190 --> 00:01:05,650 - Gold around my neck. 28 00:01:05,691 --> 00:01:09,362 Rolex watch around my wrist looking so fine. 29 00:01:09,404 --> 00:01:11,906 - He had everything that you wanted, 30 00:01:11,948 --> 00:01:13,032 and he reminded you. 31 00:01:13,074 --> 00:01:15,868 - I spent more money on spilled booze 32 00:01:15,910 --> 00:01:18,371 than you made in the last six months. 33 00:01:18,413 --> 00:01:20,998 - His brand wasn't always family-friendly. 34 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,252 - I have four or five women every day of my life. 35 00:01:24,293 --> 00:01:26,629 - Ric Flair--whoo! 36 00:01:26,671 --> 00:01:29,340 was selling sex, drugs, and rock and roll. 37 00:01:29,382 --> 00:01:32,009 - Beautiful women, bright lights, 38 00:01:32,051 --> 00:01:36,973 the big city, limousine rides, jet flying son of a gun. 39 00:01:37,014 --> 00:01:40,476 - Nature was really living all of that. 40 00:01:40,518 --> 00:01:43,229 There was no pretend in any of it. 41 00:01:43,271 --> 00:01:49,360 - You got to be bored to death. The same woman every night? 42 00:01:49,402 --> 00:01:54,282 - Paying alimony to three women at one time was a lot of dough. 43 00:01:54,323 --> 00:01:55,450 As a matter of fact, that's got to be 44 00:01:55,491 --> 00:01:57,201 some kind of record, right? 45 00:01:57,243 --> 00:01:59,579 I'm not changing my lifestyle. 46 00:01:59,620 --> 00:02:01,539 - It was weird because you kind of hated him, 47 00:02:01,581 --> 00:02:03,458 but you loved hating him. 48 00:02:03,499 --> 00:02:06,002 - He appeals to what human beings want. 49 00:02:06,044 --> 00:02:08,337 We wanna be the Man. 50 00:02:08,379 --> 00:02:10,965 - Post Malone, my man. Whoo! 51 00:02:11,007 --> 00:02:12,592 all: Whoo! 52 00:02:12,633 --> 00:02:14,343 - To this day, if you say Ric Flair, 53 00:02:14,385 --> 00:02:15,386 the whole audience will go, "Whoo!" 54 00:02:15,428 --> 00:02:16,637 crowd: Whoo! 55 00:02:16,679 --> 00:02:18,681 - Diamond Ric Flair. all: Whoo! 56 00:02:18,723 --> 00:02:21,267 - Everything was just so over the top with him. 57 00:02:21,309 --> 00:02:23,269 He loved the glamorous life, and who doesn't? 58 00:02:23,311 --> 00:02:25,271 - Whether you like it--whoo! 59 00:02:25,313 --> 00:02:28,608 Or don't like it, learn to love it! 60 00:02:28,649 --> 00:02:32,403 To be the man, daddy, you got beat the Man. 61 00:02:32,445 --> 00:02:34,614 [chuckles] 62 00:02:35,531 --> 00:02:38,451 [dramatic music] 63 00:02:38,493 --> 00:02:45,625 * * 64 00:02:58,137 --> 00:03:00,223 - When you're Ric Flair, 65 00:03:00,264 --> 00:03:02,475 when you're the world champion--whoo! 66 00:03:02,517 --> 00:03:04,685 When you're all there is! 67 00:03:04,727 --> 00:03:06,437 I mean, let's show them one time. 68 00:03:06,479 --> 00:03:08,064 Put that camera on this. Can you get something 69 00:03:08,106 --> 00:03:10,858 to show them what's happening right here? 70 00:03:11,567 --> 00:03:13,945 - Why are we so captivated by villains? 71 00:03:13,986 --> 00:03:17,115 - Villains are the people that drive stories. 72 00:03:17,156 --> 00:03:19,242 - You need people like me. 73 00:03:19,283 --> 00:03:22,078 - Essentially, if you think about any great movie or story 74 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,873 that's ever been told, there can't be a great hero... 75 00:03:25,915 --> 00:03:28,710 - Is he talking to me? - Without a great villain. 76 00:03:28,751 --> 00:03:31,003 - Target zero, right... 77 00:03:31,045 --> 00:03:32,338 here. 78 00:03:32,380 --> 00:03:33,840 - The best villains are the ones 79 00:03:33,881 --> 00:03:35,508 who know what they have to offer 80 00:03:35,550 --> 00:03:37,635 and they're not afraid to talk about it. 81 00:03:37,677 --> 00:03:40,471 - I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich! 82 00:03:40,513 --> 00:03:41,848 all: Yeah! 83 00:03:41,889 --> 00:03:44,475 - In an era defined by excess, 84 00:03:44,517 --> 00:03:46,394 Flair stole the spotlight. 85 00:03:46,436 --> 00:03:48,563 - The Man. 86 00:03:48,604 --> 00:03:50,231 - You gotta understand I'm a hip-hop child, right? 87 00:03:50,273 --> 00:03:51,983 So seeing somebody like that 88 00:03:52,024 --> 00:03:53,609 wear jewelry, and had all the women, 89 00:03:53,651 --> 00:03:54,777 and had all the cars, 90 00:03:54,819 --> 00:03:57,613 it's like that's right up my alley. 91 00:03:57,655 --> 00:03:59,240 - He's not a demon. 92 00:03:59,282 --> 00:04:02,160 He's not a monster. He's a very real man. 93 00:04:02,201 --> 00:04:03,828 - Whoo! 94 00:04:03,870 --> 00:04:06,122 - A man who is better than you. 95 00:04:07,790 --> 00:04:10,835 - Every great villain has an origin story. 96 00:04:10,877 --> 00:04:13,296 - Wanna know how I got these scars? 97 00:04:13,337 --> 00:04:15,548 - And Ric Flair is no different. 98 00:04:15,590 --> 00:04:20,219 - They all wanna be--whoo! Like the Nature Boy. 99 00:04:20,261 --> 00:04:22,638 But there can only be one. 100 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,100 - So just how did he become the Nature Boy? 101 00:04:26,142 --> 00:04:28,561 - I think I was born the Nature Boy, 102 00:04:28,603 --> 00:04:31,064 much to the dismay of my parents. 103 00:04:31,105 --> 00:04:33,149 I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 104 00:04:33,191 --> 00:04:34,859 And I can remember as a kid, 105 00:04:34,901 --> 00:04:37,236 I liked watching wrestling on Saturday night. 106 00:04:37,278 --> 00:04:39,572 My birthday present every year 107 00:04:39,614 --> 00:04:41,783 was to take me to wrestling matches. 108 00:04:41,824 --> 00:04:44,077 I'm adopted, and couldn't have been adopted 109 00:04:44,118 --> 00:04:46,329 by two finer people. 110 00:04:46,370 --> 00:04:49,040 Parents were both so smart. 111 00:04:49,082 --> 00:04:52,043 My dad a double doctorate, my mom a master's. 112 00:04:52,085 --> 00:04:55,046 But I didn't inherit any of their genes. 113 00:04:55,088 --> 00:04:59,217 To say that I was difficult would be an understatement. 114 00:04:59,258 --> 00:05:02,720 I can remember, one night, when I was in seventh grade, 115 00:05:02,762 --> 00:05:04,514 I tied the sheets together, 116 00:05:04,555 --> 00:05:06,474 just like you see in the movies, 117 00:05:06,516 --> 00:05:09,060 got into my friend's Pontiac, who had borrowed it 118 00:05:09,102 --> 00:05:11,270 from his dad, who didn't have a driver's license. 119 00:05:11,312 --> 00:05:14,690 Then we headed over to a girl's slumber party. 120 00:05:14,732 --> 00:05:16,401 This ended up with me in jail 121 00:05:16,442 --> 00:05:19,570 6:00 a.m. on Father's Day. 122 00:05:19,612 --> 00:05:22,156 It was an experience, but you grow up fast. 123 00:05:24,117 --> 00:05:26,786 Got me to a place where the judge said to my parents 124 00:05:26,828 --> 00:05:29,497 it's either military school or boarding school. 125 00:05:29,539 --> 00:05:32,917 So my parents found a real nice boarding school. 126 00:05:32,959 --> 00:05:36,254 There's a lot to be said for going to boarding school 127 00:05:36,295 --> 00:05:38,005 in terms of the responsibility 128 00:05:38,047 --> 00:05:42,218 that you have to carry on your shoulders to grow up. 129 00:05:42,260 --> 00:05:43,678 Either make it or you don't. 130 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,473 And I mean, a lot of kids just rely, go back, 131 00:05:47,515 --> 00:05:50,727 and fall down on your family's name. 132 00:05:50,768 --> 00:05:52,186 All the people in that school, 133 00:05:52,228 --> 00:05:55,606 90% of them came from very wealthy families. 134 00:05:55,648 --> 00:05:57,442 So I saw the lifestyle I wanted. 135 00:05:57,483 --> 00:05:59,944 I just had to figure out how to afford it. 136 00:05:59,986 --> 00:06:01,696 Wasn't really much to fall back on. 137 00:06:01,738 --> 00:06:03,114 I wasn't gonna be a doctor. 138 00:06:03,156 --> 00:06:05,450 So I just found another way to make it, 139 00:06:05,491 --> 00:06:08,327 and I'm--I'm just happy and lucky 140 00:06:08,369 --> 00:06:09,829 that I wound up in wrestling. 141 00:06:11,122 --> 00:06:13,958 - In 1972, Flair was a far cry 142 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:15,960 from becoming the Nature Boy. 143 00:06:16,002 --> 00:06:19,213 - I met Verne, Verne Gagne, AWA champion, 144 00:06:19,255 --> 00:06:21,591 and the promoter and the owner of AWA, 145 00:06:21,632 --> 00:06:22,842 the American Wrestling Alliance, 146 00:06:22,884 --> 00:06:24,510 who I'd met before 147 00:06:24,552 --> 00:06:26,304 because his son and I were friends in high school. 148 00:06:26,345 --> 00:06:29,265 Looked at me and said, "Yeah, we'll see what you got." 149 00:06:29,307 --> 00:06:31,142 That's how it all started. 150 00:06:31,184 --> 00:06:33,102 - You gotta know how to fall. If you don't know how to fall, 151 00:06:33,144 --> 00:06:34,228 you're going to get hurt. 152 00:06:34,270 --> 00:06:35,772 And if you're hurt, you can't wrestle. 153 00:06:35,813 --> 00:06:37,482 And if you can't wrestle, 154 00:06:37,523 --> 00:06:39,150 you don't eat. 155 00:06:39,192 --> 00:06:40,735 It's that simple. 156 00:06:40,777 --> 00:06:44,447 - During the era in which Ric Flair came into wrestling, 157 00:06:44,489 --> 00:06:49,035 there weren't a lot of trainers better than Verne Gagne. 158 00:06:49,077 --> 00:06:51,162 - We had to run 2 miles the first day 159 00:06:51,204 --> 00:06:54,624 and then 500 free squats, 200 crunches. 