Weekend Diversion: When Ric Flair Was The Man

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 18, 2011 3:00PM

There's a phrase in professional wrestling for when a wrestler becomes so immersed in his ring persona observers can't tell the difference between the man inside the squared circle and the man away from the arena - "living the gimmick."

Few wrestlers live the gimmick as well as "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. His interviews (aka "promos") in the 80s and early 90s are the stuff of legend for the way he preached being "custom made from head to toe," living the good life afforded to him and gorging on the fruits of his labors as a world heavyweight wrestling champion. And Flair did exactly that away from the ring.

But he also didn't plan smartly for his golden years and now finds himself wrestling at 62, broke, facing IRS liens for back taxes, being sued by former business partners, and still wrestling with a condition called alcoholic cardiomyopathy, nearly all of his earnings going to creditors. Flair as a lion in winter is a sad tale.

Shane Ryan wrote a deeply moving and unblinking article on Grantland looking at the slow and steady decline of Flair's financial stability and reputation. Trust us, this is a must-read even if you aren't a wrestling fan. Today we prefer to look back at a time when Flair was bulletproof, where it wasn't bragging because he could back it up.

This remix is Flair living the gimmick at the height of his powers.