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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Is There a Future for the Nature Boy"
September 7, 2006 by Alejandro Bravo


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The dawn of the Nature Boy's career is coming, despite the interesting feud he had with Mick Foley. If Flair and Foley were in their prime, young and fit, this could have been awesome. But I do not see the point in turning Flair into a hardcore SOB at his age now.

But this article is to discuss, in a humourus way, the future of the Nature Boy, one of the best wrestlers of all time and a personal favorite. His days as an active wrestler are counted, even though he'd like to wrestle forever to pay his dues. Many other greats like Hitman, Hogan and Savage have pursued careers outside the wrestling industry, but none of that applies to Flair.

Let's face it, he can't sing. It would be cool, though, to see him as a crooner in Las Vegas, but he doesn't have a future in music. Savage's attempt was nice; I even liked many songs of his album, but Flair" Well, no one knows. If Brooke Hogan can sing, maybe there is hope for Naitch.

What about TV" Hogan has his movies like Thunder in Paradise, and TV in Hogan Knows Best. Hart had Lonesome Dove. Can you imagine a reality with the Nature Boy" Me neither. Unless he does a program like Wild On or that guy in Food Network who travels the world drinking and eating and rating restaurants, the TV world is not the path to follow after hanging the boots. But, it would be cool if he did a cameo in Scrubs. Kelso vs The Nature Boy" You betcha!

Movies" Flair has flirted with the silver screen a couple of times, he has done cameos in Bodyslam! and other movies, but like wrestling, his stint in Hollywood will depend of the scripts. Maybe in small independent films, who knows" But the problem is that he will not be as big as a movie star as he is in wrestling. If he can handle that, and what's more important, the fans can handle that, then maybe Flair could be the next Brian Dennehy.

So, the best option in his future is in the wrestling world. But doing what" Some people say that he would fit as a color commentator. I agree, but where" RAW" That's King's land. Smackdown!" Maybe, but what about JBL then"

Others say that, like Mr. Perfect in the 90�s or Rick Rude in the early DX, Flair could be the ultimate manager, and that's obvious. But what about the candidates" Let�s see... Benoit" Regal" Angle" None of them fits the Flair character. Of course, it would be awesome see a stable consisting of Flair, Angle, Benoit, Regal and Finley but this isn't fantasy booker. What about Flair joining DX" even though it would be the perfect fit, Flair needs new blood to stay current in WWE. Let's face it, DX will disappear soon. Besides, they don't need the push; the new wrestlers does, so why waste Flair with established wrestlers if he can be used to establish newcomers" The big question is then, which prospect should be managed by Flair" I can't answer that, since I don't follow OVW that close.

Well, that's my point about Flair's future. He hasn't retired yet, so his immediate future in WWE could be either join Foley and become a tag team and feud with Johnny Nitro or... screwing Melina (in more ways than one) and joining Nitro against Foley. Whatever happens, I'll enjoy it. By the way, Flair said rude things about Sid Vicious, Scott Steiner and the Sandman in his book, but no one said anything. But when he gives his personal opinion on Hogan, Foley and Hart, everybody complains and declares that he is a jerk" Come on! Is his book, he can say whatever he wants!

Hope you enjoyed this article.

by Alejandro Bravo..


Aaron Harwood wrote:
Jeez, why do you care so much, about his future" Ric Flair will do what Flair wants to do. No he's not an actor or singer, hence the fact he's still wrestling at 57. And why are you contemplating what he might be like as a manager" Ummmm hello, remember Evolution. Yeah he wrestled in that stable, but he was the guiding force, and was often at ringside for Triple H. In fact for a while he didn't wrestle much at all, and was mainly Trips corner man. Until it becomes physical impossible for him, we'll see Flair in the ring doing what he's done for 33 years now. Wooooooooo. Don't worry about Flair in the future, worry more about what Jonathan Coachman will do when McMahon gets tired of him... Man I hate that guy!!!
Mike Timko wrote:
I think Flair may have stayed around too long for his own good. I agree with you that he doesn't have much of a future outside of wrestling. He'll probably become a behind-the-scenes guy like Dean Malenko or Ted DiBiase. I could see him as a manager, but for who" Raw is stacked with veterans. He would be a great help to guys like Shelton Benjamin or Charlie Haas, young guys with amateur backgrounds. Maybe even Chris Masters. Personally, I would like to see Flair just ride off into the sunset. He's done more than his fair share for wrestling.
Jonathan Preston wrote:
C'mon people, Ric Flair is rich!!!! For years, Ric Flair was the highest paid wrestler ever. He doesn't need to do anything after wrestling. I think Ric Flair should stop wrestling for starters. He's 57 years old and your body can only take so much at that age. He especially shouldn't be doing hardcore matches, that's for sure. I think Ric Flair is a good manager. When he was by Triple H's side it was a good fit. But, if Flair decides to retire from wrestling, he doesn't have to do anything else afterwards. Why" Because he is a Limousine ridin, jet flyin, kiss stealin, whealin dealin, son of gun and he's the NATURE BOOOOOOOOY!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Ike Eisen wrote:
You lost me at "The dawn of the Nature Boy's career is coming." Confusing your readers about which career you're referring to does not provide clarity to your article.

RE: Flair continuing to wrestle...it may surprise you, but the man just had a messy divorce. He has to give his ex-wife a lot of money every way in alimony. And I believe Flair has since remarried. He may have earned a lot of money, but Naitch was known to "live the gimmick" and splurge on hotels, limos, drinks, etc. The fact that he continues to wrestle a fulltime schedule should tell you what kind of financial situation he is in.

Does Flair have options outside of wrestling" Maybe his ship has passed him by. He will always have a job at WWE behind the scenes, but road agents, announcers and trainers don't make as much money as active wrestlers.
Andrew Freshness wrote:
The only reason Flair still wrestles is so he can pay off his debts from gambling and excessive spending, he needs the money and he'll do whatever MR. Mcmahon tells him to do even get cut up and become a hardcore wrestler.
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