160 00:06:54,665 --> 00:06:57,585 - 200. 161 00:06:57,627 --> 00:07:00,004 - In 30-degree weather in a barn. 162 00:07:00,046 --> 00:07:02,382 Once I got through that, I felt I could do anything. 163 00:07:02,423 --> 00:07:05,468 You've got Mr. Charisma, Mr. Excitement, Ric Flair, 164 00:07:05,510 --> 00:07:07,011 and you know who I got in my mind? 165 00:07:07,053 --> 00:07:11,140 I got the boy, Conway, with the funny-looking hairdo. 166 00:07:11,182 --> 00:07:13,726 - Everything we know about Ric Flair growing up 167 00:07:13,768 --> 00:07:15,353 is that he did get into trouble. 168 00:07:15,395 --> 00:07:20,274 And I think it was realizing that the stuff he did 169 00:07:20,316 --> 00:07:23,694 that got people so riled up had a real purpose 170 00:07:23,736 --> 00:07:25,530 in the world of professional wrestling. 171 00:07:25,571 --> 00:07:28,032 [bell dings] - Ric Flair... 172 00:07:30,868 --> 00:07:32,829 - Ric had been wrestling for a couple of years, 173 00:07:32,870 --> 00:07:37,333 and he was still figuring out who he was. 174 00:07:37,375 --> 00:07:39,127 - Nothing stood out about Ric Flair. 175 00:07:39,168 --> 00:07:41,754 And you got to stand out to make money. 176 00:07:41,796 --> 00:07:44,006 You got to stand out to have some kind of character 177 00:07:44,048 --> 00:07:46,467 that people are going to remember. 178 00:07:46,509 --> 00:07:48,720 He was kind of unspectacular. 179 00:07:50,930 --> 00:07:54,684 - We're driving 3,000 miles a week back then. 180 00:07:54,726 --> 00:07:56,561 I'd met this guy in a bar-- 181 00:07:56,602 --> 00:07:57,895 shocker, right? 182 00:07:57,937 --> 00:08:00,356 That told me he had a plane. He could fly us. 183 00:08:00,398 --> 00:08:03,693 So we'd been flying with the guy for about a month. 184 00:08:06,738 --> 00:08:09,574 The plane crash came in '75, October 4th. 185 00:08:09,615 --> 00:08:11,784 [dramatic music] 186 00:08:11,826 --> 00:08:14,245 We ran out of gas at 6,000 feet 187 00:08:14,287 --> 00:08:17,915 about a mile and a half from the runaway. 188 00:08:17,957 --> 00:08:20,585 The first engine pinned. 189 00:08:20,626 --> 00:08:22,045 He reached down to pull reserve. 190 00:08:22,086 --> 00:08:24,505 There was always reserve gas. 191 00:08:24,547 --> 00:08:26,090 Second engine pinned. 192 00:08:30,470 --> 00:08:33,681 [high-pitched ringing] 193 00:08:33,723 --> 00:08:36,768 [siren wailing] 194 00:08:38,311 --> 00:08:40,188 The next thing I knew, I was getting put 195 00:08:40,229 --> 00:08:43,524 in one of these old military ambulances. 196 00:08:43,566 --> 00:08:44,859 I just remember them saying, 197 00:08:44,901 --> 00:08:47,236 "I think we're gonna lose this one." 198 00:08:47,278 --> 00:08:50,615 I thought they were talking about me. 199 00:08:50,656 --> 00:08:52,241 Pilot died. 200 00:08:52,283 --> 00:08:55,536 Valentine and Bob Bruggers were paralyzed. 201 00:08:55,578 --> 00:08:57,288 I broke my back in three places. 202 00:08:57,330 --> 00:09:00,583 [machines beeping] 203 00:09:00,625 --> 00:09:02,293 I didn't think I'd ever be able to wrestle again. 204 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,468 [siren wailing] 205 00:09:10,510 --> 00:09:13,429 - He has this horrible plane crash 206 00:09:13,471 --> 00:09:16,933 that he's somehow able to survive. 207 00:09:16,974 --> 00:09:18,434 And while he's in the hospital, 208 00:09:18,476 --> 00:09:21,354 it forces him to take a step back 209 00:09:21,396 --> 00:09:22,688 early in his career 210 00:09:22,730 --> 00:09:25,358 and to think about what it is 211 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:26,943 that he wants to do with this thing. 212 00:09:28,694 --> 00:09:29,987 - I had lost a lot of weight. 213 00:09:30,029 --> 00:09:33,032 I went from 255 to 180 214 00:09:33,074 --> 00:09:35,493 while I was with a broken back. 215 00:09:35,535 --> 00:09:36,953 - Ric probably sitting there 216 00:09:36,994 --> 00:09:38,746 knowing, "I can't be in the ring. 217 00:09:38,788 --> 00:09:41,165 "I can't go out and be myself. 218 00:09:41,207 --> 00:09:43,042 "How do I turn this into a positive? 219 00:09:43,084 --> 00:09:45,128 What can I change?" 220 00:09:45,169 --> 00:09:47,130 - That's when he starts thinking about 221 00:09:47,171 --> 00:09:48,715 the Nature Boy Buddy Rogers. 222 00:09:48,756 --> 00:09:52,719 - Buddy "Nature Boy" Rogers strutting around the ring. 223 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,389 - In the '60s, Nature Boy Buddy Rogers had a strut. 224 00:09:56,431 --> 00:09:59,642 But he had great promos, especially for the day. 225 00:09:59,684 --> 00:10:01,686 He was cocky, arrogant. 226 00:10:01,728 --> 00:10:04,188 - To a nicer guy it couldn't happen. 227 00:10:04,230 --> 00:10:07,525 - He had his shiny, sequined ring gear and jackets 228 00:10:07,567 --> 00:10:09,068 and things like that. 229 00:10:09,110 --> 00:10:10,862 - Ric Flair, who was a big fan of his 230 00:10:10,903 --> 00:10:13,072 and a student of the game, probably took that 231 00:10:13,114 --> 00:10:16,284 and was like, "Man, I could make this 100 times better." 232 00:10:19,078 --> 00:10:21,456 - And that's how it all started with Nature Boy. 233 00:10:22,457 --> 00:10:24,792 - I don't think that you could have a better example 234 00:10:24,834 --> 00:10:28,671 of a phoenix rising from the literal ashes of an airplane. 235 00:10:28,713 --> 00:10:31,632 - Nature Boy, Ric Flair! 236 00:10:32,592 --> 00:10:35,553 - The uncrowned world champion, the U.S. belt, 237 00:10:35,595 --> 00:10:38,347 the World Tag belt, doesn't make any difference. 238 00:10:38,389 --> 00:10:40,349 The new Ric Flair. 239 00:10:40,391 --> 00:10:41,893 - He almost died. He broke his back. 240 00:10:41,934 --> 00:10:43,394 He came back. 241 00:10:43,436 --> 00:10:45,563 And he said, "It's not enough for me to be Ric Flair. 242 00:10:45,605 --> 00:10:47,440 I have to become the Nature Boy." 243 00:10:47,482 --> 00:10:50,610 - Here I am, looking better than any man alive. 244 00:10:50,651 --> 00:10:54,155 The most gorgeous human being on the face of this Earth. 245 00:10:54,197 --> 00:10:57,533 - In 1978, I felt pretty comfortable with myself. 246 00:10:57,575 --> 00:10:59,285 The Nature Boy thing was kicking in. 247 00:10:59,327 --> 00:11:02,038 - Once he realized he was "the Man," 248 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,583 I think that's where that evil persona really took over. 249 00:11:05,625 --> 00:11:07,627 - One of the biggest stars in wrestling today. 250 00:11:07,668 --> 00:11:09,128 He knows it. 251 00:11:09,170 --> 00:11:10,588 He's probably one of the biggest egotists. 252 00:11:10,630 --> 00:11:13,257 - And the presentation was all part of the package. 253 00:11:13,299 --> 00:11:16,469 - Ric walked in dressed to the nines, hair perfect, 254 00:11:16,511 --> 00:11:18,805 and had a swagger about him and a strut about him. 255 00:11:18,846 --> 00:11:23,226 - You can see that slightly cocky walk that he has. 256 00:11:23,267 --> 00:11:24,644 - Prior to Ric Flair, 257 00:11:24,685 --> 00:11:26,479 professional wrestling wasn't the sort of job 258 00:11:26,521 --> 00:11:28,189 that you showed up to in a suit. 259 00:11:28,231 --> 00:11:30,316 When you see somebody getting off of a team bus 260 00:11:30,358 --> 00:11:32,318 and for those, like, 90 seconds 261 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:33,611 that they're being trailed by a camera, 262 00:11:33,653 --> 00:11:35,321 they have put on a three-piece suit 263 00:11:35,363 --> 00:11:37,073 and a nice watch and a pair of sunglasses, 264 00:11:37,115 --> 00:11:38,574 there's a little bit of Ric Flair in all that. 265 00:11:38,616 --> 00:11:43,079 - We're talking about stylin' and profilin'. 266 00:11:43,121 --> 00:11:45,164 The most expensive stuff available. 267 00:11:45,206 --> 00:11:47,625 I saw Joe Namath, and I was gonna be better. 268 00:11:47,667 --> 00:11:51,003 Diamond ring wearing, kiss-stealing--whoo! 269 00:11:51,045 --> 00:11:53,631 Wheeling, dealing, limousine-riding, 270 00:11:53,673 --> 00:11:55,967 jet-flying son of a gun. 271 00:11:56,008 --> 00:11:58,511 - He had everything that you wanted, 272 00:11:58,553 --> 00:12:00,054 and he reminded you 273 00:12:00,096 --> 00:12:02,348 that he had everything that you wanted. 274 00:12:02,390 --> 00:12:04,976 - Ric stood out and was different 275 00:12:05,017 --> 00:12:08,104 than everybody else every single night. 276 00:12:08,146 --> 00:12:11,190 - I dress myself in alligator shoes. 277 00:12:11,232 --> 00:12:14,402 I wear a $15,000 Rolex. 278 00:12:14,444 --> 00:12:16,112 Rolex owes me a commercial, man. 279 00:12:16,154 --> 00:12:19,365 A free one. [chuckles] 280 00:12:19,407 --> 00:12:21,075 Rolex, when? 281 00:12:22,493 --> 00:12:24,412 - Ric Flair's full of himself, 282 00:12:24,454 --> 00:12:26,414 and that's what makes it easy to boo him. 283 00:12:26,456 --> 00:12:29,417 But when he says, like, "You wish you had what I have," 284 00:12:29,459 --> 00:12:30,460 he's not wrong. 285 00:12:30,501 --> 00:12:33,004 - Whoo! Setting the world on fire. 286 00:12:33,046 --> 00:12:34,672 - Private jets? 287 00:12:34,714 --> 00:12:38,843 You didn't know of people who flew in private airplanes, 288 00:12:38,885 --> 00:12:41,220 and Ric Flair did this on the regular. 