WOO!
Once every year, on February 25th, Americans enjoy one of the most important unofficial holidays of all: Ric Flair’s Birthday. And it’s upon us. That’s right, “The Nature Boy,” Richard Morgan Fleihr turns 66 years young in 2015, marking the start of his 45th career year as a wrestler. Few wrestlers have the name recognition and decorated career that Flair boasts – save for maybe Steve Austin or the Undertaker, and nearly no one's career has been marked with as much success.
That career has been storied and taken place in nearly all of the mainstream professional wrestling media (independent circuits too): the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), then World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), as well as World Championship Wresting (WCW)—Flair’s done it all. He didn’t only take part in these organizations; he was a champion of many of them. Since Flair is an eight-time NWA Champion, a six-time WCW Champion, and a two time WWF Champion, it’s truly a wonder that the 25th of February isn’t an American holiday observed by all.
Those of us who do recognize his greatness will celebrate accordingly, however: Walking around our homes, doing the flair strut, relentlessly beating all of those who oppose us, blaring his intro song at full volume and shouting “Woooo!” at least once every hour, scaring our neighbors and house pets senseless. If you’re looking for more ways to celebrate such a day in style, pour over these fun flair-facts and enjoy.
- WWE, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and TNA, recognize flair as a 16-time world heavyweight champion, but sources vary on the true number of championships he’s won during his tenure as one of the world’s greatest professional wrestlers. For the record, however, Flair considers himself to be a 21-time World Champion.
- Flair’s “Nature Boy” gimmick, hairstyles, and mannerisms were adopted from those of Buddy Rogers, who used the same persona successfully in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Like other famous wrestlers, such as Randy Orton or Jerry “The King” Lawler, Flair was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Flair was adopted as a child and now has four kids of his own. One of his sons, David, is also a semi-retired professional wrestler.
- Ric Flair is the first ever double-inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Flair has had success as a solo wrestler and as part of a group (The Four Horsemen). It’s this double affiliation that allowed his name to be put in the record books twice and for him to become the first ever double-inductee.
WOO!
(Photo via triplea4 and ed_webster, CC)
