The Rock vs Ric Flair

[Jingus]

I always thought that Evolution vs. Rock-&-Sock match was a severely underrated gem, a great clinic of psychology and storytelling.  Here's a little piece of writing I did about it over on PWO:

 

 

My short answer to storytelling: why does Wrestler #1 defeat Wrestler #2? Way too many matches tell the same story, "#1 hits his finisher on #2 and pins him". That's just intellectual laziness. It especially bugs me when the guy has one of those Out Of Nowhere finishers which he can hit from anywhere at any time; why doesn't he keep trying for it over and over again until he hits it? Why is the dude going for a pin after a bodyslam when he should just be trying to hit his finish instead? Randy Orton is actually a good example of a guy who explains how he hits his finisher when he does. He'll try to go for the RKO a bunch of times, and in between he typically uses a bunch of moves which target the neck and head so as to wear them down and make them more susceptible to it. On his good days Keiji Mutoh is the same way, constantly attacking his opponent's legs to make sure they spend as much time as possible down on the mat to set them up for shining wizards. 

 

Of course it's more complicated than just that. Each wrestler out there has to show their character through their actions, and give us a sense of their gameplan. The Joe/Kobashi match was really fun along those lines; Joe starts marking out for who he's wrestling and uses some old All Japan spots and moves, so Kobashi gets pissed and steps up his offense, so Joe goes back to his faux-MMA stuff such to regain control, so in response Kobashi does... so forth and so on. Another was the Evolution vs. Rock & Sock match at Mania XX. Every guy had their own part very clearly defined by their actions: Orton was the opportunistic bully, Flair was the crazy old man, Batista was the badass backup who kept having to save his team when they got in trouble, and Rock was the godlike superstar who'd moved beyond wrestling and was just there to do his old friend a favor. Every guy had at least one moment where he got to look like Superman, and everyone made their opponents look like world-beaters too. Foley was the most complex one, weaving a tale about how he was trying his best, but he was too broken-down and rusty, and simply got overmatched by the numerical odds and his younger opponents. And this played into the larger storyline, with him deciding that he couldn't beat Orton in a straight wrestling match, so challenging him to the hardcore match, so forth and so on, storytelling. 

 

 

Also, the Flair singles match was preceded by what is possibly my all-time favorite "Rock is inexplicably cruel to Jonathon Coachman" promo, followed by one of the best two-minute shilljobs I've ever seen for an upcoming match:  

 

 

 

Does anyone else feel like Rock gave Flair more offense and sold for the old guy harder in that one match than Triple H did in his entire months-long feud against Ric in 2004?  

 

 

And while we're on the subject of "great 21st-century Ric Flair matches", check out this TREMENDOUS bout he had with Kurt Angle in 2005.  For some reason everyone seemed to completely forget about this match by the following Tuesday morning, which is a shame, cuz it's awesome.  It's one of the few times that post-prime Flair truly does look like The Dirtiest Player In The Game rather than just some dude who hits a lot of nutshots, as he uses every old-school cheat in the book; and it's also one of those unfortunately rare occasions where Angle remembers "hey, I'm a world-champion mat wrestler!" and busts out some cool Nise Steamboat shit on the canvas.  

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kvxb_wwe-kurt-angle-vs-ric-flair-raw-6-2_sport

[RandomAct]

My favorite moment is when Flair countered the belly to belly by being old.

[Cobra Commander]

 

I'm guessing that the Rock's signature moves weren't usually countered on TV. Also gonna guess Flair got more offense and counters in 7 minutes than in some of his 90s PPV matches?

So, who would be the biggest US name to never work with Ric Flair (who was around before Flair/HBK, at least)?