289 00:12:41,262 --> 00:12:43,723 - He was simply the personification of excess 290 00:12:43,765 --> 00:12:46,809 in a decade defined by materialism and greed. 291 00:12:46,851 --> 00:12:50,897 - I think the '80s were an ideal time for Ric. 292 00:12:50,938 --> 00:12:53,608 - "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" on TV, 293 00:12:53,649 --> 00:12:56,152 shows like "Dynasty" and greed is good, right? 294 00:12:56,194 --> 00:13:01,324 - Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. 295 00:13:01,365 --> 00:13:04,285 - Ric Flair was the Gordon Gekko of wrestling. 296 00:13:04,327 --> 00:13:07,371 - This is what all of them are wearing 297 00:13:07,413 --> 00:13:09,582 on Wall Street, Danny, huh? 298 00:13:09,624 --> 00:13:12,585 - If you had Michael Jordans, you were Ric Flair life. 299 00:13:12,627 --> 00:13:14,837 If you were wearing PRO-keds or Converses, 300 00:13:14,879 --> 00:13:15,963 you were just some wrestler 301 00:13:16,005 --> 00:13:17,548 he was gonna beat up that night. 302 00:13:17,590 --> 00:13:18,925 - When I'm in that ring, 303 00:13:18,966 --> 00:13:21,094 I don't care about anybody 304 00:13:21,135 --> 00:13:24,472 in the whole world but me. 305 00:13:25,431 --> 00:13:28,976 - He understood what a villain is supposed to do in the ring. 306 00:13:31,396 --> 00:13:34,232 The villain getting his butt kicked in the right spots 307 00:13:34,273 --> 00:13:36,150 is what makes a match work. 308 00:13:36,192 --> 00:13:39,320 - I can't help but feel that Dusty has it right here now. 309 00:13:39,362 --> 00:13:42,115 - You have to make a guy look like he's a guy 310 00:13:42,156 --> 00:13:45,076 that can beat you for that world championship. 311 00:13:45,118 --> 00:13:46,536 - Oh, he's upside down! 312 00:13:46,577 --> 00:13:48,746 - The toss into the turnbuckle, 313 00:13:48,788 --> 00:13:51,249 grab the bottom buckle, flip over, 314 00:13:51,290 --> 00:13:53,418 and run down the side of the ring 315 00:13:53,459 --> 00:13:55,920 is one of the most classic 316 00:13:55,962 --> 00:13:59,507 "watch the bad guy get what he deserves" moves. 317 00:13:59,549 --> 00:14:01,801 - And he brings him up very unceremoniously 318 00:14:01,843 --> 00:14:03,136 right off the top. 319 00:14:03,177 --> 00:14:05,930 - The Flair on his knees, when he do like that 320 00:14:05,972 --> 00:14:07,515 and that hair be shaking. 321 00:14:07,557 --> 00:14:10,476 - And Flair cowering in the corner. 322 00:14:10,518 --> 00:14:13,813 - He was begging him, "Please, please don't do it." 323 00:14:13,855 --> 00:14:15,648 And the referee goes, "Oh come on." 324 00:14:15,690 --> 00:14:17,442 And then the guy turns his back, 325 00:14:17,483 --> 00:14:21,112 and then Flair jumps up and punches him. 326 00:14:21,154 --> 00:14:24,365 - Flair, thumb to the eye of Sting. 327 00:14:24,407 --> 00:14:26,451 - Would really make you say, "Wait a minute, man. 328 00:14:26,492 --> 00:14:28,619 You can't be doing that to the good guys." 329 00:14:28,661 --> 00:14:31,789 - And there's his play-it-again slam. 330 00:14:31,831 --> 00:14:34,459 - There's your pretty boy. Now he's ugly. 331 00:14:34,500 --> 00:14:37,503 - When he got on your good guy, 332 00:14:37,545 --> 00:14:40,298 he could do it and be incredibly vicious. 333 00:14:40,339 --> 00:14:41,799 - Flair's got a chair! 334 00:14:41,841 --> 00:14:44,552 Oh, my God! Right across his knees. 335 00:14:44,594 --> 00:14:47,555 - I'm the dirtiest player in the game! 336 00:14:47,597 --> 00:14:50,016 - He calls himself the dirtiest player in the game. 337 00:14:50,058 --> 00:14:51,684 When you say that out loud, 338 00:14:51,726 --> 00:14:53,770 it takes a little bit of the sting off of it, right? 339 00:14:53,811 --> 00:14:56,314 It's like he's telling you who he is. 340 00:14:56,355 --> 00:14:58,733 - He's cheating. - Yes, he's cheating. 341 00:14:58,775 --> 00:15:00,902 - Hey, shut up! 342 00:15:00,943 --> 00:15:02,278 - He was leaving with that title, 343 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:04,030 and that's what made him a great villain. 344 00:15:04,072 --> 00:15:09,702 - I am still the world heavyweight wrestling champion. 345 00:15:09,744 --> 00:15:13,372 - My dad being able to take you on this roller coaster 346 00:15:13,414 --> 00:15:15,458 and look like he was about to lose, 347 00:15:15,500 --> 00:15:17,168 but being the dirtiest player in the game, 348 00:15:17,210 --> 00:15:20,380 he was able to sneak one out, just makes you hate him more. 349 00:15:20,421 --> 00:15:22,465 Like you weren't even gonna win. 350 00:15:22,507 --> 00:15:27,303 - To be the man, daddy, you gotta beat the Man. 351 00:15:27,345 --> 00:15:29,722 - Being a man was about conquering. 352 00:15:29,764 --> 00:15:31,808 Ric Flair represented everybody's bully. 353 00:15:31,849 --> 00:15:34,477 - Sting. Oh, it's great. 354 00:15:34,519 --> 00:15:36,562 The first thing I wanna do 355 00:15:36,604 --> 00:15:40,733 when I get up in the morning is paint my face. 356 00:15:40,775 --> 00:15:44,779 - His ability to talk [...] is unparalleled. 357 00:15:44,821 --> 00:15:47,407 - He knew the buttons to push on people. 358 00:15:47,448 --> 00:15:51,077 - You got to be bored to death. 359 00:15:51,119 --> 00:15:53,871 The same woman every night? 360 00:15:53,913 --> 00:15:56,165 - It's kinda like that Floyd Mayweather disease 361 00:15:56,207 --> 00:16:00,628 where people pay a lot of money to watch this guy lose. 362 00:16:00,670 --> 00:16:03,172 - The whole world 363 00:16:03,214 --> 00:16:08,636 wants to shut Slick Ric up, bottom line. 364 00:16:08,678 --> 00:16:11,472 - Flair's obnoxious flaunting of wealth and status 365 00:16:11,514 --> 00:16:13,349 made for a perfect rivalry 366 00:16:13,391 --> 00:16:15,476 with the blue-collar working man. 367 00:16:15,518 --> 00:16:19,605 - Oh, oh. Here he comes! The American Dream. 368 00:16:19,647 --> 00:16:23,276 - Dusty Rhodes, also known as the American Dream, 369 00:16:23,317 --> 00:16:27,613 was a working-class guy who dared to stand up to the Man. 370 00:16:27,655 --> 00:16:31,743 - Get a dream, hold on to it, and shoot for the sky. 371 00:16:31,784 --> 00:16:35,288 - I wanted to see Dusty Rhodes beat the tar out him. 372 00:16:35,329 --> 00:16:37,790 Dusty Rhodes was the everyday working man, 373 00:16:37,832 --> 00:16:39,333 the son of a plumber. 374 00:16:39,375 --> 00:16:42,295 - Who's your favorite wrestler? - Dusty Rhodes. 375 00:16:42,336 --> 00:16:44,422 - He represented the average guy. 376 00:16:44,464 --> 00:16:45,631 That's why they loved him. 377 00:16:45,673 --> 00:16:46,632 That's why they connected with them. 378 00:16:46,674 --> 00:16:48,801 They felt like they were him. 379 00:16:48,843 --> 00:16:51,095 - Dusty Rhodes, the man who has caught the heart 380 00:16:51,137 --> 00:16:54,474 and the fancy in the minds of people everywhere. 381 00:16:54,515 --> 00:16:56,809 - If you were the regular fan, 382 00:16:56,851 --> 00:16:59,812 rooting for the son of a plumber like Dusty Rhodes, 383 00:16:59,854 --> 00:17:01,814 there was no one worse than Ric Flair. 384 00:17:01,856 --> 00:17:07,028 He embodied all of this capitalistic greed. 385 00:17:07,070 --> 00:17:08,988 - This wasn't just a rivalry. 386 00:17:09,030 --> 00:17:11,074 This was class warfare, 387 00:17:11,115 --> 00:17:14,035 the working-class hero taking on the loud-mouth rich guy 388 00:17:14,077 --> 00:17:15,620 flaunting his spoils. 389 00:17:15,661 --> 00:17:17,830 - I want you to jump out of that TV. 390 00:17:17,872 --> 00:17:21,375 Yeah, you bad. Yeah, you bad, Ric. 391 00:17:21,417 --> 00:17:25,254 - Big Dust, you got no belt. You got no life. 392 00:17:25,296 --> 00:17:26,964 You got nothing to brag about. 393 00:17:27,006 --> 00:17:28,424 Nothing to stand on. 394 00:17:28,466 --> 00:17:30,301 - Don't talk about the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. 395 00:17:30,343 --> 00:17:33,554 I am the best, daddy. There is no other. 396 00:17:33,596 --> 00:17:35,598 - It was the guy on the pedestal 397 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:36,682 against the common man. 398 00:17:36,724 --> 00:17:38,976 - I'm tired of looking at hat. 399 00:17:39,018 --> 00:17:42,855 I'm just gonna slip it off and throw it out to the fans. 400 00:17:42,897 --> 00:17:45,483 Yeah, yeah! 401 00:17:45,525 --> 00:17:48,861 - He would talk about what a disgusting slob 402 00:17:48,903 --> 00:17:50,154 Dusty Rhodes was. 403 00:17:50,196 --> 00:17:54,033 - Dusty Rhodes, you're a country-talking fool. 404 00:17:54,075 --> 00:17:56,869 - But he knew that that was going to get under fans' skin. 405 00:17:56,911 --> 00:18:00,498 - I'm gonna beat you half to death because I have to. 406 00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:02,375 - He was the guy living in the biggest house 407 00:18:02,417 --> 00:18:03,876 in the biggest side of town. 408 00:18:03,918 --> 00:18:05,586 The other guy was the son of a plumber. 409 00:18:05,628 --> 00:18:08,214 Blue collar, white collar. It was classic. 410 00:18:08,256 --> 00:18:09,924 - Now is the time 411 00:18:09,966 --> 00:18:12,135 that the talking stops and the fighting begins. 412 00:18:12,176 --> 00:18:13,970 - A battle of two giants 413 00:18:14,011 --> 00:18:17,014 in the wrestling world here tonight. 