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MORNING THOUGHTS: THE FINAL SIX RIC FLAIR MATCHES WWE SHOULD INCLUDE TO CREATE A TRULY DEFINITIVE RIC FLAIR DVD COLLECTION

SIX MORE TO MAKE THE DEFINITIVE FLAIR TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

For those who wondered where the Ric Flair choices were yesterday, I apologize but with everything that needed to be done for the site (including recording over two hours of audio for the PWInsider.com Elite section), something had to give, so I opted to wait until today to write more Flair DVD ideas, as opposed to just throwing three matches out there with little or not thought.

So, today, my final six choices for what would truly make the Definitive Ric Flair DVD, scheduled for a 7/8 release by WWE, a truly perfect DVD outingL

Ric Flair vs. Ronnie Garvin  Starrcade 87 - History seems to have recorded Ron Garvin's NWA World title victory over Ric Flair as one of those head scratching moments that in hindsight, you wonder what Dusty Rhodes was thinking.  I am in the minority, however, as I thought the idea was great at the time and still do, because Garvin winning the belt was a huge shocker and the rematch, in Chicago, inside a Steel Cage, was one hell of a bout.  Flair and Garvin chopped the living hell out of each other as the Chicago fans literally turned Flair babyface en route to his regaining the NWA title.  I don't care what anyone else thinks - this is a hell of a match.

Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger - Starrcade '88 - Nothing epitomizes how good Ric Flair truly was than his feud with the limited Luger inside the ring.  If you watched Luger in 1988, you would think he truly was the next great thing in wrestling as he showed tons of passion and fire in the ring.  His pursuit of the NWA title was a great storyline, with the Great American Bash '88 "match stopped by the Commission due to blood just as Lex had the title in his hands" being one of the best screwjob finishes I've ever seen to this day.  I can recall just staring at the TV wondering how in the world could Luger be so close only to have it taken away.  Their Starrcade '88 rematch, where Flair could lose the belt if he got himself disqualified, is probably the best Lex ever looked inside the ring.

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat  Chi-Town Rumble '89 -Their other bouts have been immortalized on DVD, so why not Steamboat's crowning moment.  The finish here, where it appeared the traditional referee bump into a reversed decision was about to happen, only for the first ref to agree with the second one and rule a title change, was sweet victory for all the fans who watched Flair sneak away with the NWA belt all those years.  Flair's reaction to losing was classic too.  This is the match that all great athletic wrestling bouts should be compared to.

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat WCW Saturday Night May 1994 - Following the Spring Stampede PPV, the WCW belt was held up.  In a move that NEVER EVER HAPPENED on wrestling TV during that era, the rematch to determine the new champion was put on free television on TBS.  It was Flair and Steamboat's final major meeting before a national audience and just as good as anyone could have hoped.  Historically, this was the end of an era and it deserves to be remembered.

Ric Flair vs. Vince McMahon Royal Rumble 2002 - When Flair returned to the WWE in 2002, no one could have predicted his first feud would be against Vince McMahon as the two battled over who was the true owner of the company.  This Royal Rumble Streetfight was worlds better than the terrible one they had on Raw during Flair's last run.  With Flair's family at ringside, this was fun, bloody and violent.  Not the best Flair match, but truly entertaining.

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels - Sure WWE will have this out on DVD for a few months, but how do you have a definitive collection on Flair without the match those closed out his career?  This was a loving nod to everything that made Ric Flair great - the classic robes, the Starrcade '83 bodypress that regained Flair the NWA title, Flair being the dirtiest player in the game, and for one more night, Ric Flair was the MAN.  It wasn't his greatest or even his best match, but for sheer emotion, nothing in modern professional wrestling can touch "I love you, I'm sorry" as Michaels superkicks then pins a bawling Flair.  A fitting end for the man who evoked more emotion out of more wrestling fans than anyone in the history of this business.

I don't know what will be on the Definitive DVD when it is released on 7/8, but I am truly looking forward to seeing what is and isn't on the set.  What makes Flair such a wonderful subject is that his body of work is so great and all-encompassing that there's never enough right choices when it comes to discussing and debating his shining moments.

Ric Flair is pro wrestling at its very best.  It's that simple. 

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

 

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