 

Never worked with Cena (sort of - worked a tag with David Flair against Cena and O'Haire at an OVW taping in 2002)

 

Others include:

Liger

Daniel Bryan

Tommy Dreamer

Billy Gunn

Raven

Mark Henry

Bob Holly

Rikishi

The Sandman

Taz

Jim Duggan

 

Flair faced Henry once on a house show in January 2008. Also faced Duggan in July 1992 at a house show at the "Cape Cod Melody Tent"

 

WWE (Smackdown! & ECW) @ State College, PA - Bryce Jordan Center - January 19, 2008

Kane defeated Big Daddy V

WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin defeated Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore

Kelly Kelly defeated Victoria

Elijah Burke defeated Tommy Dreamer

Kofi Kingston defeated Deuce

ECW World Champion CM Punk defeated Shelton Benjamin

Ric Flair defeated Mark Henry via count-out

Finlay pinned the Great Khali after Hornswoggle interfered with the shillelagh

World Heavyweight Champion Edge pinned Batista in a No DQ match

 

WWF @ Hyannis, MA - Cape Cod Melody Tent - July 19, 1992 (2,800; sell out)

Jim Powers pinned Kato

Tatanka pinned Rick Martel

The Samoans (Headshrinkers) defeated the Bushwhackers

Jim Duggan defeated Ric Flair via disqualification

The Latin Fury (Konnan) defeated Pete Doherty

The Natural Disasters defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase & IRS via count-out

[Web Conn]

If Dreamer and Flair wrestled who would get any offensive in?

[Jiji]

Raven.

[Cobra Commander]

Raven and Ric Flair vs Tommy Dreamer and Dusty Rhodes

[HumanChessgame]

If Dreamer and Flair wrestled who would get any offensive in?

 

The match would consist of nothing but the spot of Flair begging off then punching Dreamer in the balls being repeated over and over.

[Phantom Lord]

Raven and Ric Flair vs Tommy Dreamer and Dusty Rhodes

 

Nah, Flair and Corino vs. Dreamer and Dusty at the ECW arena during the middle of Corino's feud with Rhodes would have been something else.

 

So Flair/Duggan only happened once on some random WWF show. I would have guessed Duggan would of got a random world title match against Flair in the 80's in Mid South or some other NWA Territory he was in when Flair was champion. Flair would defend the title against the most random of people back then.

[Casey]

I'm sad that Dusty wasted his last couple of matches feuding with Corino in ECW/MLW.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

I saw Dusty wrestle a dark match after a Raw in 2008. I mean, he just did a couple of spots, but I'm still pretty happy I get to say I saw him work a match.

[Brian Fowler]

I'm more surprised Flair and Duggan didn't have a match in WCW.

[Jingus]

One of the funnest matches I've ever seen live was on a Bert Prentice show at the Nashville Fairgrounds: Lawler vs Dusty.  I got to see Heel Dusty, and it was pretty freakin' glorious, he was even making sleazy moves on whichever of Lawler's girlfriends that accompanied him to the ring.  The King pinned the Dream, albeit with Lawler putting his feet on the ropes (can't have Dusty lose a clean pinfall ever!).  

[TerjeRUN]

I'm more surprised Flair and Duggan didn't have a match in WCW.

 

They did: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x69fxv_jim-duggan-vs-ric-flair-wcw-title_sport

[cwoy2j]

Okay now I really want to see Flair vs the Sandman. Another dream match we didn't know we missed out on.

 

I want to see a Flair/Sandman drinking contest more than a Flair/Sandman match.

[cwoy2j]

One of the funnest matches I've ever seen live was on a Bert Prentice show at the Nashville Fairgrounds: Lawler vs Dusty.  I got to see Heel Dusty, and it was pretty freakin' glorious, he was even making sleazy moves on whichever of Lawler's girlfriends that accompanied him to the ring.  The King pinned the Dream, albeit with Lawler putting his feet on the ropes (can't have Dusty lose a clean pinfall ever!).  

 

That bolded sentence is PRO WRESTLING in a nutshell. A guy nicknamed The King cheated to beat a guy nicknamed The Dream.