414 00:18:17,056 --> 00:18:18,474 - The war between Flair and Dusty 415 00:18:18,516 --> 00:18:19,809 set a new standard 416 00:18:19,851 --> 00:18:22,478 for what an epic rivalry could become. 417 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,605 - I wrestled Dusty in the Orange Bowl, 418 00:18:24,647 --> 00:18:27,358 and we had, like, 40,000 people. 419 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,402 We did huge business. 420 00:18:30,445 --> 00:18:31,696 - While Flair and Rhodes 421 00:18:31,738 --> 00:18:33,823 were in all-out conflict, 422 00:18:33,865 --> 00:18:37,243 the U.S. was waging a cold war against the Soviet Union... 423 00:18:37,285 --> 00:18:40,246 - Soviets have been building their military strength. 424 00:18:40,288 --> 00:18:42,373 The Cold War went right on. 425 00:18:42,415 --> 00:18:43,833 - A real-life issue 426 00:18:43,875 --> 00:18:46,127 that was playing out in the ring. 427 00:18:46,169 --> 00:18:48,546 - Sports entertainment 101 is 428 00:18:48,588 --> 00:18:51,257 who was the U.S.'s enemy at this time? 429 00:18:51,299 --> 00:18:55,136 - Russia, number one. Iran, number one. 430 00:18:55,178 --> 00:18:57,972 USA--[spits] 431 00:18:58,014 --> 00:19:00,516 - You just plug that in. It's very easy. 432 00:19:00,558 --> 00:19:03,770 There's that sense of pride and nationalism. 433 00:19:03,811 --> 00:19:05,646 And if you have somebody that's representing that, 434 00:19:05,688 --> 00:19:07,774 people are gonna cheer for that person. 435 00:19:07,815 --> 00:19:10,443 - So fast forward to Nikita Koloff 436 00:19:10,485 --> 00:19:12,111 taking on a Ric Flair. 437 00:19:12,153 --> 00:19:14,864 And Ric Flair, even though we hated him 438 00:19:14,906 --> 00:19:19,118 and he was this evil guy, he was our evil guy. 439 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:23,623 - And as we have seen so many times, a double-team. 440 00:19:23,664 --> 00:19:27,502 - Flair is locked in a cage. He's in peril. 441 00:19:27,543 --> 00:19:29,003 - And here's the American Dream 442 00:19:29,045 --> 00:19:30,755 as he got into the ring. 443 00:19:30,797 --> 00:19:34,967 - In comes Dusty Rhodes, the American Dream. 444 00:19:35,009 --> 00:19:37,845 - Coming to the aid of the world heavyweight champion 445 00:19:37,887 --> 00:19:40,473 is Dusty Rhodes, the world television champion. 446 00:19:40,515 --> 00:19:43,559 - Dusty comes out, and he helps Ric Flair. 447 00:19:43,601 --> 00:19:45,645 - And right now, Dusty has cleared the ring, 448 00:19:45,686 --> 00:19:47,230 and there they stand. 449 00:19:48,356 --> 00:19:51,943 And now we're going to see, Bob, look here, from behind, 450 00:19:51,984 --> 00:19:54,445 both the Andersons working over Dusty Rhodes. 451 00:19:54,487 --> 00:19:57,156 - And he turns on Dusty Rhodes. 452 00:19:57,198 --> 00:19:59,575 - Ric is not worried about red, white, and blue. 453 00:19:59,617 --> 00:20:01,911 Ric is worried about green at the end of the day. 454 00:20:01,953 --> 00:20:04,497 - And now it's a three on one. 455 00:20:04,539 --> 00:20:06,666 - Attacking Dusty, breaking his leg, 456 00:20:06,707 --> 00:20:08,292 beating on Dusty Rhodes. 457 00:20:08,334 --> 00:20:10,086 - The violence seemed real. 458 00:20:10,128 --> 00:20:14,799 You thought, "Man, Ric really wants to kill Dusty." 459 00:20:14,841 --> 00:20:15,883 - All of us sitting there like, 460 00:20:15,925 --> 00:20:18,094 how can we have been so stupid 461 00:20:18,136 --> 00:20:20,388 as to trust the dirtiest player in the game? 462 00:20:21,889 --> 00:20:24,809 - Fans were trying to climb the cage 463 00:20:24,851 --> 00:20:27,770 to get inside to help Dusty Rhodes. 464 00:20:27,812 --> 00:20:29,731 - Took us an hour to get out of the ring. 465 00:20:29,772 --> 00:20:32,358 We had heat, man, 466 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:33,943 and it drove people crazy. 467 00:20:33,985 --> 00:20:37,572 - That face sure tells it all, Tony. 468 00:20:37,613 --> 00:20:39,031 - I'm the man 469 00:20:39,073 --> 00:20:43,202 that put Dusty Rhodes in a knee-high cast. 470 00:20:43,244 --> 00:20:44,454 Dusty Rhodes. 471 00:20:44,495 --> 00:20:45,621 - Get him, Ric! 472 00:20:45,663 --> 00:20:49,083 - It's only just begun. 473 00:20:53,463 --> 00:20:54,839 - With the sabotage on Dusty, 474 00:20:54,881 --> 00:20:56,674 Flair was a marked man. 475 00:20:56,716 --> 00:20:58,634 He needed reinforcements, 476 00:20:58,676 --> 00:21:00,344 so he created a faction of henchmen. 477 00:21:00,386 --> 00:21:03,514 - The Four Horsemen! That's what it's all about! 478 00:21:03,556 --> 00:21:06,601 The mastermind and all the talent. 479 00:21:06,642 --> 00:21:08,728 The new world Tag Team champions 480 00:21:08,770 --> 00:21:10,104 Ole and Arn Anderson. 481 00:21:10,146 --> 00:21:14,358 The new world TV champion Tully Blanchard. 482 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,027 Four guys that could work and talk. 483 00:21:16,069 --> 00:21:17,195 Real simple. 484 00:21:17,236 --> 00:21:20,698 We are the studs in professional wrestling. 485 00:21:20,740 --> 00:21:23,284 - Obviously, Ric being the leader of the group. 486 00:21:23,326 --> 00:21:27,038 JJ Dillon, a manager of the Four Horsemen. 487 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,124 Arn Anderson being that enforcer. 488 00:21:30,166 --> 00:21:31,876 And then you have someone like Ole Anderson, 489 00:21:31,918 --> 00:21:33,753 who was mean as can be. 490 00:21:33,795 --> 00:21:36,672 - How about it now, Rhodes, huh? How about it now? 491 00:21:36,714 --> 00:21:38,716 - And Tully Blanchard, he was smooth. 492 00:21:38,758 --> 00:21:40,218 He was the guy in the ring 493 00:21:40,259 --> 00:21:42,178 that maybe was the closest to Ric. 494 00:21:42,220 --> 00:21:44,180 - The Horsemen were sitting around 495 00:21:44,222 --> 00:21:45,515 having a little brewski, 496 00:21:45,556 --> 00:21:47,475 looking at a few ladies on the beach. 497 00:21:47,517 --> 00:21:50,853 - All you have to do is go like this, and everybody knows 498 00:21:50,895 --> 00:21:52,355 what you're talking about. 499 00:21:52,397 --> 00:21:55,525 - We talking Horsemen. 500 00:21:55,566 --> 00:21:59,445 - Ric Flair elevated every other member of that team. 501 00:21:59,487 --> 00:22:01,155 all: Whoo-hoo! 502 00:22:01,197 --> 00:22:02,240 - The group embodied 503 00:22:02,281 --> 00:22:04,158 everything that Flair stood for: 504 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:08,663 money, women, and, of course, dirty deeds. 505 00:22:08,704 --> 00:22:11,124 - He's doing it again like before! 506 00:22:11,165 --> 00:22:12,542 - They weren't the biggest. They weren't the strongest. 507 00:22:12,583 --> 00:22:13,835 They weren't the fastest, 508 00:22:13,876 --> 00:22:15,336 but they were the most tight-knit. 509 00:22:15,378 --> 00:22:18,172 - There's Tully Blanchard and the Andersons 510 00:22:18,214 --> 00:22:20,800 and the Four Horsemen together. 511 00:22:20,842 --> 00:22:23,803 - If I was a wrestler, I'd be Killer Mike, 512 00:22:23,845 --> 00:22:25,555 and I'd be the fifth Horseman. 513 00:22:25,596 --> 00:22:29,392 - All for one, Horsemen, and one for all. 514 00:22:29,434 --> 00:22:31,144 [dramatic music] 515 00:22:31,185 --> 00:22:33,020 - The Four Horsemen became the blueprint 516 00:22:33,062 --> 00:22:36,441 to every faction to follow from that point forward. 517 00:22:36,482 --> 00:22:37,775 - They were the first. 518 00:22:37,817 --> 00:22:39,527 I was so influenced by it 519 00:22:39,569 --> 00:22:41,696 that I went off the rails of my career. 520 00:22:41,738 --> 00:22:43,364 - We are the D-Generation X. - D-Generation. 521 00:22:43,406 --> 00:22:46,951 - You made your rules, and we will break them. 522 00:22:46,993 --> 00:22:49,912 - Before DX, the nWo, 523 00:22:49,954 --> 00:22:52,373 and every iconic group that would follow, 524 00:22:52,415 --> 00:22:55,710 the Horseman revolutionized the industry. 525 00:22:55,752 --> 00:22:58,546 - Traveling from town to town, kicking butt. 526 00:22:58,588 --> 00:23:00,923 - We beat up who we want to beat up, 527 00:23:00,965 --> 00:23:02,383 when we wanna beat them up. 528 00:23:02,425 --> 00:23:04,635 - They just went around saying they were the best, 529 00:23:04,677 --> 00:23:06,262 and they were. 530 00:23:06,304 --> 00:23:09,432 - There is no greater faction in the history of pro wrestling 531 00:23:09,474 --> 00:23:11,059 than the Four Horsemen. 532 00:23:11,100 --> 00:23:12,894 - With the Horsemen by his side, 533 00:23:12,935 --> 00:23:14,520 Flair was unbeatable, 534 00:23:14,562 --> 00:23:17,315 winning championship after championship. 535 00:23:17,356 --> 00:23:20,109 - Ric Flair is the champion again! 536 00:23:20,151 --> 00:23:23,780 - You're history, Luger! Whoo! 537 00:23:25,615 --> 00:23:27,116 - So by the late '80s, 538 00:23:27,158 --> 00:23:29,827 Ric Flair sorta starts to distance himself 539 00:23:29,869 --> 00:23:31,370 from the Four Horsemen. 540 00:23:31,412 --> 00:23:34,707 As he distanced himself from the Four Horsemen, 541 00:23:34,749 --> 00:23:36,334 he kind of got back into his craft, 542 00:23:36,375 --> 00:23:39,253 which is being an incredible wrestler. 543 00:23:39,295 --> 00:23:41,255 And that kind of started this rivalry 544 00:23:41,297 --> 00:23:43,091 with Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat. 545 00:23:43,132 --> 00:23:45,885 - You're gonna be mine. Don't make a mistake. 