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By 2008, Ric Flair had been in the wrestling business for over 35 years. The Nature Boy was widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever do it and while he was still capable of cutting an entertaining promo, the clock was ticking as Flair was close to 60 years old. The time was exactly right for the Nature Boy to retire and this became a storyline during WrestleMania season.
After a brief hiatus from a kayfabe injury, Flair announced to the wrestling world on Raw that he would never retire. Vince McMahon heard this and came out, declaring that Flair’s career would go on, as long as he was able to win. His first opponent was the Legend Killer, Randy Orton.
Shawn Michaels Retired Ric Flair At WrestleMania 24
Flair was outmatched against the much younger athlete, but thanks to a Jericho distraction, Flair was able to beat Orton with a low-blow and a roll-up. Flair survived, but his next match was against the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga. The Nature Boy escaped with a victory via a countout.
Throughout the next couple of weeks, Flair was put in a series of matches, with his career on the line every single time. He survived each time, getting past the likes Mr. Kennedy and even Vince McMahon himself. By that point, WrestleMania 24 was right around the corner and Ric Flair challenged Shawn Michaels, Mr. WrestleMania himself, to a match, with his career was on the line.
Flair considered it an honor to possibly be retired by someone like Michaels, and after a bit of hesitation, Michaels accepted the match and the two put on the best match of the card. It was intense, emotional, and brought appropriate closure to the legendary career of Ric Flair. The final Sweet Chin Music spelled the end for the near 40-year career of Ric Flair, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
The next night on RAW, kayfabe was forsaken in the favor of giving Ric Flair a grand ceremony. Heels and faces alike showed up and showered their praises on Flair. Even the Undertaker came along to pay his respect. This was a fitting retirement for someone like Flair. He went out in a blaze of glory…or so we thought.
Ric Flair Came Out Of Retirement To Wrestle For TNA
After such a glorious retirement, Flair went on to wrestle outside of WWE. He was released from his contract in 2009, the wrestled Hulk Hogan in a series of matches in Australia. It was official, the Nature Boy was back from retirement. He inked a deal with TNA next. He had plans to end his career in WWE, but the company did not send him a contract, so Flair ended up with TNA.
For the next two years, Flair would wrestle for TNA from time to time, despite being over 60 years old. Mercifully, Flair had his last match against former WCW champion, Sting, on a random episode of Impact. That was a bad fall from grace. Even back then, fans were pleading for Flair to retire.
Ric Flair suffered a torn bicep during the match, and he was put on the sidelines for months. Quite a while later, in the fall of 2012, Flair confirmed that he would never wrestle again due to his health. His good friend, Jerry Lawler, had suffered a heart attack after wrestling a match and Flair said he had to take care of his health.
At The Age Of 73, The Nature Boy Was Back In Ric Flair's Last Match
Despite saying all this, Ric Flair came out of his second retirement in 2022. At the age of 73, Ric Flair wrestled his last match. The event was titled just that: Ric Flair’s Last Match. He teamed up with AAA superstar and son-in-law, Andrade el Idolo, as they went up against the duo of Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.
Flair was covered in blood and looked dazed at several points during the match, but he got the victory and rode off into the sunset. Flair admitted that he passed out twice during the match and had no idea what was going now, but he finished the match and basked in the cheers of the fans one final time. Several key wrestlers congratulated Flair on his final match and that was the end of it. The 50-year career of Ric Flair was in the history books
Or so we thought. Ric Flair was recently “inspired” by the return of Ricky Steamboat and he mentioned that he had started training again as he had nothing else to do. We can only hope that he was trolling.