Ric Flair

Richard Morgan Fliehr^[6][a] (born February 25, 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee^[6]) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is better known by his ring name, Ric Flair. Flair has worked for the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Jim Crockett Promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and many others. He was the leader of the Four Horsemen in WCW and a member of Evolution in WWE. He is a two time WWE Hall of Famer and a 16-time world champion according to WWE.^[7][b]

Ric Flair
Flair in 2019
Born	(1949-02-25) February 25, 1949 (age 76)[1] Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.[1]
Other names	Richard Morgan Fliehr
Education	Wayland Academy
Alma mater	University of Minnesota
Occupations	Professional wrestling manager professional wrestler author
Years active	1972–present
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Spouses	Leslie Goodman ​ ​ (m. 1971; div. 1983)​ Elizabeth Harrell ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2006)​ Tiffany VanDemark ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2009)​ Jackie Beems ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2014)​ Wendy Barlow ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	4, including David, Ashley, and Reid
Relatives	Conrad Thompson (son-in-law)[2] Andrade El Idolo (son-in-law)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	The Black Scorpion[1] Ric Flair[1]
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]

It was reported that Flair wrestled his last match at age 73. On July 31, 2022, at Starrcast V from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium,^[10] Flair teamed with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo. They defeated the team of Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.^[10] The match included cameos by many well known wrestlers. They included Jerry “The King” Lawler, Cody Rhodes, The Undertaker, Mick Foley, Michelle McCool, Sting and Diamond Dallas Page.^[10]

Flair's nickname is "The Nature Boy". His finisher was a Figure 4 Leg Lock. His sons David (born 1979) and Reid (1988–2013) were professional wrestlers, while his daughter Ashley (born 1986), better known by her ring name Charlotte Flair, still wrestles in WWE.

Championships and accomplishments

Flair held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 9 times.

Flair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008 for his singles career...

... and in 2012 as a member of The Four Horsemen.

• The Baltimore Sun
  • Match of the Year (2008) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV^[11]
• International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2021^[12]
• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2013^[13]
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling/Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Heavyweight Championship (7 times)^[14]
  • WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (3 times)^[15]
  • NWA (Mid Atlantic)/NWA Television Championship (2 times)^[16]
  • NWA (Mid Atlantic)/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (6 times)^[c][17][18]
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Rip Hawk (1), Greg Valentine (1), and Big John Studd (1)^[19]
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (3 times) – with Greg Valentine (2) and Blackjack Mulligan (1)^[20]
  • First WCW Triple Crown Champion
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (9 times)^[21]
  • 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^[22]
  • Feud of the Year (1988, 1990) vs. Lex Luger^[22]
  • Feud of the Year (1989) vs. Terry Funk^[22]
  • Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2008)^[22]
  • Match of the Year (1983) vs. Harley Race (June 10)^[22]
  • Match of the Year (1984) vs. Kerry Von Erich at Parade of Champions 1^[22]
  • Match of the Year (1986) vs. Dusty Rhodes at The Great American Bash in a steel cage match^[22]
  • Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar^[22]
  • Match of the Year (2008) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV^[22]
  • Match of the Decade (2000–2009) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1978, 1987)^[22]
  • Rookie of the Year (1975)^[22]
  • Stanley Weston Award (2008)^[22]
  • Wrestler of the Year (1981, 1984–1986, 1989, 1992)^[22]
  • PWI Wrestler of the Decade (1980's)^[23]
  • Ranked No. 3 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991, 1992, and 1994^[24][25][26]
  • Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003^[27]
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2006^[1]
• St. Louis Wrestling Club
  • NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[28]
• St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2007
• World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE
  • WWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[29]
  • WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)^[29]
  • World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Batista (2) and Roddy Piper (1)^[29]
  • Royal Rumble (1992)^[29]
  • Thirteenth Triple Crown Champion
  • Slammy Award for Match of the Year (2008) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV
  • WWE Hall of Fame (2 times)
    • Class of 2008 - individually
    • Class of 2012 - as a member of The Four Horsemen
  • WWE Bronze Statue (2017)^[30]
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Best Heel (1990)
  • Best Interviews (1991, 1992, 1994)
  • Hardest Worker (1982,1984-1988)
  • Feud of the Year (1989) vs. Terry Funk
  • Match of the Year (1983) vs. Harley Race in a steel cage match at Starrcade
  • Match of the Year (1986) vs. Barry Windham at Battle of the Belts II on February 14
  • Match of the Year (1988) vs. Sting at Clash of the Champions I
  • Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ricky Steamboat at Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' 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)

Footnotes

1. According to Flair's autobiography To Be the Man, his birth name was listed on different documents as Fred Phillips, Fred Demaree, and Fred Stewart. Given that his biological father's surname was Phillips, it is suspected that Fred Phillips is his actual birth name, but Flair has never followed up on the fact. On March 18, 1949, he was legally adopted by the Fliehr family and was renamed Richard Morgan Fliehr.
2. Many different sources list various numbers of Flair's world championship reigns, from 16 or 17 to 25.^[8] In 2009 Flair said that he was a 21-time champion.^[9]
3. Flair did win the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship six times and the six reigns were listed even after World Championship Wrestling (WCW) took control over the championship and renamed it the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship in 1991. After WCW's purchase by WWE, the history of the championships was continued with the WWE United States Championship. WWE.com has written different information on Flair's reigns – listing five reigns in one article, but describing him as a six-time champion in another article.