546 00:23:45,927 --> 00:23:47,387 - One-hour time limit 547 00:23:47,428 --> 00:23:49,931 for the heavyweight championship of the world. 548 00:23:49,972 --> 00:23:52,225 And now Flair, double arm suplex. 549 00:23:52,266 --> 00:23:53,351 Great move! 550 00:23:53,393 --> 00:23:55,603 - His working the ring was insane. 551 00:23:55,645 --> 00:23:57,105 - Flair, great movement. 552 00:23:57,146 --> 00:23:58,981 Oh, busts him--my God-- on the top. 553 00:23:59,023 --> 00:24:01,442 - Flair was going 60 minutes a night. 554 00:24:01,484 --> 00:24:03,653 60 minutes in the main event. 555 00:24:04,904 --> 00:24:07,990 - I am, and you ask the female audience, 556 00:24:08,032 --> 00:24:10,368 the 60-minute man, pal. 557 00:24:10,410 --> 00:24:13,871 So if you can hang in there, think about it. 558 00:24:13,913 --> 00:24:16,958 - People start to look at Ric Flair, like "Huh. 559 00:24:16,999 --> 00:24:18,668 "I know this guy cheats a lot, 560 00:24:18,710 --> 00:24:20,920 "but he really wrestles his ass off. 561 00:24:20,962 --> 00:24:22,797 He can go." You know? 562 00:24:22,839 --> 00:24:24,382 - It showed the world 563 00:24:24,424 --> 00:24:27,427 that once you put the microphone down, 564 00:24:27,468 --> 00:24:32,890 Ric Flair is every bit as good a wrestler as he says he is. 565 00:24:32,932 --> 00:24:34,183 - A slam. 566 00:24:34,225 --> 00:24:36,561 But Flair inside. One, two-- 567 00:24:36,602 --> 00:24:38,479 - He did it! - He did it! 568 00:24:38,521 --> 00:24:40,231 [cheers and applause] 569 00:24:40,273 --> 00:24:44,152 And Flair has done it. Flair has done it. 570 00:24:44,193 --> 00:24:46,487 - As his fame and fortune continued to grow, 571 00:24:46,529 --> 00:24:48,030 so did his arrogance. 572 00:24:48,072 --> 00:24:50,158 - Take a look at that, huh? 573 00:24:50,199 --> 00:24:54,287 Arnold Schwarzenegger, be glad you're making movies. 574 00:24:54,328 --> 00:24:56,664 - But the manner in which he did it 575 00:24:56,706 --> 00:24:59,292 made his presence undeniable. 576 00:24:59,333 --> 00:25:02,003 - Ric is a Scarface-like figure... 577 00:25:02,045 --> 00:25:04,047 - Say good night to the bad guy. 578 00:25:04,088 --> 00:25:07,592 - Because he appeals to what human beings want. 579 00:25:07,633 --> 00:25:08,718 We wanna be the Man. 580 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:11,012 - I'm rich. I'm famous. 581 00:25:11,054 --> 00:25:14,223 I'm unparalleled in sports today. 582 00:25:14,265 --> 00:25:15,892 I'm the Man. 583 00:25:15,933 --> 00:25:18,478 - Ric Flair is the reason I sit here right now 584 00:25:18,519 --> 00:25:22,690 with a Rolex on my arm and $150,000 Mercedes outside. 585 00:25:22,732 --> 00:25:24,108 It's not that I thought 586 00:25:24,150 --> 00:25:25,985 that that's what I needed to be cool. 587 00:25:26,027 --> 00:25:29,864 He was cool, and that was everything he had. 588 00:25:29,906 --> 00:25:32,617 - I think, secretly, deep down inside, 589 00:25:32,658 --> 00:25:34,202 we all wanted to be that guy. 590 00:25:34,243 --> 00:25:36,746 But Ric Flair was the epitome of that. 591 00:25:36,788 --> 00:25:38,915 - A part of us is like, wow. 592 00:25:38,956 --> 00:25:41,375 It's flash, right? It's wealth. 593 00:25:41,417 --> 00:25:44,212 It's all of the things that a lot of people 594 00:25:44,253 --> 00:25:46,089 would aspire to in real life. 595 00:25:47,256 --> 00:25:49,425 - The girls over here are hollering. 596 00:25:49,467 --> 00:25:51,094 [cheering] 597 00:25:51,135 --> 00:25:53,304 Slick Ric, you know. Hey. 598 00:25:53,346 --> 00:25:55,473 - He wanted to be the guy that got all the girls. 599 00:25:55,515 --> 00:25:56,849 When you think of him, that's just the thing 600 00:25:56,891 --> 00:25:58,476 that is attached. 601 00:25:58,518 --> 00:26:00,436 - I tell you, the lifestyle of this man 602 00:26:00,478 --> 00:26:02,355 never ceases to amaze. 603 00:26:02,397 --> 00:26:05,108 - Hulk was selling milk and cookies. 604 00:26:05,149 --> 00:26:07,735 - These are the very best vitamins on the market. 605 00:26:07,777 --> 00:26:09,654 - Ric Flair--whoo! 606 00:26:09,695 --> 00:26:13,116 Was selling sex, drugs, and rock and roll. 607 00:26:13,157 --> 00:26:16,160 - Hulk Hogan had cartoons, but what he didn't have 608 00:26:16,202 --> 00:26:18,204 was the ability to walk into any club 609 00:26:18,246 --> 00:26:20,581 and every woman in that club 610 00:26:20,623 --> 00:26:23,835 instantly think "I wanna ride Space Mountain tonight." 611 00:26:23,876 --> 00:26:26,546 - You don't have to go to Disney World 612 00:26:26,587 --> 00:26:27,964 to find Space Mountain. 613 00:26:28,005 --> 00:26:29,298 It's right here. 614 00:26:29,340 --> 00:26:32,093 I just made it up one day. [laughs] 615 00:26:32,135 --> 00:26:35,471 One night, a woman--whoo! Just screamed out, 616 00:26:35,513 --> 00:26:38,599 "It's like--it's like--whoo! Space Mountain." 617 00:26:38,641 --> 00:26:41,769 And next thing I knew, it was, like, national news. 618 00:26:41,811 --> 00:26:43,271 And I got news for you. 619 00:26:43,312 --> 00:26:45,857 When you get on Space Mountain, you'll be like this-- 620 00:26:47,233 --> 00:26:50,611 Drinks on the Nature Boy. [laughs] 621 00:26:50,653 --> 00:26:53,197 [dramatic music] 622 00:26:53,239 --> 00:26:56,284 I spent more money on spilled booze 623 00:26:56,325 --> 00:26:59,245 than you made in the last six months. 624 00:26:59,287 --> 00:27:00,955 - The Nature Boy's avarice lifestyle 625 00:27:00,997 --> 00:27:02,457 wasn't an act. 626 00:27:02,498 --> 00:27:05,376 He lived it 24/7. 627 00:27:05,418 --> 00:27:06,586 - Where does that character end, 628 00:27:06,627 --> 00:27:08,671 and where does the real guy begin? 629 00:27:08,713 --> 00:27:11,299 We don't really know that at all. 630 00:27:11,340 --> 00:27:13,301 - It's who he truly was. 631 00:27:13,342 --> 00:27:17,513 The Ric Flair character was so strong 632 00:27:17,555 --> 00:27:20,266 that I think it overtook his life. 633 00:27:24,270 --> 00:27:28,691 - No, this is the WWE. 634 00:27:28,733 --> 00:27:31,194 - By 1992, Flair had yet 635 00:27:31,235 --> 00:27:34,197 to style and profile his way through the WWE. 636 00:27:34,238 --> 00:27:36,949 - There he is in all his regal-ness. 637 00:27:36,991 --> 00:27:39,619 - At WWE's Royal Rumble event, 638 00:27:39,660 --> 00:27:42,872 Flair outlasted 29 other superstars 639 00:27:42,914 --> 00:27:45,374 to win the WWE championship. 640 00:27:45,416 --> 00:27:50,838 - It's Flair from behind. Oh, yes. Yes! 641 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,217 - It was the pinnacle of his career and his life. 642 00:27:54,258 --> 00:27:56,219 - The promo that Ric Flair cut after winning 643 00:27:56,260 --> 00:28:00,348 the 1992 Royal Rumble and becoming the WWE champion 644 00:28:00,390 --> 00:28:03,226 is the most important Ric Flair promo there is. 645 00:28:03,267 --> 00:28:09,148 - I'm gonna tell y'all with a tear in my eye, 646 00:28:09,190 --> 00:28:13,361 this is the greatest moment in my life. 647 00:28:13,403 --> 00:28:14,654 - 'Cause he says, "With a tear in my eye, 648 00:28:14,695 --> 00:28:16,572 this is the greatest moment of my life." 649 00:28:16,614 --> 00:28:18,282 He doesn't say, "This is the greatest moment 650 00:28:18,324 --> 00:28:19,909 of my professional life." 651 00:28:19,951 --> 00:28:23,246 He says, "This is the greatest moment of my life." 652 00:28:23,287 --> 00:28:25,081 - It's the greatest moment of my life. 653 00:28:25,123 --> 00:28:27,291 - It is a real acknowledgment 654 00:28:27,333 --> 00:28:30,169 that there is nothing more important to him 655 00:28:30,211 --> 00:28:32,672 than being at the top of his industry. 656 00:28:32,714 --> 00:28:35,174 And that includes family, and that includes friends, 657 00:28:35,216 --> 00:28:36,384 and that includes anything 658 00:28:36,426 --> 00:28:39,429 that might happen outside of this universe. 659 00:28:39,470 --> 00:28:41,848 - Whoo! [laughs] 660 00:28:41,889 --> 00:28:43,891 - That was his life. That's who he was. 661 00:28:43,933 --> 00:28:48,980 I think Ric Flair was 100% committed to pro wrestling. 662 00:28:49,021 --> 00:28:51,899 - I live and die 663 00:28:51,941 --> 00:28:57,905 and breathe each day of my life for this business. 664 00:28:57,947 --> 00:28:59,198 - For 15 years, 665 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,492 Flair's deviant actions in the ring 666 00:29:01,534 --> 00:29:04,620 fueled his lavish lifestyle outside of it. 667 00:29:04,662 --> 00:29:09,625 Everything I have is because my name is Ric Flair. 668 00:29:09,667 --> 00:29:12,754 - But it was getting out of control. 669 00:29:12,795 --> 00:29:17,300 The line between the character and the man was gone. 670 00:29:17,341 --> 00:29:18,926 - I mean, it wasn't a gimmick. 671 00:29:18,968 --> 00:29:22,013 This was the life that he ended up leading. 672 00:29:22,055 --> 00:29:23,347 - Come on up here, ladies. 673 00:29:23,389 --> 00:29:25,641 Let this camera get a little bit of look at you. 674 00:29:25,683 --> 00:29:27,268 Jan, darlin', 675 00:29:27,310 --> 00:29:30,396 I didn't expect to see you for another week or two. 676 00:29:30,438 --> 00:29:33,983 - Nature was really living all of that. 677 00:29:34,025 --> 00:29:37,487 There was no pretend in any of it. 678 00:29:37,528 --> 00:29:38,905 - Can you believe these women? 