Top 10 Ric Flair Matches

"The Nature Boy“, "Naitch“, "The Dirtiest Player in the Game“, are just some of the names one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Although his stock value has dropped a bit since he has been in TNA, he still has had some classic matches during his time in the WWE, WCW, and NWA. Here are the matches I believe to be his 10 best.

10) Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham (Crockett Cup '87)

Flair was able to lock in the Figure Four early in the match, but Windham got out and began to beat Ric senseless. The crowd was extremely hot as they really felt that Windham was going to beat Flair.

Windham continued his relentless attack on Flair, including hitting him so hard that Flair flew over the top rope. Flair was able to gain control by countering an attempted piledriver on the floor by backdropping Windham onto the concrete.

Flair gained control from there, but it wasn't long until Windham fought back and was able to pin Flair for the three-count, using a missile dropkick. Howwever, Flair had his foot on the ropes, so the referee restarted the match.

Once the match was restarted, the two men created numerous near-falls, until Flair was able to grab Windham's tights to get the three-count.

9) Ric Flair vs. HHH Steel Cage Match (Taboo Tuesday '05)

On this night, Flair reverted back to the tough as nails wrestler that stood against Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Terry Funk, and Ricky Steamboat. We got a hellacious match that included lots of blood and some wicked chair shots on Triple H, who also took a hell of a beating and needed help after the match.

He also used a lot of Flair manuerisms, not really mocking Ric, but in a way, a sense of respect. Flair brought his A-game and had all the fans on the edge of their seat. Bloody and violent are good words to describe this match, which showed Flair was still able to perform at an exceptional rate.

8) Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger (Starrcade '88)

This match was a wonderfully wrestled match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Luger had been in the Four Horsemen, but left due to his teammates, and this was him challenging the head of the group.

Luger dominated Flair for the beginning of the match, by working Flair’s arm. Flair had to resort to his old dirty tricks to get the advantage, by using a chair to attack Luger's leg. Even then, Lex was able to fight back and almost win the match, but his knee gave out on him when attempting the Torture rack, and Flair fell on top for the pin.

Many people say Luger should have won here, but then, the Flair-Steamboat matches wouldn't have been as special. This is a fantastic match, and it shows that Flair's best matches are not just against people like Steamboat or Sting.

7) Ric Flair vs. Vader (Starrcade '93)

This was the triumphant return of Ric Flair to the WCW after a year and a half in the WWE. This match is one of the earliest examples of Flair playing the crazy veteran babyface who can still go toe-to-toe with the young guys.

He came into this match a huge underdog because Vader was considered unstoppable in his run in WCW. Vader beat the crap out of Flair in this match before Flair got the victory with a cradle out of nowhere. A real great match that shows how a veteran can beat an unstoppable force through skill and determination.

6) Ric Flair vs. Sting (Clash of the Champions I '88)

Flair bumped all over the place for Sting, and brought him to the place he is now in wrestling history. Sting was an up-and-comer at this point, but after this match, he became the biggest face in WCW.

This was for Flair's NWA title, with a 45-minute time limit, like most championship matches. Sting really got into Flair in this match and had the champ on the ropes many times. With 30 seconds left before the time limit, Sting was able to lock in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Flair held on until the time expired. The match was declared a draw and the Sting we know today had arrived.

He would go on to achieve great success in WCW, but this is the match that made him the face of WCW for over a decade, and still currently today(even though it obviously isn’t around anymore. If it wasn’t for his match with Flair, who knows where Sting would be today.

5) Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage (Wrestlemania 8)

Ric Flair bragged about having an affair with Miss Elizabeth and promised to reveal a revealing photo of Liz after he won the match. This match was a great back and forth contest which saw Flair attacking mainly Savage's knee to a point where Savage could barely stand.

Flair seemed to be in total control and ready to set up for the figure four, when Savage was able to catch the Nature Boy in a rollup and use Flair's dirty technique by grabbing onto the tights. This gave Savage his second WWE Title and the fantastic storyline made the match even more memorable.

This often shows up when people talk about Savage's greatest matches, but for some reason isn't mentioned as often when talking about Flair matches, so I thought it deserved a spot.

4) Ric Flair vs. Harley Race (Starrcade 1983)

It was a steel cage match for the NWA Heavyweight title. It had a bounty for Flair’s head storyline, where Harley offered $25,000 to the first person to take out Flair. Dick Slater and Bob Orton, Jr. answered the bounty and attacked Flair.

Flair teased retirement only to come back and chase them off with a bat then give an amazing Flair promo. It also had the awesome Flair entrance with the turquoise robe.

Flair bled like he does now in TNA. Race beat him down, but Flair still, somehow pulled off the win and the crowd went crazy.

3) Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania XXIV)

This match deserves a spot on the list for being Ric Flair's final match, for being a good match, and for being so emotional. Most of us knew it was Flair's final match, but I don't think any of us were certain of the outcome until the final Sweet Chin Music.

When Shawn mouthed the words “I’m sorry, I love you”, it made it one of the most emotional moments in WWE history. There were some people that complained that this match didn't have enough blood.

Flair didn't need to bleed because this wasn't a blood feud and I actually liked to see Flair not bleed for once, especially in his final match in the WWE. I thought it was his most emotional match and he was able to walk away with his head held up high.

2) Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (Clash Of The Champions 9)

Five Letters. Two Words. I Quit. These two legends would fight in an intense battle before either one even would consider saying it.

Flair dominated early with some wicked chops, but Funk proved himself to be tough, taking those stiff blows and fighting back. Funk would then dominate the next part of the match with some insulting slaps to the face. Those slaps were enough to awaken Flair and, from that point on, all hell broke loose between the two.

Flair chopped the hell out of Funk all around ringside. Funk told the ref to ask Flair to quit before he piledrived him, and when Flair refused to quit, Funk not only piledrived him in the ring, but piledrived him on the floor as well.

Funk tried to set up a table, but Flair fought back and then, Flair threw Funk across the table and headfirst into a steel chair. Flair dominated the rest of the match, and eventually won when he locked in the Figure 4, but Funk showed incredible strength by taking the beating by Flair.

A great, intense brawl that set the golden standard for all I Quit matches.

1) Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (WrestleWar 1989)

Whenever Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat have a match, it was guaranteed for greatness. I know they had other great matches at Clash of the Champions 6 and Chi-Town Rumble in 86, but I thought this was their best match. Plus, unlike the other two matches, they finished it cleanly.

It was easily a five-star classic and also was the match that turned Flair into a face at the time. The near falls were very believable and I believe it was one of the best matches wrestled in WCW history.

Closing Thoughts

Leave any comments if you think I missed a match or if any of the matches are misplaced. This will be my last article for a few weeks because I am going to Philadelphia for a mission trip. Although I don’t think many will miss me considering I don’t have any fans (Kidding, hopefully). Goodbye for now, Bleacherholics.