I really felt like they weren't just saying good-bye to just Ric Flair, but also that entire generation of wrestlers. A huge, huge, HUGE era has just come to an end.
It's really hard to imagine wrestling without Ric Flair. But that tribute was nothing short of awesome. Really, really awesome.
I noticed: Michelle McCool and Jamie Noble standing next to each other at the end. HMM.
Also, I wonder if Jericho is still mad at JJ Dillon and Dean Malenko for their conspiracy during the cruiserweight battle royal at Slamboree 1998.
I'm with the J-Man, where was Piper? Surely this was a bigger occasion than Matt Striker's birthday.
The even stephven booking of Jericho pinning Punk clean is kind of TNAriffic but I love Jericho so I won't complain even if, intellectually, it seems odd.
First time I ever got teary eyed over something to do with wrestling that didn't involve a death.
Was Undertaker on the ramp at the end of the show ? I know he likes to keep his characters mystique, but he still should have been there with everyone else.
The best part of waking up, is not Folgers in your cup, but knowing that Chuck Norris didn't kill you in your sleep.
Originally posted by KevintripodWas Undertaker on the ramp at the end of the show ? I know he likes to keep his characters mystique, but he still should have been there with everyone else.
Looks like he and Vince came out after the show went off the air:
I would have liked to see him doing the kneeldown pose in front of Flair. I thought for a moment that they were going to have him come out and retire the Big Gold Belt with Ric.
Oh, and I also would have liked to see Piper there. I'm surprised Rhodes or Terry Funk weren't there either.
Originally posted by eventhisLooks like he and Vince came out after the show went off the air
And kudos to Vince for staying off camera and letting Flair have the spotlight.
I was raised on NWA and always leaned toward it and WCW more than the WWF/E. To see Flair get this treatment in a McMahon ring -- with the knowledge that Hogan blew his shot at this kind of moment -- affirms Flair's position as the greater figure in the last 40 years.
It's petty. But it's genuine.
Long live Flair.
Hot damn, this was a fun show. Punk/Jericho, Show/Khali and Orton/Hardy had me grinning like a child.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoIt was still nice and all, but it felt a lot like they were naming names just to fill the time up.
...
Originally posted by redsoxnationIf they somehow convinced Ole to show up, that might have topped everything.
I wouldn't want him there at all. I was expecting Roddy Piper though.
It wasn't like I was asking for #1 Paul Jones to show up. That would have qualified as the miracle of miracles. Ole did teach destroying Dusty in a cage 5 years before Arn and Ric learned with him http://www.youtube.com/watch?tv=fCIgLQGruvs And, since it wasn't included on the Horsmen DVD, the formation of the 4 Titles/4 Horsemen 1988 Group http://www.youtube.com//watch?v=_MSQg4RAaJ4 They just don't do turns like these anymore.
Originally posted by redsoxnationThink the last shot of Race/Flair/Cena will be shown as Cena being a part of a legacy of greatness?
Let's put this in perspective.
Firstly, to answer your question - if they don't, they're absolutely nuts.
Cena is only 30 years old. He's already won three world titles. He's held those three world titles for a combined 26 months, and is easily the most dominating champion and the most powerful force (however you want to define it - ticket sales, merchandise sales, star power, pure crowd heat magnet) in the industry today.
At age 30, Ric Flair had yet to win even one of his 16 world titles.
I daresay that politics might be the only thing that could stop Cena from *surpassing* Ric Flair's career. And that's not intended as a slight at Ric at all. While someone like Hulk Hogan was limited by his technical ability, Cena is the complete package. He can wrestle any kind of match, he can work the stick with the best of them, and not only he is a physical freak of nature, but as we've seen this year, his college education gives him the prime knowledge to not only keep himself in peak condition, but to drastically cut short a recovery that would have taken a year for any other performer.