679 00:29:38,946 --> 00:29:42,033 Now you know why I come into this television station 680 00:29:42,075 --> 00:29:44,285 a little weary once in a while. 681 00:29:44,327 --> 00:29:49,207 I have to fulfill all the dreams, the desires, 682 00:29:49,248 --> 00:29:53,336 the wishes, and the lusts of thousands of young women 683 00:29:53,378 --> 00:29:56,672 all throughout this great country. 684 00:29:56,714 --> 00:29:59,675 - The best was in Baltimore, when I woke up in the morning, 685 00:29:59,717 --> 00:30:02,303 and there were two chicks, and she said, 686 00:30:02,345 --> 00:30:04,055 "You threw your Rolex in a bowl of spaghetti 687 00:30:04,097 --> 00:30:05,348 "last night at Sabatino's 688 00:30:05,390 --> 00:30:07,558 and said you had 11 other ones." 689 00:30:09,060 --> 00:30:11,938 - His occupation has made it difficult at times 690 00:30:11,979 --> 00:30:13,523 to have a family. 691 00:30:13,564 --> 00:30:16,776 Now he is in the final weeks of an expensive divorce. 692 00:30:16,818 --> 00:30:19,195 - Paying alimony to three women at one time 693 00:30:19,237 --> 00:30:21,030 was a lot of dough. 694 00:30:21,072 --> 00:30:22,532 As a matter of fact, 695 00:30:22,573 --> 00:30:24,534 that's got to be some kind of record, right? 696 00:30:24,575 --> 00:30:29,789 Three women, same family, alimony. 697 00:30:29,831 --> 00:30:31,707 Good Lord. 698 00:30:31,749 --> 00:30:38,131 I am so high on being Ric Flair each day of my life. 699 00:30:38,172 --> 00:30:40,383 - You play that role enough, 700 00:30:40,425 --> 00:30:42,885 that's like a cop going undercover, 701 00:30:42,927 --> 00:30:45,972 and sometimes they get so lost in it, 702 00:30:46,013 --> 00:30:48,099 they never come back. 703 00:30:49,892 --> 00:30:51,853 - I probably neglected my family a little bit, 704 00:30:51,894 --> 00:30:56,566 but it's been successful for me in promoting myself 705 00:30:56,607 --> 00:30:59,026 and making me successful in professional wrestling. 706 00:30:59,068 --> 00:31:01,779 - He doesn't apologize for being who he is. 707 00:31:01,821 --> 00:31:04,532 The Nature Boy is Ric Flair. Ric Flair is the Nature Boy. 708 00:31:04,574 --> 00:31:06,868 - The womanizer, the king, 709 00:31:06,909 --> 00:31:11,122 the man that makes wrestling go round and round. 710 00:31:11,164 --> 00:31:13,499 - I think I was very naive to it. 711 00:31:13,541 --> 00:31:15,752 Just like, this is my dad. He has bleached blonde hair. 712 00:31:15,793 --> 00:31:18,129 He brings his big gold belt to show and tell, 713 00:31:18,171 --> 00:31:19,297 and that was normal for me. 714 00:31:20,631 --> 00:31:22,967 - Are you okay? - Mm-hmm. 715 00:31:23,009 --> 00:31:24,552 - I'm gonna miss you both. 716 00:31:26,304 --> 00:31:30,475 The WWE isn't big enough for me. 717 00:31:30,516 --> 00:31:31,976 [emotional music] 718 00:31:32,018 --> 00:31:34,145 Vince came to me and said, "I'm going to start 719 00:31:34,187 --> 00:31:35,396 "going with youth. 720 00:31:35,438 --> 00:31:36,939 And I know they want you back," 721 00:31:36,981 --> 00:31:39,942 'cause WCW never stopped calling from the day I left. 722 00:31:39,984 --> 00:31:42,779 "You can stay, and I'll have to push you down the card, 723 00:31:42,820 --> 00:31:45,698 or you can leave on top." And I said, "I'll go back." 724 00:31:45,740 --> 00:31:52,163 WCW, the Nature Boy is back to rock and roll. 725 00:31:52,205 --> 00:31:54,332 Whoo! 726 00:31:54,373 --> 00:31:57,835 - In 1993, Flair returned to WCW, 727 00:31:57,877 --> 00:31:59,295 but times were changing. 728 00:31:59,337 --> 00:32:00,505 - Thanks again, Ric. 729 00:32:00,546 --> 00:32:01,923 I know you're on your way back to Charlotte. 730 00:32:01,964 --> 00:32:03,007 - Thank you. 731 00:32:03,049 --> 00:32:04,509 - In an era of grunge, 732 00:32:04,550 --> 00:32:06,636 darker and edgier villains were in the spotlight. 733 00:32:06,677 --> 00:32:09,305 Suddenly the flamboyant Nature Boy 734 00:32:09,347 --> 00:32:11,682 wasn't the Man like he used to be. 735 00:32:11,724 --> 00:32:16,938 - WCW had started the nWo, whose entire cause for being 736 00:32:16,979 --> 00:32:19,399 was to strip down anything 737 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:22,527 and everyone that WCW ever held dear. 738 00:32:22,568 --> 00:32:24,445 - By the time the NWO started emerging 739 00:32:24,487 --> 00:32:25,947 and really blowing up 740 00:32:25,988 --> 00:32:29,158 and overshadowing so much of the other talent, 741 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,870 I probably didn't look at guys like Ric Flair 742 00:32:32,912 --> 00:32:34,831 the way a lot of other people did. 743 00:32:34,872 --> 00:32:39,460 the Man is more of a coward than he is a fossil. 744 00:32:39,502 --> 00:32:41,170 And that was my mistake. 745 00:32:41,212 --> 00:32:43,381 And that hurt Ric. 746 00:32:43,423 --> 00:32:47,760 - You suck. You, I hate your guts. 747 00:32:47,802 --> 00:32:50,847 It's natural to say something if your feelings are hurt 748 00:32:50,888 --> 00:32:53,516 or you think that you've been under-recognized 749 00:32:53,558 --> 00:32:54,892 or you haven't been appreciated. 750 00:32:54,934 --> 00:32:57,979 Bischoff, I ain't leaving. 751 00:32:58,020 --> 00:32:59,272 - Wait a minute! 752 00:32:59,313 --> 00:33:01,107 - When Ric was in the character 753 00:33:01,149 --> 00:33:03,609 of the Nature Boy, he could do no wrong 754 00:33:03,651 --> 00:33:05,862 and was the most confident person in the world. 755 00:33:05,903 --> 00:33:10,533 But the human behind that was much more insecure. 756 00:33:10,575 --> 00:33:12,785 - Ric Flair was put in positions 757 00:33:12,827 --> 00:33:15,580 where he was shown as inferior. 758 00:33:15,621 --> 00:33:18,374 - Now they're shaving Ric Flair's head! 759 00:33:18,416 --> 00:33:20,877 - You don't change Ric Flair. 760 00:33:20,918 --> 00:33:23,755 You don't move Tom Brady from quarterback to tight end. 761 00:33:23,796 --> 00:33:25,840 Guy's winning you Super Bowls. 762 00:33:25,882 --> 00:33:27,717 It's the same thing with Ric Flair. 763 00:33:27,759 --> 00:33:30,636 Guy's a 16-time world champion. 764 00:33:30,678 --> 00:33:32,180 - Whoo! 765 00:33:32,221 --> 00:33:37,310 - When you allow the glory that a character receives 766 00:33:37,351 --> 00:33:40,104 to become your own personal glory, 767 00:33:40,146 --> 00:33:42,607 then any tragedy that that character receives 768 00:33:42,648 --> 00:33:45,068 also has to become your personal tragedy. 769 00:33:45,109 --> 00:33:49,822 And that's a trap that I think Ric Flair found himself in. 770 00:33:49,864 --> 00:33:52,158 - I was broken. 771 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,577 I don't think but a few people understand 772 00:33:54,619 --> 00:33:56,829 how much that impacted my life. 773 00:33:56,871 --> 00:33:58,873 You know, trying to be written off. 774 00:33:58,915 --> 00:34:01,751 - This is the last Nitro on the Turner Network, 775 00:34:01,793 --> 00:34:03,920 and we're going out with a bang. 776 00:34:03,961 --> 00:34:07,256 - As the doors of WCW closed in 2001, 777 00:34:07,298 --> 00:34:08,800 the question remained. 778 00:34:08,841 --> 00:34:11,552 Was this the end for the Nature Boy Ric Flair? 779 00:34:17,433 --> 00:34:20,478 - Forever their names will be linked to greatness in WCW. 780 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:22,814 - And tonight, he and Ric Flair 781 00:34:22,855 --> 00:34:25,525 are gonna finish off Nitro. 782 00:34:25,566 --> 00:34:29,987 - I remember the night of the last WCW Nitro. 783 00:34:30,029 --> 00:34:31,656 It was weird. 784 00:34:31,697 --> 00:34:33,616 Seeing him come out in just a black t-shirt 785 00:34:33,658 --> 00:34:35,535 and a short mom cut 786 00:34:35,576 --> 00:34:37,161 just kind of threw me for a loop for a little bit. 787 00:34:37,203 --> 00:34:39,038 I was like, "Oh." 788 00:34:40,289 --> 00:34:42,625 You can kind of see in his face that, like, 789 00:34:42,667 --> 00:34:44,836 this isn't the Ric Flair I kinda grew up with. 790 00:34:44,877 --> 00:34:48,047 He just almost looked like a shell of his former self. 791 00:34:48,089 --> 00:34:53,177 - Sting defeats Ric Flair here on the final telecast 792 00:34:53,219 --> 00:34:55,430 on WCW Monday Nitro. 793 00:34:56,222 --> 00:34:57,849 - There was a small part of me thinking like, 794 00:34:57,890 --> 00:34:59,642 "Damn, this might be the last time 795 00:34:59,684 --> 00:35:02,019 we ever see Ric Flair wrestle." 796 00:35:02,061 --> 00:35:04,772 - I don't like anything about that last Nitro 797 00:35:04,814 --> 00:35:07,567 except that it closed. 798 00:35:07,608 --> 00:35:09,152 Vince called me about a year later and said, 799 00:35:09,193 --> 00:35:10,570 "What are you gonna do?" 800 00:35:10,611 --> 00:35:13,156 I said, "I don't know." I hadn't thought about it. 801 00:35:13,197 --> 00:35:17,910 Right now, I'm just going out to the country club at 5:00. 802 00:35:17,952 --> 00:35:21,164 Depending on what kind of mood I'm in, sometimes at 4:00. 803 00:35:21,205 --> 00:35:22,874 He said, "You want to come back to work?" 804 00:35:22,915 --> 00:35:25,209 and I said, "Yeah, I'd love to." 805 00:35:25,251 --> 00:35:28,546 - In 2002, Ric Flair returned to WWE, 806 00:35:28,588 --> 00:35:30,048 but his trademark swagger 807 00:35:30,089 --> 00:35:33,342 that made the Nature Boy so iconic was gone, 808 00:35:33,384 --> 00:35:34,886 and his confidence was shot. 809 00:35:36,929 --> 00:35:39,599 - I was down on myself. I just walked away, saying, 810 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:40,808 "God, you could do so much better. 