The Michael Jordan of Pro Wrestling

[Celtsfan1980]

I often hear wrestling fans refer to Ric Flair as the Michael Jordan of Wrestling. He was great on the mic and in the ring. However, you could also make a case that Bret and Shawn have put up matches on par with Flair. Benoit, Angle, and Steamboat are three wrestlers you could also possibly make a case for. Liger and Misawa are two Japanese wrestlers that come to mind as well. Do you feel that Flair is deserving of the title?

[Stanford]

I don't really know what 'the Michael Jordan of wrestling' really mean, but if it's the most high quality matches, I'd give it to HBK hands down. Hogan would be the MJ of wrestling if it meant in terms of popularity as well as retiring and coming back.

[Tricky Ricky]

In terms of wrestling Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Chris Jericho, HBK theres too many to list

which is why the MJ of pro wrestling is either Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold their popularity will never ever be matched. If I had to chose Id chose Hogan though.

[jeffhardyfan52]

Ric flair is the MJ of pro wrestliing because he is a world icon in pro wrestling, if your a wreslting fan and you dont know who ric flair is you shouldnt be a wrestling fan, same with jordan,
Flair has had the longvity to wrestle since the 70s and is still going at it,

Bret hart is not a great tlaker so hes out, also he only has his 5 moves of doom
Beniot had no carisma what so ever, and the hole family killing thing pretty much says he will never be looked at with any respect and thats rightly deserved

Angel and steamboat both great ring performers and angels pretty good on the stick but nither are icons like flair same goes for jericho tho he is amzing on the mic and in the ring he just isent the icon

HBK is up there but he just isent on flairs level

it comes down to stone cold, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Ric Flair
these 4 are the icons of this bisneuss
Each is a icon around the world
The Rock great on the stick pretty good in side the ring but was nto in wrestling long enough
Hulk Hogan one of the bigest Draws in wrestling history but his lack of ability in the ring takes him of the list tho his abilty i can debate

Stone cold who is the bigest Draw in the histtory of this indsutry he is a better in ring perfomer then hogan but he is still not the greatest in ring wrestler, he hide his weaknesse and became that draw but he cant match Flair

Fair is the 16 time world champion,He has wrestled since the 70s he has every singel wrestlers respct
he was agreat in ring performer and can still out wrestle a vast majority of pro wrestlers today
and he has the carisma
Flair is hands down the Jordan of pro wrestling

[skbucks1985]

The only people who think Ric Flair is the Michael Jordan of Pro Wrestling are Ric Flair and his fans. This is Pro Wrestling, not amateur wrestling, the primary objective is to draw and in that respect, Flair couldn't hold the jockstrap of Hogan, Austin or the Rock.

[Tricky Ricky]

Ric flair is the MJ of pro wrestliing because he is a world icon in pro wrestling, if your a wreslting fan and you dont know who ric flair is you shouldnt be a wrestling fan, same with jordan,
Flair has had the longvity to wrestle since the 70s and is still going at it,

Bret hart is not a great tlaker so hes out, also he only has his 5 moves of doom
Beniot had no carisma what so ever, and the hole family killing thing pretty much says he will never be looked at with any respect and thats rightly deserved

Angel and steamboat both great ring performers and angels pretty good on the stick but nither are icons like flair same goes for jericho tho he is amzing on the mic and in the ring he just isent the icon

HBK is up there but he just isent on flairs level

it comes down to stone cold, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Ric Flair
these 4 are the icons of this bisneuss
Each is a icon around the world
The Rock great on the stick pretty good in side the ring but was nto in wrestling long enough
Hulk Hogan one of the bigest Draws in wrestling history but his lack of ability in the ring takes him of the list tho his abilty i can debate

Stone cold who is the bigest Draw in the histtory of this indsutry he is a better in ring perfomer then hogan but he is still not the greatest in ring wrestler, he hide his weaknesse and became that draw but he cant match Flair

Fair is the 16 time world champion,He has wrestled since the 70s he has every singel wrestlers respct
he was agreat in ring performer and can still out wrestle a vast majority of pro wrestlers today
and he has the carisma
Flair is hands down the Jordan of pro wrestling

I can agree with that, I think Flair is soo boring but I can agree if you have to make an unbiased mt rushmore of wrestling these 4 would be hard to top.

[jeffhardyfan52]

The only people who think Ric Flair is the Michael Jordan of Pro Wrestling are Ric Flair and his fans. This is Pro Wrestling, not amateur wrestling, the primary objective is to draw and in that respect, Flair couldn't hold the jockstrap of Hogan, Austin or the Rock.

i for one am not a ric flair fan but saying flair isent a draw is insane, flair was a huge draw back in the nwa and the early days of wcw, but fair was not in his prime at the time rock hogan and austin where, flair was wreslting in the territorys hogan was in wwf as one compnay flair drew all around the world just not a huge one event gate like hogan
Rock and austins primes where in a diffrent era compareing flair to them just dosnet work

[skbucks1985]

Ric Flair is a great draw among wrestling fans. But he can't draw in the casual or non-wrestling fan in the way Hogan, Austin or Rock could or in the way MJ could draw in the casual or non-basketball fan.

