Will TNA Allow Ric Flair to Appear with the Horsemen at the WWE Hall of Fame?

The Four Horsemen.  The WWE Hall of Fame.

Finally.

Every faction, every stable, every group that have followed the Horsemen have done precisely that: followed the Horsemen.

It’s like taking the stage after the Beatles.  Good luck with that.

The Horsemen, quite simply, did it better than anyone else.  Fans talk about the nWo, DX and other groups that have come since then, and each one has its value to the business in some form, no doubt about it.

But when you talk about Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, Barry Windham and Tully Blanchard, you’re talking about four of the best in-ring performers of all time.  They set the bar for the rest of the locker room on any given night, and quite often, it was very hard, if not impossible, for anyone else to measure up.

Oh, yeah, then there’s Ric Flair.

The Nature Boy was the Four Horsemen.  Period.  The group would have never come together in the first place, never would have worked afterward, if not for the “Sixty-Minute Man.”

Flair was the epicenter of the group, the focus of the National Wrestling Alliance and the man who carried the real (and make no mistake, it was) World Heavyweight Championship.  Flair and the Four Horsemen owned the business, from top to bottom, and every wrestler who has stepped into the ring since their glory days has been inspired by, or affected by, the greatest collection of wrestlers and talkers the industry has ever seen.

Is that big enough for you?

No?  Well, then how about the WWE Hall of Fame, the most high-profile, most recognized gathering of pro wrestling stars known throughout the world?  That is, of course, where the Horsemen are headed, as they will finally receive the honor of respect that they so richly deserve.

But will Ric Flair be there?

Just asking that question seems bizarre.  Just imagining the induction ceremony without the presence of the man who made it all possible seems utterly insane.

This is Ric Flair.  The Nature Boy.  How could he not be there?  How could he not be included in perhaps the most important night in the history of the group that cemented his legacy, and that set the standard for excellence in the business that is still being felt today?

The truth is, it may not be up to him.

Ric is, obviously, a TNA Wrestling contracted performer.  They sign his paychecks, and he works exclusively for them.  Though I do not have the specifics of his contract, I would guess that appearing for another company, especially WWE, is not something that was written into his deal.

I would also speculate that perhaps no one in TNA upper management considered the Hall of Fame a possibility in the past year that Ric has been working for the company.  For TNA, as with any other wrestling promotion, the primary focus is usually what is happening today, and tomorrow, but not next year.

Only Vince McMahon thinks that way.  Hey, they booked Rocky versus John Cena a year out, remember?

But the fact remains that TNA is now faced with this dilemma, whether they like it or not.  So you’re Jeff Jarrett, or Eric Bischoff, or Bruce Prichard, or whoever this decision will fall to—what do you do?

Do you allow Ric to go to the Hall of Fame ceremony, to stand on the stage next to his best friends, to once again bask in the limelight of applause and adoration from the fans, and his peers?  Do you sit back, watch the event, understanding that, standing on the stage is a man signed to your company with your competitor’s logo on the bottom corner of the screen?

Well, if you put it that way.

It’s sticky.  When you take a moment and look at all angles, this cannot be an easy decision to make.

Don’t misunderstand me here, I am not siding with TNA and their possible decision to say no to Ric.  I am merely saying that while I believe Flair should be there, I can see how tough this can be for everyone involved.

Think about it this way.  If this were to have happened back during the Monday Night Wars, or in any other era for that matter, would WCW have said yes?  If it had been the WCW Hall of Fame, would Vince have said yes?

Again, Ric is a contracted wrestling personality signed to TNA.  TNA deserves to make the call on when and in what capacity his face appears on TV or, for that matter, anywhere else.

I suspect this is a hard decision, especially considering TNA’s open criticism of the WWE product over the years.  It is hard to imagine that they would just let this happen so easily.

After all, TNA does indeed consider WWE their direct competition.  

But on the flip side?  WWE does not consider TNA competition at all.  They would have no reason to not feature Ric on their programming. In fact, Vince may actually really love the idea that he would be getting free press off of Flair, who does not even work for him anymore.

Just saying that last bit was bizarre.  It felt that way, too, right?

Logic dictates that McMahon’s pride, his ego, would not be very agreeable to allowing Ric on his stage while working for TNA.  He may not consider them a rival, but imagine the “TNA” chants that would undoubtedly rise up from the crowd in attendance that night.

However, we should not forget that the WWE Hall of Fame is Vince’s creation.  The men and women included in its ranks received his stamp of approval long before their induction nights took place.

It’s hard to believe that Vince would not want Ric there since it was likely his idea to induct the Horsemen in the first place.

The truth is, Ric may go whether he gets TNA’s permission or not.  For him, this is not about politics, or red tape between two companies.  This is about him being recognized next to the men that he helped make famous, and that raised his credibility level by their work in and out of the ring.

This is about respect and honoring those who loved the business and gave everything they had for it.

This is not just about Ric.  This is about honoring the legacy of the Four Horsemen.

Do the right thing, TNA.  Because your fans—the ones that you so desperately want, and need—are watching.  Step up for them and make this happen.  The symbol of excellence deserves its day in the sun.  Be sure their brightest star is there to shine along with them.