811 00:35:40,850 --> 00:35:42,643 Why don't you get it, Ric?" 812 00:35:42,685 --> 00:35:44,145 And it hurt. No pain. 813 00:35:44,187 --> 00:35:46,856 Just anxiety, right? 814 00:35:46,898 --> 00:35:48,316 I've wrestled a couple of matches 815 00:35:48,357 --> 00:35:50,526 where I couldn't feel my hands from anxiety. 816 00:35:50,568 --> 00:35:52,695 I'd pinch myself. 817 00:35:52,737 --> 00:35:55,490 - When you no longer think that you're the Man, 818 00:35:55,531 --> 00:36:00,161 then the very building blocks that created the Nature Boy 819 00:36:00,203 --> 00:36:02,080 kinda ceased to exist. 820 00:36:02,121 --> 00:36:04,207 - A villain needs to have self-confidence. 821 00:36:04,248 --> 00:36:06,709 A villain needs to know that he could do anything 822 00:36:06,751 --> 00:36:08,252 and beat anyone. 823 00:36:08,294 --> 00:36:11,672 Once you take that away, the villain becomes vulnerable, 824 00:36:11,714 --> 00:36:13,549 and now it's not a villain anymore. 825 00:36:13,591 --> 00:36:16,928 Now that villain is just like you and me. 826 00:36:16,969 --> 00:36:19,138 - What Flair needed was inspiration. 827 00:36:21,015 --> 00:36:24,185 - You see, in this industry, just like in life, 828 00:36:24,227 --> 00:36:26,562 everything evolves. 829 00:36:26,604 --> 00:36:29,107 And what you see in this ring before you 830 00:36:29,148 --> 00:36:32,819 is the greatest example of evolution you will ever see. 831 00:36:34,612 --> 00:36:36,656 - Evolution was a new four-man faction, 832 00:36:36,697 --> 00:36:38,783 including main event stalwart Triple H, 833 00:36:38,825 --> 00:36:41,035 legendary icon Ric Flair, 834 00:36:41,077 --> 00:36:44,414 and newcomers Batista and Randy Orton. 835 00:36:44,455 --> 00:36:46,666 - Evolution was based kinda on the Four Horsemen. 836 00:36:46,707 --> 00:36:51,421 - So whether you like it or not, learn to love it. 837 00:36:51,462 --> 00:36:55,258 - Four guys dress nice. The ladies love them. 838 00:36:55,299 --> 00:36:58,845 - What made the dynamic of Evolution so special 839 00:36:58,886 --> 00:37:00,930 is that they weren't all on the same plane. 840 00:37:00,972 --> 00:37:03,307 You had Ric Flair. He's kind of the mentor. 841 00:37:03,349 --> 00:37:05,727 He's kind of looking out for everybody. 842 00:37:05,768 --> 00:37:07,562 - That was one of the luckiest things 843 00:37:07,603 --> 00:37:09,355 I had early in my career was him. 844 00:37:09,397 --> 00:37:12,692 Took me under his wing. I learned a lot from Ric. 845 00:37:12,734 --> 00:37:16,320 - I was all for it, but it took me a while to figure out. 846 00:37:16,362 --> 00:37:18,698 Self-confidence issues. 847 00:37:18,740 --> 00:37:20,324 - He didn't have the confidence in himself, 848 00:37:20,366 --> 00:37:23,327 but Batista, myself, and Hunter 849 00:37:23,369 --> 00:37:25,413 had the confidence for him. 850 00:37:25,455 --> 00:37:29,709 - And standing before you, Evolution with all the gold. 851 00:37:29,751 --> 00:37:31,711 - And Ric was a part of something 852 00:37:31,753 --> 00:37:34,630 that was the top of the business, 853 00:37:34,672 --> 00:37:36,507 so Ric felt big. 854 00:37:36,549 --> 00:37:38,134 - Whoo! It's LA, bitch. 855 00:37:38,176 --> 00:37:41,012 We're going down to the Strip to party--whoo! 856 00:37:41,054 --> 00:37:42,180 With a champ. 857 00:37:42,221 --> 00:37:44,432 - Ric felt like, "Okay, this is on me. 858 00:37:44,474 --> 00:37:46,601 I'm the top dog again." 859 00:37:46,642 --> 00:37:48,227 - Ric played the part. Ric was the part 860 00:37:48,269 --> 00:37:50,354 and never forgot it. 861 00:37:50,396 --> 00:37:53,649 - All night long! Whoo! 862 00:37:53,691 --> 00:37:55,568 - In Evolution, Flair found new life 863 00:37:55,610 --> 00:37:57,528 doing what he did best: 864 00:37:57,570 --> 00:37:58,529 breaking the rules. 865 00:37:58,571 --> 00:38:01,324 - And a low blow. 866 00:38:01,365 --> 00:38:03,743 - It was a huge plus in my life, 867 00:38:03,785 --> 00:38:06,120 you know, to kind of be where I was a year ago 868 00:38:06,162 --> 00:38:07,830 and kind of down on the business 869 00:38:07,872 --> 00:38:10,625 and, you know, not really happy with myself and my role, 870 00:38:10,666 --> 00:38:12,335 and now things just keep getting 871 00:38:12,377 --> 00:38:13,878 bigger and better for me. 872 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:15,713 - When he got that groove back, 873 00:38:15,755 --> 00:38:17,131 look out, man. 874 00:38:17,173 --> 00:38:19,592 - Flair's done it! Flair's done it! 875 00:38:19,634 --> 00:38:22,804 The Nature Boy is the intercontinental champion! 876 00:38:22,845 --> 00:38:24,555 - It brought new life into him. 877 00:38:24,597 --> 00:38:25,807 - Whoo. - Whoo! 878 00:38:25,848 --> 00:38:27,225 - Whoo! - Whoo! 879 00:38:27,266 --> 00:38:29,185 - We're having a whoo fest. - Oh, my gosh. 880 00:38:29,227 --> 00:38:30,395 - Whoo! Whoo! 881 00:38:30,436 --> 00:38:32,105 Whoo! 882 00:38:32,146 --> 00:38:34,357 I was back here, wrestling full time, and it was fun. 883 00:38:34,399 --> 00:38:37,735 - The maestro, the Man for four decades. 884 00:38:37,777 --> 00:38:39,737 - He's been in our lives for so long, 885 00:38:39,779 --> 00:38:42,115 but he's been remarkably consistent. 886 00:38:42,156 --> 00:38:45,618 - 16-time world heavyweight champion. 887 00:38:45,660 --> 00:38:48,496 - With Ric Flair now in the twilight of his career, 888 00:38:48,538 --> 00:38:50,081 something unexpected happened. 889 00:38:50,123 --> 00:38:52,417 The bad guy had become beloved. 890 00:38:52,458 --> 00:38:57,839 - The level of respect that you have paid me is unbelievable. 891 00:38:58,965 --> 00:39:01,718 - My dad has always been a bad guy. 892 00:39:01,759 --> 00:39:03,428 The difference is, now he's beloved 893 00:39:03,469 --> 00:39:06,848 because he's that respected, because he is the industry. 894 00:39:06,889 --> 00:39:08,933 - So when it got to the end and you went, 895 00:39:08,975 --> 00:39:11,894 "Oh, he may not get to be that guy 896 00:39:11,936 --> 00:39:13,229 I loved to boo anymore." 897 00:39:13,271 --> 00:39:18,317 - And I love being the Nature Boy! 898 00:39:18,359 --> 00:39:21,654 - Nobody really wants to let that go. 899 00:39:21,696 --> 00:39:24,657 - To appreciate him now so much just 900 00:39:24,699 --> 00:39:26,534 for everything that he's done. 901 00:39:26,576 --> 00:39:30,830 - It no longer became about hero-villain. 902 00:39:30,872 --> 00:39:33,499 It just became about contribution, 903 00:39:33,541 --> 00:39:37,378 which was as much, if not more 904 00:39:37,420 --> 00:39:40,339 than any other name that you could mention. 905 00:39:40,381 --> 00:39:44,761 - The chairman of the WWE, Mr. McMahon, made the mandate 906 00:39:44,802 --> 00:39:46,763 that the next match that Flair lost, 907 00:39:46,804 --> 00:39:48,723 he would retire. 908 00:39:48,765 --> 00:39:51,642 - The next match that you lose, Ric, 909 00:39:51,684 --> 00:39:54,353 will be your last. 910 00:39:54,395 --> 00:39:58,399 And Ric insisted that he needed to beat the best, 911 00:39:58,441 --> 00:40:02,653 because to be the man, you've got to beat the Man. 912 00:40:02,695 --> 00:40:04,655 - Shawn Michaels, 913 00:40:04,697 --> 00:40:10,286 I want to wrestle you at WrestleMania. 914 00:40:10,328 --> 00:40:12,914 - And if Ric couldn't beat Shawn Michaels, 915 00:40:12,955 --> 00:40:15,958 then Ric didn't want to do this anymore. 916 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:17,627 - From my standpoint, 917 00:40:17,668 --> 00:40:20,671 it was something that I really took seriously. 918 00:40:20,713 --> 00:40:23,174 I can show the love and appreciation 919 00:40:23,216 --> 00:40:27,428 that I had for the guy that I watched growing up. 920 00:40:27,470 --> 00:40:31,474 It would be my honor to wrestle you at WrestleMania. 921 00:40:33,393 --> 00:40:36,521 - In 2008, Ric Flair's farewell match 922 00:40:36,562 --> 00:40:39,357 was a fitting celebration of an epic career. 923 00:40:39,399 --> 00:40:43,069 - Tonight, we celebrate Nature Boy Ric Flair. 924 00:40:43,111 --> 00:40:44,404 - Whoo! 925 00:40:48,199 --> 00:40:52,703 - The look on Shawn Michael's face tells a story. 926 00:40:52,745 --> 00:40:54,956 Flair wants to fight. 927 00:40:59,752 --> 00:41:02,505 - My God, what a shot! 928 00:41:02,547 --> 00:41:05,633 all: One, two, three. 929 00:41:05,675 --> 00:41:08,052 [match bell chimes] 930 00:41:08,094 --> 00:41:10,179 - It's one of my fondest memories. 931 00:41:12,682 --> 00:41:17,061 - Over 70,000 fans paying their respects 932 00:41:17,103 --> 00:41:20,982 to the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots. 933 00:41:22,358 --> 00:41:26,904 - I was blown away, like, to see the respect, 934 00:41:26,946 --> 00:41:31,576 and have the farewell that he did. 935 00:41:31,617 --> 00:41:32,660 It was incredible. 936 00:41:32,702 --> 00:41:33,995 [emotional music] 937 00:41:34,036 --> 00:41:35,872 - To have that reception 938 00:41:35,913 --> 00:41:39,250 was really the ultimate achievement. 