Let's put it this way: If Ric Flair is Jack Nicklaus (and for the sake of the legacy image, let's say that Harley Race is Arnold Palmer) then John Cena is Tiger Woods. That should clear up just how great Flair's career was, and how great Cena's career could very well be twenty years from now.
(edited by Texas Kelly on 31.3.08 2351)
*checks time of post*
A few hours early with that.
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Thank God for Youtube. I headed to bed before the tribute (5am comes way too soon) but it was really awesome to see the WWE pay tribute to Flair this way.
It's been said before, but its stuff like this that makes me proud to be a WWE fan.
Is there any video of the Undertaker and Vince during this? I also didn't see Orton, but then again, it's a large group, and the resolution of the video was kinda iffy.
I know that a TNA star showing up on WWE programming wouldn't work...but I'm sure some kind of agreement could have been arranged to see Sting show up. Even if they called him Steve Borden, and he came down without his stage makeup.
I can't believe I'm saying this...but thank you, Vince McMahon, for the most touching tribute for the greatest wrestler of all time.
What I noticed last night on Raw that may have been overshadowed by Flair's farewell was another guy on the roster that is ready to be something HUGE. Big Show. Other than being physically huge, I mean, the guy is ready to take the double double E and make it his b*tch. He's thinner, he's meaner, he's CONFIDENT and he has become really effective on the mic. Heel or not, I think he's ready to do whatever he wants to do for as long as he (or his health) allows himself to do. The look he had when looking eye-to-eye with Khali and then, "You need to get out of my face...seriously." was great. Damn, I was legit SCARED for Khali.
I might be in the minority on this, but I think he's ready for a major breakthrough. And Flair's departure might just be the motivator.
Originally posted by djpettiWhat I noticed last night on Raw that may have been overshadowed by Flair's farewell was another guy on the roster that is ready to be something HUGE. Big Show. Other than being physically huge, I mean, the guy is ready to take the double double E and make it his b*tch. He's thinner, he's meaner, he's CONFIDENT and he has become really effective on the mic. Heel or not, I think he's ready to do whatever he wants to do for as long as he (or his health) allows himself to do. The look he had when looking eye-to-eye with Khali and then, "You need to get out of my face...seriously." was great. Damn, I was legit SCARED for Khali.
I might be in the minority on this, but I think he's ready for a major breakthrough. And Flair's departure might just be the motivator.
He's motivated now, but if he ends up stuck in an extended black hole of suck with Khali, does the motivation wane?
Originally posted by redsoxnationHe's motivated now, but if he ends up stuck in an extended black hole of suck with Khali, does the motivation wane?
He managed to be silently entertaining in his squash of Colin Delany on ECW.
Yeah, that was AWESOME. Show really told a story with his expressions. "Kid, I really don't want to do this to you, but it's my JOB to kill people in the ring." Then he kills him dead, but makes it quick.
Big Show? The best developed character in wrestling? Is it possible?
Originally posted by redsoxnationHe's motivated now, but if he ends up stuck in an extended black hole of suck with Khali, does the motivation wane?
He managed to be silently entertaining in his squash of Colin Delany on ECW.
Yeah, that was AWESOME. Show really told a story with his expressions. "Kid, I really don't want to do this to you, but it's my JOB to kill people in the ring." Then he kills him dead, but makes it quick.
Big Show? The best developed character in wrestling? Is it possible?
Yes it is and yes he is. I think 2008 and 2009 will be Big Show's years - IF he stays healthy. I thknk the ME is just SCREAMING for another contender and Big Show is legit. Whereas before I thought it was Jericho, it is now Big Show and Jericho will have to be happy with the upper mid card.
"Marriage is like that show ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, but it’s not funny. All the problems are the same, but you know instead of all the funny, pithy dialogue, everybody is really pissed off and tense. Marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of 'Everybody Loves Raymond', only it doesn't last 22 minutes. It lasts forever."
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Originally posted by CTX*checks time of post*
A few hours early with that.
Is it just me, or does anyone else not get the point he's trying to make either?
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