[Celtsfan1980]

Ric flair is the MJ of pro wrestliing because he is a world icon in pro wrestling, if your a wreslting fan and you dont know who ric flair is you shouldnt be a wrestling fan, same with jordan,
Flair has had the longvity to wrestle since the 70s and is still going at it,

Bret hart is not a great tlaker so hes out, also he only has his 5 moves of doom
Beniot had no carisma what so ever, and the hole family killing thing pretty much says he will never be looked at with any respect and thats rightly deserved

Angel and steamboat both great ring performers and angels pretty good on the stick but nither are icons like flair same goes for jericho tho he is amzing on the mic and in the ring he just isent the icon

HBK is up there but he just isent on flairs level

it comes down to stone cold, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Ric Flair
these 4 are the icons of this bisneuss
Each is a icon around the world
The Rock great on the stick pretty good in side the ring but was nto in wrestling long enough
Hulk Hogan one of the bigest Draws in wrestling history but his lack of ability in the ring takes him of the list tho his abilty i can debate

Stone cold who is the bigest Draw in the histtory of this indsutry he is a better in ring perfomer then hogan but he is still not the greatest in ring wrestler, he hide his weaknesse and became that draw but he cant match Flair

Fair is the 16 time world champion,He has wrestled since the 70s he has every singel wrestlers respct
he was agreat in ring performer and can still out wrestle a vast majority of pro wrestlers today
and he has the carisma
Flair is hands down the Jordan of pro wrestling

From what I've read, Flair is not well-known outside of the United States the way a wrestler like Bret is. Also you mention Bret's "5 moves" but many feel the same way about Flair. The reason he constantly chops wrestlers in the corner makes me think he lacked a large arsenal and I'd be curious to see him do a 30-minute match without chopping his opponent. I'm not convinced at all that he's the GOAT.

[skbucks1985]

The more I think about this, the more riddiculous I think this comparison is, and the point about not being known outside the US I think only reinforces my point. Ric Flair's fan base is American wrestling fans and he's a God among many of these people. But outside of this group, no one cares about him. I think about his post-wrestling career compared to Hulk Hogan. Obviously Hogan's life has taken a turn for the south as has his image. But he still got his own reality show wheras Ric Flair was on some 2-bit show that got axed after one episode and is doing lottery commercials.

[tossmyprotoss]

Mankind because he is one of the best actors and that is what WWE is.

[Celtsfan1980]

The more I think about this, the more riddiculous I think this comparison is, and the point about not being known outside the US I think only reinforces my point. Ric Flair's fan base is American wrestling fans and he's a God among many of these people. But outside of this group, no one cares about him. I think about his post-wrestling career compared to Hulk Hogan. Obviously Hogan's life has taken a turn for the south as has his image. But he still got his own reality show wheras Ric Flair was on some 2-bit show that got axed after one episode and is doing lottery commercials.

In basketball you have stats. I'd say Jordan and Jabaar are the two best without question, but it's hard to make a case for one or the other. However, in wrestling you don't have stats like that. It should be an issue of who has the best matches and who brings out the best in their opponents. Hogan isn't even in the conversation IMO. Flair's career lasted a very long time while Bret and Shawn were in tag teams for years. Considering all of the circumstances, I'd consider Angle as the best ever. Bret, Shawn, Flair, Angle, and Misawa should probably be the top 5, but it's hard to make a case for just one wrestler. But I would agree that Hogan's the biggest name and has done the most for wrestling overall.

[skbucks1985]

There are stats though: attendance, PPV buys. Like I said earlier, this isn't amateur wrestling the primary objective is not to put on a 5 star match that is adored by wrestling fans. The primary objective is to put butts in the seats and get people to buy the PPV's. Obviously there's some correlation between the two, but that's not the only thing that's going to do those things in fact many would argue that its far from the biggest thing. I just don't know how you can call Flair the MJ of wrestling because when it comes to the primary objectives of pro wrestling there are guys who are undeniably better.

[76ers76ers]

the rock................entertaining .............one of the best eras ever!!!

[Celtsfan1980]

There are stats though: attendance, PPV buys. Like I said earlier, this isn't amateur wrestling the primary objective is not to put on a 5 star match that is adored by wrestling fans. The primary objective is to put butts in the seats and get people to buy the PPV's. Obviously there's some correlation between the two, but that's not the only thing that's going to do those things in fact many would argue that its far from the biggest thing. I just don't know how you can call Flair the MJ of wrestling because when it comes to the primary objectives of pro wrestling there are guys who are undeniably better.

In that case, Flair probably shouldn't even be in the conversion. It would be between Austin and Hogan. Anyways, does anyone watch Japanese wrestling here? They're not even being talked about. It's a shame a lot of wrestling fans aren't familiar with Jushin Liger. He is amazing.

[jeffhardyfan52]

justin liger is a amazing worker and has done alot for wrestling but he isent as world famous all these guys

[76ers76ers]

true that

[76ers76ers]

is justin liger still around?

[Stanford]

It's jushin.

[Celtsfan1980]

justin liger is a amazing worker and has done alot for wrestling but he isent as world famous all these guys

Maybe not Liger but you could possibly make the arguement that, as far as workers go, Misawa and Kobashi are on par with Bret, Shawn, or Flair or at least close. I definitely think they should be in the discussion. And they're very famous as well.