939 00:41:39,292 --> 00:41:40,877 - The WrestleMania farewell 940 00:41:40,918 --> 00:41:43,296 closed an important chapter in the book of Ric Flair. 941 00:41:44,630 --> 00:41:47,258 But the Nature Boy wasn't done just yet. 942 00:41:54,015 --> 00:41:57,018 - Last night, I wrestled 943 00:41:57,060 --> 00:42:02,356 my very last match at WrestleMania. 944 00:42:02,398 --> 00:42:04,317 You shouldn't be sad about the fact 945 00:42:04,358 --> 00:42:06,944 that you're not gonna see me out here. 946 00:42:06,986 --> 00:42:09,113 You should really rejoice in the fact 947 00:42:09,155 --> 00:42:14,285 that I have had the greatest wrestling career 948 00:42:14,327 --> 00:42:17,121 in the history of pro wrestling! 949 00:42:17,163 --> 00:42:20,750 [cheers and applause] 950 00:42:20,792 --> 00:42:23,169 - Ric Flair's one-of-a-kind personality 951 00:42:23,211 --> 00:42:25,088 is still influencing society. 952 00:42:25,129 --> 00:42:27,340 - Stylin' and profilin'. 953 00:42:27,382 --> 00:42:30,176 - Perhaps no superstar in history 954 00:42:30,218 --> 00:42:33,262 has more influence on pop culture than Ric Flair. 955 00:42:33,304 --> 00:42:35,723 - Can I get two claps and a Ric Flair? 956 00:42:35,765 --> 00:42:36,766 all: Whoo! 957 00:42:36,808 --> 00:42:38,893 - Whoo! - Whoo! 958 00:42:38,935 --> 00:42:42,188 - He is so influential, people doing the Ric Flair strut 959 00:42:42,230 --> 00:42:43,606 and whooing during games. 960 00:42:43,648 --> 00:42:45,358 all: Whoo! 961 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:46,651 - I don't think I ever would have realized 962 00:42:46,692 --> 00:42:48,694 how much that would have transcended 963 00:42:48,736 --> 00:42:50,905 and become such an amazing part of pop culture. 964 00:42:50,947 --> 00:42:53,408 - Whoo! To be the man, 965 00:42:53,449 --> 00:42:56,077 you've got to beat the Man, okay? 966 00:42:56,119 --> 00:42:58,413 - Rolex-wearin'... all: Whoo! 967 00:42:58,454 --> 00:43:00,039 - Kiss-stealing... all: Whoo! 968 00:43:00,081 --> 00:43:02,208 - Wheeling, dealing... all: Whoo! 969 00:43:02,250 --> 00:43:04,877 - Limousine-riding... all: Whoo! 970 00:43:04,919 --> 00:43:06,754 - Ric Flair. all: Whoo! 971 00:43:06,796 --> 00:43:08,047 - Son of a gun. all: Whoo! 972 00:43:08,089 --> 00:43:10,258 - It endeared him to many people. 973 00:43:10,299 --> 00:43:13,970 Post Malone wanted to meet him. [laughs] 974 00:43:14,011 --> 00:43:17,056 - Post Malone, my man. Whoo! 975 00:43:17,098 --> 00:43:18,474 all: Whoo! 976 00:43:18,516 --> 00:43:20,476 - * Whoo! I got the Ric Flair * 977 00:43:20,518 --> 00:43:22,937 * Limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss-stealing * 978 00:43:22,979 --> 00:43:24,897 * Wheeling, dealing son of a gun * 979 00:43:24,939 --> 00:43:26,441 - All those records are dope. 980 00:43:26,482 --> 00:43:28,609 All of those can be directly attributed 981 00:43:28,651 --> 00:43:30,027 to how Flair made us feel. 982 00:43:30,069 --> 00:43:32,405 His relevancy is unmatched. 983 00:43:32,447 --> 00:43:35,742 There has never been someone as loved or hated 984 00:43:35,783 --> 00:43:37,118 but followed as Ric Flair. 985 00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:38,703 - Whoo! Whoo! 986 00:43:38,745 --> 00:43:40,413 - He's such a GOAT that he was relevant to me 987 00:43:40,455 --> 00:43:43,082 when I was 5; he's relevant to me at 45. 988 00:43:43,124 --> 00:43:45,501 That's a 40-year span of being 989 00:43:45,543 --> 00:43:48,421 one of the absolute best villainous characters 990 00:43:48,463 --> 00:43:50,506 in a sports and entertainment world. 991 00:43:50,548 --> 00:43:51,674 - I love women. 992 00:43:51,716 --> 00:43:53,885 I'll take that as a compliment. Whoo! 993 00:43:53,926 --> 00:43:56,596 - He appealed to the different senses of entertainers 994 00:43:56,637 --> 00:43:59,766 and athletes that made you continually like him. 995 00:43:59,807 --> 00:44:01,059 - Whoo! 996 00:44:01,100 --> 00:44:03,519 I influenced culture. [laughs] 997 00:44:03,561 --> 00:44:04,645 - * Heyo * 998 00:44:04,687 --> 00:44:07,648 [dramatic music] 999 00:44:07,690 --> 00:44:08,983 * * 1000 00:44:09,025 --> 00:44:10,902 - A two-time hall of famer, 1001 00:44:10,943 --> 00:44:13,488 the Nature Boy's incredible legacy inside the ring 1002 00:44:13,529 --> 00:44:16,324 shines through a new Flair these days. 1003 00:44:16,365 --> 00:44:19,619 - Charlotte Flair was built for the grand stage. 1004 00:44:19,660 --> 00:44:21,954 - Bow down to the Queen. 1005 00:44:21,996 --> 00:44:24,832 - Known as the Queen, his daughter, Charlotte Flair, 1006 00:44:24,874 --> 00:44:27,085 possesses the same narcissistic traits 1007 00:44:27,126 --> 00:44:28,961 as her father. 1008 00:44:29,003 --> 00:44:33,508 - No one compares to me. 1009 00:44:33,549 --> 00:44:36,552 Whoo! 1010 00:44:36,594 --> 00:44:38,262 - Whoo! 1011 00:44:38,304 --> 00:44:39,972 - As good as Ric Flair was, 1012 00:44:40,014 --> 00:44:43,643 how head and shoulders he was above everybody at his time, 1013 00:44:43,684 --> 00:44:46,020 I think the same goes to Charlotte. 1014 00:44:46,062 --> 00:44:48,898 - My daughter does stuff now that nobody can do. 1015 00:44:48,940 --> 00:44:50,900 - This is incredible! 1016 00:44:50,942 --> 00:44:53,694 - The best female athlete in the history of our business. 1017 00:44:53,736 --> 00:44:57,990 - When you talk about the pride that Ric Flair has had... 1018 00:44:58,032 --> 00:45:02,036 - $1,000 shoes, big Rolex watches. 1019 00:45:02,078 --> 00:45:05,581 - Now we realize that he's showing pride 1020 00:45:05,623 --> 00:45:08,835 in what may be his greatest creation. 1021 00:45:08,876 --> 00:45:11,003 And it wasn't the alligator shoes. 1022 00:45:11,045 --> 00:45:12,839 It was Charlotte. 1023 00:45:12,880 --> 00:45:16,217 - A 12-time women's champion. 1024 00:45:16,259 --> 00:45:17,677 - Well, I'm like, I'm 5'10", 1025 00:45:17,719 --> 00:45:19,345 I'm blonde, and I'm super athletic. 1026 00:45:19,387 --> 00:45:20,972 What is there not to like? 1027 00:45:21,013 --> 00:45:22,390 Oh, yeah, but my last name's Flair. 1028 00:45:22,432 --> 00:45:24,517 I am a franchise player. 1029 00:45:24,559 --> 00:45:26,936 - Custom-made from head to toe. 1030 00:45:26,978 --> 00:45:28,396 - A genuine superstar. 1031 00:45:28,438 --> 00:45:31,065 - The greatest wrestler of all time. 1032 00:45:32,316 --> 00:45:33,401 - That's what he always told me. 1033 00:45:33,443 --> 00:45:36,070 You have to be unapologetic. 1034 00:45:36,112 --> 00:45:40,825 Long live the Queen! 1035 00:45:40,867 --> 00:45:46,873 - Whoo! The Nature Boy is here to stay forever and ever. 1036 00:45:46,914 --> 00:45:49,751 Whoo! 1037 00:45:51,335 --> 00:45:52,837 - So what are we to make 1038 00:45:52,879 --> 00:45:54,547 of the Nature Boy Ric Flair? 1039 00:45:54,589 --> 00:45:57,467 - You pattern your life after Ric Flair, 1040 00:45:57,508 --> 00:45:59,469 and you'll be someone. 1041 00:45:59,510 --> 00:46:01,846 - He believed he was the best 'cause he was the best. 1042 00:46:01,888 --> 00:46:03,222 I believe he was the best 1043 00:46:03,264 --> 00:46:04,390 'cause he told me he was the best. 1044 00:46:04,432 --> 00:46:06,642 It's a circle like that. It's weird. 1045 00:46:06,684 --> 00:46:10,563 - Really hard to believe that so much man 1046 00:46:10,605 --> 00:46:13,232 could be wrapped in such a good-looking package. 1047 00:46:13,274 --> 00:46:15,485 - He was cocky. He was arrogant. 1048 00:46:15,526 --> 00:46:18,071 And he was great at making me hate his guts. 1049 00:46:18,112 --> 00:46:19,655 - If you're a lawyer 1050 00:46:19,697 --> 00:46:22,700 who wishes he was making the money I'm making, 1051 00:46:22,742 --> 00:46:25,286 you better sit down and shut up! 1052 00:46:25,328 --> 00:46:28,414 - He insulted us. He made us jealous. 1053 00:46:28,456 --> 00:46:31,959 - My shoes cost more than your house. 1054 00:46:32,001 --> 00:46:35,171 - But above all, he always entertained us. 1055 00:46:35,213 --> 00:46:40,093 - Bright lights, big city, it is Nature Boy! 1056 00:46:40,134 --> 00:46:41,469 - It doesn't matter 1057 00:46:41,511 --> 00:46:43,346 if he's the dirtiest player in the game. 1058 00:46:43,388 --> 00:46:44,931 It doesn't matter how full of himself he is. 1059 00:46:44,972 --> 00:46:47,892 It doesn't matter if you want what he has. 1060 00:46:47,934 --> 00:46:49,769 - [laughing] 1061 00:46:49,811 --> 00:46:51,354 - He's Ric Flair. 1062 00:46:51,396 --> 00:46:53,731 - I'm a kiss-stealing, wheeling, dealing, 1063 00:46:53,773 --> 00:46:54,982 limousine-riding, 1064 00:46:55,024 --> 00:46:58,277 jet-flying son of a gun. 1065 00:46:58,319 --> 00:47:00,113 With me, what you see is what you get. 1066 00:47:00,154 --> 00:47:02,198 Hasn't changed in 72 years. 1067 00:47:02,240 --> 00:47:04,409 [laughing] 1068 00:47:04,450 --> 00:47:06,119 - He didn't think about it. He just did it. 1069 00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:07,620 I'm gonna make you hate me, 1070 00:47:07,662 --> 00:47:09,872 and I'm gonna do it every single night. 1071 00:47:09,914 --> 00:47:12,083 Was my dad justified? 1072 00:47:12,125 --> 00:47:15,211 He's a 16-time world heavyweight champion. 1073 00:47:15,253 --> 00:47:16,170 You tell me. 1074 00:47:16,212 --> 00:47:17,964 - Diamonds are forever, 1075 00:47:18,005 --> 00:47:19,382 and so is Ric Flair. 1076 00:47:19,424 --> 00:47:22,510 [echoing] Whoo!