Is the WWE being fair to Flair?

For 36 years, the mark of excellence in pro-wrestling has been one man. A man that flaunted when other's where humble, a man who cheated when other's were honorable, and a man who begged for mercy when other's took the punch. And then on top of it all, he hit you in the head with brass knuckles when the referee's back was turned, then put his feet on the ropes for good measure while you stared at the lights in shock. Only one... " The Nature Boy," Ric Flair.

To be honest with you readers, I am only in my mid-twenties, and have been a life-long Hulkamaniac since I was three. Also, I live in the North East, McMahon Land. So to say that I didn't grow up with the Ric Flair, the Four Horseman, the NWA, and early WCW would be an understatement -in fact, they were non-existent. But I do have a fond memory of hating a WWF wrestler way back in 1992. This man came in and cost Hulk Hogan the world championship, then won it in the Royal Rumble, and then proceeded to embark in a storyline that got my young heart and mind sucked in.

"Before she was with you, she was with ME !"

Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage, the feud that made me realize how emotional wrestling could really be. For months, he and Mr.Perfect showed fake photos of the late Miss Elizabeth, spending intimate moments with the Naitch' in his house and by the pool. And you could feel the anger Randy had over that time, the tension building up, as we all watched Flair continually act like a pompous, self-absorbed, sleazy bastard. The fans couldn't wait for Wrestlemania 8. When the match rolled around, Flair tried every trick in the book to beat Randy, and in the end the Macho Man won it with a handful of tights, a chapter out of the book entitled "The Dirtiest Player in the Game." But it was after the match that the real energy exploded, as Flair had the audacity to kiss Elizabeth in the middle of the ring, just like the selfish and masochistic man that he was. And Elizabeth fired back with smacks to the face, and Randy attacked him as well. The fans were cheering wildly, and I, at my young age had been taken in by the superb acting of the Nature Boy. It is still my favorite Mania match.

This brings me to 2008. We are a little over five weeks until Wrestlemania 24, and with that the retirement of Ric Flair. As I stated, I started out as a Hulkamaniac, but as Ric once so eloquently put it:

"What do we think of Hulk Hogan in this town? HE SUCKS! HOGAN SUCKS!"

When I got back into pro wrestling in 1997, I became intensely hooked and now became immeresed in the history of this spectacle. And the one name I kept hearing was Flair. Who had the best matches? Flair. Who did so-and-so look up to? Flair. Who made being bad cool before it became a staple? Flair. WIth that, I learned and watched as much as I could - and everything that was said was true. The man had matches that told a story, that had a sense of purpose with each maneuver. His promo's were off the charts and full of intensity, albeit at the right moments. Yet he carried a sense of class to the business, and at the same time was the dirtiest wrestler going. He was the total package - sorry Lex. There truly was no other wrestler like Flair. But was is the key.

Now in 2008, what the younger fans see is a shell of a former man. They don't get to witness the true skill of Flair, for all they see is an old man taking up 8 minutes of Raw. This is really not WWE's fault, lets face it - Flair is pushing 60, and does a total of five moves besides a chop. Half the time you cringe when he takes a back drop. But what has gotten me, and I feel a lot of other fans enraged, is the lack of respect and effort his retirement storyline has gotten.

When Vince paraded out and told Flair that every match is do or die, we wondered why? Why does Vince care? Because he's evil? Mean? There was no real reason given. And with that the future was truly set for how they were going to handle the end of Ric Flair's career. He began his final run with a series of DQ and count out victories, although they were over the current WWE champ Randy Orton, and the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga. However, Flair has been facing lackluster opponents since then. He faced MVP at the Royal Rumble in a non-title match, winning via a Figure Four Leglock, and the same against Ken Kennedy at No Way Out. But this makes no sense.

The idea of any story is to start out with a backdrop ( Flair will not retire), a conflict ( Vince hates Flair...for some reason..perhaps a feud from 2002...), a journey with increasingly difficult obstacles ( the opponents get more difficult), a climax ( The Retirement Match against the ultimate opponent), and a conclusion ( he loses or wins). This isn't a hard formula, it's been done since the Greeks, and before them. A basic hero storyline. But what Flair has been served is a thrown together storyline, with no clear build or increasingly significant progression. There has been no real reason for him to face MVP or Kennedy, except that they're heels - and mid-card at that. We haven't had a possibly identified final opponent for Mania, although rumors are flying that it may be HBK. If it is HBK, why not have him talk to Flair before each match, or accompany him to the ring for each match? Something to plant the seeds of a memorable storyline.

Ric Flair deserves better than this, for his story should be near the top of the card out of sheer respect and historical importance. Yes, we all love John Cena and HHH, and yes, Randy Orton is quite the jerk. But they have forgotten about the most important under-card match of Wrestlemania 24, or at least given it little significance.

Do any of you feel the same way I do? Is Flair getting the proper TV time, respect, and dedication to his story? Or am I just a fan who can't move on?!

I plan on giving you a complete review of his autobiography and boxed set DVD during the weeks leading up to the big show, as well as posting news and views on the situation. I wouldn't mind sharing my original plan for Flair's farewell tour, which would involve the re-creation of the Horseman, a few heel turns, and results that would have a packed card. This is my first article, I hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to your feedback. Whooooo!