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From: Woodward, Buck
To: Scherer, Dave, Johnson, Mike
Re: Why are we holding Flair to his retirement?
Last year, when Ric Flair retired, I was glad to see him get a sendoff befitting
his career and contributions to professional wrestling. At the same time, I
remember stating repeatedly, "I hope he doesn't cheapen this moment by
wrestling again." Let's be honest, no true great in wrestling has ever
"stayed retired" after having their so-called Farewell Match. Terry
Funk didn't do it. Bruno Sammartino didn't do it. Lou Thesz didn't do it. Roddy
Piper didn't do it. The list goes on and on. The only way a great wrestler ever
seems to truly retire for good is if a doctor tells them they can't return to
the ring (Bret Hart). Almost every career ends with a whimper, not a bang, as
you don't know if someone has ever really had their "last match" until
they are no longer with us. For Flair, a lot of us hoped for different, for a
true career ending moment.
To his credit, Flair hasn't wrestled "a match" since retiring last
year. However, he has....
- Stated in interviews that he wouldn't be against a "unsanctioned Street
Fight" scenario.
- Gotten into the ring on independent shows with his sons for spots, including
putting people in the figure four.
- Taken bumps and even juiced last night on Raw for Chris Jericho.
He's doing everything a wrestler does, except put his trunks on and have a
"sanctioned" match. After last night's Raw, I won't lie, part of me
wants to see Ric Flair vs. Chris Jericho. Call it an "unsanctioned"
match if you want, I don't really care, and honestly, does it matter? Flair has
never really left wrestling, and I don't think he ever will. Maybe we all need
to give up this charade of keeping Flair's retirement as some sort of pristine
moment, when the truth is, the moment is already blemished. Flair isn't
"leaving the memories alone", he's still out there creating new ones.
Screw the handicap match, let's just do Flair vs. Jericho at Wrestlemania. Make
it a streetfight, let them wear clothes, don't end it with a pinfall, do
whatever needs to be done to keep up the illusion that he has retired, but give
the people what they want to see after last night. Flair vs. Jericho.
Honestly, why should Ric Flair be different than any other all-time great that
retired and came back?
Brett Farve didn't walk off Lambeau Field a Packer in the playoffs, it ended
with him as a Jet losing to Miami.
Michael Jordan didn't end his career as a Chicago Bull winning a championship,
it ended as a Washington Wizard losing to the 76ers.
Marlon Brando left acting in 1980, but then appeared in a almost a half-dozen
films playing second banana to lesser actors.
Why does Ric Flair have to be "retired" at Wrestlemania, when he's
still around doing everything but hearing a bell ring?
From: Scherer, Dave
To: Woodward, Buck, Johnson, Mike
Re: Why are we holding Flair to his retirement?
One thing that is obvious is that Flair loves and misses the business, in a big way. Does he need to "stay retired"? Will it "hurt his legacy" if he does what almost everyone else before him has done and reneges on going gently into that good night? No and a little, but it's not a big deal. So, if he wants to come out of retirement and wrestle Jericho, I don't think the world would come to an end. To me, there is a bigger issue at play here.
I am one of the biggest Flair fans that ever walked the planet. I think he's the greatest wrestler of all time and I love it every time I see him. With that said, it was time for him to hang them up last year. As hard as we fight it, father time imposes his will on all of us and he had done so on Naitch. In a cosmetic business like wrestling, a guy pushing 60 years old is a guy pushing 60 years old. When we got him in weekly doses on WWE TV at the end, he looked old and wasn't the special guy he had always been. That was sad to me. It was time for him to hang it up because the years had rolled by. That doesn't mean he should be put out to pasture, but it doesn't mean he should be donning the tights either.
I actually like the way he has been used in this angle. He's the retired vet that gets to cut great promos and take part in a beatdown to put heat on an angle. That is an effective way to use him now. If they choose to throw an occasional match in, I won't really complain but I will say this. He wasn't Favre or Jordan. They were still relatively young when they retired from their sports. Flair wasn't. He was almost 60, near the regular retirement age for all of us. He got the send off that guys in the business dream about. That matters to me. I would like to see him honor that send off by staying "not wearing trunks and having a match" retired. Street fight? No problem. But an actual match? I say no.
From: Woodward, Buck
To: Scherer, Dave, Johnson, Mike
Re: Why are we holding Flair to his retirement?
So, Flair can go the route of his mentor, Dusty Rhodes, and have the occasional
"unsanctioned, street fight" where he wears clothes, not trunks, and
get around the whole "retirement" issue by not having the "actual
match" that kills the sendoff. Sort of reminds me of Antonio Inoki having
"exhibition" matches after his retirement to get around it and not
cheapen his sendoff.
That brings up the next question, and I think I might make this a poll as well,
should WWE scrap the handicap match idea and go with Jericho vs. Flair in a
street fight instead? I think it would be a far more interesting match (sorry,
"fight") and might even get a few people straddling the fence (and
there are a lot of them this year) to order the show. I love Hot Rod, and
wouldn't mind seeing some Steamboat armdrags, but the handicap match concept
just seems predictable and "eh" to me.
From: Johnson, Mike
To: Scherer, Dave, Woodward, Buck
Re: Why are we holding Flair to his retirement?
I can't argue at all with your logic Buck. Really, with the exception
of leaving WWE as a contracted performer, Flair hasn't really retired.
What I think fans want is for the greatest of all time not be waltzed out in
meaningless situations like Mick Foley has so many times in the past. We
haven't seen that with Flair yet, but there's always that chance if he signs
another full-time deal. Vince has a long memory.
I think some fans hold on too hard to the storyline aspect of wrestling. I
remember being upset when Mick Foley returned for Wrestlemania 2000 a few weeks
after he said he wouldn't prostitute himself. Guess what? He made the
biggest payday of his career and I was wrong because I forgot the most important
rule of the business...it's all a work.
So was Flair's retirement. It was a storyline designed to sell tickets,
buyrates and DVDs. It succeeded. His return is designed to do the
same. Enough talk. Just walk the aisle Ric.
From: Scherer, Dave
To: Woodward, Buck, Johnson, Mike
Re: Why are we holding Flair to his retirement?
Flair's mentor Dusty? HUH? Nah, I can't be down with that description, no way, no how. But to answer the question, yeah I would rather he not "wrestle". He can fight though, and take part in angles. I just say leave the robes and the trunks retired.
Well, I think they should ditch that match because we deserved more after the build up and Flair has been the most integral of the players but at this point, I don't really want to see Flair put in as a last minute throw in to Mania. That was be disappointing to me. If he's gonna work, it deserves some build up, not a toss in at the last minute.
To Mike's point, I don't think that people want Flair to stay retired because they believe in a storyline. People were calling for him to retire for at least two years before he did because of how he looked with his shirt off. He looked old and old guys should not be able to beat up young guys in a believable storyline. Flair is old now. That is the issue, not that people "believe" he should stay retired.
Should WWE scrap the handicap match idea and have Chris Jericho vs. Ric
Flair at Wrestlemania?
Yes.
Yes, but only in an 'unsanctioned Street Fight' match to preserve Flair's
retirement.
No, but Flair should be added to the handicap match.
No, Flair should not take part in any matches, period.
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