See also Biography Index (R) :: Filmography Index (R) :: Discography Index (R)

Ric Flair was born on February 25, 1949. Various places have been given for his birthplace; in his autobiography Flair claims he was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His birth name is not known due to a scandal at the Tennessee Children`s Home Society in Memphis. His adopted parents named him Richard Fliehr.

As a teen, Fliehr took a job as a lifeguard at a local pool, where he received his first exposure to the wrestling business when he met the legendary Vachon brothers. In both 1966 and 1968, Fliehr won the state private school wrestling championship; and he was then recruited to the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship, where he played alongside Greg Gagne, the son of AWA kingpin Verne Gagne. Fliehr dropped out of college before receiving his degree, and he then worked as a bouncer at a nearby club, where he met Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera, who was preparing for a ring career at Verne Gagne’s wrestling school. Patera introduced Fliehr to Verne Gagne, who agreed to take him on as a member of what would be perhaps the single greatest training class in wrestling history (in addition to Ric Flair and Ken Patera, the group also included Greg Gagne, the Iron Sheik and Jim Brunzell).

Real-life feuds:

Bret Hart
In 2004, Flair engaged in an off-screen rivalry with Bret Hart, in which both claimed to be the best wrestler of all time and accused each other of performing the same routines in most of their matches. In Flair`s autobiography, Flair criticizes Hart over exploiting the death of his brother, Owen Hart, and the controversy surrounding the Montreal Screwjob.[41] Flair also makes mention in his biography that he personally "never saw dollar signs" on Bret Hart in reference to what he claims as Bret being a poor draw in the United States.


Shane Douglas
Flair has had a long running feud with Shane Douglas. Douglas accused Flair of sabotaging his push in the NWA/WCW after getting a solid push and a rub from his tag team partner Ricky Steamboat.[42] Flair, in turn, would respond that Douglas was always the guy that would blame his shortcomings on others. He called Douglas out as well as accused him of steroid abuse during a broadcast of the Internet radio show WCW Live! in which he said that he would meet him anytime and anywhere if he "took the needle out of his ass." They were able to come to a working relationship during Douglas` last stint with WCW.


Mick Foley
Flair has also had issues with Mick Foley. In his 1999 autobiography Have a Nice Day!, Foley said that "Flair was every bit as bad on the booking side of things as he was great on the wrestling side of it."[43] This was in reference to how poorly Foley thought he was booked during his WCW career when Flair was on the booking committee.

Flair responded in his autobiography, writing, "I do not care how many thumbtacks Mick Foley has fallen on, how many ladders he`s fallen off, how many continents he`s supposedly bled on, he will always be known as a glorified stuntman."[7]

In 2006, the two men got involved in an on-screen feud on WWE television regarding their past, despite Foley`s statement on his blog on WWE.com that the two have come to an understanding in real life and are on good terms with each other now.

Personal information
Flair does not know his full birth name. In the opening chapter of his autobiography To Be the Man, titled "Black Market Baby," he notes that his birth name is given on

Post a Comment | View All Comments (2)